October 2026 is not shaping up to be a great month for movies. The lineup is thin, and most of what has arrived so far has met with lukewarm reviews. November looks much busier, with a packed slate that should make up for it, but that is no reason to skip this month entirely. A few releases are still worth your time, whether you want a night at the cinema, a thriller on Netflix, or something to stream on Apple TV.
To save you the guesswork, we checked critic scores, audience scores, box office results and reviews for the October releases you can watch right now. Below are the five worth knowing about, ranked from best to worst, with the cast, the premise, where to watch and who each one is for. Scores were checked on October 13 and may change.
5. Other Mommy | 5.5/10
Other Mommy is a horror movie directed by Rob Savage and starring Jessica Chastain. The story follows Bela, an 8-year-old girl whose family is torn apart by her mother Ursula's infertility and the secrets that surround it. Backed by Blumhouse and released by Universal, it is a short, 93-minute R-rated chiller that reached theaters on October 9.
Savage is a name horror fans already know. He directed Host, Dashcam and The Boogeyman, and this is his latest horror release. Chastain is an Oscar winner who has worked in the genre before, including Mama and It Chapter Two, so the casting gives the film a prestige angle that most low-budget scares do not have.
The business side is better than the reviews. Other Mommy opened at number one at the US box office with an estimated $27.5 million across 3,365 theaters, on a reported budget of around $18 million. That is a strong start for an original horror title, and Blumhouse has built its model on exactly this kind of cheap, fast return.
Critics were not kind. The film holds 16% on Rotten Tomatoes from 61 reviews, with audiences at 47%, which is why it sits at number five on this list. Dread Central scored it 2.0. The split shows a movie that brought people in but did not satisfy most of them.
Where to watch: Other Mommy is playing in theaters now, having arrived on October 9. At 93 minutes, it is the shortest film on this list, so it fits easily into a weeknight outing. It carries an R rating, so check the age limit before you bring younger viewers.
So who is it for? Pick it if you are a horror fan who wants a short theater outing, if you follow Savage's career, or if you want to see Chastain in a genre role. Skip it if critic scores matter to you, since this is the weakest-reviewed film on our list.
4. Matchbox: The Movie | 5.7/10
Matchbox: The Movie is an action film directed by Sam Hargrave, the filmmaker behind the Extraction movies, and starring John Cena. Cena plays Sean Walker, a former soldier and CIA operative who returns to his hometown for a funeral and reunites with his childhood friends. They are drugged and kidnapped by a group after a nuclear warhead, and the CIA suspects them of stealing it, so they have to steal it back to clear their names. Jessica Biel plays Aimee, a racecar driver. It runs about 126 minutes, is rated PG-13 and landed on Apple TV on October 9.
The cast is deeper than the premise suggests, with Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, Teyonah Parris, Danai Gurira, Corey Stoll and Bill Camp. It is a joint project from Apple Studios, Skydance and Mattel Studios, with David Ellison among the producers.
As a streaming release it has no box office, and its budget was not found. The more useful comparison is how it was received, and the toy tie-in is the main criticism. Reviewers say the film uses the Matchbox name far more than the Matchbox world, so the brand feels like a minor link to an otherwise standard streaming action plot.
Critics were harsh. It holds 22% on Rotten Tomatoes from 27 reviews and 46 on Metacritic, while audiences were friendlier at 55%. Some reviewers still found real fun in the chases and a big car crash, and a restrained Cena. Others said Hargrave lacks the energy of his Extraction films, that the jokey tone undercuts the stakes and that the length is a problem.
Where to watch: Matchbox: The Movie is streaming on Apple TV, so there is no theater trip involved. The PG-13 rating makes it the most family-friendly film on this list, though the action is not aimed at young kids.
So who is it for? Pick it if you are a Cena fan who wants an easy action movie for a lazy evening. Skip it if you are hoping the Matchbox connection adds anything, or if a long runtime for a generic plot puts you off.
3. Animals | 6/10
Animals is a crime thriller directed by Ben Affleck, who also co-wrote and stars. He plays Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose young son is kidnapped on Halloween night, leaving the family facing a $7 million ransom. They turn to a crisis fixer named Dayle, played by Gillian Anderson, who fronts the money on harsh terms. Secrets from both parents come out over one long night. It is a 106-minute R-rated film that arrived on Netflix on October 9, with a limited theatrical run.
The cast goes beyond Affleck. Kerry Washington plays Abigail, and Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Mendez round out the group. Several reviewers describe the film as a Los Angeles take on Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.
Because Animals is a Netflix release, there is no box office to measure. The bigger story is the AI controversy. Affleck said he used generative AI "for lots of things" in the film, and Netflix says the tools fix post-production problems such as missing shots, backgrounds and lighting, rather than generating images from prompts or replacing performers. Netflix also bought Affleck's AI startup InterPositive in March, so expect this to stay part of the conversation.
Reviews are lukewarm. It holds 35% on Rotten Tomatoes from 54 reviews, with the lowest audience score on this list at 41%. Gillian Anderson is the most praised part of the film, and Washington also gets credit. Critics say it never builds real danger, the ending gets silly and the effects are weak. Many compare it unfavorably to Affleck's own Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo and Air.
Where to watch: Animals is streaming on Netflix now, with a limited theatrical run as well. Since it costs nothing extra for subscribers, it is the lowest-risk pick here.
So who is it for? Pick it if you are a Netflix subscriber who wants a watchable thriller, or if you want to see Anderson steal scenes. Skip it if you expect Affleck at his best as a director. Note the heavy profanity, shootings and fights, and an adultery storyline.
2. Verity | 6.5/10
Verity is a psychological thriller directed by Michael Showalter and based on Colleen Hoover's 2018 novel. Lowen Ashleigh, played by Dakota Johnson, is a struggling writer hired by Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett) to finish the book series of his wife Verity, a bestselling author who can no longer work after an accident. While staying in the family home, Lowen finds a hidden manuscript that raises questions about Verity's past. It runs 117 minutes and reached theaters on October 2.
Anne Hathaway plays Verity, and she is the main reason to see it. The film is a departure from the romance stories Hoover is best known for, and it was delayed from its original May 2026 date. Amazon MGM Studios handled the US release, with Sony Pictures taking international markets.
The business side is solid. Verity opened at number one with about $32.6 million from 3,510 theaters, including $4.5 million from Thursday previews, and about $62.6 million worldwide. Against a $40 million budget it has already made its money back. That is the second-best opening for a Hoover adaptation, behind It Ends with Us. The second weekend dropped to about $11.5 million, bringing the domestic total near $53.9 million.
Critics were less impressed. The score sits at roughly 33% on Rotten Tomatoes (it started higher), audiences gave it 70%, and CinemaScore was a C+, the lowest of any Hoover adaptation so far. Hathaway's dark, campy performance is the consistent praise. The common complaint is that Showalter plays it too safe, so it is less creepy and less sexy than the book.
Where to watch: Verity is still playing in theaters, where it has been since October 2. It has been out the longest of the theatrical releases here, so check showtimes soon.
So who is it for? Pick it if you loved the book, if you are a Hathaway fan, or if you want a thriller date night. Skip it if you want something genuinely scary or boldly trashy, since reviewers say it holds back.
1. The Social Reckoning | 7/10
The Social Reckoning is a drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, a follow-up to The Social Network. It follows Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, a Facebook employee in 2019 who sees leadership putting engagement and revenue ahead of user safety. Jeremy Allen White plays Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, whose reporting on the Facebook Files drives the story. Sony released it in theaters on October 9, and it runs 112 minutes with an R rating for language.
The cast and crew carry real weight. Jeremy Strong takes over as Mark Zuckerberg after Jesse Eisenberg declined to return, and the supporting cast includes Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen and Betty Gilpin. Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth comes back from the first film, while Alexandre Desplat replaces Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the score.
The box office is the weak spot. The film opened to about $5.5 million across 2,606 theaters and finished fifth for the weekend, against a reported budget of roughly $30 to $42 million. That is a soft start for a Sorkin project with this much name recognition.
Reviews are mixed but the best of this group. It holds 55% on Rotten Tomatoes from 211 reviews, with audiences at 73% and a Metacritic score of 52. Critics generally call it a worthwhile look at social media that cannot match the original. Some praised the fast, sharp dialogue, while others found it uneven, and Strong's Zuckerberg divided reviewers.
Where to watch: The Social Reckoning is playing in theaters now, since October 9. It is a dialogue-heavy film, so it works best on a big screen with a good sound system.
So who is it for? Pick it if you like Sorkin's writing, if the Facebook whistleblower story interests you, or if you want the strongest cast and best-reviewed film of the month. Skip it if you expect it to live up to The Social Network.