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Dubai: Cancel your plans, guard your popcorn and clear some serious space in your movie calendar. The final three months of 2026 are shaping up to be gloriously crowded at the cinemas. Hollywood is rolling out Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Robert Downey Jr. and The Hunger Games, while India is matching that star power with Ranbir Kapoor stepping into the world of Ramayana, Ajay Devgn returning to the Drishyam universe and Shah Rukh Khan rounding off the year with King. Basically, if you love movies, consider the rest of 2026 booked.
Here are 10 big-screen releases worth having on your radar from October through December.
1. Verity — October 1
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett
Colleen Hoover is coming for the big screen again; and this time things are considerably darker. Anne Hathaway plays bestselling author Verity Crawford, while Dakota Johnson is Lowen Ashleigh, the struggling writer hired to ghostwrite for her after mysterious circumstances leave Verity unable to finish her books. Then Lowen discovers some deeply disturbing autobiographical notes. And yes, Josh Hartnett plays Verity’s husband. A creepy mansion, buried secrets, questionable attraction and Anne Hathaway potentially behaving very badly? Consider us seated. The psychological thriller, directed by Michael Showalter, is scheduled to hit cinemas worldwide on October 2.
2. Drishyam: The Conclusion — October 1
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Prakash Raj and returning members of the franchise
Vijay Salgaonkar clearly didn’t get the memo about living a quiet life. Ajay Devgn returns to one of Hindi cinema’s most successful thriller franchises as the Salgaonkar saga heads towards its conclusion. And if the previous films taught us anything, it’s this: never underestimate this man, never assume you’ve figured out his plan and, for heaven’s sake, pay attention to every tiny detail. I will be speaking to Ajay Devgn soon, so watch this space for more.
3. The Social Reckoning — October 9
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, Jeremy Strong
Aaron Sorkin is going back into the world of Facebook — except this isn’t simply The Social Network 2. The film follows Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, as they pursue secrets inside the social-media giant. And Jeremy Strong steps into the role of Mark Zuckerberg. So, essentially: tech, power, whistleblowers and very clever people having extremely tense conversations in rooms. Sorkin writes and directs, with the film opening October 9 in UAE.
4. Street Fighter — October 16
Starring: Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Callina Liang, Jason Momoa
Hadouken! The arcade obsession gets another shot at big-screen glory, and this cast is gloriously bonkers. Andrew Koji is Ryu, Noah Centineo is Ken, Callina Liang plays Chun-Li — and Jason Momoa is Blanka. Set in 1993, the movie brings Ryu and Ken back together when Chun-Li recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament, only for the whole thing to lead into a much bigger conspiracy. If you’re looking for subtle character drama, perhaps try another screen. If you want flying fists, nostalgia and Momoa going full video-game madness, October 16 is your date.
5. Clayface — October 23
DC is getting weird and frankly, we’re curious. One of Batman’s most unusual villains gets his own feature film as Clayface arrives in October. Forget another conventional caped-crusader origin story. A shape-shifting villain made of clay taking centre stage suggests DC is willing to rummage through the stranger corners of its comic-book cupboard. The Warner Bros. release calendar currently has the film opening October 23.
6. Ramayana: Part One — November 6
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Sunny Deol
This isn’t merely another Bollywood release. It’s shaping up as one of Indian cinema’s biggest cinematic swings. Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana has Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, with Sunny Deol among the sprawling cast. And then there is the music: A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer. The first instalment arrives globally on November 6, with Part Two planned for Diwali 2027. Epic mythology, enormous expectations and some of Indian cinema’s biggest names and this one will arrive carrying the weight of a mountain of anticipation.
7. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping — November 20
Welcome back to Panem. Apparently our collective emotional damage wasn’t complete. The sixth Hunger Games movie takes us back 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s story, beginning on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games and the Second Quarter Quell. Fans of the franchise will immediately recognise why that matters: this is the world of a young Haymitch Abernathy. Lionsgate has dated the film for November 20. May the odds be ever in our favour; particularly when trying to remember the increasingly elaborate Panem family tree.
8. Avengers: Doomsday — December 18
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh and approximately half of Hollywood
Marvel has apparently looked at the phrase “ensemble cast” and said: hold my cape. The Avengers return with heroes from multiple universes colliding against an existential threat and, crucially, Robert Downey Jr. is back in the MCU, this time as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom. The cast is frankly absurd: Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and many, many more. The Russo brothers direct. December 18 is Doomsday. Marvel would very much like your Christmas money.
9. Dune: Part Three — December 18
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa
Yes, you read that date correctly.
December 18. Again.
Denis Villeneuve’s third Dune movie is going head-to-head with Avengers: Doomsday, giving cinema lovers the kind of scheduling crisis usually reserved for weddings happening on the same weekend.
Set nearly two decades after Paul Atreides seized control of the Imperium, the story finds Timothée Chalamet’s Paul confronting the consequences of his rule.
Zendaya returns as Chani, while Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson are joined by Robert Pattinson.
And Hans Zimmer is back on music.
Christmas 2026: apparently peace was never an option.
10. King — December 24
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone and an ensemble cast
Who better to swagger into Christmas than Shah Rukh Khan? King is currently scheduled for December 24, putting SRK right into the thick of an absolutely brutal festive movie season. The project is especially intriguing because it brings Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and daughter Suhana Khan together on the big screen, turning it into more than just another star vehicle. After Pathaan and Jawan reminded everyone what happens when Shah Rukh Khan goes into full-scale action-star mode, King arrives with expectations already somewhere in the stratosphere. December clearly looked at Avengers, Dune and Christmas and thought: not crowded enough. Add Shah Rukh Khan.
AND JUST OUTSIDE OUR TOP 10…
There are plenty more fighting for your attention, including Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari’s Yeh Prem Mol Liya on November 27, Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha on December 4, and Vicky Kaushal’s Mahavatar currently slated for the Christmas period.
But if there’s one thing the final quarter of 2026 makes clear, it’s this: December is going to be carnage. Avengers: Doomsday. Dune: Part Three. King. Big stars, bigger franchises and an almighty battle for screens.
Our only advice? Choose your seats early.
