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- 9th Oct 2026
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October’s new cinema releases you’ll want to catch in the North East
October’s new cinema releases are a properly eclectic bunch, so grab the popcorn and clear your diary.
This month swings from Colleen Hoover’s seductive psychological thriller Verity to comic book horror Clayface, with an all-star Street Fighter reboot and Andrew Garfield’s 14th-century war epic The Uprising thrown in for good measure.
Whether you’re heading to your local multiplex or a cosy indie screen across the North East, there’s something here for every mood. It’s going to be a jam-packed month.
DIGGER
Friday 2nd October
Tom Cruise commands the screen once again in Digger, an apocalyptic black comedy from Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Birdman, The Revenant). Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil billionaire and the most powerful man in the world, who sets off on a frantic mission to prove he’s humanity’s saviour before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
It’s been billed as Dr. Strangelove for a whole new generation, and John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and Sandra Hüller round out a seriously strong cast.
VERITY
Friday 2nd October
Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity is a seductive psychological thriller starring Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who moves to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). When Lowen uncovers what look like Verity’s chilling autobiographical notes, she’s confronted with twisted confessions about Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett).
Before long, she can’t separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, or opportunity from obsession. Fun fact: it’s the fourth Colleen Hoover adaptation to hit cinemas in three years, following 2024’s smash It Ends with Us.
QUEEN: BUDAPEST
Wednesday 7th October
On 27th July 1986, Queen played Budapest’s Népstadion in front of 80,000 ecstatic fans, and Queen: Budapest brings that legendary gig back to life, beautifully remastered in 4K with a powerful new audio mix. The show was part of the famous Magic Tour, the last time the band toured with Freddie Mercury.
Expect all the big hitters, including Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, I Want to Break Free, and We Are the Champions. Sing-alongs are compulsory.
OTHER MOMMY
Friday 9th October
Producer James Wan, one of modern horror’s most influential names, teams up with breakout director Rob Savage for Other Mommy, a terrifying trip into the darkening world of young Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark). Bela forms a bond with a sinister entity in her home that looks uncannily like her own mother.
Jessica Chastain stars as the mum who’ll do anything to protect her daughter from it, in an adaptation of Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel Incidents Around the House. Sleep with the lights on.
THE SOCIAL RECKONING
Friday 9th October
Back in 2010, The Social Network gave us Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher’s gripping take on the founding of Facebook. Now Sorkin writes and directs a sequel of sorts, The Social Reckoning, inspired by the events behind the Wall Street Journal’s explosive exposé The Facebook Files.
Mikey Madison (Anora) plays Frances Haugen, a young Facebook engineer who teams up with reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear) to blow the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets and bring down the house of cards Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong, Succession) has built.
THE UPRISING
Friday 9th October
The Uprising tells the story of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, when ordinary people stood up to the might of a kingdom, led by a fearless Ploughman (Andrew Garfield). Acclaimed director Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) brings jaw-dropping period battle sequences to this historical epic.
Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, and Thomasin McKenzie join the ensemble cast. A proper big screen essential.
HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL
Tuesday 13th October
The international hit musical lands on the big screen. Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, plus the 2020 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown: The Musical blends modern American folk with New Orleans-inspired jazz.
It reimagines an ancient tale of two intertwining love stories: young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone. Filmed live in London’s West End with the original Broadway stars, it’s a hell-raising trip to the underworld and back.
FORGOTTEN ISLAND
Friday 16th October
DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island follows best friends Jo and Raissa (voiced by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano), who stumble through a mysterious portal to the fantastical island of Nakali. It’s packed with the magical, mythological creatures they grew up hearing about from their Filipino families, including the dreaded Manananggal (Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island.
The catch? The price of getting home is every memory of their friendship, so the pair race to find another way out before they forget each other forever. A half-term winner.
STREET FIGHTER
Friday 16th October
From A Minecraft Movie to The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Resident Evil, video game adaptations are bigger than ever, so it’s no surprise Street Fighter is getting another shot at the big screen. The less said about Kylie Minogue and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1994 attempt, the better.
This hotly tipped reboot is set in 1993 and follows estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), who find themselves back in combat when Chun-Li summons them to her martial arts tournament. David Dastmalchian, Jason Momoa, and 50 Cent also star. Fingers crossed it does the game justice.
WHALEFALL
Friday 16th October
After his father (Josh Brolin) dies, Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) dives off the central coast of California in search of his remains, only for a massive sperm whale to swallow him whole.
Trapped in its belly with just one hour of oxygen left, Jay realises the hard-earned lessons his dad taught him could hold the key to his escape. This one looks absolutely terrifying.
KLARA AND THE SUN
Friday 23rd October
Based on Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling novel, and written and directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), Klara and the Sun stars Jenna Ortega as Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than the perfect home. When she meets Josie (Mia Tharia), they instantly sense a kindred spirit in each other.
Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother (Amy Adams) and the family has suffered great loss, but Klara’s innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty start to bring light back into their world. Bring tissues.
WILDWOOD
Friday 23rd October
From the makers of Coraline, Wildwood is a handcrafted fantasy epic set in a secret, magical, and dangerously alive world just beyond your doorstep. Courageous young Prue McKeel heads into a forbidden forest to rescue her baby brother, meeting enchanted creatures, endearing allies, and formidable foes along the way.
Before long, the fate of an entire hidden world hangs in the balance. Pure big screen magic.
CLAYFACE
Friday 23rd October
Look fear in the face! Director James Watkins (Eden Lake, Speak No Evil) digs into the tragic origin of the classic Batman villain, who first appeared in the comics back in the 1940s. Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood actor who volunteers as a test subject to restore his face after a brutal attack.
The side effects are horrifying, turning his body into living clay and sending him on a revenge-fuelled descent into monstrosity. Expect big themes too: lost identity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.
WICKER
Friday 30th October
Keep this dark comedy romance firmly on your radar. On the outskirts of a seaside village, a solitary fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who’s too smelly to attract a husband pays the local basket maker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her one out of wicker. It works remarkably well.
The wicker man (Alexander Skarsgård) comes to life and turns out to be a caring, attentive partner, but the unconventional match soon sparks outrage, jealousy, and chaos among the locals. Elizabeth Debicki and Richard E. Grant also star. A perfect Halloween weekend treat.
SEE YOU AT THE CINEMA
From Tyneside Cinema and Everyman Newcastle to The Jam Jar in Whitley Bay and your nearest multiplex, the North East has no shortage of big screens to catch them on. Release dates can shift, so check listings at your local before you book.
Pass the popcorn.
Molly Ferry
CONTENT ASSISTANT
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