Ever feel like there are so many new movies out there that it’s hard to keep track of? Do you worry about wasting your precious time on a film you might not like? We’re here to help! Each week, ScreenRant’s New Movies team breaks down the latest releases in theaters, on VOD, and on streaming, including our personal recommendations, so you can decide what’s worth checking out.
The second weekend of October is stacked with new releases this year, with a couple of big-name wide releases hitting the big and small screen alike. While Tron: Ares expected to dominate the box office, there are still plenty of exciting films to check out on the big screen this weekend — including some projected award contenders.
Even for audiences who don’t feel like hitting up the theater, streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, and Peacock have plenty of new movies to check out. Regardless of whether you want to see Jared Leto fight off digital enemies or go deep into a web of lies constructed around Julia Roberts, here are our picks for the best new movies to check out this weekend.
New To Theaters This Week (Oct. 10, 2025)
- Tron: Ares
- A House of Dynamite
- Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Roofman
- After the Hunt
- If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Soul on Fire
- Fairyland
This week has a variety of options for audiences going to the theater. The sci-fi action of Tron: Ares and the broad dramedy of Roofman contrast nicely against the tense political thriller A House of Dynamite, the musical leanings of Kiss of the Spider Woman and compelling character dramas like After the Hunt, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and A House of Dynamite.
Tron: Ares is an entertaining follow-up to 2010’s Tron: Legacy, with SR New Movies Editor Brian Gallagher arguing that it’s the new film of the week that most deserves to be seen on the big screen thanks to its stunning VFX effects.
Disney returns to the high-tech world of The Grid with Tron: Ares, with mostly new faces (Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson) and one familiar one (Jeff Bridges). It’s an intriguing concept following the Ares program (Leto) who not only questions but disobeys his prime directive and it almost becomes a 21st Century Pinocchio, kind of. While the film is fairly light on plot, it has some interesting things to say about big tech and humanity and all that fun stuff, plus the red-bathed visual world is absolutely stunning to see on a big screen. If there’s anything that needs to be seen in theaters this weekend it’s Tron: Ares, if you can forgive its shortcomings.
The SR team as a whole has been torn over Julie Roberts’ Oscar contender After the Hunt, but SR New Movies Senior Writer Jack Walters came to the defense of the higher education drama.
After The Hunt is a smart, well-plotted thriller that makes the most of its layered characters to explore such contemporary issues as cancel culture and the #MeToo movement in fresh, interrogative ways. Guadagnino’s astute direction gives the story a pulsing momentum from start to finish, while equally pointed performances from Andrew Garfield, Julia Roberts, and Ayo Edebiri bring these characters to life in three dimensions. A film that often feels like it’s asking more questions than it truly knows how to answer, but always feels in control of its deeply thematic storytelling.
While both films are intriguing, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Roofman, and definitely I’d Kick You If I Had Legs are also solid picks for the weekend. While Channing Tatum’s turn in the crime dramedy is delightful and Kiss of the Spider Woman was deeply moving, SR New Movies Lead Writer Brandon Zachary considers Rose Byrne’s award contender a must-watch for the weekend.
If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You is the surprisingly funny and deeply emotional fusion of Uncut Gems and Parenthood I never knew I wanted. Starring a never-better Rose Byrne in a role that requires her to be funny, sympathetic, tragic, and frustrating (often all in the same scene), Mary Bronstein’s new film is a painfully human look at womanhood that doesn’t get lost in the grander statements about society. Instead, it remains firmly locked on Bryne’s Linda and the people who are dragged into her orbit, with a remarkably strong script that lends it a touch of the surreal without ever stepping out of the real world.
New To VOD This Week (Oct. 10, 2025)
- The Conjuring: Last Rites
- Freakier Friday
- Him
- The Drowned
Some of September’s biggest theatrical releases are now available on VOD. If you were one of the few people who didn’t turn out to the record-setting theatrical run of The Conjuring: Last Rites, then now is a good time to check it out. I’ll also die on the hill that Him is great, but SR New Movies Lead Editor Alexander Harrison wanted to highlight Freakier Friday.
Freakier Friday is the exact thing it should be. It’s silly, it’s fun, and if you have any fondness for the 2003 film, it hits just the right level of nostalgia. I’m someone who believes Hollywood needs to ask itself why something is worth going back to more often, but the reason for this sequel is to give Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis another chance to be body-swapped goofballs, and that’s enough for me. Julia ʙuттers sliding in with a very good embodiment of Lohan is a nice bonus.I saw this in a theater on a random Sunday afternoon with my sister and a happy, giggly crowd, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Now that it’s available at home, if you and your family find yourself craving some light entertainment, throw this on and you’ll have a good time.
New To Streaming This Week (Oct. 10, 2025)
- Maintenance Required (Prime Video)
- How to Train Your Dragon (Peacock)
- John Candy: I Like Me (Prime Video)
- The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix)
There are some fun picks for audiences who largely utilize streaming for their films, whether that be new movies like Prime Video’s Maintenance Required or Peacock releasing movies like How to Train Your Dragon. The live-action remake was a box-office smash earlier this year, and Lead Editor Alexander Harrison thinks it’s worth revisiting now that it’s on Peacock.
If you feel like the live-action remake thing is played out (or was never worth pursuing in the first place), trust me, I get you. I don’t think it’s controversial to say the flood of them over the past few years has been a net-negative for culture at large. It’s exactly that feeling, however, that makes How to Train Your Dragon worth checking out. While I still question the idea of remaking something this closely, this live-action recreation remembers that it has to be a real movie, not just a barrage of aggressive winks and Easter eggs. The storytelling and filmmaking have energy. It’s funny. It’s emotional. The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless works not because it’s something you can feel nostalgic about, but because the movie is actually invested in making it work. Gerard Butler, the rare original voice actor to play the same character again in live-action, is the MVP. Between him and returning director Dean DeBlois, maybe bringing back key creatives is the key to making these worth watching.
Our other streaming pick for the week is The Woman in Cabin 10 on Netflix, with Senior Writer Jack Walters complimenting the entertaining thriller for all its fun twists and turns.
The Woman in Cabin 10: The Woman in Cabin 10 is a pulpy, over-the-top thriller that feels like an Agatha Christie novel with a sleek, modern twist. The story takes some bold and unexpected turns, but always feels like it knows exactly where it’s going. This familiar structure delivers on everything it promises, from an unpredictable twist to a detestable lineup of could-be-killers, and always does so with style. It may not be revolutionizing the genre, but it steps confidently into some very big shoes. Keira Knightley shines as a woman on the edge, while the supporting cast rally around her in lusciously pantomimical roles.
What did you think were the best new releases of the week? Let us know in the comments!
