Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore arrive on the red carpet for the premiere of 'The Substance' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, during the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto on Sept. 5, 2024 (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston)
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The seasonal differences of the movie calendar have eroded a little bit with time. Neither of the last two Oscar juggernauts -- "Oppenheimer," "Everything Everywhere All at Once" -- opened in the fall, the traditional launching pad of Academy Awards hopefuls.
And just the same, fall tends to be nearly as stuffed as summer is with sequels, horror thrillers and would-be blockbusters.
Still, some of the old rules still apply. A large percentage of 2024's best movies are set to unspool in the coming months.
So with that in mind, here are some of the most anticipated films of this fall, from large to small and everything in between.
My Old Ass
A psychedelic trip makes for an unusual meeting in the latest from director Megan Park ("The Fallout"). After sipping some mushroom-infused tea, 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) finds herself joined by her future self, played by Aubrey Plaza, on a camping trip on the lakes of Muskoka, outside Toronto. (Sept. 13, in theaters)
Will & Harper
When former "Saturday Night Live" writer Harper Steele came out as trans, she sent an email to friends and family. An old friend and "SNL" colleague, Will Ferrell, responded with the suggestion that they travel the country together. The result is this tender and contemplative documentary, by "Barb and Star Go to Del Mar" director Josh Greenbaum, about their 16-day road trip. (Sept. 13; on Netflix Sept. 27)
Speak No Evil
Christian Tafdrup's 2022 Danish horror film was potent enough that it led to this Blumhouse remake just two years later. James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Aisling Franciosi star in a thriller about how much can go wrong on a idyllic countryside vacation. (Sept. 13, in theaters)
A Different Man
Sebastian Stan stars as Edward, an actor with neurofibromatosis who, after experimental surgery, is cured of his facial disfigurement. But the changes for Edward, who lives next to a friendly playwright (Renate Reinsve of "The Worst Person in the World"), turn out to be a mixed blessing. With a compelling co-starring turn by actor Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis. (Sept. 20, in theaters)
His Three Daughters
Writer-director Azazel Jacobs' latest stars Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters who gather in the New York apartment of their dying father. A highlight of the season, "His Three Daughters" is one of the most memorable tales of siblinghood, and of a death in the family, in recent memory. (Sept. 20 on Netflix)
The Substance
A hit out of the Cannes Film Festival, Coralie Fargeat's body-horror parable stars Demi Moore as a TV star who's deemed too old by male producers. A mysterious service, though, offers her the ability to change into a younger twin (Margaret Qualley) -- so long as she doesn't remain so for too long. "The Substance" seems sure to go down as a classic satire of Hollywood ageism and youth obsession. (Sept. 20, in theaters)
Wolfs
Brad Pitt and George Clooney play rival fixers who discover they've been hired for the same job in Jon Watts' comic caper. Presumably more charming actors weren't available, so Watts had to suffice with Clooney and Pitt. (Sept. 20, in theaters; Apple TV+ on Sept. 27)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui's documentary seeks to capture the full arc of Reeve's life, from the massive stardom that followed 1978's "Superman" to his resiliency following an accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down in 1995. (Sept. 21, in theaters)
The Wild Robot
This DreamWorks Animation release, adapted from Peter Brown's popular book series, follows a robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) who crash lands in a forested wildness where it, seeking a task, raises a runt goose (Kit Connor) until it's able to fly. (Sept. 27, in theaters)
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola's first film in 13 years stars Adam Driver as Caesar, a visionary with dreams of a utopian New York. Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne and Shia LeBeouf co-star in this wildly ambitious epic that has already earned a wide spectrum of reaction. (Sept. 27, in theaters)
Joker: Folie a Deux
Five years after their rabble-rousing Oscar nominated DC Comics blockbuster, director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix are back for more antihero fun. This time, it's a musical, and Lady Gaga is playing Harley Quinn. (Oct. 4, in theaters)
The Outrun
Saoirse Ronan stars in Nora Fingscheidt's adaptation of Amy Liptrot's memoir of addiction. Ronan plays a young woman just out of rehab and returning home to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. (Oct. 4, in theaters)
The Apprentice
Opening just weeks before the U.S. election is Ali Abbasi's portrait of a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) under the tutelage of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). The film, which the Trump reelection campaign has called "pure malicious defamation," is made with some of the '80s aesthetics of its setting. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
Piece by Piece
What's cooler than a documentary about your life? What about a documentary made with Lego? In this film, directed by Morgan Neville ("Won't You Be My Neighbor?"), Pharrell Williams tells his life story brick by brick. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
Saturday Night
While all eyes will be on "Saturday Night Live" on the small screen this fall, the sketch comedy show will also have an origin story in theaters. Director Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air") directs this mid-'70s dramatization of the chaotic infancy of the NBC institution, with Gabriel LaBelle as creator Lorne Michaels. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
We Live in Time
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield star in this human-scaled drama, directed by John Crowley ("Brooklyn," "The Goldfinch") about a relationship charted not always chronologically, through romance, sickness and parenthood. Tissues are recommended. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
Anora
Sean Baker ("The Florida Project," "Red Rocket") has long been one of most vital American independent directors. But he takes a step further with "Anora," the Palme d'Or winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker whose Vegas marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch prompts a farcical effort by his family's henchmen to have it annulled. (Oct. 18, in theaters)
Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross' feature directorial debut, selected as the opening night film at the New York Film Festival, adapts Colson Whitehead's 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two Black teens (Ethan Harisse, Brandon Wilson) who become wards of juvenile reform school in 1960s Florida. Ross previously directed the Oscar-nominated documentary "Hale County This Morning, This Evening." (Oct. 25, in theaters)
Venom: The Last Dance
Tom Hardy is back as the most volatile split-personality superhuman: Eddie Brock and his symbiote Venom -- arguably the most captivating double act in comic book movies. In this, the third in the series following 2018's "Venom" and 2021's "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," both are on the run. (Oct. 25, in theaters)
Dahomey
Writer-director Mati Diop ("Atlantics") creates testimonials for a few dozen African artworks taken from the West African kingdom of Dahomey during France's colonial rule in this, the winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Diop dramatizes the artworks' stories through what she's called "magical documentary." (Oct. 25, theaters)
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot's stop-motion drama, some 10 years in the making, follows the life of Grace Puddle (voiced by Sarah Snook), who begins collecting snails after her mother's death. After her father dies, too, she and her twin brother (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are separated. (Oct. 25, theaters)
Blitz
Director Steve McQueen ("12 Years a Slave") returns to World War II for this drama set in a London under siege from Nazi bombs. Saoirse Ronan plays a single mother trying to protect her young son (Elliott Heffernan). (Nov. 1, theaters)
Conclave
A new Pope is needed. Enter Ralph Fiennes. In director Edward Berger's follow-up to "All Quiet on the Western Front," Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, one of the Vatican figures who gather for a conclave to choose a new pontiff. When Lawrence uncovers a secret that others would rather stay hidden, the conclave teeters toward going up in smoke. (Nov. 1, theaters)
Emilia Perez
It's not every day we get a musical about a Mexican drug lord who transitions into a woman. Even more surprising is that French director Jacques Audiard pulls it off. Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez star in one of the more audacious movies of the year. (Nov. 1 in theaters; on Netflix Nov. 13th)
Here
Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks have a long and fruitful history together dating back to "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away." Less good was 2022's "Pinocchio," so hopefully the pair are back on track in "Here." Appearing to be filmed in one take, Zemeckis' latest chronicles a single spot of land through history. After a home is built on it, Hanks and Robin Wright move in and raise a family. (Nov. 1, in theaters)
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars in this buddy dramedy about two cousins (the other is played by Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland to honor their grandmother. The two are near opposites played to type: Eisenberg is a sensitive neurotic, Culkin a charismatic idler. Together, they create a funny, poignant two-hander. (Nov. 1, in theaters)
Bird
British filmmaker Andrea Arnold has dabbled in TV and documentary in recent years, which makes "Bird" her first film since 2016's "American Honey." Here, she returns to a working-class English backdrop for a gritty story laced with fable. A 12-year-old girl (Nykia Adams) who lives with her father (Barry Keoghan) is visited by a peculiar stranger (Franz Rogowski). (Nov. 8, in theaters)
Heretic
The distance Hugh Grant has traveled from rom-com protagonist seems likely to reach a new peak in this A24 horror thriller from "A Quiet Place" co-writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East play a pair of proselytizing Mormon missionaries who knock on the wrong door. (Nov. 15, in theaters)
All We Imagine as Light
Payal Kapadia's ode to female friendship, a prize-winner at Cannes, is about two Mumbai nurses (Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha) striving for love and happiness while working and commuting long hours in the Indian metropolis. (Nov. 15, in theaters)
Gladiator II
Twenty-four years after "Gladiator," Ridley Scott is back with more swords, sandals and … a rhino. Yes, that horned mammal makes its way into the Colosseum this time, but it's far from the only new addition. Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal star in this sequel, set several decades following the events of the original movie. (Nov. 22, in theaters)
Wicked
Before "Wicked" was a Broadway smash, it was a 1995 book and nearly a movie. The big-screen was, perhaps, always the most fitting medium for a "Wizard of the Oz" riff. In this Jon M. Chu-directed film, Cynthia Erivo plays the woman who'll become the Wicked Witch of the West, while Ariana Grande plays Glinda. This "Wicked" will be split in two, with part two arriving in late 2025. (Nov. 22, in theaters)
The Piano Lesson
Washington has set himself the task of bringing August Wilson's plays to the big screen. In this adaptation of Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winner, he produces while son Malcolm Washington directs, and son John David Washington stars. Led by a powerhouse performance by Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson" depicts a Pittsburgh family in 1936 reckoning with a family heirloom, a piano, which doubles as a metaphor for the legacy of slavery. (Nov. 22, on Netflix)
Moana 2
A little "Moana" confusion would be understandable. There's a separate live-action "Moana" in development and this film was originally planned as a series. But "Moana 2" ultimately, came together as a big-screen sequel to the 2016 original. Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't returning on the music front, but most everyone else is, including voice actors Auli'li Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. The film, set about three years after the original, finds Moana heading back on an ocean adventure, this time with her sister (voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) aboard, as well as several others. (Nov. 27, in theaters)
The free trade agreement with ASEAN is expected to be signed at the end of 2025. If Trudeau is pressured to step down, or if his government falls and loses the next election, Trudeau will not, as prime minister, be there to see the fruits of his labour.
The Liberal Party has named Andrew Bevan as its new national campaign director for the next federal election. The announcement comes as party continues to face lagging polls and as party leader Justin Trudeau is facing new pressure to step aside.
When Julie Riddell and her husband, Gerry, bought their Fort Myers, Fla., vacation property in 2009, it didn't cross their mind that they might be buying in a hurricane-prone area.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump called for a protester at one of his rallies to 'go back home to Mommy' to 'get the hell knocked out of her,' his latest instance of using violent language when confronted by demonstrators.
The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a 'Saturday Night Live' origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego. In the end, all were trounced by an ax-wielding clown.
Canada’s famed dinosaur hunter and one of the inspirations for the "Jurassic Park" phenomenon turned 75 earlier this year and has no plans to drop his chisel and rock hammer.
Israeli rescue services said almost 40 people were wounded in a drone strike in the central city of Binyamina on Sunday, three of them critically. The Hezbollah militant group was blamed for one of the most serious strikes to land in Israel in a year of war.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump called for a protester at one of his rallies to 'go back home to Mommy' to 'get the hell knocked out of her,' his latest instance of using violent language when confronted by demonstrators.
North Korea said Sunday its front-line army units are ready to launch strikes on South Korea, ramping up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones and dropped leaflets over its capital Pyongyang.
A drone show and a flawless mass ascension ended Sunday's last day of the 52nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for this year's hot air balloon event.
A senior politician in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, who was also known for his close ties with Bollywood has been shot dead weeks before a key state election.
During his first term as president, Donald Trump tested the limits of how he could use the military to achieve policy goals. If given a second term, the Republican and his allies are preparing to go much further, reimagining the military as an all-powerful tool to deploy on U.S. soil.
The free trade agreement with ASEAN is expected to be signed at the end of 2025. If Trudeau is pressured to step down, or if his government falls and loses the next election, Trudeau will not, as prime minister, be there to see the fruits of his labour.
The Liberal Party has named Andrew Bevan as its new national campaign director for the next federal election. The announcement comes as party continues to face lagging polls and as party leader Justin Trudeau is facing new pressure to step aside.
Amid escalating violence in the Middle East, a majority of surveyed Canadians say they don't believe the costs associated with Canadians fleeing the region should be funded solely by the government.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall for Rana brand Tagliatelle Seasoned White Chicken and Mushroom sauce, citing possible Listeria contamination.
SpaceX pulled off the boldest test flight yet of its enormous Starship rocket on Sunday, catching the returning booster back at the launch pad with mechanical arms.
As artificial intelligence continues to develop in seemingly all facets of life — including health care — experts say it's important for patients to know AI may be used in their care.
The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a 'Saturday Night Live' origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego. In the end, all were trounced by an ax-wielding clown.
'Game of Thrones' fans came out in droves to bid on hundreds of costumes, props and other items from the series in an auction that raked in over US$21 million.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the “proudest accomplishment” of his entire life.
Economists expect inflation continued its downward trend last month, giving the Bank of Canada the all-clear to continue cutting its benchmark interest rate.
It’s almost impossible to know what to say to someone in the throes of grief. We all want to say something comforting. Very few of us know what that is.
The Orient Express' opulent passenger experience was later immortalized in popular culture by authors like Graham Greene and Agatha Christie. But dining on the move was very much a triumph of logistics and engineering.
Over his quarter century in the National Hockey League, Mark Messier witnessed sweeping technological changes to the game, from the advent of lighter hockey sticks to the use of video reviews.
Some prominent figures will be added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery on Sunday, a few hours before this year’s class is enshrined in Springfield, Mass.
Two months before FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host, the soccer body was urged again Friday to allow independent scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights obligations for the tournament.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
Vicki Huntington says two things are critical to be elected as an Independent member of the legislature in British Columbia — trusted name recognition and an angry constituency.
B.C.’s northern coast has been getting soaked by an atmospheric river over the Thanksgiving long weekend, with officials warning of heavy downpours and possible flooding.
New Democrat Leader David Eby is asking potential Green voters in British Columbia's Oct. 19 election to support his party instead to help keep John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives out of office.
A neighbourhood already plagued by heavy traffic congestion could soon be used as a thoroughfare for hundreds of dump trucks daily due to construction on the Ontario Line.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the “proudest accomplishment” of his entire life.
Ukraine's human rights ombudsman urged international organizations Sunday to respond to a claim that several Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed in Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv had launched an incursion in August.
Canada’s famed dinosaur hunter and one of the inspirations for the "Jurassic Park" phenomenon turned 75 earlier this year and has no plans to drop his chisel and rock hammer.
Ottawa Paramedic Service says a man was taken to hospital in stable condition following a fire Sunday morning at a commercial building along Bank Street.
With CTV broadcasting NFL football games on Sundays this season, CTV News at Six with Austin Lee will be broadcasting live on our website and the CTV News App.
Almost half-a-million Quebecers could be eligible for a credit after a class action lawsuit settlement was approved by a Quebec judge over car dealerships that charged hidden fees.
Montreal researchers have uncovered details about the sinking of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated Endurance, which went down in Antarctica over a century ago.
CTV News Edmonton spoke with two families, as well as Edmonton's public and Catholic school divisions, about the first month of school with Alberta's school cellphone ban.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the “proudest accomplishment” of his entire life.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews are asking residents to avoid leaving their turkeys unattended this Thanksgiving weekend after a house fire in the city’s Waverley Heights neighbourhood.
Residents travelling in Regina's north end were sure to witness a large pillar of smoke Sunday morning, as fire crews battled a serious-looking blaze on Angus Street.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and since it is a statutory holiday, there will be some shortened hours for some services in the City of Regina.
As artificial intelligence continues to develop in seemingly all facets of life — including health care — experts say it's important for patients to know AI may be used in their care.
The free trade agreement with ASEAN is expected to be signed at the end of 2025. If Trudeau is pressured to step down, or if his government falls and loses the next election, Trudeau will not, as prime minister, be there to see the fruits of his labour.
The first iteration of the federal government's standardized pre-approved design catalogue – a revival of a wartime housing effort – will be unveiled in December, CTV News has learned.
Provincial police remind motorists about the importance of buckling up after an officer discovered a passenger sitting on a kitchen chair inside the vehicle during a traffic stop in the Town of the Blue Mountains.
OPP continue to investigate a multi-vehicle crash that occurred midday Saturday in the City of Kawartha Lakes, resulting in five needing treatment for various injuries.
Vicki Huntington says two things are critical to be elected as an Independent member of the legislature in British Columbia — trusted name recognition and an angry constituency.
B.C.’s northern coast has been getting soaked by an atmospheric river over the Thanksgiving long weekend, with officials warning of heavy downpours and possible flooding.
New Democrat Leader David Eby is asking potential Green voters in British Columbia's Oct. 19 election to support his party instead to help keep John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives out of office.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.