Autumn 2024's best movies from Joker: Folie à Deux to Gladiator II

It's true that the phrase "autumn movies" doesn't quite have the same impact as "summer movies". This time of the year is traditionally when the bombastic spectacle of blockbuster season gives way to more mature material and the onset of awards season.

But that's not to say there aren't some massive films mixed in with the possible awards contenders. Two of the more offbeat superhero franchises in Hollywood —Joker and Venom — have new movies on the way, while British audiences get the return of the world's most delightful bear in Paddington in Peru.

So let's get our calendars out and have a look ahead to the biggest movies you can expect to see in the next few months. There are plenty of stars on show, as well as some hacking and slashing just in time for Halloween. It's enough to make you spit out that pumpkin spiced latte.

Wolfs | 27 September

The combination of Brad Pitt and George Clooney is enough to sell any movie. It's very rare that we get to see these two stars share the screen and this new film from Spider-Man director Jon Watts has a fascinating premise to boot. Clooney and Pitt both play clean-up specialists, brought in to calmly mop up evidence of crimes. They end up reluctantly working together on a job gone awry.

This level of on-screen charisma surely can't fail to be successful. Bizarrely, the film is heading straight to Apple TV Plus outside of the USA, so we'll only be able to see this on in our homes. It's sure to be a winner at the sofaplex though.

Megalopolis | 27 September

Francis Ford Coppola's years-in-the-making passion project arrives in cinemas with a great deal of notoriety. Reports described it as a disaster on-set — Coppola is launching legal action about some of the allegations — and reviews from the Cannes Film Festival were polarised to say the least. But look, this is ultimately an ambitious epic helmed by the man behind The Godfather. That has to be at least a bit exciting.

Adam Driver leads the cast as an architect who clashes with a corrupt mayor over his plans to rebuild the decaying city of New Rome, envisaged as a crumbling dystopia. The cast includes Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Joker: Folie à Deux | 4 October

Is it a musical? Yes. Will anyone involved admit that it's a musical? No. But regardless of genre distinctions, Joaquin Phoenix is back in his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck and he's joined this time by Lady Gaga as a version of Harley Quinn. Like its predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux promises to give us a very different spin on the ultimate comic book villain.

Just as with Megalopolis, the Joker 2 reviews from the festival circuit suggest that this one could very much go either way. The last one was a billion-dollar hit and an awards favourite. Can lightning strike twice for the Clown Prince of Crime?

The Wild Robot | 18 October

Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois are responsible for some of the best animated movies of the last few decades, including Lilo & Stitch and the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Sanders has now turned his attention to an adaptation of Peter Brown's book about an intelligent robot who bonds with animals when it finds itself stranded in nature.

Lupita Nyong'o provides the voice for the robot in what will almost certainly hope to be a movie that matches the emotional heights of Brad Bird's beloved The Iron Giant.

The Apprentice | 18 October

Ali Abbasi's films have always taken on controversial topics, with 2018's Border featuring very graphic troll sex and 2022's Holy Spider based on a real, brutal serial killer. His latest film, though, has proved to be his most controversial for one reason: it's about Donald Trump.

Sebastian Stan plays the former president during the early years of his career in the business world. It took a long time for the film to land a distribution deal given the looming threat of litigation from Trump, but the contracts have now been signed and the movie will soon see the light of day on both sides of the Atlantic.

Smile 2 | 18 October

Smile was a surprising horror hit in 2022, winning audiences with its bleak storytelling and its killer premise about those who witness graphic death being stalked by a demonic smirk. It's no surprise that it's got a sequel, but it's very exciting to see Smile 2 focus on Aladdin star Naomi Scott as a pop star who falls victim to the curse.

This looks like the mainstream horror hit of Halloween 2024, though genre fans with even stronger stomachs will likely enjoy Terrifier 3. The latest addition to the killer clown franchise will come with a Christmassy spin, with a tonne of blood on the baubles.

Venom: The Last Dance | 25 October

It might never have won critical approval, but the Venom franchise has been a success. Its two films to date have grossed a combined $1.36bn (£1.03bn) worldwide and there could be more big money in store with threequel Venom: The Last Dance — a movie being sold as the grand finale.

Tom Hardy and his symbiote pal will leap into action one more time. Venom's alien kin has finally found him and it looks like he's set for a face-off against the villainous Knull — creator of the symbiotes. The trailer has musical sequences and a venomised horse. Yes please!

Heretic | 1 November

It's fitting that Hugh Grant is returning for another villain role, just before Paddington returns to cinemas. Grant's character in Heretic appears to have more dastardly crimes on his mind than Phoenix Buchanan did in Paddington 2, which is bad news for the two Mormon missionaries who knock on his door with the hope of converting him to their religion.

Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who created A Quiet Place, this is a horror movie from distributors A24, which suggests carnage of the most terrifying kind. Hugh Grant going full-on horror is a heck of a selling point.

Paddington in Peru | 8 November

What is there to say about Paddington? Michael Bond's kindly bear returned to cinemas a decade ago and he has since starred in two utterly charming family movies. Director Paul King wasn't available for this threequel because he was busy making Wonka, but the Brown family are back and off on a journey into Paddington's home — the Peruvian rainforest.

Dougal Wilson is the new face in the director's chair and, based on the trailers we've seen so far, it's the usual combination of comedy and sweet charm. Olivia Colman is also in the cast as a nun, which frankly is all anyone can ask for.

Gladiator II | 15 November

Ridley Scott has returned to the arena to direct a sequel to his Oscar-winning Roman classic. There's no Russell Crowe this time around, but Paul Mescal has become suitably ripped to serve as the successor to Maximus Decimus Meridius. Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington are also around, lending real gravitas to the ensemble.

This is a Ridley Scott historical epic, which means Gladiator II is going to be as big, bloody, and spectacular as it's possible for a movie to be. It can only be brilliant, surely?

Wicked | 22 November

November is set to be a month for musical spectaculars. The first of them is the introductory half of Jon M Chu's two-part adaptation of one of the world's most popular stage musicals: Wicked. Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba — not yet known as the Wicked Witch of the West — while Ariana Grande is her frenemy Glinda. It's a tale of magic and madness, which will almost certainly culminate with a blockbuster performance of one of the great Broadway numbers: Defying Gravity.

Setting aside the bonkers decision to cut the story in half, Wicked is set to be a massive event for musical nerds the world over. Erivo is only an Oscar away from completing her EGOT. Could this be the year?

Moana 2 | 29 November

Part two of November's musical duology is a surprising one. Out of nowhere, earlier this year, Disney announced that a sequel to Moana was on the way before the end of 2024. Initially envisioned as a TV show for Disney+, this is now a fully-fledged movie, with Auliʻi Cravalho returning as the title character and Dwayne Johnson back as the shape-shifting deity Maui.

This seafaring sequel follows Moana on a journey into the unknown, calling in Maui for help when she is confronted by a goddess of the underworld. Expect some blockbuster songs and an enormous haul at the box office to match.