September Used to Be a Dumping Ground. This Year It Has Brad Pitt, Two Witches, and Raccoon City.
Six wide releases in four weeks, including a Practical Magic sequel 28 years in the making and Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot. Here is the September 2026 theatrical calendar, week by week.
For most of movie history, September was where studios parked the films they did not know what to do with. Summer ended, awards season had not started, and theaters coasted. That September is gone. After a record-setting summer that put five 2026 releases past a billion dollars, the studios are not letting the momentum cool. This month brings six wide releases worth knowing about, and at least three of them are genuine events.
Here is the whole month, week by week, so you can plan your theater trips before the good showtimes disappear.
September 4: a super-soldier shootout and a civil rights thriller
The month opens with counterprogramming against itself. Onslaught is Adam Wingard (The Guest, Godzilla x Kong) doing lean action-horror at 92 minutes: Adria Arjona plays an Army sniper protecting her daughter from a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers, with UFC champion Alex Pereira making his big-screen swing alongside Dan Stevens. The supporting cast is a genre fan's dream, with Michael Biehn of Aliens and The Terminator sharing a call sheet with Reginald VelJohnson of Die Hard.
The same day brings something much heavier. By Any Means comes from Elegance Bratton, whose 2022 debut The Inspection announced a major filmmaker. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a young Black FBI agent sent into 1960s Mississippi to investigate killings targeting civil rights leaders, forced into an uneasy alliance with a mafia hitman played by Mark Wahlberg. It is drawn from one of the strangest and most disputed chapters in FBI lore, and the cast runs deep: Nicole Beharie, Giancarlo Esposito, David Strathairn.
Make your tier list right here
Five films, head-to-head. Tap the one you prefer and we will build your order, then label it S through D.
Which do you prefer?
Tap your favorite
The Reel
Get this in your inbox every Tuesday
You are reading The Reel, Shortlist's weekly movie brief. One email a week, free, unsubscribe in one click.
September 11: the Owens sisters return, 28 years later
Practical Magic 2 is the month's biggest bet on pure affection. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as Sally and Gillian Owens nearly three decades after the 1998 original became a generational comfort movie, with Susanne Bier (Bird Box, an Oscar for In a Better World) directing and a new generation played by Joey King and Maisie Williams. Lee Pace and Xolo Maridueña round out the cast. At 130 minutes, this is not a quick nostalgia cash-in; it is a full-blown family saga about the curse that has haunted the Owens women all along.
Opposite it sits Runner, an action comedy from Scott Waugh pairing Reacher star Alan Ritchson with Owen Wilson as unlikely partners racing a critical medical delivery past a cartel. A 97-minute odd-couple chase movie is exactly the palate cleanser this month needs.
September 18: Zach Cregger goes to Raccoon City
This is the release the internet will not shut up about, and for good reason. After Barbarian and Weapons, Zach Cregger has become the rare horror director whose name alone sells tickets, and Resident Evil is his biggest canvas yet. Crucially, it is not a retread. Cregger co-wrote an entirely original story with Shay Hatten: no Leon Kennedy, no returning movie characters, just Austin Abrams (who survived Weapons) as a medical courier whose night collapses into chaos during an outbreak in Raccoon City. Zach Cherry and Paul Walter Hauser co-star.
Video game movies have gone from punchline to prestige in five years. If Cregger lands this one, expect every dormant game franchise in Hollywood to get a director-driven reboot by 2028.
September 25: Brad Pitt, a dog, and the Alaskan wilderness
The month closes with Heart of the Beast, which reunites Brad Pitt with his Fury director David Ayer. Pitt plays a former Special Forces officer stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash, with his retired combat dog Odin as his only ally. J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe co-star, and the film heads to the San Sebastian Film Festival before its September 25 release. A 101-minute survival thriller built on a movie star's face and a very good dog: they do still make them like this, occasionally.
Also on the calendar
- Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom brings Aardman's silent slapstick back to theaters mid-month, and it is the family option of September.
- All five Hunger Games films return for a limited theatrical run, each with a sneak peek at The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which arrives November 20.
- Studio Ghibli Fest continues with Princess Mononoke on the big screen, still the best possible use of a theater ticket in any month.
- And the fall festival gauntlet begins in earnest: Venice runs September 2 to 12, and we previewed the lineup here.
How to attack the month
If you only make two trips, make them Resident Evil and Heart of the Beast: one is the month's cultural event, the other its best shot at an old-fashioned star vehicle. If you grew up on the original, Practical Magic 2 is non-negotiable. And if you are seeing all six, this is exactly the kind of month a movie tier list was built for. Rank each one head to head on Shortlist as you walk out of the theater, and by October 1 you will have a September tier list worth arguing about.
Frequently asked
What is the biggest movie coming out in September 2026?
The two highest-profile releases are Practical Magic 2 (September 11), with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman returning after 28 years, and Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot (September 18).
Is the new Resident Evil movie connected to the old films or the games?
No. Director Zach Cregger co-wrote an entirely original story set during an outbreak in Raccoon City. It follows a new character, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams, and does not feature game leads like Leon Kennedy.
Do I need to see the original Practical Magic before the sequel?
It helps but is not required. The sequel picks up with Sally and Gillian Owens decades later and introduces a new generation of the family, so the 1998 film is quick, worthwhile homework rather than a prerequisite.
When does Heart of the Beast with Brad Pitt come out?
Heart of the Beast opens in US theaters on September 25, 2026, after screening at the San Sebastian Film Festival. David Ayer directs, reuniting with Pitt for the first time since Fury.
Build your September watchlist
Six wide releases, four weekends. Rank them head to head on Shortlist as you see them, and share your tier list when the month is done.
The Reel
One sharp movie newsletter, every Tuesday
What to watch, what to skip, and where it lands on the rankings. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
