Fitness
The 8 Must-See Movie Sequels In Fall 2026
The season offers the most anticipated line-up in years.
AARP (Getty Images; Courtesy Lionsgate, 2; Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
I flagged the date on my calendar as soon as I received official confirmation. Next, I secured a plus one who knew how long I’d been looking forward to this event. And when the big night finally arrived, I smiled in a state of stupid bliss until I had to inevitably leave and go home.
Of course, I’m referring to the first screening of The Devil Wears Prada 2.
But I’m not here for a babbling discourse on why the smart and talented Andy Sachs still can’t find a decent boyfriend. The underlying reality is that the only form of entertainment capable of making me this geeked out is a movie sequel. I love them, full stop. When I hear that a Part 2 (or 3 or 6) is in the works, I’m instantly intrigued and ready to go. This has been true since I was a kid during the summer of 1989 and stood in line with babysitting money to buy a ticket for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon 2, Ghostbusters II and, ugh, The Karate Kid Part III.
I realize my warm sequel sentiments are considered sacrilege in many hoity-toity film circles. And FWIW, I understand the counterpoints: They’re unnecessary money grabs! They rarely match the original in quality! Hollywood lacks imagination! And to all that I proudly say . . . I don’t care. A sequel done right — like Top Gun: Maverick, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Zootopia 2 and Freakier Friday to name a few recent examples — offers a chance to both spend time with familiar friends and see a well-worn narrative be pushed forward. Kinks are ironed out; characters get redemption. A win-win for all. And the consistently boffo box-office numbers prove I’m right, so there.
So far, I’d give the 2026 crop a solid B+ thanks to Scream 7, Toy Story 5 and Prada 2. (I admittedly wasn’t a fan of The Mandalorian & Grogu from the Star Wars universe.) And this fall offers the most anticipated line-up in years — think follow-ups to two legit 21st century masterpieces, mammoth blockbuster franchises, the ultimate rewatchable comedy and more. Here’s your insider guide, and may the odds of a totally satisfying sequel be ever in our favor.
Practical Magic 2
The original: Practical Magic (1998)
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Joey King, Xolo Maridueña, Maisie Williams and Lee Pace
See it: September 11 in theaters
The scoop: Woo-hoo, the witchy women are back to fly with the moon in their eyes. And if we’re lucky, they’ll whip up more midnight margaritas too. Though the ’90s romp wasn’t a blockbuster, it’s developed a loyal following — and Bullock and Kidman’s respective stars have only become brighter. We find the Owens sisters of Massachusetts more adept at balancing romance and magic. They attempt to break the 300-year-old generational curse by confronting family secrets. (The story is based on Alice Hoffman’s 2021 novel The Book of Magic.) Nearly everyone from the OG cast has returned (apologies to Aidan Quinn and Evan Rachel Wood!), with King and Williams playing Bullock’s daughters.
The Social Reckoning
The original: The Social Network (2010)
Stars: Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen and Betty Gilpin
See it: October 9 in theaters
The scoop: We didn’t just “like” The Social Network: The exhilarating Shakespearean take on Facebook’s early-00s origins still defines our social media age. For the follow-up, Strong replaces Jesse Eisenberg as creator Mark Zuckerberg, while Aaron Sorkin now serves as both screenwriter and director. (David Fincher helmed the classic.) The story is set in 2021, when young engineer Frances Haugen (Madison) is set to blow the whistle on the platform’s damning inner workings — including the suppression of research on the company’s negative impact on teen mental health. The source material is Broken Code by The Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz; White plays him onscreen.
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The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
The original: The Hunger Games (2012)
Stars: Elle Fanning, Joseph Zada, McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Jesse Plemons and Jennifer Lawrence
See it: November 20 in theaters
The scoop: Adapted from Suzanne Collins’ acclaimed 2025 novel, this story chronicles the 50th edition of The Hunger Games in post-apocalyptic Panem — which means the narrative falls somewhere in between 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Hunger Games. Fans likely recall the winner is future sneering District 12 mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Zada), so the cool draw here is the dream casting of Fanning as young Effie Trinket and Culkin as young Caesar Flickerman. There are plenty of ties to the OG films as well, including appearances from Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark and Lawrence herself as resistance heroine Katniss Everdeen.
Focker-In-Law
The original: Meet the Parents (2000)
Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Ariana Grande, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Skyler Gisondo and Beanie Feldstein
See it: November 25 in theaters
The scoop: Yup, 26 years have really passed since Stiller first entered De Niro’s circle of trust. And while the Meet the Parents trilogy — which ended with 2010’s Little Fockers — eventually ran out of laughs, the series now receives an energy boost courtesy of (gulp) Gen Z. The fun picks up with Greg (Stiller) and Pam (Polo) in a panic when their son (Gisondo) brings home his would-be fiancée (Grande). She also happens to be a triathlete and former hostage FBI negotiator, much to the chagrin of Jack (De Niro) and his famous lie-detector test. Should be fun to see the ever-neurotic Greg on the opposite side of the overbearing-parent dynamic, right?
The Adventures of Cliff Booth
The original: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Stars: Brad Pitt, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Carla Gugino and Timothy Olyphant
See it: November 25 in IMAX theaters; December 23 on Netflix
The scoop: When we last saw the ever-resourceful Hollywood stunt double/war hero/best friend to movie star Rick Dalton, he helped stop a group of drugged-up hippies from going on a killing spree in the Hollywood Hills circa 1969. This neo-noir picks up in 1977, as Cliff (Pitt reprising his Oscar-winning role) navigates the gritty movie industry as a studio “fixer.” And for a guy who may or may not have killed his demanding wife, that could mean anything. Though Pitt is reportedly the only Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast member returning, Quentin Tarantino once again wrote the screenplay with Fincher now directing. We’ll still miss you, Leo.
Avengers: Doomsday
The original: The Avengers (2012)
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Paul Rudd, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Letitia Wright, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, Pedro Pascal, Wyatt Russell, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Channing Tatum
See it: December 18 in theaters
The scoop: If any Marvel Cinematic Universe project can get fans buzzing again after too many flops, it’s the one with a cast so absurdly stacked that it took an entire day to announce everyone. Not only will the epic feature Avengers faves such as Thor (Hemsworth), Captain America (Evans) and Ant-Man (Rudd) as well as the X-Men characters from the early 00s films (welcome back Professor X and Magneto!), newer superheroes from the recent Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts movies are in the mix too. But Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark has not risen from the dead: This time, the actor switches sides to play the Fantastic Four’s archnemesis, Doctor Doom.
Dune: Part Three
The original: Dune (2021)
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert Pattinson
See it: December 18 in theaters
The scoop: For anyone expecting another grand and spicy battlefield epic, prepare for . . . something different. Adapted from the Dune: Messiah novel from 1969, this chapter is smaller in scale but heavier in political intrigue and the profound exploration of power. Here, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) extends his rule as emperor over the known universe. But several shadowy factions are trying to bring him down. The excellent main cast returns (including Momoa, whose character died in the first entry), and Pattinson is in the villain seat. Though there are additional novels in Frank Herbert’s sci-fi saga, this will be the last directed by auteur Denis Villeneuve.
Jumanji: Open World
The original: Jumanji (1995)
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina and Nick Jonas
See it: December 25 in theaters
The scoop: Game on! For the third film in the nine-year-old franchise, Johnson’s Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Hart’s Franklin “Mouse” Finbar, Black’s Professor Shelly Oberon and Gillan’s Ruby Roundhouse embark on another mission within the supernatural game world — which, in this adventure, means yelling insults at each other in closed-captioned Spanish and taking on roving creatures. This installment will also pay tribute to Robin Williams, who starred in the very first film as a man stuck in the Jumanji world for 26 years. “There is a little Easter egg for Robin that is in every single scene,” Johnson said at April’s CinemaCon. “The whole franchise would not have started without [him].”
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