‘One Battle After Another’ Leads the Most Popular Movies List of the Week Again; Here Are the 14 Other Movies Atop IMDb’s List

Big new releases and revived classics are jostling for attention right now, from splashy, star-packed thrillers to long-awaited franchise entries. Based on this week’s buzziest titles, you’ll spot major studio tentpoles, festival winners, streaming rollouts, and even a stone-cold Hitchcock masterpiece back in circulation.

Below, we round up the week’s most-searched titles and lay out the essentials—what each one’s about, who’s in it, who made it, and how it came together. No hot takes—just the key plot, cast, crew, and production details you can use to decide what to watch next.

‘Bring Her Back’ (2025)

Danny and Michael Philippou direct this Australian horror story about siblings who uncover a sinister ritual inside their new foster home. The film stars Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, and Sally Hawkins.

Produced by Causeway Films, the movie opened in late May/early June windows across territories via Stage 6 Films/Sony Pictures Releasing International, following an A24-branded trailer campaign in select markets. Key creatives include cinematographer Aaron McLisky, editor Geoff Lamb, and composer Cornel Wilczek.

‘The Long Walk’ (2025)

Francis Lawrence directs and produces this adaptation of Stephen King’s (as Richard Bachman) dystopian novel, following 50 boys forced to maintain a punishing pace in a nationally televised endurance contest under lethal rules. The ensemble includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Joshua Odjick, Roman Griffin Davis, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.

A Lionsgate release photographed by Jo Willems with music by Jeremiah Fraites, the film opened theatrically in September 2025 and is expected to follow the studio’s standard PVOD-then-Starz window in the coming weeks.

‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ (2025)

The ninth film in the Conjuring Universe and the fourth centered on Ed and Lorraine Warren, ‘Last Rites’ reunites Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the famed paranormal investigators. Michael Chaves directs from a screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, based on story elements developed with James Wan.

New Line and Warner Bros. released the film theatrically in 2025; digital purchase and rental roll out began October 7, with streaming expected later in the season. Benjamin Wallfisch returns as composer, with cinematography by Eli Born and editing by Gregory Plotkin and Elliot Greenberg.

‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ (2025)

Rishab Shetty’s Kannada-language prequel expands the folklore introduced in ‘Kantara’, exploring the origins of coastal Karnataka’s Buta Kola tradition. Shetty leads the cast with Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, and Gulshan Devaiah among principal players.

Produced by Hombale Films and released in multiple premium formats on October 2, 2025, the film has posted exceptional domestic and international box-office results, with trade coverage charting its rapid climb among the year’s Indian hits.

‘The Naked Gun’ (2025)

Paramount’s legacy sequel brings back the spoof-police universe with Liam Neeson starring as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. Pamela Anderson co-stars alongside Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston; Akiva Schaffer directs from a screenplay by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Schaffer, with Seth MacFarlane producing.

The film premiered in New York in late July and opened theatrically on August 1, 2025, later posting a global gross over $100 million. Key creatives include cinematographer Brandon Trost, editor Brian Scott Olds, and composer Lorne Balfe.

‘Psycho’ (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock’s landmark thriller centers on fugitive office worker Marion Crane and motel proprietor Norman Bates, played by Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, with Vera Miles and John Gavin co-starring. Joseph Stefano wrote the screenplay, and Bernard Herrmann composed the iconic score.

Shot in black-and-white on a tight budget with Hitchcock’s TV crew, the film’s production and editing of the shower sequence remain among cinema’s most studied techniques. Paramount distributed the original release; decades on, restoration and retrospectives keep the title in active circulation.

‘Caught Stealing’ (2025)

Adapted from Charlie Huston’s novel, Darren Aronofsky’s New York-set crime thriller follows Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player who stumbles into a violent underworld after a seemingly simple favor. Austin Butler leads, with Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Benito Martínez Ocasio in support.

Produced by Columbia Pictures and Protozoa Pictures, the film reunites Aronofsky with cinematographer Matthew Libatique, with editing by Andrew Weisblum and a score by Rob Simonsen recorded with the band Idles. Sony released the film in US theaters on August 29, 2025.

‘Weapons’ (2025)

Zach Cregger’s follow-up to ‘Barbarian’ is a mystery-horror ensemble anchored by Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and Alden Ehrenreich, with Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan also appearing.

A New Line/Warner Bros. production, the film features cinematography by Larkin Seiple, editing by Joe Murphy, and music co-composed by Ryan and Hays Holladay with Cregger. The film’s robust box-office run has been tracked alongside strong word-of-mouth.

‘Superman’ (2025)

James Gunn launches the new DC Universe with ‘Superman’, starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, with Nicholas Hoult among the principal cast. The film introduces the DCU’s fresh continuity following earlier DC projects.

Warner Bros. released the film in premium formats worldwide in July 2025 following a TCL Chinese Theatre premiere. The production—part of DC Studios’ “Gods and Monsters” slate overseen by Gunn and Peter Safran—marks the franchise’s big-screen reset.

‘Frankenstein’ (2025)

Guillermo del Toro writes and directs this adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel, with Oscar Isaac as the scientist and Jacob Elordi as the Creature; the ensemble includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Lauren Collins, and Charles Dance.

A Netflix production with cinematography by Dan Laustsen, editing by Evan Schiff, and music by Alexandre Desplat, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and begins a limited theatrical run before streaming globally on Netflix in November 2025.

‘The Smashing Machine’ (2025)

Benny Safdie’s biographical sports drama follows UFC champion Mark Kerr through peak years in MMA and the personal struggles that shadowed his career. Dwayne Johnson plays Kerr, with Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples; the cast includes Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk.

Produced by A24 with Seven Bucks and partners, the film premiered in Venice competition on September 1, 2025, then opened in the US on October 3. Shot largely on 16mm with additional 70mm and VHS textures, it features a score by Nala Sinephro.

‘Steve’ (2025)

Set around a beleaguered headteacher fighting to keep a reform college alive while confronting his mental health, this drama stars Cillian Murphy alongside Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, and Emily Watson. Tim Mielants directs from a screenplay by Max Porter, adapted from his novella ‘Shy’.

‘Steve’ premiered in TIFF’s Platform section and saw a limited theatrical run before launching worldwide on Netflix in early October. The film is produced by Alan Moloney and Cillian Murphy, with cinematography by Robrecht Heyvaert and music by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow.

‘Play Dirty’ (2025)

Shane Black adapts Donald E. Westlake’s ‘Parker’ novels (written as Richard Stark) into a heist-action thriller centered on the Parker character. Mark Wahlberg leads as Parker with LaKeith Stanfield as Grofield, joined by Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Gretchen Mol, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub.

Produced by Team Downey and partners, the movie was released globally via Amazon MGM Studios on Prime Video on October 1, 2025. Key creative heads include composer Alan Silvestri, cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, and editors Chris Lebenzon and Joel Negron.

‘The Lost Bus’ (2025)

Inspired by reporting on the 2018 Camp Fire, the film dramatizes a harrowing school-bus evacuation led by driver Kevin McKay and teacher Mary Ludwig as they guide 22 children through an inferno. Matthew McConaughey portrays McKay and America Ferrera plays Ludwig; the script is by Brad Ingelsby and Paul Greengrass, who also directs.

Produced by Apple Studios with Blumhouse and Comet Pictures, the film streams on Apple TV+ under the Apple Original Films banner. Cinematography is by Pål Ulvik Rokseth, with editing by William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell, and Peter M. Dudgeon, and music by James Newton Howard.

‘One Battle After Another’ (2025)

Paul Thomas Anderson writes, produces, and directs this action-thriller about an ex-revolutionary dragged back into danger when a long-dormant nemesis resurfaces, setting off a frantic search for his missing daughter. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti.

Backed by Warner Bros. and Ghoulardi Film Company, the release rolled out in premium formats including IMAX 70 mm and VistaVision following a September 2025 Los Angeles premiere and a brief international tour. Cinematography is by Michael Bauman, editing by Andy Jurgensen, and the score by Jonny Greenwood.

Share what you’re planning to watch first—and why—in the comments!