Indie Film Release Guide: October 10th [An ONTD Original]

This weekend’s big studio new releases are Disney’s Tron: Ares and Paramount’s Roofman, but only one is positioned to capture the box office crown. Roofman has a modest budget of $19 million, while the third film in the Tron series has a budget of $180 million, so Disney is surely hoping the crowds turn up to see it. We are fully into award season territory now, so there are also plenty of films dropping this weekend with their eyes on bigger prizes than the box office, including After the Hunt, Kiss of the Spider Woman, House of Dynamite, and If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Five” – Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Columbia Pictures. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: October 3rd, September 26th, and September 19th.

After The Hunt

Stars: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg
Writer: Nora Garrett
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Drama
Plot: A college professor finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil levels an accusation against one of her colleagues and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light.
What you should know: This is the third time Julia Roberts has played a college professor in a movie.
Where to watch: In theaters

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Stars: Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, A$AP Rocky
Writer/Director: Mary Bronstein
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: With her life crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
What you should know: Rose Byrne won the Best Leading Performance award at Berlinale 2025.
Where to watch: In theaters

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Stars: Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Bichir
Writer: Bill Condon, Terrence McNally, Manuel Puig
Director: Bill Condon
Genre: Drama, Musical
Plot: Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, convicted for public indecency. An unlikely bond forms as Molina recounts a Hollywood musical plot starring Ingrid Luna.
What you should know: Bill Condon also directed the film adaptation Dreamgirls, and wrote the screenplay for Chicago.
Where to watch: In theaters

Urchin

Stars: Frank Dillane, Harris Dickinson, Diane Axford, Lacey Bond
Writer/Director: Harris Dickinson
Genre: Drama
Plot: A young addict living on the streets of London is given a shot at redemption, but his road to recovery soon curdles into a strange odyssey from which he may never escape.
What you should know: This is actor, writer and director Harris Dickinson’s feature directorial debut.
Where to watch: In theaters

A House of Dynamite

Stars: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris
Writer: Noah Oppenheim
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.
What you should know: Premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters

100 Meters

Stars: Tôri Matsuzaka, Shôta Sometani, Jun’ya Enoki, Hiiro Ishibashi
Writer: Uoto, Yasuyuki Moto
Director: Kenji Iwaisawa, Stephanie Sheh
Genre: Anime, Drama, Sport
Plot: Gifted runner Togashi dominates 100m races until transfer student Komiya arrives, motivating him to train harder. Years later, they compete as rivals on the racetrack.
What you should know: It’s in Japanese, but there is also a dubbed version in English.
Where to watch: In theaters

John Candy: I Like Me

Director: Colin Hanks
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Explores the life and legacy of the iconic funnyman John Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994, at the age of 43.
What you should know: John Candy co-starred in Splash (1984) with director Colin Hanks’ father, Tom Hanks.
Where to watch: Prime Video

The Woman in Cabin 10

Stars: Keira Knightley, Hannah Waddingham, Guy Pearce, Kaya Scodelario
Writer: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse, Simon Stone
Director: Simon Stone
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: A travel writer stumbles upon a gruesome secret while traveling aboard a luxury cruise ship.
What you should know: Director Simon Stone also directed 2021’s The Dig.
Where to watch: Netflix

The Alabama Solution

Writer: Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman, Page Marsella
Director: Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: An incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of the United States’ deadliest prison systems.
What you should know: Co-writer and director Andrew Jarecki also directed The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.
Where to watch: HBO Max

Maintenance Required

Stars: Madelaine Petsch, Jacob Scipio, Madison Bailey, Julee Cerda
Writer: Erin Falconer, Lacey Uhlemeyer, Roo Berry
Director: Lacey Uhlemeyer
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Plot: Charlie, forced to reevaluate her all-female mechanic shop, unknowingly confides in her online confidant Beau, who turns out to be her real-life business rival, their connection blossoms amidst professional rivalry.
What you should know: This is another take on The Shop Around the Corner (1940), previously adapted into You’ve Got Mail (1998).
Where to watch: Amazon Prime

More New Releases

Tron: Ares (Trailer) from Disney
Roofman (Trailer) from Paramount
Deathstalker (Trailer)
Soul on Fire (Trailer)
Re-Election (Trailer)
Mr. K (Trailer)