5 new movies to watch in November, including Gladiator 2 and Moana 2

It’s a new month, meaning more cinematic action. So, we’ve put together a list of all the major new movies releasing in November, including Gladiator 2, Moana 2, and Wicked.

October gave us a pair of horror hits in the shape of Smile 2 and Terrifier 3, both of which have already become huge hits.

They released during a year where scary movies might be the new summer blockbusters, and there’s more horror coming in November via Heretic, as well as multiple family flicks as we edge closer to Christmas.

The following are our picks of the movies hitting screens during the month in release order, followed by a list of every new film releasing in cinemas, plus a preview of December.

Heretic

Release Date: November 8, 2024 (November 1 in UK)

A24

Hugh Grant has played fun villains in the likes of Paddington 2 and the Bridget Jones movies. But in Heretic, he’s a much more serious antagonist, who invites two young girls into his house, with pretty unpleasant intentions.

The movie screened at Fantastic Fest, where we singled out his villainous turn in our Heretic review, saying that the film “largely works because of Hugh Grant’s towering performance, through which Mr. Reed manages to be likeable, creepy, and terrifying, sometimes in the space of just a few words.”

Red One

Release Date: November 15, 2024 (November 6 in the UK)

Red One is a mega-budget festive flick that stars JK Simmons as Santa Claus, though the real stars of the movie are Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.

Johnson is Saint Nick’s head of security Callum Drift, who has to team up with Evans’ bounty hunter Jack O’Malley to save Christmas when Santa gets kidnapped.

Gladiator II

Release Date: November 22, 2024 (November 15 in UK)

Paramount Pictures

Anticipation is sky-high for this belated sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, but the early signs are good, with Ridley Scott back in the director’s chair, and stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington receiving rave reviews at early screenings.

The first movie won five Academy Awards, and grossed nearly $500 million at the global box office from a budget of $100 million. If the sequel comes close to those achievements, expect Gladiator III to happen sooner rather than later.

Wicked

Release Date: November 22, 2024

The Wizard of Oz is one of the biggest movies of all-time. Wicked is one of the most successful musicals in history. So a Wicked movie looks like a license to print money.

Serving as a prequel to the original story, Ariana Grande plays Galinda, soon to be Glinda the Good Witch of the North. While Cynthia Erivo is the green-skinned Elphaba Thropp, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Though this is only half the torrid tale, with Part 2 arriving next year.

Moana 2

Release Date: November 27, 2024

Walt Disney Co.

The first Moana movie was a huge success for Disney, grossing nearly $700 million in theaters in 2016. While it then became a monster hit on Disney+, streaming for billions of minutes every year.

So a sequel was inevitable, with the only mystery being why it’s taken so long. The voice cast is all returning, including Dwayne Johnson as the scene-stealing Maui. The plot involves the breaking of an ancient curse, and a battle with underworld goddess Matangi.

New movies in November 2024: Full list

This is a list of all the major new movies releasing in US cinemas during November 2024:

November 1

• Blitz
• Here
• Apsolution
• Hitpig!
• Cellar Door
• Juror No. 2
• Aftermath
• He Never Left
• 72 Hours
• A Real Pain
• Lost on a Mountain in Maine
• Emilia Perez
• Levels
• My dead Friend Zoe
• The Gutter

November 6

• Starring Jerry as Himself

November 8

• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
• Heretic
• Elevation
• Overlord: the Sacred Kingdom
• Small Things Like These
• Conclave
• Love Bomb
• Weekend in Taipei
• 100 Yards
• Drive Back
• Meanwhile on Earth
• Bird
• Stockholm Bloodbath
• The Piano Lesson

November 15

• Alto Knights
• Hello, Love, again
• Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
• Elton John: Never Too Late

November 22

• Gladiator II
• Wicked
• Bonhoeffer
• Flow
• Armor
• Wwhiteout
• All We Imagine as Light
• Bread & Roses
• The Black Sea
• Little Girl Blue

November 27

• Moana 2
• Maria
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig
• Queer

November 29

• September 5

What’s coming in December 2024?

Here’s what’s hitting screens in the weeks before Christmas, with lots of family fare on the way…

• Nightbitch
• The Lord of the Rings: the war of Rohirrim
• Kraven the Hunter
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3
• Mufasa: The Lion King
• Nosferatu
• Better Man

For more previews, check out the best new TV shows this month, what’s happening in true crime and documentaries, plus movies that are streaming this month.