The 40 Biggest Movies of Fall 2013

By Derrick Deane

This fall's slate of movies features a nice mix of award season contenders and big-budget blockbusters. Here are the 40 biggest movies headed to theaters between September and November in our Fall Movie Guide.

Riddick

Release Date: September 6
Genre: Sci-fi Action
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After another summer blockbuster with Fast & Furious 6, Vin Diesel turns his goggles on the fall movie season with the third installment in the Riddick franchise. Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista and Karl Urban are along for the ride.

Salinger

Release Date: September 6
Genre: Documentary
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The Weinstein Company has high hopes for this documentary that probes into the life of famous recluse and Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salinger. Celebrity interviews include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack and Danny DeVito.

The Family

Release Date: September 13
Genre: Action Comedy
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Executive produced by Martin Scorsese and written and directed by Luc Besson, this action comedy finds a notorious mafia family being relocated to France under a witness protection program. Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Argon and John D'Leo make up the family with Tommy Lee Jones checking in on them.

Insidious: Chapter 2

Release Date: September 13
Genre: Horror
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After scaring up a summer box office hit with The Conjuring, director James Wan returns for the second chapter in the haunted lives of the Lambert family. In this terrifying sequel, the family uncovers a mysterious childhood secret that has left them connected to the spirit world.

Battle of the Year

Release Date: September 20
Genre: Drama
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It's the U.S. versus the world in an international dance battle. America is on a 15-year winless streak and it's up to Josh Holloway to assemble a championship winning crew that includes the likes of Chris Brown, Josh Peck and Caity Lotz.

Prisoners

Release Date: September 20
Genre: Action Thriller
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Hugh Jackman trades in his Wolverine claws for this suspense drama involving a missing child and police officer named Loki. No, not the Avengers menace. Rather, Jake Gyllenhaal lends his services as the detective assigned to the case which includes supporting performances from Melissa Leo, Maria Bello, Terrance Howard and Paul Dano.

Rush

Release Date: September 20
Genre: Action Drama
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Chris Hemsworth stars in Ron Howard's biopic about the contrasting and contentious lives of Formula One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Olivia Wilde co-stars.

Baggage Claim

Release Date: September 27
Genre: Romantic Comedy
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Her husband Robin Thicke spent the summer dealing with Blurred Lines and now Paula Patton takes to the skies in this romantic comedy. As the only woman in her family never to wed, Patton embarks on a 30-day, 30,000 mile expedition to charm a potential suitor into becoming her fiancé.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Release Date: September 27
Genre: Animation
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Picking up literally minutes from where the first film left off, this Sony Animation sequel finds Flint Lockwood's invention is now creating food-animal hybrids known as "foodimals." Flint and friends embark on a dangerous and pun-filled adventure to save the world from being overrun by the dangerous hybrids.

Don Jon

Release Date: September 27
Genre: Comedy
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes his directorial debut in the Jersey-centric comedy about a young man who has a thing for flings and porn… until he meets Scarlett Johansson. The film co-stars Tony Danza, Brie Larson and Julianne Moore.

Gravity

Release Date: October 4
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
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Alfonso Cuaron makes a run at awards season with this stranded-in-space thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. When things go disastrously wrong, one of them is left floating in the open void of deep space trying to figure out a way to get back to Earth.

Runner Runner

Release Date: October 4
Genre: Thriller
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Long before he was cast as Batman, Ben Affleck filmed this crime drama thriller co-starring Justin Timberlake. The film centers on a poor college student (Timberlake) who comes face-to-face with a sly offshore online gaming entrepreneur. Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie co-star.

Parkland

Release Date: October 4
Genre: Drama
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Weaving together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals during the chaotic events of November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, this drama starring Zac Efron, Paul Giamatti, Billy Bob Thornton and Jackie Weaver has the potential to be a fall season sleeper hit and an awards season contender.

Captain Phillips

Release Date: October 11
Genre: Drama
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Tom Hanks returns to theaters and unlike last year's Cloud Atlas, this time he's playing one character – the titular Captain Phillips whose freight ship is hijacked by Somali pirates. The film is based on true events from 2009 and teams Hanks with Bourne director Paul Greengrass. Catherine Keener co-stars.

Machete Kills

Release Date: October 11
Genre: Action
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Three years after the first film, Danny Trejo is back along with Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez for a new mission. This time, President Charlie Sheen recruits Machete to battle his way through Mexico to take down an arms dealer (Mel Gibson). Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lady Gaga co-star.

Romeo and Juliet

Release Date: October 11
Genre: Romance
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True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld and Gossip Girl heartthrob Ed Westwick headline the latest adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy. English star Douglas Booth plays Romeo to Steinfeld's Juliet with Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis and Stellan Skarsgard co-starring.

Carrie

Release Date: October 18
Genre: Horror
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Chloe Moretz stars in this re-imagining of the 1976 horror classic based on the novel by Stephen King. The story centers on a shy girl who is ostracized by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother. After being pushed too far at her senior prom, she unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town. Julianne Moore co-stars.

Escape Plan

Release Date: October 18
Genre: Action
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone team up on the big screen to figure out who double-crossed them. The supporting cast includes Jim Caviezel, Vincent D'Onofrio, Vinnie Jones and 50 Cent.

12 Years a Slave

Release Date: October 18
Genre: Drama
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Oscar buzz is humming around this Steve McQueen slavery drama based on the novel by Solomon Northup. Chiwetel Ejiofor is likely to court awards consideration as a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery. A solid cast including Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Alfre Woodard, Beast of the Southern Wild breakout star Quvenzhane Wallis and Paul Giamatti co-star.

The Counselor

Release Date: October 25
Genre: Thriller
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Ridley Scott brings this thriller written by Cormac McCarthy to the big screen and anchors it with stars Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz. The film centers on a lawyer who gets in way over his head in the world of drug trafficking. John Leguizamo and Rosie Perez also star.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

Release Date: October 25
Genre: Comedy
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Johnny Knoxville packs on the old-man makeup to play the titular Bad Grandpa. The first full-length film based on a Jackass skit finds Knoxville's grandpa on a cross-country trip with his 8-year-old grandson Billy. Per the Jackass brand, crude and crazy hilarity ensues.

Ender's Game

Release Date: November 1
Genre: Sci-Fi Action
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This action-adventure adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi novel kicks off a month of big blockbusters in November. Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld co-star in this film about an unusually gifted child who is sent to an advanced military school to prepare for a future alien invasion. Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis and Abigail Breslin co-star.

Free Birds

Release Date: November 1
Genre: Animation
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What if turkeys went back in time and changed things just enough so that we weren't carving them up for Thanksgiving feast? That's exactly what happens in this animated comedy featuring the voices of Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson. Amy Poehler, George Takei and Keith David also lend their voices to the family flick.

Last Vegas

Release Date: November 1
Genre: Comedy
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Director John Turtletaub brings together four legendary actors for a wild weekend in Vegas. Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline co-star in this comedy about 60-something friends who throw a bachelor party for their last remaining single pal. Mary Steenburgen and Jerry Ferrara co-star.

About Time

Release Date: November 8
Genre: Comedy
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Rachel McAdams continues her run through 2013 with this time-traveling comedy from Oscar-nominated director Richard Curtis. The film centers on a young man (Domhnall Gleeson) who discovers he can travel in time and change what happens in his own life. His decision to get a girlfriend proves more challenging than he thought. Bill Nighy co-stars.

Dallas Buyer Club

Release Date: November 1
Genre: Drama
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Matthew McConaughey continues to portray fascinating characters with this role as a Texas electrician who battles the medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies after being diagnosed as HIV-positive in the mid-'80s. Jennifer Garner co-stars. All eyes on Jared Leto who could earn awards consideration for his performance.

Diana

Release Date: November 1
Genre: Drama
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The much-buzzed biopic centering on the final two years of the late Princess Diana's life stars perennial awards contender Naomi Watts in the title role. The film focuses on a secret love affair the princess had with a Pakistani heart surgeon, portrayed by LOST's Naveen Andrews.

Thor: The Dark World

Release Date: November 8
Genre: Action Adventure
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Marvel's latest "Phase Two" movie finds Thor trying to protect Jane Foster at all costs after she is targeted by baddies from Svartalfheim. In doing so, he teams up with his allies and his devious brother Loki. Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Zachary Levi, Benicio Del Toro and Jaimie Alexander star alongside Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.

The Best Man Holiday

Release Date: November 15
Genre: Comedy Drama
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Fourteen years after the first film arrived in theaters, old friends are getting back together in this romantic comedy starring Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall and Nia Long. The sequel reunites everyone during the Christmas holidays as long-forgotten rivalries and romances are reignited in this Malcom D. Lee film.

The Book Thief

Release Date: November 15
Genre: Drama
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If this WWII drama based on Markus Zusak's novel takes off the way Fox hopes it will, we could be seeing a lot more of actress Sophie Nelisse. The film centers on her young character Liesel who finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with the Jewish refugee her parents are hiding. Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson co-star.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Release Date: November 15
Genre: Drama
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Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio reteam for this adaptation of Jordan Belfort's memoir. Chronicling Belfort's rise to becoming a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his eventual downfall involving crime, corruption and the federal government, this drama has all the makings of an Oscar contender.

Delivery Man

Release Date: November 22
Genre: Comedy
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Vince Vaughn plays an underachieving loser who finds out he's fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Now he must decide if he wants to come forward when 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity. A pair of Marvel heroes, Chris Pratt and Cobie Smulders, co-star.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Release Date: November 22
Genre: Action Adventure
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The worldwide phenomenon continues with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark the targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion across the districts of Panem. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson star with Jena Malone and Sam Claflin among the newcomers to the franchise.

Nebraska

Release Date: November 22
Genre: Comedy Drama
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Alexander Payne is about as close to an Oscar lock as you can get. This year, the two-time Oscar winner brings us the tale of an aging alcoholic father taking a road trip with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar sweepstakes prize. Bruce Dern and Will Forte play the father-son duo.

Black Nativity

Release Date: November 27
Genre: Musical
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Seven years after her Oscar-winning performance in Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson returns to the big screen to belt out tunes in this adaptation of Langston Hughes' libretto. Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett and Mary J. Blige co-star in this story about a street-wise teen from Baltimore who travels to New York.

Frozen

Release Date: November 27
Genre: Animation
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Disney Animation's latest feature film takes us to an icy kingdom that has been plunged into eternal winter. The newest Disney princess, Anna, teams up with a rugged mountaineer named Kristoff for an epic journey to break the wintery spell. Kristen Bell voices Anna with Alan Tudyk, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff co-starring.

Homefront

Release Date: November 27
Genre: Action Thriller
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Jason Statham plays a DEA agent who moves his family to a quiet town only to soon be at odds with a local meth drug lord played by James Franco. Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Rachelle Lefevre and Frank Grillo co-star.

Oldboy

Release Date: November 27
Genre: Thriller
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Spike Lee raised a lot of eyebrows when he announced that he would remake Chan-wook Park's adaptation of the Nobuaki Minegish Japanese manga for American audiences. Fans of the first film will surely be looking forward to comparing the two versions. Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson co-star.

Grace of Monaco

Release Date: November 27
Genre: Drama
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Nicole Kidman looks to embody the elegance of Hollywood star turned princess Grace Kelly in this biopic centering on a political dispute between Monaco and France during the early 1960s. Tim Roth plays Kelly's husband and Monaco's Prince Rainier III with Milo Ventimiglia, Parker Posey, Paz Vega and Frank Langella co-starring.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Release Date: November 27
Genre: Drama
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In a season filled with biopics, here's yet another one about civil rights icon Nelson Mandela, played by Idris Elba. The film chronicles Mandela's childhood to his inauguration as South Africa's president. Naomie Harris co-stars.

Which of these films are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below.