Updated 5 min read Dimitris Nikolaidis
The Los Angeles movie theater calendar in October 2026 is led, for once, not by a new release but by a 55-year-old revival - the clearest sign yet of how much the month leans on Halloween-season programming rather than the studio release slate alone. This is a month-by-month look at what is actually on the city's screens, drawn from the screenings listed on Mood, and it updates at the start of each month.
The scale is the backdrop. In Mood's data, 3,922 screenings run across 119 LA movie theaters this month, spanning first-run multiplexes in Long Beach and Burbank down to single-screen revival houses in Los Feliz and Eagle Rock. What follows is what is actually drawing the crowds this October, and where to find it.
The revival calendar leads the month
Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) is the most-screened title in Los Angeles this October, with 325 showings - more than any single 2026 release. Mood's data shows it concentrated at 13 movie theaters rather than spread wide, which is closer to how a revival house programs a run than how a multiplex chain does: fewer screens, more sessions per screen. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) follow with 134 and 128 showings, and The Shining (1980) and Hocus Pocus (1993) round out a season that runs almost entirely on decades-old titles rather than one official studio marathon. Not every revival stays small: a re-release of Avengers: Endgame (2019) is running wide at 43 movie theaters this month, a multiplex-scale booking that sits closer to the new-release tier below than to the arthouse programming around it.
The new-release tier
Resident Evil leads the 2026 slate with 189 showings across 45 movie theaters, just ahead of the thriller Primetime at 131 showings and the survival drama Heart of the Beast at 107. The animated family title Forgotten Island holds a steady 98 showings across 42 movie theaters, and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is still running at 72 showings two months after its July release - a longer tail than most of this month's new titles manage. Practical Magic 2 sits at 66 showings, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which dominated the calendar over the summer, has fallen to 54 as its run winds down.
Where to watch it
The big-chain multiplexes carry the most volume: Regal Edwards Long Beach leads all Los Angeles movie theaters with 282 screenings this month, ahead of Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood (237), Regal LA Live (235) and Regal Paseo (203). The city's revival and independent houses carry the other half of the story - The Frida Cinema (172 screenings), Laemmle NoHo 7 (143), El Capitan Theatre (140), Vidiots in Eagle Rock (83), the Art Theatre of Long Beach (81), the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz (74) and New Beverly Cinema (72) between them account for most of this month's classic and repertory programming, alongside the open-air Rooftop Cinema Club DTLA (54 screenings). Between the multiplex chains and the revival houses, Mood's full list of Los Angeles movie theaters is the fastest way to see what is actually near a given neighborhood rather than guessing from a chain's own site.
The month in short
Horror carries an unusually large share of the October calendar: in Mood's data, screenings tagged with the horror genre account for 41% of everything playing across Los Angeles movie theaters this month, well above any other single genre tracked. That is the clearest read on why a 1971 arthouse title can outscreen every 2026 release at once - October in Los Angeles is a season built around revival horror and family-Halloween titles first, with the new-release slate running underneath it rather than on top. For anyone in the city, the useful move is still the same: decide whether the night is a new release on the biggest screen available or a classic at one of the revival houses, since both are running, most nights, somewhere within reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies are playing in Los Angeles this month?
October 2026 is led by Ken Russell's 1971 horror-drama The Devils, with 325 showings across 13 movie theaters - ahead of every new 2026 release. Resident Evil tops the new-release tier at 189 showings, and the revival calendar underneath runs Pan's Labyrinth, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Shining and Hocus Pocus. 3,922 screenings are listed across 119 LA movie theaters this month on Mood.
What is the most-screened film in LA right now?
By screening volume, The Devils (1971) leads everything in Mood's data this October with 325 showings, concentrated at 13 movie theaters rather than spread across the city's multiplexes. Among 2026 releases, Resident Evil leads with 189 showings across 45 movie theaters.
Where can I see classic movies in LA this month?
Los Angeles's revival houses program classics year-round, and this October's calendar runs unusually deep on them - The Frida Cinema, Laemmle NoHo 7, El Capitan Theatre, Vidiots, the Art Theatre of Long Beach, the Vista Theatre and New Beverly Cinema between them carry most of the month's repertory programming. Mood lists which movie theater is showing each title and when.
Is October a horror-heavy month for LA movie theaters?
Yes. Horror-tagged screenings account for 41% of everything playing across Los Angeles movie theaters this month in Mood's data, the largest share of any genre tracked, driven mostly by Halloween-season revival programming rather than new horror releases alone.
How often is this guide updated?
This is a monthly guide - the LA movie theater line-up changes with each new release slate and each month's revival programming, so it is refreshed at the start of every month with the current month's screenings. Mood tracks the calendar continuously, so the underlying listings stay current between updates.
Los Angeles gives you a new release and a classic on the same night, most nights. The full month - every movie theater, every film - lives on Mood's Los Angeles movie theater page.
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Browse Los Angeles movie theater listings on Mood
