New Movies October 16: Spies and Goosebumps

Last week was a quiet one for new movies, but this weekend will be anything but quiet at the box office. After two weeks with little significant competition, The Martian will likely have more difficulty staying on top of this week's field.

This week's first new wide release is Bridge of Spies, a Cold-War-era espionage drama with an impressive pedigree. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks as a lawyer trying to secure the release of a captured American pilot. The movie has received generally positive reviews from critics.

Another new wide release with a big-name director attached is Crimson Peak, a Gothic thriller from Guillermo del Toro. In this one, a young bride is menaced by supernatural forces on her new husband's ancestral estate. Also new this week is Goosebumps, a film version of the TV series based on the creepy books of R.L. Stine. In this one, Jack Black plays a fictional version of the author, whose monstrous literary creations are turning out to be real. Both of these films are also pulling in mostly positive reviews.

The final new wide release is Woodlawn, a Christian-themed drama about high school football in Civil-Rights-era Alabama. This one won't play in as many theaters as the other wide releases, so it's probably not a contender for the top of the charts.

But that's not all. After a limited release last week, Danny Boyle's biopic Steve Jobs goes into wide release this week. Although the film did very well in its first weekend, it will struggle to find a wide audience in the crowded weekend to come.