Tickets for Beyond Fest's 2026 lineup go on sale at 10 a.m. today, opening the gates to a genre film festival packed with 81 movies, 10 world premieres, and in-person appearances from Al Pacino, M. Night Shyamalan, Danny DeVito and Robert Eggers. The festival runs from September 23 through October 6 across several historic Los Angeles venues, and organizers are warning fans to move fast once the virtual waiting room opens.
According to MyNewsLA.com, ticket sales and the virtual waiting room both begin at 10 a.m. today per American Cinematheque, with customers limited to two tickets per screening and only six minutes to complete a purchase once tickets land in their cart. The lineup, per the same report, spans the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, and theaters in Los Feliz and Westwood. Screenings at the Mubi Theatre at Los Feliz 3 will use separate ticketing windows, and those tickets won't be available today.
Marquee Guests and Marathon Screenings
The festival's opening-night programming includes Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother at the Aero Theatre and Primetime at Directors Village in Westwood, both set for September 23, the article notes. Al Pacino and director Martin Brest are scheduled to appear September 24 for a screening and Q&A tied to Scent of a Woman. Robert Eggers will take part in a September 25 marathon at the Egyptian Theatre featuring The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman and Nosferatu.
M. Night Shyamalan is set for a September 27 marathon covering Unbreakable, Split and Glass, alongside additional Shyamalan screenings of Signs, Knock at the Cabin, The Visit, Trap and The Sixth Sense, per the same account. Danny DeVito has two dates on the calendar: a September 26 screening of Hoffa in 70mm and a September 27 screening of Beverly Hills Cop. Tickets for Carrie will not be part of today's sale and will instead get a separate on-sale date to be announced, the report states.
A Festival Built on Restorations and Firsts
Beyond the marquee guest appearances, this year's slate leans heavily on rare prints and restored cuts. Writer-director Michael Mann will host the world premiere of a newly recut and restored 4K edition titled Miami Vice: Director's Final Cut on October 3 at Directors Village in Westwood, marking the film's 20th anniversary, according to TheWrap. The 2006 film was a commercial disappointment on release but has since built a strong cult following.
Ken Russell's controversial 1971 film The Devils, which was heavily censored and banned in multiple countries upon its original release, will get simultaneous 35mm screenings at the Egyptian and Aero theatres on October 5, marking the West Coast premiere of its restored 4K director's cut, as reported by Fangoria. The same outlet reports that the found-footage horror anthology V/H/S/MIXTAPE, featuring new music-themed segments directed by RZA, Flying Lotus and Ernest Dickerson, will hold its world premiere during the festival. Duncan Jones' animated adaptation of the 2000 AD comic character Rogue Trooper, starring Matt Berry, will hold its U.S. premiere during the festival, with Jones participating, according to Beyond Fest.
In total, this year's lineup includes 10 world premieres, four North American premieres, 28 West Coast premieres, seven U.S. premieres and one international premiere, per MyNewsLA's report.
From Scrappy Startup to National Genre Powerhouse
Beyond Fest first launched in 2013, founded by a collective of film enthusiasts, and has since grown into the highest-attended genre film festival in the United States, according to the Los Angeles Times. The festival operates as a non-profit that channels all ticket proceeds directly to the American Cinematheque, a 501(c)(3) cultural arts organization that reported $11.1 million in total revenue for 2024, per Cause IQ. That same organization presents more than 1,500 film screenings annually across its Los Angeles venues and maintains a membership base of roughly 10,000 cinephiles with a mailing list exceeding 200,000 people.
This year's festival also benefits from newly restored venues. Directors Village, formerly the Fox Westwood Village Theater, was acquired in 2024 by a filmmaker collective led by Jason Reitman and is undergoing a $25-million restoration operated in partnership with the American Cinematheque, according to the Daily Bruin. The historic movie palace is undergoing restoration. The Egyptian Theatre, meanwhile, is another historic Los Angeles venue.
The brand has also started expanding beyond Los Angeles. In April 2026, Beyond Fest launched Beyond Chicago, a four-day, 30-feature sister festival at Chicago's historic Music Box Theatre, featuring appearances by filmmakers and actors including Bob Odenkirk and Lilly Wachowski.
