From the return of Spinners to plays exploring King Hintsa’s legacy and the realities of life under apartheid, here’s what to watch at the cinema, stream at home or catch on stage this week.
By Bulelwa Hoala
This week’s entertainment picks include new cinema releases, streaming titles and theatre productions worth making time for.
Whether you’re planning to go to the cinema, looking for something to stream at home or thinking about a night at the theatre, this week’s entertainment line-up offers a mix of international releases and stories that speak to our own experiences, history and culture.
There is a new season of a South African drama, a production revisiting the story of a Xhosa king, and a play examining the relationship between sexuality, religion and political repression in the 1980s. Internationally, there are psychological thrillers, sporting documentaries and familiar stories being brought to new audiences.
Here is what to watch and where to find it.
At the cinema
Street Fighter brings old rivals back into the ring
Where: IMAX
In Street Fighter, estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters are drawn back into combat when Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament.
Set in 1993, the story begins as a tournament of skill and endurance but soon takes a darker turn when a deadly conspiracy forces the fighters to confront each other and the past they share.
The film draws on the world of the long-running fighting-game franchise, where rivalries, personal discipline and the pursuit of strength have always been central to the story. Its appeal lies in the combination of martial arts, familiar characters and the spectacle of seeing these battles on a cinema screen.
For fans of the franchise, it is an opportunity to revisit its characters in a new setting. For those less familiar with the games, the tournament provides an entry point into a story about loyalty, rivalry and the choices that bring people back into conflict.
Verity explores the secrets behind a successful author
Where: Cine Prestige
A job that could change a struggling writer’s life becomes increasingly unsettling in Verity, a psychological thriller about ambition, secrets and the difficulty of knowing whom to trust.
Lowen Ashleigh, played by Dakota Johnson, is facing financial ruin when she accepts an offer to complete the remaining books in a successful series by bestselling author Verity Crawford, played by Anne Hathaway. Unable to finish the work following a mysterious accident, Verity leaves Lowen to take over the assignment at the family’s lavish estate. Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford, is played by Josh Hartnett.
As Lowen settles into the assignment, however, she begins to realise that the circumstances surrounding Verity and her household are not what they seem.
The story explores the tension between the image people present to the world and what might be happening behind closed doors. It also raises questions about the stories we tell, the secrets we keep and how easily our understanding of someone can change when new information comes to light.
For viewers who enjoy psychological thrillers, Verity offers a mystery built around the uncertainty of what to believe.
What to stream
Tyson: The life behind the boxing legend
Where: Netflix
Release date supplied: 13 October 2026
Mike Tyson is one of boxing’s most recognisable figures, but his life outside the ring has often attracted as much attention as his achievements in the sport.
This four-part documentary series traces his journey from a difficult childhood in Brooklyn to becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. It examines his rise to fame, criminal conviction, the infamous 1997 fight in which he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear, and his later efforts to rebuild his life.
Tyson’s story offers a look at the pressures that can accompany sporting success and the consequences of decisions made under intense public scrutiny. His career also raises broader questions about the relationship between talent, fame, accountability and the way public figures are remembered.
For sports fans, the series revisits key moments in boxing history. For a wider audience, it provides an opportunity to consider the complicated life of a man whose public image has changed considerably over the years.
Seriously Single Too: When friendship and relationships collide
Where: Netflix
Friendships can change when people begin to make different choices about their lives, and Seriously Single Too explores what happens when romance threatens to disrupt a familiar dynamic.
Dineo and Noni are best friends who have built their social lives around taking on the party scene together. Their relationship faces a new challenge when Noni’s boyfriend unexpectedly proposes, forcing the pair to confront the possibility that their lives may be heading in different directions.
Featuring South African actresses Fulu Modibedi, Tumi Morake and Buntu Petse, the film centres on friendship, romance and the expectations that can come with relationships.
For many people, the transition from dating to marriage can affect friendships, routines and the plans friends once shared. The film brings that familiar tension into a comedy about two women navigating change while trying to work out what the future means for their friendship.
Moana: A journey beyond the reef
Where: Disney+
Disney’s live-action reimagining of Moana returns to the story of a young woman who ventures beyond the reef of her island home, Motunui, after answering the ocean’s call.
Catherine Lagaʻaia plays Moana, who sets out on a journey with the demigod Maui, played by Dwayne Johnson, to restore prosperity to her people. The film is directed by Thomas Kail, with a screenplay by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, and music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina.
At the centre of the story is the relationship between personal discovery and responsibility to a wider community. Moana’s journey is not simply about exploring the world beyond her island. It is also about understanding her heritage, her role among her people and what it means to take responsibility for their future.
The story draws on Pacific Islander cultural influences and places questions of ancestry, belonging and community at the heart of a global family adventure. The live-action adaptation offers a new interpretation of a story that has reached audiences across generations.
Slow Horses: The other side of the spy business
Where: Apple TV+
Not every intelligence officer works from a polished office or operates at the centre of a high-profile mission. In Slow Horses, a group of MI5 agents who have fallen out of favour find themselves working under Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman.
The quick-witted spy drama follows the team as they navigate the world of espionage, where deception, political interests and competing agendas can make it difficult to know whom to trust.
Lamb is an unconventional boss, and his team is far from the image of a flawless intelligence unit. Yet the agents repeatedly find themselves dealing with serious threats despite their professional setbacks.
The series combines suspense with dark humour while examining workplace politics, professional failure and the gap between reputation and ability. It is a different take on the spy genre, placing its focus on a group of outsiders rather than the usual image of the polished, unshakable secret agent.
On South African television
Spinners season 2: Ethan faces the cost of a new life
Where: Mzansi Magic, DStv channel 161
Premiere: Sunday, 25 October 2026
After the success of its first season, South African drama Spinners returns with a new chapter in Ethan’s story.
Two years after escaping the violence of gang life, Ethan, played by Cantona James, and his friends have become national spinning stars. Fame, love and the possibility of a different future appear to be within reach until a brutal ambush, orchestrated by Ethan’s former gang, changes everything.
Desperate for protection, Ethan turns to the Maseko clan. But their help comes at a cost, leaving him caught between two rival crime families and forced to confront the consequences of his past.
The new season continues to explore the relationship between ambition, survival and the environments that shape young people’s choices. Ethan has found a way to build a different life through spinning, but his former associations threaten to pull him back into a world he has tried to leave behind.
Spinning is a recognisable part of South African car culture, bringing together driving skill, performance, competition and community. Within the series, it also becomes part of a wider story about identity and the search for an alternative to gang life.
New cast members include Clementine Mosimane as Ma Sithole, Mondli Makhoba as a Maseko family bodyguard, Aphiwe Mkefe as Sayi and Luyanda Zwane as Amahle.
Following its award-winning debut season, Spinners is also scheduled for an international rollout across more than 45 countries, extending the reach of a South African story to audiences beyond the continent.
On stage
How England Stole My Head: The story of King Hintsa returns to the stage
Where: Joburg Theatre
Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026
Ticket price: R200
Presented by: Mbongeni Moroke
The story of King Hintsa kaKhawuta is part of South Africa’s colonial history, but the circumstances surrounding his death and the treatment of his remains continue to raise questions about power, sovereignty and historical memory.
How England Stole My Head: Aaaaaah Zanzolo!! King Hintsa revisits the life of the Xhosa king, who ruled from 1820 until his assassination by British forces in 1835.
The production examines the political manoeuvres and betrayals surrounding his death, as well as the account of how his head came into British possession. It explores the role of the British monarchy and its army in the events that led to the killing of a ruler whose authority was central to the Xhosa kingdom.
The story goes beyond the death of one king. It raises questions about the ways colonial power was exercised against African kingdoms, how African sovereignty was challenged and how these events have been recorded and remembered.
For South African audiences, the production offers an opportunity to engage with a part of the country’s history through theatre. It also speaks to the importance of examining historical accounts, including the treatment of African leaders and the ways their stories are carried across generations.
By bringing King Hintsa’s story to the stage, the production invites audiences to consider how the past continues to shape conversations about identity, heritage and the telling of South African history.
SHOCKWAVE: Sexuality, faith and the silences of the 1980s
Where: The Market Theatre, Johannesburg
Dates: 15 October to 8 November 2026
Playwright: Chantal Stanfield
Director: David Dennis
Tickets: From R110 via Webtickets
South Africa’s liberation struggle was about more than political freedom. It also raised questions about discrimination, personal identity and who could live openly in a society shaped by deeply held religious and social beliefs.
SHOCKWAVE, a new play by Chantal Stanfield, revisits these questions through a story set in the turbulent 1980s, when the State of Emergency, political repression and fear surrounding the so-called “gay plague” formed part of the country’s social landscape.
At the centre of the drama is Larry, a young man navigating his sexuality in an environment where prejudice and silence make it difficult to live openly. Forced to seek accommodation with a deeply religious widow on the Cape Flats, he finds himself in a community shaped by competing beliefs, social tensions and the presence of police casspirs on the streets.
The production stars Renate Stuurman and Trevor Lynch, with Lois du Plessis and Duane Behrens in supporting roles.
For director David Dennis, the play is a way of revisiting the different forms of discrimination that existed alongside the struggle against apartheid. Political liberation did not automatically resolve the social attitudes and prejudices affecting people’s lives.
South Africa became the first country in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage in 2006. That milestone provides an important context for a play examining the experiences of people who lived at a time when their sexuality could place them at odds with their families, religious communities and wider society.
Stanfield has also spoken about the silences surrounding sexuality and faith in the 1980s, when these realities existed within communities but were not always openly acknowledged. The play explores what those silences meant for the people who lived through them and what happens when personal histories remain unspoken.
For younger audiences, SHOCKWAVE offers a way to engage with a period of South African history through the experiences of individuals. For those who remember the era, it revisits questions of identity, belonging and acceptance that have not disappeared from public life.
Make time for a story
This week’s selection offers different ways to spend time with stories that entertain, challenge and inform. These productions offer more than entertainment for the evening. They create opportunities to engage with the people, histories and experiences that shape how we understand the world around us.
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