Ben Affleck Reveals How His Kids Reacted to Story of Them Trolling Him
Sometimes you just can’t win as a parent, something Affleck—who shares kids Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner—learned recently after sharing what he thought was an amusing anecdote about his middle kid trolling him about his failed relationships.
“Actually, today, they clowned me about, like, ‘Why'd you say that was me?’” the Animals star told E! News’ Will Marfuggi at the film’s premiere Oct. 1. “I was like, ‘No, I didn't say that.’”
To which Affleck’s kid responded, “‘You said how old I was. How many kids do you have that age?’ They were kind of right about that."
The 54-year-old emphasized, however, that the story—during which Affleck’s 17-year-old quipped to him, “Oh, like you’re the expert on relationships?” when he offered up romantic advice—was really a compliment.
“I was like, ‘Well, it was funny, though. My point was, you're funny, actually,’” he explained. “It's that thing where they take the piss out of you, but also it's funny, so you're kind of proud. Like, yeah, they put me down, but they're smart.”
After all, dad is ultimately his favorite role.
“I love it,” Affleck said. “The joy of life is being with children as they grow. Watching them change and become adults—it's incredible.”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
And just like he’s pleased when his kids can land a successful barb, Affleck is also proud of his upcoming film Animals, which hits Netflix Oct. 9.
The film—also starring Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun—follows mayoral candidate Mark Kimball (Affleck) and his wife (Washington) in the hours after their son is kidnapped and the realities of marriage coupled with sharing so much of our lives publicly.
“We all live in a kind of performative world now,” he said. “We perform on Instagram or, if you're a politician, you project that out into the world. And a lot of that has to do with a marriage. This is kind of a deep story about like, it's dark, but what happens if you really actually tell that person every single thing about you? The things you don't like, the things you are worried about, the things maybe you're ashamed of. Like, can you have that kind of marriage?”
He added. “So I'm proud of the movie. I love it. I really can't wait for people to see it.”
Animals premieres on Netflix Oct. 6. For more movies hitting screens this fall, read on.
Philippe Bossé/ Prime
The Love Hypothesis - September 23, 2026
Based on the New York Times best-seller, The Love Hypothesis follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a Ph.D. candidate who impulsively kisses her department's most intimidating professor, Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman). Their mutual need for a fake relationship turns into an experiment in chemistry that might actually solve for love.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Prime Video
Philippe Bosse/Netflix
Unabomber - September 25, 2026
Inspired by true events, Unabomber follows Ted Kaczynski’s (Jacob Tremblay) transformation from Harvard prodigy into the infamous domestic terrorist. Also starring Russell Crowe, Shailene Woodley and Annabelle Wallis.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix
Amazon MGM Studios
Verity - October 2, 2026
Adapted from Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, this psychological thriller follows renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) and Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Digger - October 2, 2026
Tom Cruise teams up with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu for this black comedy the world's most powerful man as he embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Netflix
Below - October 8, 2026
Josh Hartnett stars as a fisherman who must fight to hold his close-knit community together when an unidentified sea creature begins terrorizing his hometown.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix
Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures
The Social Reckoning - October 9, 2026
A companion piece to 2010's The Social Network, writer/director Aaron Sorkin's new film is inspired by the true story of a young Facebook engineer (Mikey Madison) who enlists the help of a Wall Street Journal reporter (Jeremy Allen White) to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) and the social network’s most guarded secrets.
Where to watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Netflix
Animals - October 9, 2026
Universal Pictures
Other Mommy - October 9, 2026
Jessica Chastain headlines this horror about a sinister entity that threatens an eight-year-old girl and her family.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Apple TV
Matchbox The Movie - October 9, 2026
In this action-packed adventure inspired by the iconic Mattel toys, an undercover CIA agent (John Cena) returns to his small town and unwittingly gets his childhood friends embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Apple TV
Trafalgar Releasing/Sony Music Vision
Always Lalisa - October 12, 2026
This documentary feature follows a pivotal year in superstar LISA’s life, as, for the first time since childhood, she steps away from BLACKPINK for a year of independence.
Where to Watch: In theaters starting October 12, then streaming exclusively on YouTube Premium later this year
Buy a ticket HERE.
Focus Features
Sense and Sensibility - October 16, 2026
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor Dashwood in this latest adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel. Also starring Fiona Shaw, Caitríona Balfe, George MacKay, and Esmé Creed-Miles.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Paramount Pictures
Street Fighter - October 16, 2026
A live-action version of the legendary arcade game, starring Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, 50 Cent, and many more as the iconic fighters.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Netflix
Sacrifice - October 16, 2026
During a charity gala brimming with celebrities and billionaires, a movie star in the midst of an existential crisis (Chris Evans) is taken hostage by an eco-warrior (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her devoted followers.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix
Black Bear/YouTube
Wicker - October 23, 2026
Alexander Skarsgard transforms for his role as the Wicker Husband made for Olivia Colman's ostracized fisherwoman in this unconventional love story.
Where to Watch: In select theaters on October 23, expanding October 30, 2026.
Fathom Entertainment
Wildwood - October 23, 2026
LAIKA (Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings) delivers another epic stop-motion animation fantasy that follows a girl's desperate quest to save her baby brother in a forbidden forest full of enchanted creatures.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Bleecker Street
A Talent for Murder - October 23, 2026
This thriller follows a mysterious young man from a New York publisher (Alden Ehrenreich) who is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) to write one final installment of the Ripley anthology.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Cat in the Hat - November 6, 2026
Based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book, this animated adaptation will feature the voices of Bill Hader, Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, and America Ferrera.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
NEON
Paper Tiger - November 13, 2026
Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson star in this crime thriller about two brothers who get entangled in a dangerous Russian mafia scheme that terrorizes their family.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Amazon MGM Studios
Madden - November 18, 2026
Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale star in this chronicle of football icon John Madden's life and career.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Prime Video
Murray Close/Lionsgate
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping - November 20, 2026
This highly anticipated prequel revisits the world of Panem and follows young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games. Also starring Glenn Close, Whitney Peak, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Mckenna Grace and Maya Hawke.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Universal Pictures
Focker-In-Law - November 25, 2026
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro reunite alongside Ariana Grande for this new chapter in the Meet the Parents franchise.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Netflix
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth - November 25, 2026
Brad Pitt returns to his Academy Award-winning role as Cliff Booth, only this time it’s 1977 and it’s a very different Hollywood. Directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, and also starring Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Where to Watch: In IMAX theaters starting Nov. 25, then streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23.
Disney
Hexed - November 25, 2026
This animated coming-of-age saga follows an impulsive teenage girl named Billie (Hailee Steinfeld) who discovers secret magical abilities which hurtle her into a spectacular journey out of suburbia and into a vast witch realm called Hexe.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Amazon MGM Studios
The Man With the Bag - December 2, 2026
When Santa’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) magic bag is stolen, he turns to his naughty list to find Vance (Alan Ritchson), a thief, to help him get it back.
Where to Watch: Streaming on Prime Video.
Marvel Studios
Avengers: Doomsday - December 18, 2026
An insanely star-studded cast of MCU fan-favorites return to our screens in this fifth installment of the Avengers film series.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Dune: Part Three - December 18, 2026
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet return to deliver the epic conclusion to director Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy. Also starring Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, and Javier Bardem.
Where to Watch: In theaters and IMAX
Buy a ticket HERE.
Focus Features
Werwulf - December 25, 2026
Director Robert Eggers (Nosferatu, The Witch) delivers his take on the classic horror beast. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Buy a ticket HERE.
Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures
Jumanji: Open World - December 25, 2026
The core cast (Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Kevin Hart) returns for this final installment of the reboot trilogy about a magical board game.
Where to Watch: In theaters
Lionsgate
Day Drinker - March 26, 2027
Johnny Depp, Madelyn Cline and Penelope Cruz star in this revenge thriller with a supernatural twist.
Where to Watch: In theaters
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