This Friday, August 28, cinemas offer a packed slate across genres. Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic The Dog Stars, the Anthony Bourdain origin biopic Tony, Tamil romance Hi, musical drama Once More, and Yash-led gangster saga Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups headline the lineup, with star-studded casts and stories ranging from survival and self-discovery to love and loyalty.
The movie releases on Friday are stacked, and the cast list alone is reason enough to book a ticket. For those tracking new Friday movie releases this week, Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin lead in The Dog Stars, Dominic Sessa steps into Anthony Bourdain's shoes for Tony, Nayanthara appears opposite Kavin in the Tamil romance Hi, Yash headlines Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, and Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar carry the musical drama Once More. We feature below the 5 new Friday movie releases this week, August 28, including The Dog Stars, Tony, Hi, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups and Once More. Do note that Toxic has already hit theatres.
There is plenty to choose from at the cinema this week, whether you want a big-budget action drama, a romantic musical or a Hollywood survival story. Here are the 5 movies releases arriving on Friday:
The Dog Stars
Tony
Hi
Once More
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups
Ridley Scott adapts Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel with Jacob Elordi as a civilian pilot and Josh Brolin as the Marine he reluctantly trusts to survive a flu-ravaged world. Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong fill out a cast built for a story that's less about the outbreak and more about who you become once you are among the last ones left. It is bleak, and Scott clearly wants it that way.
Before Anthony Bourdain became the voice audiences trusted on television, he was a young cook grinding through kitchens in Provincetown, and that's the Bourdain this biopic is interested in. Dominic Sessa plays him with none of the swagger the later persona is known for, backed by Emilia Jones, Dagmara Dominczyk, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias and Rich Sommer. Tony is less a greatest-hits reel than an origin story, and it's better for it.
Kavin plays Mayilsamy, a man who has quietly given up on love until Nayanthara's Devayani walks in and refuses to let him stay that way. Director Vishnu Edavan leans into the awkward, unglamorous texture of real courtship rather than sweeping gestures, which is what makes Hi feel less like formula and more like something you've actually lived through. It's a small story told with real patience, and that patience is the whole point.
Debutant director Vignesh Srikanth hands his first film a tricky assignment, a love triangle where nobody is entirely wrong. Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar anchor the present-day romance while Sona Olickal haunts it as the relationship Das can't fully let go of. Hesham Abdul Wahab's score does much of the emotional lifting here, turning what could be a straightforward musical into something quieter and more aching than the trailers suggest.
Yes, Toxic move has already hit cinemas. Geetu Mohandas does not often make small films, and Toxic isn't one either. Yash carries the weight of two performances, playing both a father and the son he shaped, opposite Nayanthara as his estranged sister, with Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi and Rukmini Vasanth rounding out a genuinely stacked ensemble. Shot in Kannada and English simultaneously, it trades typical gangster swagger for something more brooding, a story about what loyalty costs when redemption feels permanently out of reach.
| Movie | Lead Cast | Release Date |
| The Dog Stars | Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin | August 28 |
| Tony | Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones | August 28 |
| Hi | Kavin, Nayanthara | August 28 |
| Once More | Arjun Das, Aditi Shankar | August 28 |
| Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups | Yash, Nayanthara | August 26 |
Which movies are releasing this Friday, August 28?
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, Hi, Once More, The Dog Stars and Tony are among the movies releasing on August 28.
Who stars in Once More?
Once More stars Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar in the lead roles.
Who stars in The Dog Stars?
The Dog Stars features Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, with Ridley Scott directing.
Who plays Anthony Bourdain in Tony?
Dominic Sessa plays Anthony Bourdain in Tony.