Cinemas have opened again from today as the national lockdown eases, so it’s time to cautiously plan trips again.
While some films are still opting out of a cinematic release and going straight to streaming, there are finally some new releases to pair with popcorn.
And some of the best ones released straight-to-streaming under lockdown, including this year's Oscar-winning movies, are finally getting their cinematic release too.
Here are the best upcoming films you can book to see now at the cinema (and remember booking is probably a good idea, especially for the first few weeks while everyone is scrambling to get tickets).
Cruella
Disney’s giant summer blockbuster release, Cruella stars Emma Stone in the titular role of Cruella de Vil in this 101 Dalmatians spin-off. This origin story documents a younger Cruella, amid the punky aesthetic of 1970s London.
The film sets the scene for how Cruella became embittered in time for her terrifying starring role in familiar 1990s tale 101 Dalmatians, which so many of us grew up watching. It’s released in cinemas and on streaming on the same day.
May 28
Nomadland
This Best Picture Oscar-winner was released under the pandemic on streaming, and now (finally) gets its cinematic release.
It’s the touching story of a nomadic older woman who lost so much in the Great Recession of 2007 and 2009, who goes on a nomadic adventure through the American West, living a modest life out of a van.
May 17
Sound of Metal
Riz Ahmed won Best Actor for this feature, released under the pandemic, which now gets its cinematic release at long last.
Riz, famous for a career spanning rap and activism as well as acting, plays a heavy metal drummer whose life begins to spiral as he begins to lose his hearing. Sound of Metal's been celebrated for its proper study of deafness, which avoids veering into melodrama.
May 17
Those Who Wish Me Dead
Those who love Killing Eve should pay attention. A witness of a teenage murder is pursued by two assassins, but a survival expert has been enlisted to protect his life.
Meet Hannah, played by Angelina Jolie who, in a role which may remind some of Lara Croft, is a wildland firefighter who occupies a watchtower in the Montana wilderness.
May 17
Peter Rabbit 2
This may soothe weary lockdowners’ souls. Or intensely irritate, depending on how you feel about James Corden.
The actor and US TV host returns for another escapist feature length Peter Rabbit story, playing the title role. Much like the first, which gained wobbly reviews, it'll delight some, and probably bore others to tears.
This time Peter finds himself in a fantasy world where his natural mischievousness is celebrated.
May 17
Minari
What exactly is the American dream? It’s the question one Korean-American family explores in this touching family drama about home life and upheaval.
A South Korean family relocates to an Arkansas farm, and the arrival of an acerbic but loving grandmother is almost as challenging as this new environment. Minari star Yuh-Jung Youn made history by becoming the first Korean actor to win at Oscar this year - she took Best Supporting Actress for her role in Minari, beating competition from Glenn Close who was nominated for Hillbilly Elegy.
May 17
The Father
Silence of the Lambs actor Anthony Hopkins is front and centre in this stark portrait of an older man with memory loss. It’s the film version of the play La Père - which mans father in French - and also stars The Crown’s Olivia Colman (she plays the Queen).
This won’t be laugh-a-minute, clearly, but there’s lots of hype as the play was critically-acclaimed, so it’s well worth the time if it’s human drama on the big screen you're craving.
June 11
In the Heights
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda made this musical first. It’s the story of a group of young people living in New York’s Washington Heights district, and is equally high-energy as Hamilton, with hip-hop songs throughout.
This feature film version also has Lin-Manuel behind it as producer, as did the cinematic version of Hamilton, which went straight to streaming last summer.
June 18
Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson stars as the Black Widow in this latest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s worth booking tickets now, as Marvel fans are perhaps the keenest of all to get back to the cinema, so there’ll be competition for the best seats.
July 9
The Nest
Jude Law stars as a British financier who relocates his family from America to Britain, but things take a turn when money troubles clash with a move into a chilling country house.
Set in 1986, the year of the financial ‘big bang’, the repercussions of the financial downturn form the backdrop of this family drama.
August 27
No Time To Die
“Remember when there was a James Bond film coming out?” joked fans on social media over the past year or so.
Bond was the biggest blockbuster to have been engulfed by the pandemic, but one-and-a-half years after its initial release date, MGM are hoping - perhaps praying - for a release later this year.
Daniel Craig takes his final bow as the timeless British spy before handing on the baton to a new - as yet unnamed Bond actor. There’s much hype around Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page.
September 30
