Hollywood, like most of us, didn’t quite know what to do with the first pandemic lockdown, back in spring 2020. It started delaying big films, then the question arose as to whether people would actually want to sit in a cinema when they were once again able to.
Still, most studios did not hold their nerve. Instead, when multiplexes and indies opened their doors last summer, there was a distinct and oddly welcome lack of big films awaiting us. Only Warner Bros gambled, releasing Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in August. Every other blockbuster ultimately fled for the apparently safer waters of 2021. Smaller distributors moved in to plug the gap, and a whole host of interesting independent films suddenly got decent big-screen space.
When doors open again in the UK after nearly six months of closure next month, there’s no such reticence on behalf of the studios. This time, they’re going all in, with week after week of major releases coming our way. Here’s a taste of what’s in store, and when…
May
Highlights: Undoubtedly the astonishing Sound Of Metal (above), starring Oscar-nominees Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci. The film is available on streaming this month, but gets a big-screen outing in May. The same goes for Nomadland, that’ll be available on Disney+, but then subsequently is heading to cinemas.
Benedict Cumberbatch meanwhile leads the ensemble for The Courier, and Billie Piper’s directorial debut Rare Beasts (that she stars in and also wrote) also finally gets its release at the end of the month.
And the big movies: Look out for Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (May 17), Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (May 21) and Cruella (May 28) in cinemas, with the latter also available on Disney+ Premier Access.
