UK Movie Release Dates For Your 2021 Cinema-going Diary

According to Radio 1's Ali Plumb

Here below are some of the biggest films out in cinemas in the UK in 2021, their release dates - at the time of writing - more or less set (cross fingers, touch wood, turn around the appropriately lucky number of times).

This means less eye-catching films like Rare Beasts (May 21st), In The Earth (June 18th), Respect (September 10th) and House Of Gucci (November 26th) and maybe even Disney animation Encanto (also November 26th) will have to make do with a passing mention in the introduction. Ahem.

Note: Release dates confirmed at the time of publishing. This page was last updated on Fri 16 July 2021.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Space Jam came out in 1996 and was a massive hit, even if some critics were sniffy about it. Over two decades later and LeBron James is subbing in for Michael Jordan for this cameo-stuffed Ready Player One-alike that sees Don Cheadle as a bizarre bad guy who wants to be a big deal on social media, or something like that? You know what, let’s watch the trailer again because there’s… there’s a lot to digest. Also out on July 16th: The Croods: A New Age and Sony’s Cinderella, so at least we have options.

Black Widow

2020 was the first year in over a decade without a theatrically released Marvel movie, and Black Widow is first out of the gate to make sure 2021 doesn’t suffer the same horrifying indignity. A ‘midquel’ (if you’re comfortable with the term) set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, it marks only the third time a movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a female character in the title, after Captain Marvel and Ant-Man And The Wasp. Scarlett Johansson doing her backflipping Russian spy thing would be more than enough to get audiences rushing to cinemas, but the supporting cast is exceptional too, so look forward to seeing Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Ray Winstone and Rachel Weisz all in a superhero film. Incredible scenes.

Voyagers

A young adult sci-fi starring Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp, Fionn Whitehead and Colin Farrell, Voyagers is best described as “Lord Of The Flies in space” as a group of teenagers travel across the galaxy to colonise a new planet and things get very, very, very complicated along the way.

Fast And The Furious 9

Dom and his “FAAAAHMILY” are back for their ninth big screen cars ‘n’ kersplosions adventure - not forgetting the Hobbs And Shaw spin-off a couple of years back of course - and things are looking even more pleasingly ridiculous than ever, with John Cena playing Vin Diesel’s long lost brother and a couple of the gang very nearly going to space. Remember: the first one was about illegal street racing.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

The unlikely 2017 comedy-actioner The Hitman’s Bodyguard gets a sequel with a similarly unlikely title in the form of The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, which continues the jokin’ and the shootin’ Samuel L. Jackson ‘n’ Ryan Reynolds formula of the first film and adds a killer supporting cast in the form of Frank Grillo, Richard E. Grant, Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman, not forgetting the Hitman’s Wife herself, Salma Hayek.

Freaky

Finally! The body-swap slasher we’ve all been waiting for. Well, I’ve been waiting for, anyway. Vince Vaughn plays the evil serial killer and the always-impressive up-and-comer Kathryn Newton the unfortunate highschooler who swaps bodies with the most despicable man in town. Coming from Christopher Landon, the director of Happy Death Day and the more meta Happy Death Day 2U, we can look forward to something just a little bit different here.

In The Heights

The adored-by-those-in-the-know musical from Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda comes to the big screen this summer, with with Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu wielding the megaphone and the likes of Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace and Melissa Barrera actually doing the singing and the dancing. Look out for our Hamilton hero himself, Lin-Manuel, playing “Piraguero, the Piragua Guy”.

Monster Hunter

Based on the Capcom video game series of the same name, this is the latest from director and actor (and husband and wife) duo Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich, who’ve previous given us other gaming adaptations in the form of the Resident Evils. This time they’re joined by Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman, and you’ll never guess what they get up to (hint: it’s hunt monsters).

The Father

The heartbreaking drama surprised many Oscars pundits this year when its star, the legendary Anthony Hopkins, won a surprise second Academy Award for Best Actor when Chadwick Boseman seemed like a lock. Come mid-June, British audiences can finally see his critically-acclaimed portrayal of an elderley man struggling with dementia as his daughter (Olivia Colman) tries to help him.

Nobody

“John Wick, only with Saul from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul” is a simplistic way of describing Nobody, but not an entirely unfair one as Bob Odenkirk breaks bones and blasts bullets in this ‘Don’t mess with the little guy’ thriller.

A Quiet Place Part II

So close to hitting cinemas before the first 2020 lockdown, A Quiet Place Part II finally arrives on the big screen over a year later, with the sequel to the much-admired (and mostly silent) horror-thriller bringing back Emily Blunt alongside newcomers Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou.

Cruella

Emma Stone plays the infamous puppy purloiner in her younger years for this live-action 101 Dalmatians spin-off, with Emma Thompson her rival - called ‘Baroness von Hellman’, no less - in the cutthroat world of London ‘60s fashion houses.

• Listen: Ali chats to the cast of Cruella, including Emma Stone and Emma Thompson

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

The third Conjuring film (and the eighth in the Conjuring franchise) sees the return of everyone’s favourite ‘70s Ghostbusters, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), working on a new case, one that’ll - fingers crossed - take them out of the ‘spooky house’ comfort zone of the previous two regular instalments.

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

The sequel to the 2018 family-friendly live-action animation hybrid finally arrives in cinemas, with stars Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson and James Corden (as the voice of Peter) returning. Expect hijinks and plenty of bunny-based tomfoolery.

• "Self-aware silliness" - Read Ali's review of Peter Rabbit 2

Spiral: From The Book Of Saw

The ninth Saw film - yes, you read that right - is more of a detective movie, with Chris Rock (best known for his comedy work) teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson in a film based on an idea cooked up by Rock himself.

Those Who Wish Me Dead

In this neo-Western action thriller from Taylor Sheridan (Hell Or High Water, Sicario, Wind River), Angelina Jolie plays a wildland firefighter who must protect a child (Finn Little) after he witnesses a murder by two assassins (Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen).

Wrath Of Man

Jason Statham! Guy Ritchie! Together again! After all, there’s Snatch, Lock Stock and, um, that one we don’t talk about (Revolver, if you’re curious) in their back catalogue, so let’s get moderately excited about this one, an action-thriller - no shock, sure - based on a French film that was originally translated into English under the title ‘Cash Truck’ - which should have been the title for this English language remake in my book, but hey, there it is. Also out on July 23rd: Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins and Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Jungle Cruise

Spoiler alert: in Jungle Cruise, The Rock and Emily Blunt go on a jungle cruise. Jack Whitehall is also there, and so’s Jesse Plemens, who’s the villain of the piece. It’s based on a Disney theme park ride of the same name, and that turned out alright for The Pirates Of The Caribbean so perhaps this family-friendly action-adventure will do the same? Also out on July 30th: M. Night Shyamalan’s fast-aging horror-thriller Old.

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad returns - kind of. A decent number of the original team aren’t coming back - Will Smith is nowhere to be seen - but we do have Peter Capaldi, John Cena, Flula Borg, Idris Elba and Sylvester Stallone as a man-eating, walking, talking shark so I reckon that’ll make up for it. Oh, and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is on board, and for many people that makes everything better. And just one more thing: Guardians Of The Galaxy’s James Gunn wrote and directed this one, and for that reason alone you should be very, very excited.

Free Guy

This high-concept action-comedy sci-fi doodad sees Ryan Reynolds as a non-playable character in an open world video game who suddenly realises that - you guessed it - he’s in an open world video game. It’s knowing, it’s clever, it’s fun, it’s Ryan Reynolds. Also there’s Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer on board, as well as Taika Waititi and Joe Keery, and a clutch of big-name cameos to look forward to - so don’t sleep on this one, it could be (fingers crossed) one of your favourites of the summer. Also out August 13th: horror sequel Don’t Breathe 2, and on August 27th the reboot of Candyman.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Close to two months after the previous big screen Marvel release, Black Widow, Shang-Chi is here to kick you in the face (in a good way). Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu is our lead, an assassin originally brought up in the mysterious world of the Ten Rings criminal organisation, only to leave that life and move to San Francisco. His past inevitably catches up with him and - as you may have seen from the trailer - it’s face-kicking time once again. Also along for the ride are Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung - with this film marking the Hong Kong legend’s first foray into blockbuster Western cinema.

Dune

It’s a Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) film, so you should see this movie. It’s based on a seminal sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert, so you should see this movie. It boasts an ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem, so you should see this movie. I am personally a little bit beside myself just thinking about this film, so, you know, maybe you should see this movie.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

The first Venom gave us Tom Hardy fighting (and eventually befriending) an invasive alien symbiote in a Spider-Man kinda sorta spin-off that may not have been high art but seems to have made quite a few comic book fans really quite happy indeed. The sequel, arriving three years after the 2018 original, has Woody Harrelson as the villain, Carnage, as well as newcomers in the form of Naomie Harris and Stephen Graham. Side note: Andy Serkis, perhaps still best known for playing Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, is in the director’s chair for this one.

No Time To Die

One of the very first big, big films to delay its release due to the pandemic, No Time To Die has even managed to achieve the seemingly impossible already, with Billie Eilish winning a Grammy for her theme song before the film actually came out. With so many trailers and posters and all the rest, it may seem a little superfluous to give you all that Bond info just one more time, so let me just say this: it’s Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, and there’s no way you’re not watching it in the cinema. Simple as that, really. Oh, and if you’d like something a smidge different, there is The Addams Family 2 out on October 1st.

Halloween Kills

There are a lot of sequels coming out in 2021, but Halloween Kills takes the never-ending franchise cake, coming in at instalment number 12 in the Halloween series. This is the follow-up to the 2018 hit, with Jamie Lee Curtis coming back for yet another slice of knifey pie (my term). Don’t forget that there’ll be Halloween 13 soon too - aka Halloween Ends - though probably best not bank on it actually ending there. Oh, and it should be mentioned that Ridley Scott’s ‘Damon and Affleck and Comer’ historical drama (and Ridley’s second duelling movie, by the by) The Last Duel is also out on October 15th.

Jackass 4

Jackass 4 needs no real explanation, so you can confidently expect pranks, carnage, broken bones and a lot of laughter. If you’ve never been much of a Jackass junkie, out on the same day there’s the film adaptation of the critically-adored stage musical Dear Evan Hansen, the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints Of Newark as well as something completely and utterly different to all of the others, The Boss Baby: Family Business. Guess which one is rated a U, go on...

Last Night In Soho

Edgar Wright’s time-hopping 1960s psychological horror comes out just in time for Halloween, offering the more discerning cinema-goer the chance to see Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp and the late, great Diana Rigg in her last film role.

Eternals

November comes, and with it another Marvel motion picture. This isn’t your average MCU outing, however, with Nomadland helmer (and Best Director Oscar winner, of course) Chloe Zhao directing and the likes of Angelina Jolie (!), Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington and Gemma Chan playing members of an immortal alien race who’ve suffered a great tragedy after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Worth watching if only because much of it was shot in London, including - perhaps unbelievably - Camden high street, something I only know because it really ruined a bus journey I was once on. I’m full of fun film facts, me.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

First, there was Ghostbusters in 1984. Then in 1989, there was Ghostbusters II. You may have heard rumours about a reboot in 2016, but this, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, is the third film in the original continuity, so if you’re a die hard fan November 12th is definitely the date to circle in your diary. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and even Annie Potts (“WE GOT ONE!”) are set to return, with Paul Rudd the new lead. Making things all the more special is the fact that the son of Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, is directing, so we can probably expect a few more surprises up their sleeves.

Top Gun: Maverick

1986 was a long time ago, but that’s not stopping Tom Cruise from coming back for more elaborate high fives and daredevil aerial tricks in Top Gun: Maverick. And would you look at the cast! As well as Tom Cruise, there’s Miles Teller (as Goose’s son), Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris and - wait for it - Val Kilmer himself. The trailer showed off some pretty jaw-dropping flight sequences so here’s hoping there’s yet more in store for the big screen experience. Also out on November 19th: Will Smith’s Williams sisters film, King Richard, where he plays Venus and Serena’s father.

West Side Story

If December 3rd’s Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City doesn’t tickle your fancy, perhaps waiting just one more week for Steven Spielberg’s version of the beloved 1960s musical classic will suit you better. Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, Fault In Our Stars) is our Tony, while relative newcomer Rachel Zegler is our Maria. The original movie is one of Spielberg’s favourites, so it’s exciting to see how he’ll honour the Oscar-winning classic while still putting his own Spielbergian spin on it.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The fourth and final Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure in 2021 is the third Tom Holland Spider-Man film, a project so shrouded in secrecy… Well, perhaps not. Rumours abound when it comes to this one, with the general consensus being that this will be a ‘multiverse movie’ a la Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse, seeing Jamie Foxx (Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and Alfred Molina (Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2) somehow entering the same web-slinging universe as our own Tom Holland-shaped friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Could Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire appear? Maybe even Shameik Moore’s Miles Morales, or Chris Pine or Jake Johnson or Hailee Steinfeld somehow? And hey, why not have Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) along for the ride? The more’s the merrier with this one.

The Matrix 4 / The King’s Man

Which actioner would you like to watch just before Christmas this year? There’s The Matrix 4 or The King’s Man on offer, though it seems likely one of them will move release dates to avoid cannibalising each other’s potential audience. The Matrix 4 is a bit of an unknown quantity - leaving aside the previous three films of course - with not much confirmed, but The King’s Man has had trailers and posters for quite some time now, with the in-cinema date jumping around like a pinball over the past 12 months. That said, it’s important to remind you of the cast for this turn of the 20th century spy prequel, namely Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou and Charles Dance. I mean, seriously, that’s some eye-watering talent right there, all in period costumes and wielding no doubt delightfully old-fashioned weaponry. Actually, maybe The Matrix 4 and The King’s Man are more dissimilar than I first thought…

Radio 1's film critic Ali Plumb has put together his top 21st century films and there is something for everyone's mood.

• Underseen thrillers
• 21 feel-good films
• Time travel sci-fi
• 10 best indie films
• Underseen comedies
• Top 5 rom coms
• Action films
• Underseen gangster movies
• Top 5 heist movies