The autumn is one of the busiest and most important times of year for cinema releases with studios looking for awards-season hits as well as family-friendly blockbusters. Here’s what’s in store for the rest of the year
As August draws to a close, so does the three-month long summer blockbuster season. Superheroes start to pack away their spandex, stuntmen take their high performance cars into the garage for a tune up before the next season of chase sequences begin and the special effects gurus stop animating spaceships and start turning 21st century locations into 19th century back alleys as film-makers start eyeing up the fast-approaching awards season.
The autumn is prime Oscar and BAFTA territory as award-hungry films have to have played at least one week in a commercial cinema before December 31 in order to be in the running for the major trophies to be announced in February.
But, it's not just elite movies which will be clamouring for our attention. October half-term, Halloween and the run-up to Christmas all means that there will be plenty of family-friendly fare available at your local picturehouse.
Cinema still offers the best environment to see a film. It's a communal experience. We all laugh, gasp and cry together as the story unfolds on the big screen. There's nothing like it.
Here is a glimpse of what's on offer this autumn at your local cinema (both large and small) Please be aware that release dates can change. Three movies shifted their release dates during the time it took to compile this list.
August 28:
Killers Anonymous
Director: Martin Owen; Starring: Gary Oldman, Jessica Alba, Suki Waterhouse, Tim McInnerny, Tommy Flanagan, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Sadie Frost
A support group of killers is held regularly. The participants sit in a circle of trust and share their transgressions.
August 30:
A Million Little Pieces
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Charlie Hunnam, Odessa Young, Billy Bob Thorton
A young drug-addled writer approaching the bottom of his descent submits to two months of agonizing detox at a treatment center in Minnesota.
Mrs Lowry & Son
Director: Adrian Noble Starring: Timothy Spall, Vanessa Redgrave
A portrait of the artist L.S. Lowry and the relationship with his mother, who tries to dissuade him from pursuing his passion.
The Informer
Director: Andrea Di Stefano Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Ana de Armas, Common, Clive Owen
An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.
Sept 6:
It: Chapter Two
Director: Andy Muschietti Starring: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain,Bill Skarsgård, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa
Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.
Sept 13:
Downton Abbey
Director: Michael Engler Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Harry Hadden-Paton, Simon Jones, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton,
Spin-off from the highly successful TV series, this tells the continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.
Sept 18:
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland
An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. He uncovers secrets which challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Sept 19:
Rambo: Last Blood
Director: Adrian Grunberg Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adrianna Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Oscar Jaenada
Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission.
Sept 20:
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang Starring: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin and Zhao Shuzhen
A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
The Kitchen
Director: Andrea Berloff Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian d'Arcy James, Margo Martindale, Annabella Sciorra, Myk Watford
The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison.
Sept 27:
Ready Or Not
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie Macdowell
A bride's wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.
The Goldfinch
Director: John Crowley Starring: Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Oakes Fegley, Aneurin Barnard, Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Jeffrey Wright
A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tomorrow
Director: Martha Pinson Starring: Stuart Brennan, Stephen Fry, James Cosmo, Sebastian Street, Paul Kaye, Stephanie Leonidas, Joss Stone, Sophie Kennedy Clarke
A war veteran struggling to find a reason to live is befriended by a man who lives every day as though it's his last.
Oct 4:
Joker
Director: Todd Philips Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler, Shea Whigham, Brett Cullen, Douglas Hodge, Josh Pais
An original standalone origin story of the iconic villain not seen before on the big screen, it's a gritty character study of Arthur Fleck, a man disregarded by society, and a broader cautionary tale.
Judy
Director: Rupert Goold Starring: Renee Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon
Legendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
Oct 11:
Abominable
Director: Jill Culton, Todd Wilderman Starring: Albert Tsai, Chloe Bennet, Sarah Paulson
Family animation. A magical Yeti must return to his family.
American Woman
Director: Jake Scott Starring: Sienna Miller, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Paul
A woman raises her young grandson after her daughter goes missing.
Gemini Man
Director: Ang Lee Starring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen
An over-the-hill hitman faces off against a younger clone of himself.
Oct 18:
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil
Director: Joachim Rønning starring: Teresa Mahoney, Angelina Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer
Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play.
Shaun The Sheep 2: Farmageddon
Director: Richard Starzak Starring: Justin Fletcher, Jason Sparkes
Classic animation from Aardmann Studios. When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.
Oct 23:
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton
Sarah Connor has returned from far away, and she's gearing up with a team of agents who will fight against T-1000.
Oct 25:
A Good Woman Is Hard To Find
Director: Abner Pastoll Starring: Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, Andrew Simpson
A recently widowed young mother will go to any lengths to protect her children as she seeks the truth behind her husband's murder.
Black And Blue
Director: Deon Taylor Starring: Frank Grillo, Naomie Harris, Mike Colter
'Black and Blue' is an action thriller about a rookie cop (Naomie Harris) who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her (Tyrese Gibson) as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.
The Addams Family
Director: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon Starring: Charlize Theron, Finn Wolfhard, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bette Midler, Allison Janney
An animated version of Charles Addams' series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family
Oct 31:
Doctor Sleep
Director: Mike Flanagan Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Rebecca Ferguson, Ewan McGregor
Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrence meets a young girl with similar powers as his and tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
Nov 1:
Sorry We Missed You
Director: Ken Loach Starring: Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Stone
From director Ken Loach, writer Paul Laverty and the award-winning team behind I, Daniel Blake, this is a powerful exploration of the contemporary world of work, the gig economy and the challenges faced by a hard-up delivery driver trying to hold it all together.
After The Wedding
Director: Bart Freundlich Starring: Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup
A manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor.
Nov 8:
Luce
Director: Julius Onah Starring: Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth
A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student.
Midway
Director: Roland Emmerich Starring: Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Woody Harrelson
The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.
The Aeronauts
Director: Tom Harper Starring: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel
Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a hot air balloon.
The Good Liar
Director: Bill Condon Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey
Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
Nov 15:
Last Christmas
Director: Paul Feig Starring: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson
Kate is a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Her last date with disaster? That of having accepted to work as Santa's elf for a department store. However, she meets Tom there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.
Le Mans '66
Director: James Mangold Starring: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe
American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966
Nov 22
Frozen 2
Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Starring: Jonathan Groff, Kristen Bell, Evan Rachel Wood
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom.
Rhythm Section
Director: Reed Morano Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Max Casella
A woman seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.
Nov 29
Charlie's Angels
Director: Elizabeth Banks Starring: Naomi Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Stewart, Sam Claflin
Reboot of the 2000 action comedy based on the 1970s television series. A new generation of private detectives working for the mysterious Charlie.
Knives Out
Director: Rian Johnson Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell and Christopher Plummer
A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.
Motherless Brooklyn
Director: Edward Norton Starring: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, Motherless Brooklyn follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna.
Dec 6
A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood
Director: Marielle Heller Starring: Tom Hanks, Enrico Colantoni, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper
A timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbour.
Lucy In The Sky
Director: Noah Hawley Starring: Natalie Portman, Dan Stevens, Jon Hamm
Astronaut Lucy Cola returns to Earth after a transcendent experience during a mission to space, and begins to lose touch with reality in a world that now seems too small.
Dec 13
Black Christmas
Director: Sophia Takal Starring: Cary Elwes, Imogen Poots, Brittany O'Grady
A group of students are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. A remake of the 1974 horror film 'Black Christmas'.
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina
A team of friends return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own but discover that nothing is as they expect. The players need to brave parts unknown, from arid deserts to snowy mountains, in order to escape the world's most dangerous game.
Dec 19:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Director: J.J. Abrams Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Daisy Ridley, Lupita Nyong'o, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.
Dec 20
Cats
Director: Tom Hooper Starring: Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Taylor Swift, James Corden, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen
Based on the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, a tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
Dec 26
Little Women
Director: Greta Gerwig Starring: Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep
Remake by indie-Queen Greta Gerwig of the classic story of four sisters who come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
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