2020 WAS A tough year for cinema-goers. We had to spend months unable to sit in those comfortable chairs with a box of popcorn, waiting for the lights to go down. Not to mention the cinema owners, employees and film distributors, who had to cope with this too.

We don’t know exactly what 2021 will bring for cinemas, but we can hope we’ll get to savour them more than this year.

With that in mind, there are still tons of new releases to watch out for – the only caveat is that release dates are subject to change. So any months mentioned here must be taken with a pinch of salt. 

The French Dispatch

If you had no idea who directed this film, just two seconds of the trailer would have you shouting “Wes Anderson!”. Every perfectly composed frame of this screams Wes – as do the costumes, the quirky characterisations, and the offbeat plot.

It stars a wealth of Anderson accomplices (Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton) as well as relative newbies to his world (Timothée Chalamet). Plotwise, this is about journalists writing for an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional French city, early last century. The film has already been delayed twice, so let’s keep our fingers crossed we get it this year.

The 355

Five rival agents team up in this release from Freckle Films, a production company set up by Jessica Chastain. She plays a CIA agent who teams up with other women, in a movie that’s sure to hit big with Mission Impossible and James Bond fans.  

Also due out in January: Mortal Kombat, Chaos Walking

February

Antlers

Want the bejaysus scared out of you? This, starring Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons, looks like it will do just that. It’s about a creepy monster that appears in a small town, and a small boy who’s somehow connected to it. 

Also due out in February: French Exit

March

Ghostbusters Afterlife

This latest film in the Ghostbusters franchise is interesting as it moves out of the city and into a rural area where a family move when they’re in dire straits. But what ghosts might lurk within? It’s set 30 years after the original, and stars Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things. 

April

No Time To Die

Another much delayed movie, the 25th James Bond film is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and stars Daniel Craig as Bond, with Rami Malek coming in as a baddie. Hopefully we won’t have to see another delay to its release. 

A Quiet Place Part II

The trailer for this looks absolutely terrifying. It was supposed to come out just when the coronavirus hit, but got delayed. To say we’re itching to watch it… especially as it brings us back to what happened when the monster from A Quiet Place first appeared.

Also due out in April: Last Night in Soho

May 

Black Widow

This superhero film sees Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) getting her own focused movie. Set after Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow is on the run. Along the way, she meets Florence Pugh, who was also trained as a Black Widow. Notably, this is directed by Australian TV and film director Cate Shortland.

Also due out in May: Godzilla vs Kong

June

In the Heights

Hamilton fans will flock to see this big screen version of Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical, about the largely Latino neighbourhood of Washington Heights in NYC.

Also due out in June: Jurassic World: Dominion

July

Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise returns in the sequel to 1986′s Top Gun – alongside Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Connelly. There’s not a huge amount out there about what we can expect, but you can guess.

Also due out in July: Space Jam A New Legacy

August

Candyman

Nia DaCosta directs this take on Candyman, which was written by her, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. This sequel sees Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starring as a man who moves to a new neighbourhood – right into the Candyman’s turf. While doing a bit of photography and artwork based on the neighbourhood, he unwittingly unleashes the Candyman again.

Also due out in August: The Suicide Squad, Deep Water

October

Dune

Originally due out around Christmas time in 2020, we have to wait a lot longer to see this. Denis Villeneuve directs this take on the first half of the book Dune (by Frank Herbert), which is famously incredibly difficult to take from page to screen (just ask David Lynch or Alejandro Jodorowsky). Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Stellan Stkarsgård star.

Also due out end of 2020: Halloween Kills, The Last Duel, Mission Impossible, The Matrix 4, Babylon.