Never mind Netflix, films are right back where they belong tomorrow – on the big screen.
Hundreds of cinemas are braced for a multi-million pound box office bonanza when they fully open for the first time in more than a year.
Odeon, Vue, Showcase, Curzon and Everyman are reopening in the next 24 hours. Cineworld and Picturehouse venues follow on Wednesday and Empire later this month.
Safety measures include face coverings, social distancing, staggered film times, contactless payment, distanced seating, cleaning of seats between films, cleaning stations and new pumped-up ventilation systems.
Odeon managing director Carol Welch said: “We’ve all missed the magic that the cinema brings to movie watching and we know our guests are excited about coming back.”
The pandemic has meant a backlog of blockbusters will now pack out film fans’ calendars for the rest of this year – and next year too.
(Image: Danjaq, LLC/MGM/PA)
From Monday, families will be able to see Peter Rabbit 2, Godzilla Vs Kong and Tom and Jerry the Movie.
Film buffs can enjoy Oscar winners Nomadland, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah and Sound of Metal.
The rest of the year is packed out with huge releases including the new James Bond film No Time To Die, Fast & Furious 9, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Top Gun Maverick and Black Widow.
Read our unmissable guide to the blockbusters you can finally enjoy outside your living rooms.
Films you can see in the cinema from Monday May 17:
PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY
Bored of life in the garden, Peter (voiced by James Corden) goes to the big city, where he meets shady characters and ends up creating chaos for the family.
THEUNHOLY
Supernatural thriller starring hotly tipped new actress Cricket Brown.
TOMANDJERRY THE MOVIE
The original cat and mouse rivalry comes to a swanky New York hotel on the eve of a society wedding.
MAYATHE BEE: THE GOLDEN ORB
Animated movie about a headstrong bee and her friend as they journey into a strange new world.
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD
Angelina Jolie feels the heat in a forest fire thriller.
Blockbusters
NO TIME TO DIE (September 30)
The long, long awaited new 007 movie, apparently Daniel Craig’s last.
FAST AND FURIOUS 9 (July 9)
Dominic Toretto battles the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver he’s ever encountered – his long lost brother.
GHOSTBUSTERSAFTERLIFE(November 12) .
A family moves to a new town and discovers a connection to the original Ghostbusters and their grandfather’s secret legacy.
TOP GUN MAVERICK(November 19)
Tom Cruise, after years of service as an elite Navy fighter pilot, is forced to confront the past.
BLACK WIDOW (July 9)
Scarlett Johansson at last gets a stand-alone Marvel film.
Sequels… and coming next year
THE BATMAN(March 4, 2022)
Robert Pattinson’s first outing as the masked superhero.
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THEMULTIVERSE OF MADNESS(March 25, 2022)
New Marvel movie.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE7 (May 27, 2022)
Latest instalment in Tom Cruise’s action juggernaut.
JURASSIC WORLD:DOMINION (June 10, 2022)
Sixth instalment of dinosaur franchise.
AVATAR2 (December 16, 2022)
Long awaited blue-creatured sequel.
AQUAMAN2 (December 16, 2022)
Jason Momoa returns as watery comic book superhero.
GODZILLA VS KONG(May 17)
(Image: Warner Bros)
Fourth in the King Kong series of monster epics.
AQUIET PLACE PART 2(June 3)
Emily Blunt tries to protect her three kids from monsters in a post-apocalyptic world.
SUICIDE SQUAD 2(July 30)
The further adventures of Harley Quinn, Rick Flag and their team of assembled supervillains.
VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE(September 15)
Tom Hardy returns to battle a psychotic serial killer played by Woody Harrelson
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME(December 17) A sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
DOWNTON ABBEY2 (December 22) The continuing saga of the Crawley family and their servants.
Family Favourites
CRUELLA(May 28)
Action feature film, starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, following the evil exploits of Cruella de Vil, the villain from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians.
CINDERELLA(July 16)
Our heroine dreams of great things in a modern romantic musical comedy based on the classic fairytale.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: TRANSFORMANIA(July23)
The fourth and final instalment of the adventures of Dracula and the pack.
PAW PATROL:THE MOVIE(August 13)
Everyone’s favourite heroic pups save the city from arch rival Mayor Humdinger.
THE BOSS BABY:FAMILY BUSINESS(October 22)
Transformed into babies for 48 hours, the brothers go undercover to stop an evil genius turning fellow toddlers into monstrous brats.
Oscar winners
NOMADLAND(May17)
Frances McDormand plays a 60-year-old widow journeying through the American West as a van-dwelling nomad.
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH(May 17)
FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party to keep tabs on its charismatic leader.
SOUND OF METAL(May17)
A heavy-metal drummer’s life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
MINARI (May 17)
A Korean-American family moves to a farm in Arkansas for the American dream.
THE FATHER(June 11)
Anthony Hopkins, right, plays a feisty, independent 80-year-old battling dementia. Olivia Colman stars as his daughter.
Top Five
By Mark Adams (Film critic)
The cinema is a magical place to put the world aside for a brief time and I am so glad it is back.
When the lights go down and sound turns up and your vision is filled with the film, you are immersed in a story.
No pausing, flicking channels, doomscrolling or chatting, here is a place to be thrilled, scared, challenged or just entertained,
My last cinema experience was Wonder Woman 1984, back in December. OK, not the best but it looked and sounded amazing.
Here are my top five films opening soon to look forward to:
PETER RABBIT 2: The RUNAWAY
Again mixing live action and animation, Peter (voiced by James Corden) heads to the big city in search of excitement but has to be rescued. Voices include Elizabeth Debicki (as Mopsy) and Margot Robbie (as Flopsy). It will keep the little ones happy and even amuse the parents.
CRUELLA
Emma Stone is a delight in this story of how the young Cruella de Vil became a high-fashion villainess. As a teenager she runs wild in London and lands among the rich and famous, including a fashion guru (Emma Thompson) who steals her ideas.
A QUIET PLACE PART 2
(Image: Paramount Pictures)
Horror sequel, again starring Emily Blunt on top form dodging monsters who react to sound. Forced to leave their home, the family find that the creatures are not the only dangers. It will have you on the edge of your seat. Also stars Cillian Murphy.
IN THE HEIGHTS
Toe-tapping musical from – and starring – Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York’s Washington Heights and based on the hit stage musical, a shop owner saves up and dreams of a better life. Also stars Jimmy Smits and Stephanie Beatriz (from Brooklyn 99).
BLACK WIDOW/FAST & FURIOUS 9
Marvel superhero action and car crash mayhem out in the same week!
Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Black Widow and takes care of business in Russia alongside Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh.
And the latest Fast & Furious features a star-heavy cast including Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron and Kurt Russell.
Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/film/top-gun-2-james-bond-24118233