Check out what's showing at cinemas across the region...

THE BRIDE! CERT 15 (126 mins)
Released Fri 6 March
Starring Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Penélope Cruz, Julianne Hough, Annette Bening 
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal here takes the helm - for the first time since making her directorial debut with 2021’s Oscar-nominated The Lost Daughter - to present what The Bride!’s publicity describes as ‘a bold, iconoclastic take on one of the world’s most compelling stories.’

Frankenstein’s undead creature (Christian Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr Euphronious (Annette Bening) to save him from his loneliness by creating a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman, The Bride (Jessie Buckley), and in so doing set the scene for what proves to be a wild and combustible romance. 

“It’s like Bonnie and Clyde,” says Buckley, in talking about her character’s relationship with Frankenstein’s creature, “but ours has petrol in its skin and we’re holding a match to it!” 

HOPPERS CERT U (105 mins)
Released Fri 6 March
With the voices of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, Meryl Streep, Nichole Sakura 
Directed by Daniel Chong

“We have assembled a legendary cast for Hoppers,” say the movie’s director, Daniel Chong, and producer, Nicole Paradis Grindle,  “and the voice talent really gave the film all they had. Be it uproarious humour, heartfelt emotion or crazy animal noises, they delivered beyond our expectations!”

With no less a luminary than the legendary Meryl Streep providing her services in the role of Insect Queen, Hoppers follows the fortunes of lead character Mabel, a young student who uses new technology to transfer her consciousness into a lifelike robotic beaver and thwart a construction company’s plot to destroy the local animal habitat.

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING CERT 12a (105 mins)
Released Fri 13 March
Starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley,  Ed Harris, Topher Grace, Jessica Henwick, Zach Woods
Directed by John Patton Ford

A ‘raucously entertaining revenge thriller’, the inspiration for which comes from Ealing Studio’s 1949 British crime classic, Kind Hearts And Coronets, How To Make A Killing is centred around the character of the blue-collar Becket Redfellow.   

Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, Becket will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way. Matters are complicated for him by the need to navigate his relationship with girlfriend Ruth - a woman who has no interest in money - and the increasing attentions of Julia - a flirtatious old flame who most definitely does... 

THE LAND OF SOMETIMES CERT U (93 mins)
Released Fri 20 March
With the voices of Helena Bonham Carter, Mel Brooks, Ewan McGregor, Asa Butterfield, Jessica Henwick, Alisha Weir 
Directed by Leon Joosen

On Christmas Eve, twins Alfie and Elise wish for things beyond their reach. Their father is missing at war, and the twins seek their own ways to avoid the harshness of life: Elise wants to escape from the world; Alfie wants to hide away from it. Just before bedtime, their mother presents them with a watch. Left by their father as a Christmas gift, the watch is a very special watch: a Wish Watch. The twins are then visited by The Wish Collector, an enigmatic character who transports them to a strange and magical world called The Land Of Sometimes. It’s there, in a place populated by unusual and charismatic characters, that Alfie and Elise’s adventure really begins... 

MIDWINTER BREAK CERT 12a (90 mins)
Released Fri 20 March
Starring Lesley Manville, Ciarán Hinds,  Julie Lamberton, Ed Sayer, Niamh Cusack, Leila Laaraj
Directed by Polly Findlay

Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Northern Irish writer Bernard MacLaverty -  and described by its publicity as a stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love - Midwinter Break finds retired couple Stella (Lesley Manville) and Gerry (Ciarán Hinds) flying to Amsterdam for what they hope will be a refreshing and relaxing holiday. Instead, they find their relationship unravelling, as painful memories from their past re-emerge... 

Commenting on the film, Dave Bishop, CEO of Protagonist Pictures, the company handling Midwinter Break, told The Hollywood Reporter: “Lesley and Ciarán are [among] the top talents of their generation and the perfect pair to bring this emotionally intricate exploration of universal relationship dynamics to life.” 

PROJECT HAIL MARY CERT 12a (156 mins)
Released Fri 20 March
Starring Ryan Gosling, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Sandra Hüller, Liz Kingsman, Lionel Boyce
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary became an instant bestseller when it was released in 2021, so it’s little wonder that his story has now been given the cinematic treatment.  

When science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home, he initially has no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: to solve the riddle of a mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. To do so, he must call on both his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction. But an unexpected friendship means that he may not have to face the seemingly impossible challenge alone... 

READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME CERT tbc (108 mins)
Released Fri 20 March
Starring Shawn Hatosy, Nestor Carbonell, Elijah Wood, Samara Weaving, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Durand 
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

With 2019’s Ready Or Not having earned $57 million on just a $6million budget, a sequel movie was always on the cards - and seven years later, here it is... 

The original comedy/horror saw young bride Grace MacCaullay finding herself involved in a Devil-worshipping wedding-night ritual in which she was hunted by her eccentric new in-laws. Now, the sole survivor, Grace discovers that she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish ‘game’ - and that this time she must battle to keep her estranged sister Faith alive... 

THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE CERT U (110 mins)
Released Fri 27 March
Starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Rebecca Ferguson, Nonso Anozie
Directed by Ben Gregor

Based on Enid Blyton’s bestselling children’s classic, The Magic Faraway Tree follows the story of Polly and Tim and their children, Beth, Joe and Fran - a modern family who find themselves forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. 

Soon after their arrival in their new home, the children come across a magical tree. The discovery leads to them meeting a host of extraordinary and eccentric characters - including Moonface, Silky, Dame Washalot and Saucepan Man - and experiencing exciting adventures in strange and magical lands...

Featuring Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man) and Claire Foy (The Crown) as Polly and Tim, this long-anticipated film adaptation of Blyton’s novel also features star turns from, among others, Lenny Henry, Michael Palin, Simon Russell Beale and Jennifer Saunders.