Best films released in the UK this month: March 2024
Highlights include Dune: Part Two, Drive-Away Dolls and Immaculate.
March can often see something of a lull in the film release calendar, with awards fare having come and gone and a little while to wait before blockbuster season truly gets going.
But that said, there is a huge assortment of exciting films to look forward to in the next few weeks, none more so than the now-released Dune: Part Two - which has arrived on the very first day of the month to a wave of rave reviews.
There are a couple of other big-budget releases to come later in March as well, including the latest films in the Ghostbusters and Godzilla v Kong franchises, while for younger audiences Jack Black returns to voice Po in the fourth entry in the Kung Fu Panda series.
Meanwhile, there's also Ethan Coen's first solo directorial outing, Drive-Away Dolls, Sydney Sweeney stars in intriguing psychological horror flick Immaculate, and acting titans Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway face off in Mothers' Instinct.
To help you pick out the highlights, we've put together a selection of some of the best films to watch this month – check out the video above or read on for our choices.
Dune: Part Two
Release date: Friday 1st March in cinemas
The second part of Denis Villeneuve's epic sci-fi adaptation finally arrives in UK cinemas, with Timothée Chalamet returning as Paul Atreides in a star-studded cast that also includes Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgård and more.
The film picks up shortly after the end of the first instalment, as Paul gradually becomes leader of the Fremen tribe he joined at the end of the last film – all while starting a love affair with Zendaya's Chani and facing a new foe in the form of Butler's evil Feyd-Rautha.
Lisa Frankenstein
Release date: Friday 1st March in cinemas
Juno and Jennifer's Body screenwriter Diablo Cody pens this comedy horror film, a modern update on Mary Shelley's iconic Frankenstein which stars Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse in the lead roles.
Newton plays Lisa, a lonely and misunderstood teenager who befriends a reanimated Victorian corpse (Sprouse) and embarks on a murderous journey with him to find love, happiness... and a few missing body parts.
Origin
Release date: Friday 8th March in cinemas
The latest film from Ava DuVernay is an unconventional adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson's non-fiction best-seller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which serves as both a biographical look at the author and a study of the book's themes about arbitrary hierarchies.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor gives a magnificent performance in the lead role, while there are also parts for Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash, Vera Farmiga and Audra McDonald, among many others, in a film that will leave audiences with plenty to chew over.
Drive-Away Dolls
Release date: Friday 15th March in cinemas
Ethan Coen – one-half of the legendary Coen brothers – makes his first solo directorial outing with this B-movie-inspired comedy starring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two lesbian friends who embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee.
Unfortunately for the pair, the trip doesn't quite go according to plan, and things get out of control when they cross paths with a group of inept mobsters and soon find themselves on the run with a briefcase the criminals are desperate to get their hands on.
The Beautiful Game
Release date: Thursday 21st March in cinemas, Friday 29th March on Netflix
Bill Nighy and Michael Ward star in this Netflix original movie which tells a fictional story about England’s homeless football team taking on the Homeless World Cup in Rome, inspired by the real Homeless World Cup and made with the support of the organisation.
Nighy stars as the team's manager Mal, who at the last minute decides to bring talented striker Vinny (Ward) to the tournament, a player who could give them a real chance at winning if he’s ready to let go of his past and become part of the team.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Release date: Friday 22nd March in cinemas
The latest film in the beloved franchise picks up where 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife left off, following the Spengler family as they unite with the original Ghostbusters team in the iconic New York City firehouse, with Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt and James Acaster joining the cast alongside Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Celeste O'Connor, Logan Kim, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.
This time around the Ghostbusters must work to protect their home and save the world from a new ice age, after the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force.
Immaculate
Release date: Friday 22nd March in cinemas
Sydney Sweeney leads this psychological horror film from director Michael Mohan, playing an American nun who moves to a remote convent in the Italian countryside only to discover that it is hiding terrible secrets.
Money Heists's Álvaro Morte and The White Lotus star Simona Tabasco also feature in the film.
Mothers' Instinct
Release date: Wednesday 27th March in cinemas
Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway play opposite each other as best friends and neighbours whose sisterly bond is shattered by a tragic incident in this 1960s-set psychological thriller, which is based on a French film from 2018.
Benoît Delhomme is behind the camera in his directorial debut, while there are also roles for Josh Charles and Anders Danielsen Lie.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Release date: Thursday 28th March in cinemas
The fourth film in the animated franchise follows Po as he's chosen to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace and finds himself teaming up with a quick-witted corsac fox to fight off a powerful shape-shifting sorceress.
Jack Black returns to voice the main character, while there are also roles for Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan and Viola Davis.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Release date: Friday 29th March in cinemas
The legendary Kaiju creatures must unite as they face a colossal undiscovered threat in the latest film in the Godzilla vs Kong franchise, which sees Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry reprise their roles as human characters, with a new part for Dan Stevens.
According to the synopsis, the film will "delve further into the histories of these Titans, their origins and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever".
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
