Best films released in the UK this month: May 2024

And then there's the latest film in the long-running Planet of the Apes franchise, which picks up several centuries after the recent Andy Serkis Caesar trilogy and sees The Witcher's Freya Allan join the cast.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of exciting films to look forward if you're after smaller-scale, independent fare too – from acclaimed Italian arthouse film La Chimera to Joseph Quinn-starring horror flick Hoard, plus Love Lies Bleeding, the second film from Saint Maud writer/director Rose Glass.

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.

The Fall Guy

Release date: Thursday 2nd May in cinemas

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt team up in this acclaimed action-comedy, with the former playing a stunt performer who is lured back on to a film set 18 months after suffering a major injury – only to get caught up in a sinister plot while trying to win back the affections of director Jody Moreno (Blunt).

There are also roles for Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham and Winston Duke, while John Wick's David Leitch – a former stuntman himself – is the man behind the camera.

The Idea of You

Release date: Thursday 2nd May on Prime Video

This well-reviewed romcom is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Robinne Lee and stars Anne Hathaway as a single mother who embarks on an unexpected romance with a younger pop star, played by Mary and George star Nicholas Galitzine.

The film probes into issues surrounding unwanted media intrusion into celebrity's private lives and the double standards when it comes to age gaps in relationships. Meanwhile, rumours that it started life as Harry Styles fan fiction have largely been downplayed by those involved in the production.

Love Lies Bleeding

Release date: Friday 3rd May in cinemas

Writer/director Rose Glass follows up her acclaimed horror film Saint Maud with this road movie, which stars Kristen Stewart as reclusive gym manager Lou and Katy O'Brian as a rising bodybuilder named Jackie with whom she falls deeply in love.

After embarking on a trip to Las Vegas to pursue the latter's dream, the pair soon find themselves pulled into an increasingly violent world of crime directly linked to Lou's own family, with messy results.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Release date: Friday 1oth May in cinemas

The latest addition in the long-running franchise is set several generations after the recent Andy Serkis trilogy and stars The Witcher's Freya Allan as the main human character, who forms an alliance with a young ape called Noa (Owen Teague) to fight against villainous ape king Proximus Caesar.

Their journey forces Noa to question everything he's been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike, with Proximus having developed weapons forged from lost human technologies and perverted Caesar's teachings to enslave other clans.

La Chimera

Release date: Friday 1oth May in cinemas

Fresh from wide acclaim for his turn as tennis player Patrick Zweig in Challengers, Josh O'Connor leads this Italian arthouse film from director Alice Rohrwacher, which received rave reviews at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

O'Connor stars as Arthur, a British archaeologist who gets involved in an international network of stolen Etruscan artefacts during the 1980s.

Hoard

Release date: Friday 17th May in cinemas

Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn has a key role in this horror film from first-time feature director Luna Carmoon, which tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship set between the 1980s and 1990s.

The main parts are played by Saura Lightfoot Leon and Hayley Squires, and the film has received some strong reviews since it's premiere at the London Film Festival last year, marking Carmoon out as another young British director to watch.

IF

Release date: Friday 17th May in cinemas

Written and directed by John Krasinski, this fantasy comedy couldn't look more different from his Quiet Place films – starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming as neighbours with the rare ability to see other people's imaginary friends who have been abandoned by the kids they helped.

Those imaginary friends are voiced by an impressive ensemble cast that includes the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carrell, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Sam Rockwell.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Release date: Friday 24th May in cinemas

The long awaited prequel to George Miller's electric Mad Max: Fury Road sees Anya Taylor-Joy take on the title role previously played by Charlize Theron – and will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival shortly before it's wide release.

It will follow young Furiosa after she falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.

Young Woman and the Sea

Release date: Friday 31st May in cinemas

Daisy Ridley plays Trudy Ederle – the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel – in this biographical drama from director Joachim Rønning.

Ederle was an American swimming champion, who had previously won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games before achieving the impressive accomplishment two years later, and the cast also includes Stephen Graham and Christopher Eccleston.

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