Best films released in the UK this month: November 2024
Highlights include Anora, Gladiator 2 and Wicked.
November is perhaps the most exciting month for new film releases since the high-profile double whammy of Barbenheimer last July, with a glut of high profile, hotly-anticipated new films arriving throughout the month.
Indeed, the releases of Gladiator II, Wicked and Moana 2 – which arrive on consecutive Fridays in the UK – are reportedly being seen as "a Holy Trinity of moviegoing" by the industry, with hopes that all three will bring huge crowds of filmgoers into cinemas.
That's without even mentioning Paddington in Peru, which is released on 8th November and sees the beloved bear journey back to his homeland for a new adventure that also sees Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas join the cast.
And that's not all. Indeed, the month got underway with the release of a whole host of brilliant new releases that are already available to watch in cinemas – from Sean Baker's wonderful Palme D'Or winner Anora and Steve McQueen's Second World War film Blitz to Clint Eastwood's Juror No #2 and the superbly understated drama Small Things Like These, which boasts another world-class performance from Cillian Murphy.
Meanwhile, another film being talked about as a major awards contender is Vatican-set thriller Conclave, which boasts a star-studded cast including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini and arrives in UK cinemas towards the end of the month.
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.
Anora
Release date: Friday 1st November in cinemas (out now)
Sean Baker's wonderful film stars Mikey Madison as a sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only for her apparent fairytale to quickly go sour when his family get wind of their nupitals.
Part romance, part screwball comedy and part crime flick, the film won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is being positioned as a major player in the Oscars race – with Madison's captivating central turn especially worthy of praise.
Blitz
Release date: Friday 1st November in cinemas (out now)
Steve McQueen's latest feature is a picaresque adventure about a young boy trying to get home during the Second World War – with newcomer Elliott Heffernan shining in the lead role and the reliably excellent Saoirse Ronan playing his mother.
It's slightly more broad than some of McQueen's other work, but there's plenty of his visual imagination on show and the film has an old-fashioned charm about it whilst also providing plenty of social commentary, painting a more fractured version of the Blitz spirit than is sometimes presented.
Juror #2
Release date: Friday 1st November in cinemas (out now)
Billed as Clint Eastwood's possible final film, Juror #2 stars Nicholas Hoult as a member of a jury who must wrestle with a moral dilemma during a murder trial that could have significant impact on the fate of the accused.
The film was given a notably limited release in the US, but is playing on plenty of screens on this side of the Atlantic and has received mostly strong reviews from critics.
Small Things Like These
Release date: Friday 1st November in cinemas (out now)
Cillian Murphy delivers another superb performance in this understated but immensely powerful drama adapted from the acclaimed novel of the same name by Claire Keegan, which is concerned with Ireland's notorious Magdalene laundries.
Set in 1985, Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a man running a small coal business in County Wicklow who wrestles with whether to intervene when he spots the mistreatment of a young woman at the local convent.
Heretic
Release date: Friday 1st November in cinemas (out now)
Hugh Grant has his most villainous role yet in this horror film about two Mormon missionaries who knock on the door of a seemingly charming man, only for it to emerge that he has a deeply sinister plan in place for them.
Scripted and directed by A Quiet Place writing duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, it's a tense affair elevated by Grant's terrific performance, as he weaponises charm to create a very watchable but inexcusably horrid character.
Paddington in Peru
Release date: Friday 8th November in cinemas
Britain's favourite bear returns for another adventure that takes him back to his homeland – with Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas joining the cast and Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins as Mrs Brown.
Dougal Wilson takes over directorial duties from Paul King and although it can't quite match the previous film it's nonetheless a delightful family film with plenty of magical moments and marmalade sandwiches.
Bird
Release date: Friday 8th November in cinemas
Andrea Arnold's latest film is an unconventional coming-of-age tale that stars Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, with newcomer Nykiya Adams in the lead role as a 12-year-old named Bailey.
She lives with her single father (Keoghan) and her brother Hunter in a squat in northern Kent, but doesn't receive much attention from her family and so seeks adventure elsewhere.
Gladiator II
Release date: Friday 15th November in cinemas
Paul Mescal takes the lead part in Ridley Scott's hotly anticipated sequel – which also includes a meaty role for Denzel Washington and supporting turns from Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and the returning Connie Nielsen.
Set 16 years after the events of the first film, it follows the now adult Lucius as he embarks on his own rage-fuelled quest for revenge – aiming to bring Rome back to its people and away from it's twin emperors and their endless conquests.
Wicked
Release date: Friday 22nd November in cinemas
The film adaptation of the hit Broadway and West End musical – or at least the first half of it – finally arrives in cinemas, with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the main roles of Galinda and Elphaba respectively.
Of course, the story will already be familiar to many: a prequel to the Wizard of Oz, it follows the gradual friendship that develops between the misunderstood Elphaba and the popularity-obsessed Galinda – which soon fractures after an encounter with the Wizard of Oz.
Conclave
Release date: Friday 29th November in cinemas
Ralph Fiennes leads the cast of this starry Vatican-set drama adapted from a bestselling novel by Robert Harris, which sees a number of cardinals bicker as they try to elect a new pope.
Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow are among the other big names playing the potential candidates, while there's also a memorable role for Isabella Rossellini as a nun who must play a key role in the scheming.
Moana 2
Release date: Friday 29th November in cinemas
The follow-up to Disney's hugely successful animation sees the title character answer an unexpected call from her ancestors that takes her to the far seas of Oceania.
Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, and Alan Tudyk all reprise their voice roles from the first film, while Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear replace Lin-Manuel Miranda as additional songwriters.
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