The biggest movie releases of 2020
There are plenty of not-to-miss films hitting cinema over the coming months. Here's our essential guide...
2020: the year of peak film, 12 months packed with blockbuster after blockbuster. At least, that was the plan. Coronavirus, however, had other ideas.
The global pandemic has now caused many major titles (including Mulan, A Quiet Place 2 and The New Mutants) to completely pull their release dates, with other films – such as James Bond No Time to Die pushed back by several months. (See our full list of titles delayed by Coronavirus).
But fear not: there are still plenty of movies to get excited about in 2020, be it in theatres or on streaming services such as Netflix. You can see all release dates to expect below.
Check back for more details and new additions as the year goes on, and scroll through to find 2021's big hitters...
Onward
Release date: out now
Disney Pixar are the masters of the family film in the modern age, and this looks like no exception. The story surrounds a magical world that was once inhabited by fairies and elves, but where magic has been replaced by technology Read more.
Starring: Chris Pratt (Jurassic World), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer
Military Wives
Release date: out now
A true story, this comedy-drama centres on a group of women from different backgrounds whose partners are away serving in Afghanistan. To raise morale, they form a choir – and find themselves flung into the media spotlight.
Starring: Amy James-Kelly, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan
Fantasy Island
Release date: out now
This Blumhouse horror offering takes the idea behind a TV series of the same name and creates a film that will really get inside the head of the viewer as fantasy quickly turns to nightmares for those who visit this island. Read more
Starring: Lucy Hale, Maggie Q, Portia Doubleday, Michael Pena, Charlotte McKinney
My Spy
Release date: out now
A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl when tasked to follow her family
Starring: Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Ken Jeong
Sonic The Hedgehog
Release date: out now
This film may look very different by the time it sprints into cinemas. Director Jeff Fowler said he would "fix" his animated character after the first trailer was widely criticised online. Now, the film has a notably delayed release date until Valentine's Day 2020. Read more
Starring: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden
The Invisible Man
Release date: out now
Loosely-based on the book of the same name by HG Well, this psychological thriller follows Cecilia, a woman seemingly haunted by her late abusive ex.
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
All The Bright Places
Release date: out now on Netflix
Based on the best-selling novel by Jennifer Niven, this Netflix drama follows two emotionally-scarred teens who change each other’s lives.
Starring Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Keegan-Michael Key, Luke Wilson
Bloodshot
Release date: 13th March 2020
Ray Garrison, is no normal superhero. For starters: he’s already died. However, the soldier killed in action is brought back to life as Bloodshot, a human wielding an army of nanotechnology in his veins. Read more.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Guy Pearce
A Quiet Place 2
Release date: SUSPENDED (due to Coronavirus)
Emily Blunt reprises her role in the sequel to the 2018 horror mega-hit with her real-life husband John Krasinski back on board to write and direct the follow-up. Read more
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Radioactive
Release date: 20th March 2020
Don’t know the full story of Marie Curie? You will do after seeing Radioactive, the biopic with Rosamund Pike starring as the ground-breaking scientist. Set in Paris in 1893, the film follows Curie’s journey to winning the Nobel Prize for the discovery of radium, becoming the first woman to win the award.
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley, Anya Taylor-Joy, Aneurin Barnard, Simon Russell Beale
Mulan
Release date: SUSPENDED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu (The Forbidden Kingdom, Outcast) will play the title character in this live-action remake of one of the best Disney animated films of the recent era. Directed by Niki Caro, this movie looks sure to be another huge hit for Disney in 2020. Read more
Starring: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jet Li
The New Mutants
Release date: SUSPENDED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
This X-Men spin-off about young mutants held in a special facility against their will, originally intended for release in 2018, has real horror movie vibes. Read more
Starring: Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Anya Taylor-Joy
Sergio
Release date: 17th April 2020 on Netflix
This true story explores the life and work of Sergio Vieira de Mello, a charismatic UN diplomat who was killed in an Iraq bombing in 2003.
Starring: Wagner Moura, Ana de Armas, Garret Dillahunt, Clemens Schick, Will Dalton
Black Widow
Release date: 1st May 2020
The first film of MCU Phase 4 is the Black Widow movie, which has been revealed to be set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War and will delve into the super-spy's secret past. Read more
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, OT Fagbenle
Scoob!
Release date: 15th May 2020
The Mystery Incorporated team are back for another set of adventures – this time in animated form, voiced by Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried. Read more
Starring: Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez, McKenna Grace, Iain Armitage
Artemis Fowl
Release date: 29th May 2020
Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Eoin Colfer's beloved book series is shaping up to be a doozy. It is set in a fantastical universe where Earth is home to an underground civilisation of fairies, so, right up Disney's alley. Read more
Starring: Judi Dench, Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Wonder Woman 1984
Release date: 5th June 2020
Diane Prince (Gal Gadot) will come up against a British anthropologist called Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) in the sequel to DC's 2017 hit. Read more
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Gabriella Wilde
Candyman
Release date: 12th June 2020
21st-century horror king Jordan Peele is overseeing this spiritual sequel to the 1992 gothic horror movie, with the new version directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Black Mirror's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo
Soul
Release date: 19th June 2020
Pixar’s 23rd feature film follows Joe Gardner, a middle school music teacher with a deep passion for jazz. When he finally gets a chance to impress a group of serious jazz musicians, an accident causes Gardner's soul to be separated from his body and transported to a new realm. Read more.
Starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad and Daveed Diggs
In The Heights
Release date: 26th June 2020 (in the US)
Before Hamilton, there was In The Heights. Lin-Manuel Miranda's first musical is being turned into a feature film, set in the Washington Heights neighbourhood of New York and following the lives of a tight-knight community over the course of three days – expect plenty of catchy beats and lyrical gymnastics. Read more
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie Beatriz, Corey Hawkins, Jimmy Smitz, Leslie Grace, Dacha Polanco, Melissa Barrera
Free Guy
Release date: 3rd July 2020
What would happen if non-playable characters (NPCs) in the background of Grand Theft Auto suddenly became conscious? That’s the idea behind this action-comedy, with a bank teller discovering he’s an NPC in an open-world video game about to shut down. And if you’re watching the trailer: yes, that is Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer. Read More.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Taika Waititi
Release date: 17th July 2020
The plot of the latest blockbuster from Chris Nolan (Dunkirk, Inception, The Dark Knight) is currently shrouded in mystery. While the trailer doesn’t give too much away, it’s clear Tenet will revisit one of Nolan’s trademark themes: time.
Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Himesh Patel, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Top Gun: Maverick
Take a look at the trailer for the highly anticipated film starring Tom Cruise:
Release date: 17th July 2020 (26th June US)
Tom Cruise returns to the cockpit for a sequel more than 34 years after the original was released. It was one of the most popular films of the 1980s, but it feels like there's still so much love for Maverick and the franchise that this may well end up being a smash hit all over again Read more
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Release date: 20th July 2020 (in the US)
This return to the Ghostbusters franchise plans to skip over the events of Paul Feig's 2016 all-female line-up, instead focusing on four teenagers. It's a direct sequel to 1989's Ghostbusters II and with Sigourney Weaver already signed up, it is rumoured to feature original stars Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd. Read more
Starring: McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Sigourney Weaver
Morbius
Release date: 21st July 2020
Jared Leto is set to star as the titular Spider-Man villain, a biochemist who accidentally turns himself into a pseudo-vampire with superhuman abilities. Read more
Starring: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Adria Arjona, Tyrese Gibson
Jungle Cruise
Release date: 24th July 2020
A brother-and-sister duo set out in search of a tree with miraculous restorative powers. They are aided in their trek through the dangerous by a riverboat captain, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Read more
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall
Release date: 18th September 2020
Ralph Fiennes leads this prequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman franchise. The synopsis teases a collection of history's most formidable criminals and tyrants plotting an annihilation, as one man has to race against time to stop them. Somehow that ambitious plot will also lay out the origin of the very first independent intelligence agency... Read more
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance
Venom 2 –
Release date: 2nd October 2020
Tom Hardy reprises his role of anti-hero Eddie Brock, gifted super-powers by an alien symbiote, in this sequel to the surprisingly popular Venom. Andy Serkis has signed up to direct the Spider-Man spin-off, which may well hit cinemas on October 2nd 2020, a slot that Sony currently has earmarked for an "untitled Sony/Marvel sequel". Read more
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson
The Witches
Release date: 16th October 2020
Roald Dahl's wicked tale is brought to life once again with Anne Hathaway playing the Grand High Witch. This film has some stellar behind-the-scenes talent with Oscar winners Robert Zemeckis directing and Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron executive producing. Read more
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Chris Rock, Stanley Tucci, Angus Wright
Halloween Kills
Release date: 16th October 2020
Jamie Lee Curtis returns for the 12th instalment of the Halloween horror franchise, after the success of Halloween (2018). Another sequel is due out a year later, too... Read more
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Anthony Michael Hall, Kyle Richards, Robert Longstreet
The Eternals
Release date: 6th November 2020
The Eternals is Marvel’s cosmic new franchise based around a society of superhuman aliens, it’s one of Marvel’s lesser-known properties (which might be why they’re stuffing it with so much star power) but if Guardians of the Galaxy could turn a talking raccoon and a tree into beloved action stars, we’re sure this will still strike a chord with audiences. Read more
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry
No Time to Die (James Bond 25)
Release date: 12th November 2020
Daniel Craig's last outing as 007 has changed directors, with Danny Boyle exiting the project last year. But with Maniac's Cary Fukunaga taking the reins, we're still expecting big things, especially with Phoebe Waller-Bridge now on the writing team... Read more
Starring: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Naomie Harris, Lashana Lynch
West Side Story
Release date: 18th December 2020
Steven Spielberg is remaking this iconic movie musical with Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler recreating the iconic love story as Tony and Maria. Read more
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Rita Moreno, Corey Stoll
Fast & Furious 9
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz0siASpMiO/
Release date: April 2021 (pushed back from 22nd May 2020 due to Coronavirus)
Dwayne Johnson sits this one out (thanks to Hobbs & Shaw) but the main cast (Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez...) reassemble for a ninth outing of this money-spinning franchise, adding John Cena alongside returnees Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michael Rooker
Uncharted
Release date: December 2020
This video game adaptation starring Tom Holland as a young Nathan Drake recently lost its director Dan Trachtenberg, but the film is still expected to begin shooting in early 2020 for release in December.
Starring: Tom Holland
New Spice Girls animated movie
Release date: TBC
All five Spice Girls (yes, even Victoria Beckham) are working on this new animated superhero movie from Paramount. A writer is attached but details are still scarce at this point, although we know the group are "very involved". Read more
Starring: Victoria Beckham, Geri Horner, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm
Antlers
Release date: TBC
Supernatural horror produced by Guillermo del Toro, about a small-town teacher and her brother, the local sheriff, who meet a student hiding a dangerous secret.
Starring: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons
Movies released in 2021...
Cruella – release date 1st January 2021
This latest incarnation of the Disney villain will give her more of a backstory, set in the early 1980s with a "punk vibe". It should also offer an insight into how Cruella – played by Emma Stone – became so hellbent on her infamous 101 Dalmatian coat... Read more
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - release date 12th February 2021
The story of Marvel’s Chinese-American martial arts hero Shang-Chi from director Destin Daniel Cretton. Canadian actor Simu Liu has been cast in the lead role, and will become Marvel’s first Asian lead. Read more
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - release date 7th May 2021
Director Scott Derrickson has been confirmed as returning to the magical superhero franchise, with Benedict Cumberbatch also set to make a comeback as the titular Sorcerer Supreme. Read more
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Elizabeth Olsen
John Wick 4 – release date 21st May 2021
After the critical and commercial success of John Wick 3, a fourth chapter was swiftly confirmed with Keanu Reeves reprising his title role. Read more
Starring: Keanu Reeves
The Batman – release date 25th June 2021
Ben Affleck has hung up his bat-cape and Robert Pattinson is set to be his successor in the title role for this much-delayed solo outing which was first mooted back in July 2015. Read more
Starring: Robert Pattinson
Space Jam 2 – release date 16th July 2021
LeBron James will take on Michael Jordan's role in this sequel to the 1990s classic. Read more
Starring: LeBron James, Eric Bauza, Sonequa Martin-Green
The Suicide Squad – release date 6th August 2021
The follow up to 2016's Suicide Squad will be written and directed by James Gunn – the man behind the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney are expected to return, with Warner Bros. hoping for a better response to this second attempt at a supervillain team-up. Read more
Starring: Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Idris Elba, Nathan Fillion
Thor: Love and Thunder – release date 5th November 2021
Thor Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will be back for another Thor sequel, with Chris Hemsworth set to return as the God of Thunder. But the big news is that Natalie Portman will reprise her role as Jane Foster, taking on Thor's mantle as God of Thunder when he becomes "unworthy" to wield his hammer. Tessa Thompson has also been confirmed to return to the franchise. Read more
Starring: Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson
Avatar 2 – release date 17th December 2021
James Cameron takes us to an underwater 3D world, 12 years after the release of his box office-obliterating hit. Read more
Starring: Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Michelle Yeo
Black Panther 2 – release date 6th May 2022
The sequel to 2017's Marvel mega-hit will see Chadwick Boseman reprise his role as the eponymous superhero, although it's unlikely we'll see Michael Jordan back in his award-winning role as Killmonger. No word yet on what adventures we might see T'Challa embark upon in this hotly anticipated follow up. Read more
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 –release date TBC
James Gunn is also back in the director's chair for the third instalment of the Guardians series, following his firing in July 2018. Could this be the end of Rocket? Say it ain't so... Read more
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana
The Little Mermaid – release date TBC
Disney's latest live-action classic sees relative newcomer Halle Bailey take on the lead role of Ariel in this beloved tale set "under the sea". Read more
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Melissa McCarthy
Blade – release date TBC
Little is known about Marvel's Blade remake at this stage, except for the fact that Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali will star as the half-human, half-vampire warrior. Read more.
Starring: Mahershala Ali
Deadpool 3 – release date TBC
Yet to be officially green-lit, this follow-up to 2018's Deadpool 2 seems all but confirmed – only slowed down by Disney's Fox buyout which brings the Merc with a Mouth into the MCU. Read more
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
Captain Marvel 2 – release date TBC
Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed a sequel to Brie Larson's superhero hit at 2019's San Diego Comic-Con, although with development in the early stages, we don't have any cast news or plot information just yet.
