10 of the big films still coming to cinemas in 2020

Even though cinemas opened in July, box offices were reporting that ticket sales were only at around 10% of 2019 levels. That all changed a couple of weeks ago with the release of Christopher Nolan’s time-travel spy thriller Tenet.

The big-budget blockbuster has successfully dragged movie fans back to cinemas, leading major distributors to announce that they would press on with releasing a slate of great new films over the remainder of 2020.

From Bond to Pixar via Agatha Christie and Steven Spielberg, there are loads of great films to look forward to over the next three months or so. Here are ten of the best.

Six Minutes to Midnight

Bringing together two of the UK’s Oscar-winning national treasures, this World War Two drama stars Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent and its co-writer, Eddie Izzard.

Set in 1939, the story follows schoolteacher Thomas Miller (Izzard), who is sent to a private college on the south coast of England only to find out that daughters of the Nazi High Command are among his students.

Wonder Woman 1984

After the critical and box office success of Gal Gadot’s first outing as Wonder Woman, it’s no surprise that she returns as Diana Prince in this DC follow-up.

As the title suggests, the film is set in the 1980s and sees the title character come into conflict with media businessman Maxwell Lord and friend-turned-enemy Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, played by Kristen Wiig.

Chris Pine returns as love interest Steve Trevor, while original director Patty Jenkins also remains in the chair for this sequel.

Death on the Nile

After the success of 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, Kenneth Branagh once again dons the enormous moustache and reprises the role of Hercule Poirot in the celebrated Agatha Christie mystery.

With a diverse cast that includes Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Annette Bening, Gal Gadot and Russell Brand, Branagh will hope to repeat the success of his previous Christie adaptation.

Delayed from a Christmas 2019 release, you can expect to be able to see Death on the Nile this October.

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved children’s book has been adapted for film and TV multiple times, and this latest big screen version features a heavyweight cast including Colin Firth and Julie Walters.

Set in England in 1947, the story follows a young orphan who is sent to live with her uncle, only to discover a magical garden at his estate.

Expect plenty of magic from the producers of the Paddington and Harry Potter films.

Black Widow

One of the early scheduling casualties of the coronavirus pandemic, Black Widow is the latest piece in the giant Marvel Cinematic Universe jigsaw.

Scarlett Johansson first appeared as Natasha Romanoff in 2010 and it’s taken a decade for the character to get her own stand-alone film. Black Widow is expected to be set after the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War but before Thanos’ downfall in the most recent two Avengers films.

No Time To Die

It has taken four years, a change in writer and director, and an about-turn from leading man Daniel Craig, but Bond 25 finally hits UK cinemas in November.

Five years after the capture of Blofeld, James Bond has left active service when he is approached by his friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter and asked to help in the search for Valdo Obruchev, a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that Obruchev was abducted, Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before.

It’s Craig’s fifth and final appearance as the iconic spy, and Bond regulars Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear and Ben Whishaw all return. Lea Seydoux reprises her Spectre role as Madeleine Swann.

Free Guy

After the success of Deadpool and The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Ryan Reynolds is one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.

In his new film, Reynolds plays Guy, a non-player character in the video game Free City. Thanks to code developed by programmers (including Killing Eve star Jodie Comer), Guy becomes aware of his world being a video game and takes steps to make himself the hero, creating a race against time to save the game before the developers can shut it down.

Soul

It’s always a pleasure when a brand-new Pixar film comes along, and hot on the heels of their box-office smash Onward comes their new animation, Soul.

The story follows middle school music teacher Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who has long dreamed of performing jazz music onstage. However, an untimely accident causes Gardner’s soul to be separated from his body, thus beginning a race against time to return to Earth before his body dies and a rival steals his act.

Dune

Based on Frank Herbert’s epic science-fiction novel, acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) attempts to bring this ‘unfilmable’ work to the big screen.

Young star Timothée Chalamet stars as the lead character Paul Atreides, the young nobleman who must travel to the planet Dune, home to the most valuable commodity known to man, to lead the fight against his family’s enemies.

West Side Story

The original 1961 version of the Bernstein/Sondheim musical won ten Academy Awards, and so even a director as acclaimed as Steven Spielberg might find it hard to replicate that success in 2020.

Based on Romeo and Juliet, the classic Broadway smash follows teenagers Tony and Maria who fall in love in 1950s New York City despite having affiliations with rival street gangs. Featuring classic songs including Somewhere, Tonight and I Feel Pretty, this musical is set to take box offices by storm over the festive period.