Blockbuster movies are in short supply in March, primarily because most of them have done a runner to keep out of the way of The Batman. Still, there are a few mainstream attractions heading to UK cinemas over the coming weeks…
The Batman
4th March
May as well start the month with potentially the biggest blockbuster since last December’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (a film that’s enjoyed its run against limited competition). Warner Bros is betting big on the first standalone Batman feature since 2012. Robert Pattinson is now wearing the cape and cowl, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes helmer Matt Reeves is directing, and the running time is minutes shy of three hours. You can’t say they’re not going for it. If this does well, expect lots of sequels.
The Nan Movie
18th March
A film that’s sat on the shelf for nearly two years, caught in the midst of the Covid release date shuffles and only now finding room on the schedules. Catherine Tate stars and co-writes, bringing her foul-mouthed granny to the screen. Brett Goldstein co-writes, and Josie Rourke (who helmed Mary Queen Of Scots) is directing. Matthew Horne and Katherine Parkinson co-star.
The Phantom Of The Open
18th March
It’s not a big movie in the blockbuster sense, but Craig Robert’s Ealing-esque British comedy The Phantom Of The Open deserves to be a huge mainstream success. It follows the true life story of Maurice Flitcroft, a man who – in the 1970s – managed to blag his way into the British open golf championship, in spite of not being able to hit the ball properly. This one debuted at last year’s London Film Festival, and has bounced around the schedules since. It’s as heartwarming and joyous a new film as you’ll see all month.
Ambulance
25th March
For the first time since 2019’s 6 Underground – his expensive, explosion-ridden and pretty much unfollowable Netflix movie – Michael Bay is back behind the camera. With a cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, this time he’s remade a Danish bank heist thriller, and thus far the movie is most famous for an Instagram post in February 2021 of a stunt that looked very much on the dangerous side. However the film turns out, nobody’s expecting it to be shy and subtle.
Morbius
31st March
A film that’s gone through several delays due to the pandemic, and the rise of Omicron at the back end of last year led to it vacating its expected January release slot. Still, this is Sony’s first Spider-Man-released movie since last winter’s Spider-Man: No Way Home turned up and took everybody’s money away. It’s skewed towards a slightly older audience, with Jared Leto leaving behind his House Of Gucci accent to play the title role here, the living vampire of the Spider-verse. Matt Smith co-stars.
- Want to write for us? We’re looking for the best British arts and the people that make it, from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Have a look at our pitching guidelines.
