Manchester By The Sea
Why it’s going to be great: Early reviews have already been tipping the film and its cast for Oscars victory. Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is made legal guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) after his brother Joe dies suddenly. He begrudgingly returns to his hometown to look after Patrick and deal with Joe’s separated wife Randi (Michelle Williams).
Release date: January 13
Jackie
Why it’s going to be great: First Lady Jackie Onassis Kennedy was well-known for her elegance, so casting Natalie Portman to play her seems more than fitting. Jackie follows her through the days immediately after her husband’s assassination as she tries to cope with the events, look after their children and maintain JFK’s legacy.
Release date: January 20
La La Land
Why it’s going to be great: It’s been tipped as one of the hot contenders for next year’s Oscars, due to Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s winning performances as a jazz musician and actress trying to stay together as each finds success in their careers.
Release date: January 13
T2: Trainspotting
Why it’s going to be great: It’s one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year. Thank God, then, it arrives in January so all our answers about what Sick Boy, Begbie and co have been doing for the last 20 years.
Release date: January 27
Rules Don’t Apply
Why it’s going to be great? Lily Collins is aspiring actress Marla Mabrey, whose live is changed when billionaire eccentric Howard Hughes pays for her to live in LA and attend acting and ballet classes. There, she is assigned a driver in Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), who she falls in love with, despite Hughes’ rule against his charges beginning relationships. From the trailer, it looks beautifully shot and a winning tale of forbidden love.
Release date:January 27
Fences
Why it’s going to be great: Denzel Washington plays a former baseball player turned binman struggling to provide for his family. The trailer suggests lots of drama between him and his son and wife (Viola Davis), so you might want to keep tissues at hand just in case.
Release date: February 3
The Founder
Why it’s going to be great: It’s based on the true story of Ray Kroc who made McDonald’s a global phenomenon, so it’ll give you something to think about next time you’re grabbing that 2am Big Mac. Plus, it stars Nick Offerman (aka Parks And Recreation‘s Ron Swanson) as one of the chain’s original founders, the McDonald brothers.
Release date: February 10
Hidden Figures
Why it’s going to be great: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monaé portray the African-American women who worked as mathematicians at NASA and helped the US to put a man in space. Their story has never been told on the big screen before and from first looks it should be an inspiring and empowering watch.
Release date: February 24
Personal Shopper
Why it’s going to be great: Maureen (Kristen Stewart) is a young American who’s returned to Paris to work as a personal shopper and PA. She’s also trying to contact her dead twin brother, who died in a handily spooky old house they grew up, which is the part of the film that makes it quite unnerving according to its many five-star reviews.
Release date: March 3
Beauty & The Beast
Why it’s going to be great: Emma Watson plays Belle in this new version of the Disney classic and she’s had some input in updating it for the 21st century world. In it, Belle is given more of a backstory than just being an outsider – this time it’s her, not her father, who is an inventor.
Release date: March 17
A Cure For Wellness
Why it’s going to be great: The trailer for this psychological thriller about a young executive sent to get his company’s CEO from a wellness centre in the Swiss Alps is creepy as fuck, not least because of the excellent use of an eerie version of The Ramones’ ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ soundtracking it. Expect this to be the first truly unsettling film of 2017.
Release date: March 24
Guardians Of The Galaxy 2
Why it’s going to be great: The gang returns two months after the original movie, struggling to stay together as half-human, half-alien leader Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) discovers who his parents really were. Marvel have promised plenty of fan-favourite characters from the comic books will pop up, too.
Release date: April 28
Wonder Woman
Why it’s going to be great: As superhero movies continue to reign the box office, DC have finally made the first proper blockbuster centred around their iconic female. Gal Godot plays her this time as she helps an American pilot try and end a world war.
Release date: June 2
Dunkirk
Why it’s going to be great: It’s Harry Styles’ first part in a major movie, which is intriguing if nothing else. Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh will also appear as they retell the story of Allied soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk after being cut off from the French mainland by the German army in 1940.
Release date: July 21
Valerian
Why it’s going to be great: Rihanna plays an alien dancer so we’re sold already. If you need more to entice you, it’s based on the classic graphic novel Valerian And Laureline and stars Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan and Ethan Hawke.
Release date: July 21
Justice League
Why it’s going to be great: The superheroes of the world band together to try and save the world. Expect to see Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash all battling together for the greater good.
Release date: November 17
Star Wars Episode VIII
Why it’s going to be great: Rey continues the journey she embarked on in The Force Awakens with the help of Finn, Poe and Luke Skywalker. It’s directed by Rian Johnson, who’s worked on Breaking Bad in the past, so should continue J.J. Abrams’ top work on its predecessor.
Release date: December 15
