James R | On 01, Apr 2022

With England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all navigating their way back to normality during the coronavirus pandemic, 2021 has seen cinemas fling open their doors once more, but studios are also turning to digital platforms as a way of reaching wider audiences in the living rooms sooner – including a new Premium VOD window that sees titles available to rent for approximately £15 a few weeks after their cinema debut.

For audiences at home, here’s our guide to the major movies and Premium VOD releases available to buy and rent from your sofa in the weeks ahead – plus exclusive premieres on subscription streaming services, whether it’s an arthouse release from MUBI or Amazon Prime Video’s acquisition of The Green Knight.

Need a quick recommendation for tonight? See our 5 films to watch this weekend.

For a full guide to VOD releases in the UK for this month, including TV shows, across all major VOD platforms (subscription and transactions), head to our Coming Soon channel.

 

Licorice Pizza – 1st April

Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman are magnetic in Paul Thomas Anderson’s enjoyably freewheeling coming-of-age comedy.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

The Bubble – 1st April

Judd Apatow’s satirical Netflix comedy sees a group of actors bubble in a hotel to make a film during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Europa – 4th April

Based on real-life accounts, this powerful survival drama places the audience inside the experience of an Iraqi refugee.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Hope – 4th April

Maria Sødahl draws on her own experiences for this drama about two artists whose life and work are indivisible.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

You Are Not My Mother – 8th April

This low-key Irish folk horror is an atmospheric, chilling tale.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Bull – 8th April

Neil Maskell is on fire in Paul Andrew Williams’ intense, brutal revenge drama.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

The In Between – 8th April

Joey King stars in this Netflix weepie about a brokenhearted teen who,
after losing the love of her life in a tragic accident, begins to believe that he’s sending her signs from beyond the grave.

Available on: Netflix UK

Metal Lords – 8th April

Two kids start a metal band in a high school where exactly two kids care about metal. They can’t find a bassist, but there is this one girl who plays the cello. They need to work together if they’re ever going to win the Battle of the Bands.

Available on: Netflix UK

All the Old Knives – 8th April

Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton’s sparky chemistry brings layers to this
low-key spy thriller.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Escape from Mogadishu – 11th April

This fast-paced political thriller erupts into a jaw-dropping car chase finale.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Compartment No 6 – 11th April

Juho Kuosmanen tale of strangers on a train is a bittersweet, brilliantly performed study of human connection.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Lingui, the Sacred Bonds – 11th April

Suppressed women in Chad share shelter and support in this intense, well-acted study of strength and sisterhood.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Scream (2022) – 11th April

This scary, entertaining sequel is a knowing win for franchise fans.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

The 355 – 18th April

Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz and Fan Bingbing team up for this action thriller designed as an antidote to The Expendables.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

The Cellar – 15th April

Filmed on location in Roscommon, Ireland, The Cellar tells the story of Keira Woods (Elisha Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family’s souls forever.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Choose or Die – 15th April

After firing up a lost 80s survival horror game, a young coder unleashes a hidden curse that tears reality apart, forcing her to make terrifying decisions and face deadly consequences. Starring Iola Evans, Asa Butterfield and Eddie Marsan, this gets a striaght-to-Netflix debut.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

The Nan Movie – 18th April

Catherine Tate’s big screen outing for her TV character gets a premium VOD release after its theatrical run.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Amulet – 18th April

Romola Garai makes her feature directorial debut with this horror about an ex-soldier who is offered a place to stay at a decaying house inhabited by a young woman and her dying mother. As he starts to fall for her, he cannot ignore his suspicion that something sinister is going on.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Navalny – 18th April

Daniel Roher’s knife-edge documentary captures Putin’s popular opponent as he recovers from an assassination attempt and considers returning home.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

Hive – 18th April

Based on a true story, Blerta Basholli’s affecting drama details one woman’s attempts to forge a new life for her family in post-war Kosovo.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

The Great Movement – 18th April

Kiro Russel’s panoramic drama portrays life in the Bolivian capital through the eyes of three young arrivals hoping to find work.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

The Sacred Spirit – 18th April

José Manuel and the other members of the ufology association Ovni-Levante meet weekly to exchange information about extraterrestrial messages and abductions. Julio, their leader, dies unexpectedly, leaving José Manuel as the only person who knows about the cosmic secret that could alter the human future. Meanwhile in Spain a search is going on for a little girl who disappeared some weeks before.

Available on: Arrow UK

The Batman – 19th April

Robert Pattinson is a brilliantly dark Batman in Matt Reeves’ gripping neo-noir thriller, which gets a Premium VOD release after its cinema run.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

The Souvenir: Part II – 20th April

Joanna Hogg’s meta follow-up to her superb The Souvenir continues to follow film student Julie in the aftermath of her relationship with a manipulative older man. In making her graduation film, she begins to untangle her fraught love for him, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction, while also pushing against the constraints of the London independent film scene. The film makes its debut on MUBI, before getting a full digital releae on 25th April.

Available on: MUBI UK

Virus 32 – 21st April

A virus breaks out and a chilling massacre rages through the streets. The sick become hunters, and only calm their fever by unscrupulously killing all those not yet infected. Unaware of this, Iris (Paula Silva) and her daughter spend the day in the sports club where Iris works as a security guard. When night falls, their fight for survival begins. Their only hope of salvation arrives when they discover that after each attack, the infected seem to stop for 32 seconds of calm before attacking again. Also stars Daniel Hendler and Sofía González. Written by Juma Fodde and Gustavo Hernández and directed by Gustavo Hernández.

Available on: Shudder UK

Ennio – 22nd April

This comprehensive, definitive portrait of the Italian maestro is an engrossing, inspiring watch for all film music lovers. Also available in cinemas.

Our review – plus where you can watch it

Uncharted – 26th April

Tom Holland is Nathan Drake in this blockbuster based on the video games about a thief recruited by treasure hunter Sully (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune lost by Ferdinand Magellan 500 years ago. The film is available to buy online before its disc and rental release on 9th May.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Prayers for the Stolen – 29th April

Three young girls live in a rural village in Guerrero dominated by the violent presence of the local drug trade and the threat of human trafficking. Trained by their mothers to flee at any moment and forced into extreme measures to evade capture, they must learn to navigate their harsh surroundings.

Available on: MUBI UK

Jackass Forever – 2nd May

Older and greyer but not wiser, Johnny Knoxville and the gang are back for another round of stunts and bad ideas.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

The Audition – 2nd May

Alexander (Ilja Monti), a serious, young teenager auditions at a prestigious Berlin music school. The vote is split, but Anna Bronsky (Nina Hoss) stands up for him insisting she can train him. Her obsessive quest begins to make the boy’s vocation distinct and draw out of him the unique sound she believes he possessed in his audition. However, Alexander does not respond well to her increasingly strict and regimented approach.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

The Novice – 2nd May

A queer college freshman joins her university’s rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

Great Freedom – 6th May

In post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans is imprisoned again and again under Paragraph 175, a law criminalizing homosexuality. Over the course of decades, he develops an unlikely yet tender bond with his cellmate Viktor, a convicted murderer.

Available on: MUBI UK

The Contractor – 6th May

Chris Pine stars in this thriller as Special Forces Sergeant James Harper, who is involuntarily discharged from the Army and cut-off from his pension. Harper contracts with a private underground military force. When the very first assignment goes awry, he finds himself caught in a dangerous conspiracy and on the run for his life. Also starring Kiefer Sutherland, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs and Eddie Marsan.

Available on: Amazon Prime

Wild Men – 6th May

In a desperate attempt to cure his midlife crisis, Martin has fled his family to live high up in the Norwegian mountains. Hunting and gathering like his ancestors did thousands of years ago. Available in cinemas and on-demand.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Wake Up Punk – 9th May

The process behind destroying the memorabilia and the condemnation Corré received for setting irreplaceable objects from music history alight; activism is the new punk, and that punk has been appropriated by the establishment.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

The Quiet Girl – 13th May

Rural Ireland, 1981. A quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one. In cinemas and on-demand on the same day.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

The Worst Person in the World – 13th May

On the verge of turning thirty, Julie is faced with a series of choices that force her to pursue new perspectives on her life in contemporary Oslo. Over the course of four years, she navigates love affairs and existential uncertainty as she starts deciding who she wants to become.

Available on: MUBI UK

Cop Secret – 16th May

Two maverick Icelandic policemen pair up – in more ways than one – to catch a ruthless crime lord in this fast and furiously funny action spoof.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

The Northman – 16th May

Robert Eggers directs this action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk and Willem Dafoe. Available as a Premium VOD rental following its theatrical run.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Marry Me – 16th May

Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star in this romantic tale of two music superstars who are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she decides to marry Charlie, a stranger in the crowd, instead. A full disc and digital release after its Premium VOD rental window.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Paris, 13th District – 16th May

Jacques Audiard adapts Adrian Tomine’s short stories for this achingly sexy collection of inter-connected romantic dramas.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Morbius – 17th May

Jared Leto stars in this Sony/Marvel thriller about antihero Michael Morbius, who is ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate – only to unleash a darkness inside him. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Ali & Ava – 18th May

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Ennio – 22nd May

This comprehensive, definitive portrait of the Italian maestro is an engrossing, inspiring watch for all film music lovers. Available to rent after its digital release in April.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Between Two Worlds – 27th May

Juliette Binoche stars as an undercover journalist living among gig workers in acclaimed writer Emmanuel Carrère’s drama.

Available on: Curzon Home Cinema

The Innocents – 20th May

Written and directed by Eskil Vogt, writer of The Worst Person in the World, this psychological horror tells the story of four children living in the same housing estate, who, when left to their own devices, reveal their dark and mysterious powers. Arrives in cinemas and digital on the same day.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Cyrano – 30th May

Peter Dinklage stars in this updated take on the classic romantic tale, about Cyrano de Bergerac, a man who dazzles everyone with his ferocious wordplay and brilliant swordplay, but is convinced his appearance renders him unworthy of the affections of the luminous Roxanne, a devoted friend who’s in love with someone else.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

Belle – 30th May

An original story inspired by the realisation that his own children will grow up in an increasingly online age, the latest from Mamoru Hosoda tells the story of Suzu, a country girl who becomes a music sensation in the virtual world of “U” with the mesmerising avatar Belle. When her fame attracts the attention of a fearsome yet mysterious user known only as “Dragon”, Suzu will discover where the line between the online and offline self really lies.

Available on: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (buy/rent) / Rakuten TV / Sky Store / CHILI

 

For films coming to Netflix UK, see our guide to what’s coming soon here. For films coming soon to Amazon Prime, click here, and for films coming soon to Sky Cinema, click here.

Add to Watchlist