Minions: The Rise of Gru

Directed by: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan del Val

Cast: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Lawless, Taraji P Henson, Danny Trejo, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren

Minions: The Rise of Gru UK release date: 16 July 2021

The Minions are back in the second Despicable Me prequel charting the pill-shaped followers of evil as they latch onto Felonious Gru and do all they can to help (and inadvertently hinder) the 12-year-old megalomaniac in training.

It’s the 1970s and when Gru’s favourite supervillain group the Vicious 6 fire their leader, he applies to join. But his job interview is a disaster so Gru and Minions make an audacious move that pits the Vicious 6 against them all.

Featuring an all-star cast (including Jean-Claude Van Damme as lobster-pincered Vicious 6 member Jean Clawed!) this is going to be bananas!

Jungle Cruise

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall

Jungle Cruise UK release date: 30 July 2021

Disney has impressive form when it comes to turning its beloved theme park rides into gloriously entertaining films – Pirates of the Caribbean, anyone? – so we couldn’t be more excited to see Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson heading up this thrilling adventure tale.

It’s the early 20th century and Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) hires cynical riverboat captain Frank (Johnson) to navigate the jungle rivers to locate a legendary, healing Tree of Life.

Little do they realise the perils they will face, from the jungle itself and from a competing team of villainous explorers.

The Boss Baby: Family Business

Directed by: Tom McGrath

Cast: James Marsden, Alec Baldwin, Amy Sedaris, Jeff Goldblum, Eva Longoria, Lisa Kudrow

The Boss Baby: Family Business UK release date: 22 October 2021

The Boss Baby siblings Tim (James Marsden) and Ted (Alec Baldwin) are all grown up but have sadly grown apart. Ted’s all about the money while Tim is a committed family man with two daughters – a seven-year-old called Tabitha and a new baby called Tina.

When Tina shocks the bickering brothers by announcing she’s a talking BabyCorp boss baby, too, the pair are in for an incredible adventure. Before you can say ‘googoogaga’ Tim and Ted will become babies again for 48 hours in order to investigate strange goings-on at Tabitha’s school, run by the mysterious Dr Erwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum).

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Directed by: Jason Reitman

Cast: Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Coon, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts

Ghostbusters: Afterlife UK release date: 12 November 2021

Decades after the great Manhattan Crossrip of 1984 (AKA the original Ghostbusters) a hard-up young family retreat to an old family homestead in rural Oklahoma.

But when something strange starts happening in their neighbourhood, siblings Phoebe (Grace McKenna) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) discover there was a whole lot more to their Grandad than they ever realised, and that the forgotten Ghostbusters are about to be called on to save the world one more time.

With many of the original ‘busters cast returning to support a new generation, this is going to be bigger and sweeter than the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.