Best films released in the UK this month: January 2026
Highlights include Hamnet, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Is This Thing On?
January is often an interesting time for new film releases – with a combination of both major awards hopefuls that were released across the Atlantic at the end of the previous year, and some more low-brow genre fare.
That's very much the case again this year. There are no shortage of options when it comes to the former category – with the likes of Hannet, No Other Choice and Is This Thing On? arriving throughout the month – while those looking for a nice dose of escapism might enjoy Chris Pratt tech-thriller Mercy and Jason Statham actioner Shelter.
Meanwhile, other notable releases include a pair of sports dramas that focus on the relationships between two sporting icons and their coaches. Giant explores the dynamic between legendary boxer Prince Naseem Hamed (Amir El-Masry) and coach Brendan Ingle (Pierce Brosnan), while Saipan dramatises the bitter fallout between footballing great Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and his international manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan).
But perhaps the most exciting new release of the month is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – which will tantalisingly pick up where the previous film left off just a few months ago. We can't wait to see how it develops.
To help you pick out the highlights, we've put together a selection of some of the best films to watch this month – check out the video above or read on for our choices.
Best films released in the UK this month: January 2026
Hamnet
Release date: Friday 9th January in cinemas
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal lead the cast of this adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel, which explores how a personal tragedy and the resulting grief propelled William Shakespeare to write his iconic masterpiece Hamlet.
The film has won rave reviews for its emotional resonance and is expected to be a major player throughout the ongoing awards season, with Buckley in particular a frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Actress.
Giant
Release date: Friday 9th January in cinemas
This sports drama about the career of pioneering but often controversial boxer Prince Naseem stars Amir El-Masry in the lead role, while Pierce Brosnan plays his long-time coach Brendan Ingle.
The film charts Naseem's journey from child prodigy to world champion through the lens of his relationship with Brendan, showing many of the obstacles he had to overcome while also exploring the reasons he became such a divisive figure.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Release date: Wednesday 14th January in cinemas
Just a few months after the previous film, we're back in the post-apocalyptic world of 28 Years Later with this sequel from Nia DaCosta – who takes over directorial duties from Danny Boyle, with Alex Garland once again writing the script.
The sequel will pick up from the dramatic finale of the previous film – which saw Jack O'Connell introduced as chilling Jimmy Savile-styled cult leader Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal – and it is also set to briefly reintroduce Cillian Murphy's character from the very first film ahead of the now confirmed third instalment in this trilogy.
Rental Family
Release date: Friday 16th January in cinemas
Brendan Fraser has won a great deal of acclaim for his turn in this drama about an actor who finds an unusual gig in Japan – where he is tasked with playing stand-in roles for strangers and rediscovers the "quiet beauty of human connection" in the process.
The film is the second feature by Japanese actress-turned-director Hikari, who has also previously helmed episodes of TV shows Beef and Tokyo Vice.
No Other Choice
Release date: Friday 23rd January in cinemas
The latest film from master South Korean director Park Chan-wook is a razor-sharp satire about the state of 21st century capitalism, starring Squid Games' Lee Byung-hun.
It follows his character after he is abruptly made redundant from the company where he has worked for 25 years, which prompts him to devise a very extreme plan to ensure he can find employment.
Saipan
Release date: Friday 23rd January in cinemas
This sports film is a dramatisation of the infamous falling out between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy at a training camp on the titular island on the eve of the 2002 World Cup – a row which had massive repercussions for Irish football.
Steve Coogan plays manager McCarthy, while The Sixth Commandment star Éanna Hardwicke takes on the role of Manchester United legend Keane, whose disciplined drive is at odds with what he considers to be the sub-par standards of his boss.
The History of Sound
Release date: Friday 23rd January in cinemas
Paul Mescal stars alongside Josh O'Connor in this period romance about the loving relationship between two men in the aftermath of World War I, as they travel around Maine and record folk songs sung by their countrymen.
The film – which premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival – is directed by Living's Oliver Hermanus, with a script by American Ben Shattuck – who adapted it from a pair of his own short stories.
H Is for Hawk
Release date: Friday 23rd January in cinemas
An adaptation of Helen MacDonald's 2014 memoir of the same name, this drama stars Claire Foy as a woman who tends to a goshawk after the death of her father – and finds herself renewed by the unlikely friendship.
Alongside Foy, the cast includes roles for Brendan Gleeson, Sam Spruell and Denise Gough, while Philippa Lowthorpe directs from a script she co-wrote with Room scribe Emma Donoghue.
Mercy
Release date: Friday 23rd January in cinemas
Rebecca Ferguson stars as an AI judge putting Chris Pratt's accused murderer on trial in this near-future tech thriller from director Timur Bekmambetov.
Pratt's character – an LA detective – is given just 90 minutes to prove that he is not responsible for the murder of his wife (played by Peaky Blinders star Annabelle Wallis), and if he fails he will be executed on the spot.
Is This Thing On?
Release date: Friday 30th January in cinemas
Bradley Cooper's latest directorial feature boasts an unlikely source material: the story of how John Bishop became a comedian. Will Arnett stars as the Bishop surrogate Alex Novak, a middle-aged stand-up who finds new purpose in the New York comedy scene.
The star-studded cast also includes roles for Cooper himself alongside Laura Dern, Andra Day and Amy Seadris.
Nouvelle Vague
Release date: Friday 30th January in cinemas
Richard Linklater's new comedy-drama – his second film in just a few months after last year's Blue Moon – explores the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, one of the most vital films in the French New Wave movement.
Relatively unknown French actor Guillaume Marbeck has the lead role as Godard, while there are also key parts for Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg and Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Shelter
Release date: Friday 30th January in cinemas
Jason Statham leads this action thriller about an exiled former assassin who rescues a young girl from a deadly storm on a remote island and soon finds his life intertwined with hers as his enemies reappear on the scene.
The film also boasts a stellar supporting cast, with roles for Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie and Daniel Mays alongside newcomer Bodhi Rae Breathnach.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
