Best films released in the UK this month: November 2023
Highlights this month include The Marvels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Maestro.
After an October that brought us a range of new horror flicks such as Five Nights at Freddy's and awards contenders like Killers of the Flower Moon, November has another varied slate of new film releases.
If you're after blockbusters, there's the latest MCU release in the shape of The Marvels, while fans of The Hunger Games will be delighted that the hotly-anticipated prequel The Ballads of Songbirds & Snakes finally arrives eight years after the last entry in the franchise.
Meanwhile, it's also a good month for slightly off-the-wall comedy, with Emma Seligman's raucous Bottoms, Nicolas Cage flick Dream Scenario and Todd Haynes's latest May December all arriving in UK cinemas throughout November.
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There's also Disney's new animated feature Wish, which marks the studio's centenary, Ridley Scott's historical epic Napoleon and the limited big-screen release of Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein Netflix biopic Maestro.
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.
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The Royal Hotel
Release date: Friday 3rd November in cinemas
This excellent thriller is the second feature from The Assistant director Kitty Green and stars Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick as two young backpackers who start working at a very remote pub in the Australian outback after they run out of cash on their trip.
Almost instantly upon their arrival, they find themselves victim to harassment from the male patrons of the pub, with the situation slowly spiralling out of control as the behaviour worsens.
Bottoms
Release date: Friday 3rd November in cinemas
Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri lead the cast of Emma Seligman's raucous high school comedy, which has already been a huge hit across the Atlantic.
They star as best friends PJ and Josie, whose attempts to start a school fight club soon find them getting in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defence.
The Marvels
Release date: Friday 10th November in cinemas
The latest MCU entry sees Brie Larson's Carol Danvers team up with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) – who appeared prominently in Disney Plus TV shows WandaVision and Ms Marvel respectively.
The film follows them after their powers become entangled while Monica was investigating a wormhole linked to the Kree, with the trio desperately trying to work out why they keep swapping places against their will.
Dream Scenario
Release date: Friday 10th November in cinemas
This well-reviewed comedy sees Nicolas Cage playing an ordinary man named Paul Matthews who suddenly and inexplicably begins appearing in the dreams of millions of strangers all around the world.
This phenomenon naturally catapults him to celebrity status, something which he finds increasingly hard to navigate as his night time appearances begin to turn nightmarish.
Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Release date: Friday 17th November in cinemas
This hotly-anticipated prequel comes eight years after the last film in the franchise, and is set 64 years before the events of the first Hunger Games film, with Rachel Zegler starring as lead character Lucy Gray Baird.
Based on Suzanne Collins's 2020 novel, it follows Lucy's journey after 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is assigned as her mentor when she is selected as the female tribute from impoverished District 12.
Saltburn
Release date: Friday 17th November in cinemas
Emerald Fennell's second feature stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford University outcast who is invited to spend the summer with Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) – the popular aristocratic classmate he admires.
While at the titular estate, he meets Felix's incredibly upper-crust family members – including Rosamund Pike on terrific form as matriarch Elsbeth – before things take a number of left-field turns as Oliver asserts himself in this new environment.
May December
Release date: Friday 17th November in cinemas
Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman lead this black comedy from Todd Haynes – about a famous couple whose 20-year relationship goes sour when an actress (Portman) starts looking into their scandalous past while researching a role.
As secrets begin to come out, the marriage between Elizabeth (Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) – who is 23 years her junior – buckles under the pressure, with Joe processing what had happened to him in his youth for the first time.
Napoleon
Release date: Wednesday 22nd November in cinemas
Ridley Scott returns to the historical epic genre with this film about the titular commander's origins and rise to power – seen through the lens of his volatile marriage to Empress Josephine.
Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby play the lead roles, while Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles and Rupert Everett are also included in the large ensemble cast.
Wish
Release date: Friday 24th November in cinemas
Disney marks its centenary with this new fairytale, which combines both hand-drawn animation and CGI and boasts a voice cast including Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine and Alan Tudyk.
It follows a 17-year-old girl named Asha who senses a darkness that no one else does about her kingdom's ruler King Magnifico – leading her to make a passionate plea to the stars.
Maestro
Release date: Friday 24th November in cinemas, 20th December on Netflix
Bradley Cooper directs and stars as Leonard Bernstein in this biographical film, which mainly focuses on the legendary composer and conductor's marriage to Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
Unfolding over many years and featuring scenes in both black and white and colour, it features many key moments from Bernstein's facinating life.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on tonight.
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