Best films released in the UK this month: September 2025
Highlights include Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Steve and One Battle After Another.
With summer blockbuster season now behind us, we're moving in to the time of year where the big awards hopefuls start to premiere – and indeed a number of big hitters have recently premiered at the major festivals in Venice, Toronto and Telluride.
We'll have to wait a while before most of those arrive in UK cinemas, but that doesn't mean we don't have plenty to look forward to in September, and there are several major new releases lined up for the next few weeks.
The month has already got under way with a new film from Spike Lee and the latest entry in the mega-successful Conjuring franchise, and there's plenty more to come, from a sequel to beloved 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap to the long-awaited closing chapter of Downton Abbey, as the Crawleys return to the big screen for a third and final movie spin-off.
Later in the month, Cillian Murphy has reunited with Small Things Like These director Tim Mielants for new film Steve – which is getting a brief theatrical run before being added to Netflix – while the starry duo of Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell lead new romantic fantasy A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey.
But perhaps the biggest new release of all for film fans is the latest from esteemed writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, who had teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio for new thriller One Battle After Another – which seems like a good bet to be a contender when Oscars season comes around.
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: September 2025
Highest 2 Lowest
Release date: Friday 5th September in cinemas (and on Apple TV+)
Denzel Washington leads the cast of Spike Lee's reimagining of the Akira Kurosawa film High and Low – playing a music mogul caught up in a ransom plot in New York City after his son's best friend is mistakenly kidnapped by culprits who had initially been targeting his son.
You can find many of Lee's usual trademarks here – from playful stylistic choices to multiple sport and music references – while the supporting cast includes key roles for Jeffrey Wright, Wendell Pierce and rappers ASAP Rocky and Ice Spice.
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Release date: Friday 5th September in cinemas
The fourth and final entry in the main The Conjuring saga sees Ed and Lorraine Warren called in to investigate the Smurl haunting in Pennsylvania, a case which turns out to have an unexpected personal connection relating to their daughter Judy.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are once again back as the Warrens, while Mia Tomlinson takes over the role of Judy and Ben Hardy plays her boyfriend Tony. Fans can look forward to plenty more of the jump scares that the franchise has become known for in addition to another case loosely adapted from a real story.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Release date: Friday 12th September in cinemas
More than four decades after they appeared in the legendary mockumentary This is Spinal Tap – which remains one of the most highly-rated comedy films of all time – the titular fictional heavy metal band return in this sequel, with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer all reprising their roles.
This time, fictional director Marty DiBergi (played again by the film's actual director Rob Reiner) is hoping to capture the band's reunion after 15 years for one final show, as they hope to go out with a bang.
The Long Walk
Release date: Friday 12th September in cinemas
Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson and Mark Hamill are among the stars in this adaptation of a 1979 Stephen King novel written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. It follows a group of teens in a dystopian future USA who must go through a high-stakes contest that forces them to continuously walk or else be shot by a member of their military escort, until only one of them remains.
It is the second of three major King adaptations in the second half of 2025, following last month's The Life of Chuck and preceding Edgar Wright's new version of The Running Man, which is due for release in November.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Release date: Friday 12th September in cinemas
The beloved period drama gets a fitting send-off in this third and final movie spin-off, which boasts a star-studded cast of new and returning stars – including Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Oscar-nominee Paul Giamatti, the latter of whom makes his first appearance since the 2013 Christmas special.
The film will follow the Crawleys as they enter the 1930s, with the family facing financial trouble and a major scandal erupting around news that Lady Mary is to divorce – causing the family to embrace change as they grapple with the threat of social disgrace.
Steve
Release date: Friday 19th September in cinemas
Cillian Murphy reunites with Small Things Like These director Tim Mielants for this emotional drama adapted by Max Porter from his own novella, Shy.
The film tells the story about a headteacher at a reform school for boys with behavioural difficulties, who must balance his own mental health struggles with his duty of care for the youngsters, in particular a troubled boy named Shy (Jay Lycurgo).
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
Release date: Friday 19th September in cinemas
Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star in this intriguing romantic fantasy from After Yang director Kogonada – playing a pair of strangers who find themselves embarking on a very unusual journey with each other.
That journey sees them getting the chance to relive a number of moments from earlier in their lives, giving them each new perspectives on how they got to where they are – while they also appear to fall for each other in the process.
One Battle After Another
Release date: Friday 26th September in cinemas
Paul Thomas Anderson returns with this madcap action thriller, which stars Leonardo Di Caprio in the lead role and is loosely based on Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland – moving the action from the '80s to the present day.
The official synopsis reads: "When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunites to rescue one of their own's daughter."
Brides
Release date: Friday 26th September in cinemas
The debut feature from Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall follows two teenage girls – played by Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar – who decide to run away from the UK and make a dangerous journey to Syria.
Described as "a road movie about the intensity of female friendship and the mistakes of teenagehood", it received positive reviews when it premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Dead of Winter
Release date: Friday 26th September in cinemas
Emma Thompson stars in this intense Minnesota-set survival thriller – which also sees her daughter Gaia Wise playing a younger version of her character.
It follows grieving widow Barb, who happens across a sinister hostage plot after she gets lost during the harsh Minnesota winter and soon puts everything on the line to mount a rescue mission.
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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.
