What to Watch in May

What to Watch in May in Cinemas and on Streaming

Watch May 3, 2025 0 1 Add to Reading List

As we approach the summer months, the major cinematic blockbusters continue to hit the big screen. Last month we had “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sinners” rack up impressive numbers, enticing audiences back to their local cinema, and there is plenty for moviegoers to choose from this coming May.

We have the latest MCU entry “Thunderbolts*”, one that I am actually semi-looking forward to, and a fellow franchise sequel “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”. Tom Cruise and co will be hoping for a better box-office haul this time around having been massively impacted by the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon last time around. The other major release is Disney’s latest live-action remake, this time of the beloved 2002 animation “Lilo & Stitch”, which I am also low-key looking forward to, despite my recent Disney reservations.

There are only a couple of new horror titles coming to the big screen this month, the sensationally titled “Clown in a Cornfield”, as well as “Final Destination Bloodlines”, the sixth instalment in the long-running franchise that personally implemented a fear of log trucks I never knew I had.

Other big names you can expect to see in cinemas this month include: Nicolas Cage, in the Aussie psychological thriller “The Surfer”; Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega, and The Weeknd in “Hurry Up Tomorrow”; Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han in “Karate Kid: Legends”; and every other actor in Hollywood appears to be in Wes Anderson‘s latest caper “The Phoenician Scheme”.

Streaming on Prime Video from this month is “Another Simple Favour”, the sequel to the surprisingly enjoyable Anna Kendrick/Blake Lively thriller from 2018, and on Apple+ there is Guy Ritchie‘s take on Indiana Jones, “Fountain of Youth” starring the unbelievably attractive trio of John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, and Eiza Gonzalez.

Which May release are you most excited for?

Another Simple Favour (15)

***Available to stream on Prime Video from Thursday 1st May***

Dir: Paul Feig

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michelle Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Alex Newell, Henry Golding, Allison Janney

Synopsis: Stephanie Smothers agrees to travel to Italy to be the maid of honour for the devious and cunning Emily Nelson. However, she soon suspects Emily’s good will is part of an elaborate plan for revenge.

Thunderbolts* (12a)

Dir: Jake Schreier

Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Synopsis: Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker — embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

Parthenope (15)

Dir: Paolo Sorrentino

Cast: Celeste Della Porta, Stefania Sandrelli, Gary Oldman, Silvio Orlando, Luisa Ranieri, Peppe Lanzetta, Isabella Ferrari

Synopsis: The beautiful Parthenope searches for love in the heady, hot summers and endless nights of her youth in Naples, Italy, as she falls for the city’s many unforgettable characters and finds herself in the adventures that make up a lifetime.

The Surfer (15)

Dir: Lorcan Finnegan

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak

Synopsis: A man revisits his childhood beach to surf with his son. Humiliated by locals, he becomes entangled in an escalating conflict that pushes him to his limits.

Clown in a Cornfield (TBC)

Dir: Eli Craig

Cast: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Kevin Durand, Will Sasso

Synopsis: Looking for a fresh start, Quinn and her father move to the quiet town of Kettle Springs. They soon learn the fractured community has fallen on hard times after losing a treasured factory to a fire. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning clown emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.

Final Destination Bloodlines (15)

Dir: Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein

Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd

Synopsis: Plagued by a violent and recurring nightmare, a college student heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle of death and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

Hurry Up Tomorrow (15)

Dir: Trey Edward Shults

Cast: The Weeknd, Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega

Synopsis: Plagued by insomnia, a musician gets pulled into a nightmarish odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (12A)

Dir: Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Janet McTeer, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman

Synopsis: IMF Agent Ethan Hunt goes on a mission with his team to try and stop a man named Gabriel before he can obtain an AI program that can weaken the world’s stability.

Lilo & Stitch (TBC)

Dir: Dean Fleischer Camp

Cast: Sydney Elizabeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha

Synopsis: The film tells the story of the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who is engineered to be a force of destruction. Pursuing aliens, social workers and the idea of the bond of family figure into the proceedings.

The Phoenician Scheme (TBC)

Dir: Wes Anderson

Cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe

Synopsis: Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

Fountain of Youth (TBC)

***Available to stream on Apple TV from Friday 23rd May***

Dir: Guy Ritchie

Cast: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza Gonzalez, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, Stanley Tucci

Synopsis: Two estranged siblings partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an adventure that will change their lives and possibly lead to immortality.

Karate Kid: Legends (TBC)

Dir: Jonathan Entwistle

Cast: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen

Synopsis: After moving to New York City with his mother, kung fu prodigy Li Fong struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition — but his skills alone aren’t enough. With help from Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, he soon learns to merge two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.

The Salt Path (12A)

Dir: Marianne Elliott

Cast: Gillian Anderson, Jason Isaacs

Synopsis: A couple lose their home and later discover that the husband has been diagnosed with a terminal illness as they embark on a year-long coastal trek.