The backstory of Furiosa, a new action movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme, science fiction with J.Lo, and a noticeable presence of Ukrainian cinema — this is not a complete list of what the May repertoire of cinemas or digital platforms offers. Read more about the most interesting new releases of the month in our traditional article.
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Genre: sports drama, melodrama
Premiere date: May 2
Release: movie theaters
Professional tennis player Art Donaldson is going through a tough time and plans to take part in the Challenger tour. He is supported in this by his wife Tashi, who was forced to say goodbye to her own career due to an injury. At the upcoming tournament, Art will have to play with his former best friend and ex-lover, which brings this confrontation to a fundamental level.
Zendaya continues to conquer the cinematic Olympus after starring in Marvel and the epic «Dune» plays the female lead in a new film by the famous Italian director Luca Guadagnino.
Genre: historical drama
Premiere date: May 2
Release: movie theaters
The story is set in the 1950s. An American movie is being filmed at the Cinecitta studio. A young Italian actress is trying to get a role in the movie. Due to pressure from her family, she is engaged to a man she does not love. During the audition, the heroine is completely immersed in the alluring world of Hollywood cinema.
The world premiere of this historical drama took place at last year’s Venice Film Festival, where the film was nominated for the main award — the Golden Lion.
Genre: romantic comedy
Premiere date: May 2
Release: Prime Video
Solene Marchand is a 40-year-old single mother who, at the request of her ex-husband, takes her teenage daughter to the Coachella festival. But there is a surprise waiting for the heroine – she starts a romantic relationship with the 24-year-old lead singer of the popular boy band August Moon, Gus Campbell.
The plot of the new rom-com starring Anne Hathaway is based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee and will be released on Prime Video on May 2.
Genre: an epic movie about kaiju
Premiere date: May 3
Release: Prime Video (Japan only)
Japan is just after the end of World War II. A former kamikaze pilot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder witnesses the emergence of a majestic monster known as «Godzilla».
«Godzilla: Minus One» became a real hit, including at the box office, and even won «Oscar» for the best visual effects. And this is with a budget of a miserable $15 million, while Hollywood blockbusters of the MonsterVerse universe cost the creators more than ten times as much. It’s worth noting that the digital release on Prime Video is only for Japan, but for viewers who have been searching for an opportunity to watch this movie for a long time, the information may be useful.
Genre: comedy
Premiere date: May 3
Release: Netflix
Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post Cereal are in a fundamental competition as they try to revolutionize breakfast cereal.
Jeffrey Seinfeld’s debut film brought together a truly outstanding cast. In addition to Seinfeld himself, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, James Marsden, Peter Dinklage, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant and others were among the stars.
Genre: sci-fi action adventure
Premiere date: May 9
Release: movie theaters
Almost 300 years after the events of the movie «War for the Planet of the Apes» (2017), many ape clans have emerged in the place where Caesar led his fellows. People have regressed to a state of primitive civilization. The ape king Proximus Caesar, who has weapons based on lost human technology, distorts Caesar’s philosophy to enslave other clans. So Noah, the chimpanzee, embarks on a dangerous journey with a girl named Mei to determine the future fate of both apes and humans.
Well, what is May without high-profile Hollywood blockbusters? The fourth installment of the newest franchise «Planet of the Apes» is already rushing to every cinema to conquer the global box office. If the film is successful, it promises to be the beginning of a new trilogy.
Genre: historical drama
Premiere date: May 9
Release: movie theaters
In 1927, on the orders of Comrade Stalin himself, a cooperative house «Slovo» was built in Kharkiv. Prominent Ukrainian writers are settled there with the aim of total control of the creative process and the creation of a single artistic method of socialist realism. However, not all the artists agree to glorify the cult of the leader. The situation in the house is complicated by the appearance of a young and unknown writer, Volodymyr Akimov.
The historical drama by Taras Tomenko is intended to remind us of the ideological monster that the artists of the infamous «shot revival» had to face.
Genre: romantic comedy
Premiere date: May 9
Release: Netflix
After a year abroad in London, Emma returns home to stun her mother Lana with the news that she is getting married in Phuket, Thailand, in a month. Things get worse when Lana discovers that her daughter’s future husband is the son of the man who broke her heart years ago.
«Mother of the Bride» is a new romantic comedy from Mark Waters, who worked on such great comedy films of the noughties as «Freaky Friday», «Mean Girls», «Just Like Heaven». The leading and supporting roles were played by stars whose best days were also in the distant past: Brooke Shields, Benjamin Brett, and Chad Michael Murray, who you may remember from his role as Lucas Scott in the TV series «One Tree Hill».
Genre: fantasy comedy
Premiere date: May 16
Release: movie theaters
A young girl named Bea suddenly discovers that she can see imaginary friends that everyone forgets when they grow up. Later, the heroine learns that her neighbor Cal has the same ability. So together they join forces so that the old friends can meet again. «Imaginary Friends» is clearly aimed at family viewing, so grab the kids and go to the movies.
Genre: horror movie
Premiere date: May 16
Release: movie theaters
When a group of college friends use someone else’s tarot deck for a reading, something they should never do, they unleash a ruthless evil. As a result, the characters must enter a merciless race against time to prevent the deadly consequences predicted by the bizarre divination.
The plot of the film by debutantes Spencer Cohen and Anna Holberg is based on the novel «Horror Scope» by Nicholas Adams, who also took part in the creation of the film adaptation.
Genre: comedy action movie
Premiere date: May 16
Release: movie theaters
Boy vows revenge on the murderers of his family, namely the head of a corrupt dynasty, Hilda Van Der Koy, who attacked him at the age of 9 and left him deaf and mute. After training with a mysterious martial arts master, the hero is determined to put an end to those who ruined his life forever.
In this directorial debut by Moritz Mohr, co-produced by Sam Raimi, Bill Skarsgård warms up for a much more responsible role, namely in the upcoming remake of the cult film «Raven», in which he played the lead.
Genre: war drama
Premiere date: May 16
Release: movie theaters
A young Ukrainian soldier is captured by the enemy in the occupied part of Donetsk region. When his father finds out about it, he goes behind the contact line to try to rescue his son.
The war drama by Volodymyr Kharchenko-Kulikovsky is based on real events and, although it was filmed in late 2021, before the full-scale invasion, is more relevant than ever.
Genre: drama
Premiere date: May 16
Release: movie theaters
Military surgeon Serhiy is taken prisoner by Russia during the war in Donbas. There he witnesses numerous abuses of Ukrainians by the Russian occupiers. However, Serhiy manages to return home during a prisoner exchange, after which he rethinks his life and tries to rebuild his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter.
In his new film, Valentyn Vasyanovych, along with «Exchange», also speaks about the Russian-Ukrainian war and its tragic imprints on the crippled souls. «Reflection» became the first purely Ukrainian film to be included in the main program of the Venice Film Festival.
Genre: action movie
Premiere date: May 21
Release: digital services
Interpol operative Russell Hatch is forced to take on the defense of the son of a murdered informant. This straightforward B-movie stars of varying degrees of coolness from the distant past: Jean-Claude Van Damme, who needs no introduction, and Ms. Terminatrix and Bloodrayne Kristanna Loken.
Genre: animated adventure comedy
Premiere date: May 23
Release: movie theaters
Garfield, the world-famous house cat who hates Mondays and loves lasagna, is going for a walk. After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, the scruffy street cat Vic, the ginger hero and his friend Odie are forced to give up their perfect life and join Vic in a fun high-stakes heist.
Genre: biographical drama
Premiere date: May 23
Release: movie theaters
Before the outbreak of World War II, British stockbroker Nicholas Winton pays a visit to Czechoslovakia. There, he helps compile a list of Jewish children in need of rescue. Upon his return to Britain, Winton works to fulfill the legal requirements for bringing the children to the country and finding families for them. This operation would later become known as Kindertransport.
The plot of this biographical drama, as you might guess, is based on real events and tells the story of British philanthropist Nicholas Winton at two stages of his life, namely at the age of 29 and 79. The titular roles were played by Johnny Flynn and Sir Anthony Hopkins, respectively.
Genre: post-apocalyptic action movie
Premiere date: May 23
Release: movie theaters
The action takes place approximately 15–20 years before the events of «Mad Max: Fury Road». When the world collapses, young Furiosa is kidnapped from the Green Place. The girl falls into the hands of a biker horde led by warlord Dementus. While the two tyrants, Dementus and Immortal Joe, fight for dominance over the Citadel, the main character faces many challenges in an attempt to find her way home.
In 2015, Australian director George Miller released one of the greatest action films of the last decade, «Mad Max: Fury Road», and now he presents its spin off prequel, designed to tell the backstory a tough warrior Furiosa. Anya Taylor-Joy is replacing the unsurpassed Charlize Theron, and let’s hope she will cope with this role at least as well as her eminent predecessor.
Genre: science fiction action movie
Premiere date: May 24
Release: Netflix
Atlas Shepherd is a brilliant data scientist with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence. She joins a mission to capture an escaped robot, with whom she shares a mysterious past. When the mission goes awry, her only hope for saving the future of humanity is to trust the damn AI.
The tireless Jennifer Lopez manages to albums to record and act in Netflix action movies. After last year’s misunderstanding «The Mother» The 54-year-old star also tries his hand at science fiction, directed by the director of many blockbuster films with Dwayne Johnson («Journey 2: The Mysterious Island», «San Andreas», «Rampage») — Brad Peyton. Do you think this idea will work?
Genre: horror movie
Premiere date: May 30
Release: movie theaters
Actor Anthony Miller suffers from alcoholism. Despite this, he agrees to star in a new horror movie, but later falls into a real psychosis. His worried daughter Lee tries to find out the reason for her father’s terrible condition: is it the influence of a harmful addiction, or has some sinister force intervened?
Russell Crowe has been drawn to exorcism lately: last year he fought supernatural evil in «The Pope’s Exorcists». Now he has taken up this thankless task in the next story about the omnipresent otherworldly evil.
Genre: drama
Premiere date: May 30
Release: movie theaters
Many important changes take place in the life of 17-year-old Kira. She witnesses not only her parents’ divorce after 20 years of marriage, but also the collapse of the old Soviet empire and the birth of a new, independent Ukraine.
«Do You Love Me?» — another coming-of-age story against the backdrop of the collapse of the Soviet Union in Ukrainian cinema after the recent drama «Me and Felix». However, in the latter case, the events unfolded in a slightly later period, when Ukraine had already gained independence but inherited poverty and sadness from the Soviets.
Genre: drama
Premiere date: May 30
Release: movie theaters
Stand-up comedian Max Brandel moves in with his father Stan after his career and marriage have been destroyed. Max and his ex-wife Jenna cannot agree on the custody of their 11-year-old son Ezra, who has autism. In a fit of desperation, the protagonist decides to travel across the country with his son. «Ezra» promises to be a nice heartwarming movie with a good cast.