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| Author | Mia Blakeney |
The new year is a time for renewal, revival, resolutions – and some fantastic movies!
Young, upmarket audiences are most likely to make New Year’s resolutions, with 53% of Brits agreeing that they “kept some of the resolutions I made”, and 28% agreeing that they “kept all of the resolutions I made”.
Some of the most popular resolutions for ABC1 Adults are:
- Saving more money (42%)
- Doing more exercise or improving my fitness (53%)
- Improving my diet (42%)
- Taking up a new hobby (20%)
- Pursuing a career ambition (19%)
- Decorating or renovating part of my home (17%)
(Source: YouGov Survey - New Year's resolutions (2022))
Some major awards contenders will be hitting the big screen in January, perfect for an upmarket ABC1 audience:
Poor Things
- Release Date: 12 January
- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe
- Est. DCM Admissions: 501k
- HFFS Brands: Yes
- Alcohol/Gambling Brands: Yes
From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) and producer Emma Stone (La La Land, Cruella) comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.
Poor Things is one of the best-received films from the film festival circuit, winning the prestigious Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival and it currently has a stellar 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes:
“Like last year's Everything Everywhere All at Once, I feel comfortable calling this a lock for Oscar nominations across the board.” Jordan Hoffman, The Messenger
The Book of Clarence
- Release Date: 19 January
- Director: Jeymes Samuel
- Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, David Oyelowo, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy
- Est. DCM Admissions: 251k
- HFFS Brands: Yes
- Alcohol/Gambling Brands: Yes
Co-produced by Jay-Z, comedy-drama The Book of Clarence tells the story of streetwise but down-on-his-luck Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) who is struggling to find a better life for his family, while fighting to free himself of debt. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, and ultimately discovers that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out.
Critics have given high praise to writer and director Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall).
“The Book of Clarence encompasses everything we’ve come to know about Samuel’s directorial artistry – audacious, bold and positively hilarious, with Blackness at its core.” Kelechi Ehenulo, Movie Marker
The Colour Purple
- Release Date: 26 January
- Director: Blitz Bazawule
- Cast: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey
- Est. DCM Admissions: 751k
- HFFS Brands: Yes
- Alcohol/Gambling Brands: Yes
The story of The Colour Purple is so successful that, not only has the novel by Alice Walker had huge success as a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical adaptation, the film is now one of the top contenders in the 2024 awards season. It tells the story life-long struggles of an African-American woman living in the south during the early 1900s, and the decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence.
Co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, the film’s cast includes actors who have had huge success in the Broadway musical, including Fantasia Barrino as Celie and Danielle Brooks as Sofia, who are expected to receive nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars.
All Of Us Strangers
- Release Date: 26 January
- Director: Andrew Haigh
- Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell
- Est. DCM Admissions: 201k
- HFFS Brands: Yes
- Alcohol/Gambling Brands: Yes
One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up, and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.
All Of Us Strangers has recently seen huge success at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), winning Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Performance for Paul Mescal.
These are just four of the major awards contenders that can only be found on the big screen in January. Contact your DCM rep to find out more about these 2024 award season contenders and more.