So it's time to bid farewell to 2015 and a truly breathtaking year of movies. Did you marvel at Mad Max: Fury Road? Feel shaken and stirred by SPECTRE? Stunned by Star Wars: The Force Awakens? No doubt you saw all of these and much more.
And if you thought it was time for your Unlimited card to take a breather, you were mistaken. As 2016 gets underway, here's your essential guide to 19 of the biggest movies headed in your direction over the next 12 months. Thought there was no better time to be part of the Unlimited club? Here's the proof...
Joy
Released on: 1st January
The lowdown: One of the potential frontrunners in the Oscar race, this combines the powerhouse duo of Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell, famed for Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, with a sprawling, quick-witted and eccentric story of a fiery single mother's quest for independence. What better actress than the sensational, Oscar-winning Lawrence to convey that? Fuse all this with a supporting cast including Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro and this should make for gripping drama.
The Danish Girl
Released on: 1st January
The lowdown: They don't come more Oscar friendly than this. Lead actor Eddie Redmayne nabbed one for The Theory of Everything and director Tom Hooper landed in the Academy's favour for The King's Speech. It's based on the inspirational true story of the world's transgender surgery recipient Lili Elbe. Add all that up and you have an awards heavyweight staring you right in the face.
Creed
Released on: 15th January
The lowdown: Thought the Rocky series was completely punch-drunk and on the ropes by this stage? Along comes Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler to punch some life back into the iconic franchise. Sly Stallone's ageing pugilist is of course back but the thrust of the story this time lands with Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of the earlier films' Apollo Creed. Acclaimed by critics as possibly the best Rocky movie since the celebrated 1976 original, you don't want to miss this.
Deadpool
Released on: 4th February
The lowdown: Ryan Reynolds rights the wrongs of X-Men: Origins - Wolverine by giving Marvel's snarky, wise-cracking hero the comic book thrill-ride he deserves. We know that Reynolds' cheeky charisma is an ideal fit for this classic character. Combine his presence with the outrageously violent, blackly comic tone teased in the trailers and images (like the one of Deadpool stretched out in front of the fire) and this could be the one to tear up the superhero rulebook. Again.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Released on: 27th March
The lowdown: Two of the titans of the superhero world finally go head to head in the comic book showdown everyone has been waiting for. Henry Cavill makes a welcome return as Superman, reuniting with director Zack Snyder after the megahit Man of Steel. But the real news is Oscar winning Ben Affleck whose broodier, older incarnation of the Dark Knight looks set to juice the property with fresh energy. With its connections to eventual DC Universe movies, including an appearance by Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, plus a cast including Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred, this is the next step in an awesome comic book journey.
The Jungle Book
Released on: 15th April
The lowdown: Director Jon Favreau spearheaded the current craze for Marvel movies with his smash hit Iron Man. So we know he's got the blockbuster chops and sense of fun that Disney's live action/CGI reboot requires. Add that to a sensational cast of voice actors and physical performers, including Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Idris Elba, and there's every chance this could redefine The Jungle Book for a whole new generation. Look for the bear necessities...
Captain America: Civil War
Released on: 29th April
The lowdown: Less a standalone Captain America movie like what's come before, this is shaping up to be another Avengers extravaganza in all but name. With Chris Evans back as Steve Rogers, plus Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and more, this is set to bring one of Marvel's most exciting storylines to life as Cappy and Iron Man find themselves pitted against one another. Plus, the future foundations of the Marvel movies continue to shape up with appearances from Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Released on: 19th May
The lowdown: X-Men x-pert Bryan Singer returns to the helm following his smash-hit Days of Future Past. He's regarded as the father figure of the movies, blending character drama with pathos, humour and ballsy action, and this latest in the mutant franchise promises another typically ambitious instalment. With James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence all back as, respectively, Xavier, Magneto, Wolverine and Mystique, the big bad is this time the eponymous supervillain played by The Force Awakens' Oscar Isaac. The time-trippy storyline transports us back to the 1980s and introduces us to younger versions of beloved characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm. What's not to like?
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Released on: 27th May
The lowdown: Tim Burton's eye-popping excursion into Lewis Carroll territory, Alice in Wonderland, is one of the most successful movies of all time at the box office. So expectations are high for this follow-up which reunites us with Mia Waskiowska's Alice and Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter for another surreal adventure. Burton is out and The Muppets director James Bobin is in - fingers crossed he can bring the same sense of snappy fun. Also joining the cast are Sacha Baron Cohen and Rhys Ifans.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Released on: 24th June
The lowdown: Well it's the long-awaited (and delayed) sequel to one of the biggest disaster movies of all time. Independence Day took over the world in 1996 with its jaw-dropping effects depicting the obliteration of classic landmarks including, infamously, the White House. The canny storyline this time takes place in a world that's safeguarded itself against another potential attack from pesky E.T.'s - but if you thought that was enough to keep them away, think again. Series regulars Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman (although not Will Smith) are joined by The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth.
Ghostbusters
Released on: 15th July
The lowdown: When you combine the red hot comedy talents of director Paul Feig and star Melissa McCarthy with the enduringly popular Ghostbusters franchise, it's little wonder that people are excited for this. Ghostbusters meets Bridesmaids? Sign us up. McCarthy teams with Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon for a movie that finally drags the Ghostbusters back onto the big screen after years in development hell. There are cameos from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Ernie Hudson. Plus, Thor's Chris Hemsworth is a receptionist. Yes, really.
Star Trek Beyond
Released on: 22nd July 2016
The lowdown: Both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness rejuvenated this iconic space opera franchise for a whole new audience. Now original director J.J. Abrams is out for the third movie, replaced by Fast and Furious veteran Justin Lin with a script co-written by Scotty himself Simon Pegg. Plot details are currently secretive but with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Pegg all set to square off against Idris Elba's baddie, colour us excited.
The BFG
Released on: 22nd July 2016
The lowdown: One of Roald Dahl's most enduringly popular children's stories now finds its ideal director in the form of Steven Spielberg. Following Bridge of Spies, this will mark Spielberg's welcome return to more fantastical, popcorn territory along the lines of Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park - few, if any, directors, are capable of evoking such palpable magic in blockbuster movies. Wolf Hall's Mark Rylance is playing the eponymous giant in a role that's surely set to bring him global stardom.
Finding Dory
Released on: 29th July
The lowdown: Well, it's the long-overdue sequel to one of Pixar's greatest masterpieces, Finding Nemo. Surely enough said? No? OK, well Ellen DeGeneres is back to voice the loveably forgetful Dory who this time is on an aquatic quest to find her family, a story that promises the same heartwarming blend of hilarious humour and tearjerking pathos as before. Albert Brooks is also back to voice Marlin. Add all that to Pixar's rediscovered status with this year's Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, and there's plenty of reason to be excited.
Bourne 5
Release date: 29th July
The lowdown: The Bourne movies are among the most influential and relentlessly exciting of all time, Matt Damon's amnesiac assassin hurtling us around the world and making us kiss goodbye to our fingernails. Damon last appeared as the character in 2007's The Bourne Ultimaum; in-between, we've had Jeremy Renner as new character Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy. But there's no denying who the franchise really belongs to. Add in the presence of Ultimaum filmmaker Paul Greengrass and we could have a thriller to rival the adrenaline-pumping nature of the first three classics.
Suicide Squad
Release date: 5th August
The lowdown: Promising to turn the notion of the traditional comic book movie inside out, this dark offering from Fury director David Ayer focuses, refreshingly, on a group of iconic DC supervillains who are forced to work together at the behest of a dodgy government official. With Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and, most excitingly, Jared Leto as a new-fangled Joker, this is the 2016 comic book movie that refuses to play by the rules. In fact, it's had the rulebook incinerated.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Release date: 18th November
The lowdown: Potter fans were left bereft after Harry, Ron and Hermione's adventures came to a spectacular end in 2011. Now, J.K. Rowling's other bestseller, based on a fictional text that's referenced in the Potter universe, bursts into life, promising spectacular adventure by the cauldron-load. When you have Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in the title role as magizoologist Newt Scamander, there's also reason to hope that this will contain genuine emotional depth and thespian chops too.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Release date: 16th December
The lowdown: Only just recovered from the sheer onslaught of The Force Awakens? Well at least you have a year to recover before the next chapter in the expanding Star Wars universe soars onto screens. In a clear sign that these new Star Wars movies are brimming with exciting creative juices, we have Godzilla director Gareth Edwards behind the camera and a terrifically accomplished cast in front of it, including The Theory of Everything's Felicity Jones, A Royal Affair's Mads Mikkelsen and more. Wish it was the end of 2016 already? We hear you.
So, which of this awe-inspiringly colossal movies are you lining up during 2016? Is it all of them? Join the conversation
@Cineworld and #CineworldUnlimited - and we'll see you in the new year!
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