The British film industry produced over fifty major feature films in 2015. This article fully lists all films that have a release date in that year and which were at least partly made by the United Kingdom. It does not include films first released in previous years that had release dates in 2015. Also included is an overview of the major events in British film, including film festivals and awards ceremonies, as well as lists of those films that have been particularly well received, both critically and financially. The year was particularly notable for a number of box office bombs, such as Jupiter Ascending, Pan, Fantastic Four and Mortdecai.
Major releases
January – March
Opening Title Cast and crew Details Genre(s) Ref.JANUARY 21Ex Machina Director: Alex Garland Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac Universal Pictures Science fiction Thriller 23Mortdecai Director: David Koepp Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, Jeff Goldblum Lionsgate Based on Don't Point that Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli Action ComedyThe D Train Directors: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Moge Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Russell Posner, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White IFC Films Comedy Drama 24Shaun the Sheep Movie Directors: Richard Starzak, Mark Burton Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili StudioCanal Based on the Shaun the Sheep television series ComedySlow West Director: John Maclean Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, Rory McCann, Brooke Williams Lionsgate UK Action Western 25The Hallow Director: Corin Hardy Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley Entertainment One Horror 26Brooklyn Director: John Crowley Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Bronte Kavanagh Lionsgate Based on Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín Drama 27Jupiter Ascending Directors: The Wachowskis Cast: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth Warner Bros. Pictures Science fictionFEBRUARY 645 Years Director: Andrew Haigh Cast: Charlotte Rampling Artificial Eye Based on In Another Country by David Constantine Drama 8Mr. Holmes Director: Bill Condon Cast: Ian McKellen, Colin Starkey, Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Patrick Kennedy Miramax Based on A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin Mystery Crime Drama 9Fifty Shades of Grey Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Eloise Mumford Universal Pictures Based on Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James Romance DramaLife Director: Anton Corbijn Cast: Robert Pattinson, Dane DeHaan, Ben Kingsley, Joel Edgerton Cinedigm Based on the life of Dennis Stock Drama Biography 10Accidental Love Director: David O. Russell Cast: Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Catherine Keener, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, James Brolin Millennium Entertainment Based on Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore Comedy 26The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Director: John Madden Cast: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Richard Gere Fox Searchlight Pictures Sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) Comedy Drama 27A Dark Reflection Director: Tristan Loraine Cast: Georgina Sutcliffe, Rita Ramnani, Marina Sirtis, Stephen Tompkinson, Mark Dymond, Nicholas Day Fact Not Fiction Films ThrillerMARCH 13Cinderella Director: Kenneth Branagh Cast: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Ben Chaplin, Sophie McShera, Hayley Atwell, Helena Bonham Carter Walt Disney Studios Based on Cendrillon by Charles Perrault Fantasy RomanceSuite Française Director: Saul Dibb Cast: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts Entertainment One Based on Suite française by Irène Némirovsky Romance Drama 14Nina Forever Directors: Ben Blaine, Chris Blaine Cast: Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Abigail Hardingham, Cian Barry StudioCanal Horror comedy 20The Gunman Director: Pierre Morel Cast: Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Mark Rylance, Jasmine Trinca, Peter Franzén, Ray Winstone Open Road Films Based on The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette Action Thriller
April – June
Opening Title Cast and crew Details Genre(s) Ref.APRIL 1Woman in Gold Director: Simon Curtis Cast: Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, Katie Holmes, Tatiana Maslany, Max Irons, Charles Dance, Elizabeth McGovern, Jonathan Pryce BBC Films Based on the life of Maria Altmann Drama 8Dark Places Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, Chloë Grace Moretz, Tye Sheridan, Sterling Jerins, Corey Stoll A24 Based on Dark Places by Gillian Flynn Mystery 11Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism Director: Christopher N. Rowley Cast: Dominic Monaghan, Lesley Manville, Emily Watson, Joan Collins, Raffey Cassidy ARC Entertainment Based on Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng Adventure Family Fantasy 14Tale of Tales Director: Matteo Garrone Cast: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, John C. Reilly Artificial Eye Film Co. Based on the Pentamerone by Giambattista Basile Dark fantasy 17Child 44 Director: Daniel Espinosa Cast: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, Vincent Cassel Lionsgate Based on Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith Mystery ThrillerFar from the Madding Crowd Director: Thomas Vinterberg Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, Juno Temple Fox Searchlight Pictures Based on Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Drama Romance 18Kidnapping Freddy Heineken Director: Daniel Alfredson Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Sam Worthington, Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten Alchemy Based on Kidnapping Freddy Heineken by Peter R. de Vries Drama Crime 19Man Up Director: Ben Palmer Cast: Simon Pegg, Lake Bell StudioCanal Romance Comedy 24The Falling Director: Carol Morley Cast: Maisie Williams, Florence Pugh Metrodome UK Mystery DramaMAY 8Spooks: The Greater Good Director: Bharat Nalluri Cast: Peter Firth, Kit Harington, Jennifer Ehle, Elyes Gabel 20th Century Fox Based on the Spooks television series Thriller 14A Royal Night Out Director: Julian Jarrold Cast: Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Jack Reynor, Rupert Everett, Emily Watson, Roger Allam Lionsgate Based on the life of Elizabeth II Comedy Drama 15The Lobster Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Cast: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz Picturehouse Entertainment Science fiction Comedy Drama 16Amy Director: Asif Kapadia Cast: Amy Winehouse, Mitchell Winehouse, Janis Winehouse, Blake Fielder-Civil, Raye Cosbert, Nick Schymansky, Tyler James, Juliette Ashby, Lauren Gilbert, Mark Ronson, Salaam Remi, Tony Bennett Altitude Film Distribution Based on the life of Amy Winehouse Documentary 17Carol Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler StudioCanal Based on The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith Romance Drama 23Macbeth Director: Justin Kurzel Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Sean Harris, Elizabeth Debicki, Paddy Considine, David Thewlis The Weinstein Company Based on Macbeth by William Shakespeare Drama Historical 29Survivor Director: James McTeigue Cast: Milla Jovovich, Pierce Brosnan, Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster Millennium Films ThrillerJUNE 9A Syrian Love Story Director: Sean McAllister Documentary 11The Martian Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor 20th Century Fox Based on The Martian by Andy Weir Science fiction 12London Road Director: Rufus Norris Cast: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman Picturehouse Entertainment Based on London Road Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork Musical Mystery Thriller 17The Legend of Barney Thomson Director: Robert Carlyle Cast: Robert Carlyle, Emma Thompson, Ashley Jensen, Ray Winstone Based on The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson by Douglas Lindsay Comedy Thriller 20The Messenger Director: David Blair Cast: Robert Sheehan, Lily Cole Metrodome Distribution Horror Mystery ThrillerUnder Milk Wood Director: Kevin Allen Cast: Rhys Ifans Based on Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas Drama 23Everest Director: Baltasar Kormákur Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Emily Watson, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Jake Gyllenhaal Universal Pictures Based on the 1996 Mount Everest expedition Thriller
July – September