Disney’s live-action Moana sails into 628 cinemas across the UK and Ireland as this weekend’s widest release.
Moana is a live-action adaptation of the 2016 animated musical which debuted at £2.2m and topped the global box office in its opening weekend, going on to earn over $643.3m worldwide. Its sequel, Moana 2, debuted more than four times higher than its predecessor at £12m in 2024.
Directed by Thomas Kail and based on Polynesian mythology, the 2026 remake follows the original story of Moana, the daughter of an island village chief, who with the help of a shapeshifting demigod, is chosen to restore a magical stone to the volcanic island of Te Fiti.
Catherine Laga’aia stars as Moana, who was voiced by Auli’i Cravalho in the animated original, alongside Dwayne Johnson who will reprise his role of Maui in his sixth Disney movie to date.
Moana joins Disney’s key holdover Toy Story 5 in cinemas. Now in its fourth weekend, Toy Story 5 held onto the top spot last weekend with £5.7m.
Rosebush
Also releasing this weekend is Dhammal 4 at 111 venues for Bakrania Media, Shree and AA Films UK. Indra Kumar’s Hindi-language adventure stars Arshad Warsi, Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh and Jaaved Jaaferi in the fourth installment of the Dhamaal film series. The film follows the friends searching the jungle for treasure in spite of their comically bad luck.
MubI’s Rosebush Pruning opens in 51 locations across the UK and Ireland. The tragicomedy thriller premiered at the Berlin film festival earlier this year and is the second English-language feature from Karim Aïnouz. The contemporary satire is loosely based on Marco Bellocchio’s Fists In The Pocket (1965) and follows a dysfunctional family whose indulgence in designer clothes and search for validation slowly begins to fracture when one of the siblings brings home a new girlfriend. Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Elle Fanning, Jamie Bell, Tracy Letts and Pamela Anderson are among the high-profile cast.
Francesco Sossai’s bittersweet comedy, The Last One For The Road will screen in 22 locations this weekend for Bulldog Films. After its premiere at the Cannes film festival, the Italian road-trip drama went on to win the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki Film festival in 2025. The film stars Sergio Romano, awarded best actor at Thessaloniki, and Pierpalo Capovilla as a bar-hopping duo always in search of their last drink.
Daniele Rugo’s feature documentary Life Support shows in 13 cinemas for Dartmouth Films this weekend after its world premiere at Sheffield DocFest last month. The film presents the reality of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza through video diaries and first-hand accounts from 10 international doctors working on short missions between 2024 and 2025.
Further documentary releases include Andy Mundy-Castle’s Shoot The People opening in 12 locations for Watermelon Pictures. Misan Harriman documents his life as a photographer and activist. The documentary premiered at SXSW London in 2025 and features Harisan’s photography from social movements, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters From Baghdad will screen in 10 venues for Verve Pictures. The 2016 documentary recounting the life of Gertrude Bell, a key figure in British imperial policy-making, will be re-released this weekend, marking the centenary of her death.
Sumitra Perie’s 1978 Sri-Lankan drama The Girls (Gehenu Lamai) sees its 4K restoration open in 6 cinemas this weekend for the BFI. The film stars Vasanthi Chathurani and Ajith Jinadasa as a young boy and girl trying for a love forever divided by social class.
Further releases include Park Circus’ re-release of Aardman shorts A Grand Day Out and The Wrong Trousers, and Cinema Live’s Aida On Sydney Harbour - Opera Australia 2015.
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