As the nation relaxes into a four-day Bank Holiday weekend, many of us will be reaching for the remote.
But what new films are set to hit screens over the next few days?
If you’re looking for something to tune into, then leading streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and NowTV have got you covered and will each be releasing a collection of new flicks to their platforms – with everything from romance, drama and psychological thriller, to animated comedy, some cult-classics parody and a few brand-new originals to take your pick from.
Here’s everything new you can check out this weekend.
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Netflix
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Concrete Cowboy
Starring – Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin and Jharrel Jerome
With an all-star cast of big and upcoming names, Netflix original Concrete Cowboy is based on the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri – which is a fictionalisation of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club and urban African-American horseriding culture in Philadelphia.
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The film tells the story of a 15-year-old boy from Detroit who is sent to live with his estranged father in and learns about the local urban cowboys.
Shrek
Starring – Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz
Fancy watching a modern cult-classic? With the first two films and a recording of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical already on the platform, there’ll be three more feature-length Shrek treats coming to Netflix this month.
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If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, it follows an ogre called Shrek who finds his swamp overrun by fairy tale creatures who have been banished by the corrupt Lord Farquaad – who is aspiring to be king. With the help of Donkey, Shrek embarks on his quest to rescue Princess Fiona, but soon falls in love with the princess and finds she is hiding a secret that will change his life forever.
Run
Starring – Sarah Paulson
Another new Netflix original, Run tells the story of Chloe who was raised by her mother Diane in total isolated medical care. Her mother has been controlling her life since she was born – but now as a teenager, Chloe is starting to explore her mother’s sinister secrets.
Is her mother holding her back?
Sky High
Starring – Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kelly Preston and Kurt Russell.
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This 2005 American superhero comedy film is hitting Netflix this weekend, and tells the story of the son of two superheroes who is enrolled in an airborne high school for teenage superheroes where he discovers his true powers and learns about loyalty and friendship.
Just Say Yes
Starring – Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau
This Netflix original Dutch romantic comedy is brand new to the streaming platform today, and tells the story of incurable romantic Lotte who finds her life upended when her plans for a picture-perfect wedding unravel.
This all happens just as her self-absorbed sister gets engaged.
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Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Video
Unhinged
Starring – Russell Crowe and Caren Pistorious
This American action thriller film tells the story of single mother Rachel whose bad day gets even worse when she beeps her horn at a fellow driver during rush-hour traffic, but after an exchange of words, she soon realises that the mysterious man is following her and her young son in his truck.
The initial case of road rage quickly escalates into full-blown terror as Rachel discovers the psychopath’s sinister plan for revenge.
The Ghost Writer
Starring – Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall and Olivia Williams
Fresh to the platform this weekend, this 2010 political thriller film follows a successful ghostwriter who agrees to finish the memoirs of England’s former prime minister, Adam Lang, as his publisher assures him it’s the chance of a lifetime.
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Instead, he begins to uncover evidence that suggests his late predecessor knew a dark secret about Lang and may have been murdered to prevent it from coming to light.
Blaire Witch
Starring – James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott and Valorie Curry
Also known as Blair Witch 3, this 2016 American ‘found footage’ supernatural horror film tells the story of a young man and his friends who venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mystery surrounding his missing sister.
Many believe her disappearance 17 years earlier is connected to the legend of the Blair Witch.
NowTV
Sky Group | NOW TV
The Hunger Games
Starring – Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth
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All four films in the cult-favourite Hunger Games franchise – based on the book series by Suzanne Collins – is set to hit NowTV this month, telling the story of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who volunteers to replace her sister in a tournament that ends only when one participant remains.
Pitted against contestants who have trained for this all their life, she has little to rely on.
SCOOB!
Starring – Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Mark Wahlberg, Gina Rodriguez and Will Forte
Boasting a truly all-star cast of major Hollywood names, this 2020 animated mystery comedy film follows Scooby and the gang facing their biggest and most challenging mystery ever, after hundreds of cases solved up their sleeves – a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world.
As they race to stop this global dog-pocalypse, the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone could have imagined.
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Antebellum
Starring – Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe
Another 2020 flick to hit the streaming platform this weekend is horror thriller film Antebellum, which tells the story of successful author Veronica Henley, who is finishing a book tour before she returns home to her husband and daughter.
But a shocking turn of events is about to upend Veronica’s existence, plunging her into a horrifying reality that forces her to confront her past, present and future before it’s too late.
Featured Image – Netflix | DreamWorks Animation
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ITV to be bought out by Sky in transformational British broadcasting deal worth £1.6 billion
Danny Jones
In a watershed moment for British broadcasting, Sky has reached a transformational agreement worth more than £1.6 billion to buy out ITV in a landmark takeover deal.
With Sky already owned by US telecommunications corporation Comcast, this is set to be one of the biggest shakeups in TV and streaming for some time.
Talks actually started last November, but the process to complete a buyout like this has obviously taken a significant amount of time and money already.
It’s also worth noting that the deal is still pending full approval from the relevant regulators; nevertheless, it’s fair to say that it could change the face of the British media giants – who are based here in Greater Manchester over at MediaCity – but might signal a significant overhaul of our media landscape.
The Sky Group have assured there will be no immediate change to popular shows and will not be put behind a paywall at present (for now, anyway), with ITV still under a free-to-air service until 2034 as part of its public licensing contract.
Aquisitons/mergers of this size like this don’t come around very often, at least not across this side of the pond, with the growing Disney’s growing multinational monopolisation being one of the biggest examples of conglomerates mopping up major networks and huge brands over the past decade.
Writing in a statement, Sky said: “The UK media market is undergoing a profound and rapid transformation, and as competition for audiences intensifies, scale matters more than ever in order to compete with global streaming giants and YouTube in the UK.
“Viewers will continue to enjoy the shows they know and love, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine and News at Ten – alongside major live sporting events.”
That lattermost example feels particularly poignant at the moment, as this also means that the likes of ITV’s impressive World Cup coverage will come under the Sky umbrella in the near future.
ITV agrees sale of media and entertainment business to Sky for up to £1.6bnhttps://t.co/UtgO9REejy
It’s being seen as an ambitious attempt to shake up traditional terrestrial telly and digital platforms, with the ‘old guard’, as it were, having to move forward and fast to keep up with the mercurial market becoming evermore dominated by streaming services.
Of course, there are plenty raising questions and concerns over yet another domestic institution becoming deeper and deeper entwined with big American business; on the other hand, former ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette, who still owns shares, says the deal was “essential” for its survival.
ITV will also receive £1.2bn in cash and Sky’s Love Productions business in return for ownership of their media and entertainment arm, whose shows include the Great British Bake Off.
Moving forward, ITV will also get a further £200m in 2028 if they meet revenue targets when it comes to advertising, with Sky promising to spend over £2.1bn on content from ITV Studios over a five-year period. You can read the full update from ITV right HERE.
Featured Images — James West (via Flickr)/Publicity picture
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Wayne Rooney ‘agrees’ to bizarre bet ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
Danny Jones
England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has seemingly roped himself into a bizarre bet of his own making after yet more teams booked their place in the quarter-final stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It’s not quite Gary Lineker doing Match of the Day in his underpants after Leicester won the league, level, but we’d still pay to see it.
However, after the bedlam following England booking their spot in the quarter-finals this morning (feels odd to say and we’re still not quite sure what day it is), you might be surprised to learn it has nothing to do with the Three Lions’ historic victory.
It does have to do with who they’ll be facing in their next game, though: Norway, as Rooney seemed confident enough in his prediction that the Scandinavian side wouldn’t make it into the final eight that he wagered he’d row down the River Mersey. Well, they did…
Yes, in case you missed it, the Norwegians did make it past Brazil with a 2-1 win – and, of course, more goals for Erling Haaland – before Thomas Tuchel’s side had barely even woken up for their very long day at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico.
While no one was quite sure why ‘Wazza’ was quite so confident that the ‘Seleção’ were going to go through, especially since Norway had shown just as much star power in spells in the opening four rounds, he still decided to throw down the gauntlet on himself.
As you can see in the clip above, he says he’s a “man of [his] word” and looks to have even roped in the likes of fellow former pros turned punditry colleagues on the night, Micah Richards and Joe Hart.
That being said, he did make the caveat that perhaps it would be better if the BBC could somehow sort them to sail down the Hudson River in New York instead, simply for the sake of ‘time’.
We’re not sure exactly how easy it is for the British broadcasters to simply secure permission to take a rowboat down one of the busiest and most famous waterways in the world, but you never know.
Here’s hoping they at least try to make something happen, anyway.
There’s been plenty of curious and comedic moments already this tournament, but for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Harry Kane’s post-match following the tense 3-2 thriller against Mexico, you really need to.
He was given the chance to chat to the media once again after his voice recovered, but let’s just say the memes that have already come from THAT interview are almost as memorable as the match itself.