The Best New Films to Watch in April 2023

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Sat 01 Apr 2023 - Sun 30 Apr 2023

Sat 01 Apr 2023 - Sun 30 Apr 2023



With the likes of The Super Mario Bros Movie and Renfield hitting the big screen, April is shaping up to be another fantastic month for the Box Office. There are also several small-budget films to look forward to this month, including British action comedy Polite Society and the latest offering from Japanese animator and director Makoto Shinkai Suzume. And then, of course, there are the straight-to-streaming films: Apple TV’s Ghosted, Netflix’s A Tourist’s Guide to Love, and Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy are just a few examples.

Check out my list of the best new films to watch in April 2023 below.

1. Polite Society



Fresh from this year’s Sundance Festival, Polite Society is a British film about sisterhood and parental disappointment. It’s directed by Nida Manzoor – who is best known for creating the Channel 4 comedy show We Are Lady Parts – and mashes up various genres: action comedy, martial arts, Bollywood, and social horror. Newcomer Priya Kansara plays the lead Ria Khan, a martial artist-in-training who attempts to save her sister from an impulsive marriage. Polite Society received a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93% and has been compared to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Bend It Like Beckham.

2. The Super Mario Bros Movie



Fans of the iconic Nintendo game won’t want to miss out on this highly anticipated animated film. In The Super Mario Bros Movie, Mario journeys through the Mushroom Kingdom in search of his brother Luigi and has to save the world from a fire-breathing creature. Along the way, Mario and Luigi gain powers from things like mushrooms, flowers, stars and leaves – much like in the game – and join forces with Princess Peach. Due for release on the 7th of April, this movie features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.

3. Renfield



The new horror film Renfield brings Dracula to modern-day New Orleans. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) is eager to break away from his master’s shadow and experience normal life for the first time. However, Dracula (Nicolas Cage) isn’t too pleased…Given the success of M3gan, Cocaine Bear and Scream VI, April’s major horror flick is also bound to dominate the Box Office. It’s said to be a “modern-day adventure story that is comedic in tone.” Renfield hits the big screen on the 14th of April.

4. Suzume



Suzume is a Japanese anime film that’ll arrive in the UK on the 14th of April – the same day as Renfield. Directed by Makoto Shinkai – who created Your Name and Weathering with You - Suzume was an instant hit in both Japan and South Korea, and is rated 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film centres on a 17-year-old girl who joins a travelling man on his search for a magical door. Unbeknownst to her, the door will unleash disasters and destruction – and it’s up to her to get things back to normal. Suzume is a visually stunning film and a touching coming-of-age story. If you love anime, you won’t want to miss it.

5. Ghosted



Ana de Armas and Chris Evans team up for the third time after Knives Out and The Gray Man in the upcoming film Ghosted. It’s a rom-com/action flick in the vein of the 1984 film Romancing the Stone. After falling in love with a woman he’s just met, Cole travels across the ocean in an attempt to find her. He soon discovers that his date is actually a secret agent, and they get swept up in an international mission. Ana and Chris are joined by Amy Sedaris (Somebody I Used to Know) and Adrien Brody (Blonde, See How They Run). Ghosted will be available on Apple TV on the 21st of April.

6. A Tourist’s Guide to Love



A Tourist’s Guide to Love is Rachel Leigh Cook’s second Netflix movie after He’s All That in 2021. It follows a recently dumped travel executive who ventures to Vietnam and meets an ex-pat guide who gives her a taste of adventure. Rachel Leigh Cook wanted to show audiences that Vietnam is more than just a warzone, and is “a modern thriving country whose stories are worthy of being told.” A Tourist’s Guide to Love lands on Netflix on April 27th.

7. Peter Pan & Wendy



You can never get enough of Peter Pan. At the end of April, the boy who never grows up will return in a live-action film from Disney. Peter Pan & Wendy closely follows the original tale, albeit with a few differences that are inevitable with any retelling. Milla Jovovich’s daughter Ever Anderson plays Wendy Darling, while Jude Law is Captain Hook and Yara Shahidi (black-ish) is Tinkerbell. Peter Pan & Wendy was initially slated to be a theatrical release, but due to delays, it’ll now premiere on Disney Plus on April 28th instead.

8. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry



Based on the book by Rachel Joyce, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a heartfelt drama about a retired man who walks 450 miles across England after learning that his friend is dying. It’s a story about self-discovery and taking a chance. Jim Broadbent stars as Harold, and Penelope Wilton plays his wife Maureen. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry can be seen in cinemas from the 28th.

9. How to Blow Up a Pipeline



Kristine Froseth (Looking for Alaska), Lukas Gage (You), Sasha Lane (Conversations with Friends) and Ariela Barer (Runaways) are at the forefront of this timely film about the climate crisis. It’s adapted from Andreas Malm’s controversial book of the same name, and centres on a group of environmental activists who embark on a plan to sabotage an oil pipeline. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, How to Blow Up a Pipeline will surely be worth your time.


Other films out in April include On a Wing and a Prayer, Missing, The Pope’s Exorcist, Assassin Club, Air and Evil Dead Rise.


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