The best films to see in Beijing this October

The best screenings and films on general release in Beijing

More Hollywood blockbusters make their way to China's cinemas this month. Take a look at our picks of the best upcoming releases and one-off screenings of older films in October.

March of the Penguins 2

Trailer via QQ

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 12. 

A semi-sequel to Luc Jacquet's stunning 2005 film, the director and team return to Antartica to follow a young penguin on his first big trip into the unknown. With more powerful cameras, state-of-the-art equipment and Morgan Freeman as the narrator, it's a documentary not to be missed.

The Titan

Image: Voltage Pictures

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 12. 

Earth is overpopulated and conflict-ridden. Can an army veteran and his family help save the world by finding a way to survive on Saturn's moon Titan? Starring Sam Worthington, Taylor Schiling and Tom Wilkinson, see what happens when genetic evolution and space exploration combine.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Trailer via QQ

In Cinemas around Beijing from Fri 19. 

Two best friends get entangled in shoot-outs, car chases and an international conspiracy when one of them is dumped by her spy boyfriend. See Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis star in this new American comedy. 

Early Man

Image: Studiocanal SAS and the British Film Institute

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 19. 

Remember Wallace and Gromit? Chicken Run? Same guy directing this one. Nick Park goes prehistoric with his signature clay animation aesthetic, following Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his porcine pal Hognob as they take on Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston).

Smallfoot

Trailer via QQ

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 19.

Smallfoot follows the animated film trend of zany, family-friendly gags, colourful characters and catchy songs playing out a story with contemporary and politically relevant themes. The cast is too good to pass up: Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny Devito and Justin Roiland of Rick and Morty and Adventure Time fame.

Air Strike

Image: China Film Co

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 26. 

Directed by Xiao Feng, this Chinese war film depicts the bombing of Chinese city Chongqing by the Japanese, acting as a commemoration of the bombings and final Allied victory during World War II. With Mel Gibson as art director and starring Bruce Willis, Adrien Brody and Ye Liu, it's a rather star-studded production.

The Predator

Image: Kimberly French

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 26. 

Earth's most vicious predators are back, with evolved genes making them even deadlier than ever. Can a mismatched bunch of humans really defeat the universe's scariest creatures? 

Leave No Trace

Image: Bleeker Street

Camera Stylo. Sun 7. 

This US drama follows a father and daughter duo who live off the grid in Portland, Oregon. As authorities begin to challenge their lifestyle, the family has to fight to stay together. Directed by Academy Award-nominated Debra Granik, the film has received widespread critical acclaim.

The Constant Gardener

Image: Focus Features

China Film Archives. Thu 18. 

Based on John Le Carré's novel of the same name, The Constant Gardener is a story of intrigue, death and love. Ralph Fiennes is Justin Quayle, a British diplomat who is posted to Nairobi, so introducing his new wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an outspoken political activist, to the post-colonial world of cocktail parties and backroom deals. It’s a world that conflicts with her own world-view, and Justin becomes suspicious when his wife is found dead in a remote area of the country. What follows is part murder mystery, part political thriller, part examination of grief and love after the event. 

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Image: DreamWorks Pictures

China Film Archives. Fri 19. 

This 2006 psychological thriller tells the story of Jean-Baptitse Grenouille (Ben Winshaw), a young man in eighteenth-century France that will go to great, and deadly, lengths to find the perfect scent. Directed by Tom Tykwer, the film also stars Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Hurd-Wood. 

Sing Street

Image: Lionsgate

China Film Archives. Fri 19. 

Irish writer-director John Carney’s crowd-pleasing coming-of-age musical is a synth-drenched joy and a love letter to teenage bands. In mid-1980s Dublin, sensitive teenager Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is pulled out of private school by his broke parents and sent to a rough local Catholic school where he must dodge a skinhead bully. Conor’s stoner older brother (Jack Reynor, the soul of the film, which is dedicated to ‘brothers everywhere’) doles out bedroom advice about how to start a band. 'Rock ’n’ roll is a risk,' he says, firing up a Cure record, and Conor begins to seek fellow travellers.

The Party

Image: Picturehouse Entertainment

China Film Archives. Sat 20. 

Any party thrown by Kristin Scott Thomas is bound to be worth attending – and with guests including Timothy Spall, Patricia Clarkson and Cillian Murphy, this is one star-studded screen soirée. The Party uses a single setting to claustrophobic, dramatic advantage. The dialogue is bitterly funny, even while dealing with the darkest of subject matters, touching on politics, family, fidelity and sexuality while maintaining a breezy, comic tone. And amid the middle-class intellectual squabbling, there’s a palpable sense of tension and danger. It’s openly theatrical, but if it feels like a film of a play, it’s a play you really should see.

The Last Pig

Image: Argo Films

Camera Stylo. Sat 20. 
The Last Pig is a lyrical meditation on what it means to be a sentient creature with the power to kill. Deeply immersive, the film follows a pig farmer through his final year of raising pigs. Through sparse, intimate musings, the farmer reveals the growing conflict of a life spent 'peddling in death'. Through this personal journey, The Last Pig raises crucial questions about equality, the value of compassion and the sanctity of life. 

For more film news in Beijing, hit 'Read more'.

You might have missed

More from Time Out Beijing

Check out our latest issue