After over a month since our local cinemas were forced to cease operations (again) on 13 January 2021 due to you-know-what, our government has finally given them the green light to resume business. With strict SOPs, that is. So, if you have been dying to enjoy movies on the big screen, here are the 8 Upcoming March Movies To Watch In Cinemas!
1) Raya And The Last Dragon (March 5)
With Disney+ still remaining officially unavailable in Malaysia, there’s no other way to legally stream this highly-anticipated animated movie. Unless of course, ahem… But thankfully, you don’t have to worry about that since you can now catch it on the big screen this March 5th. There are a few reasons to get excited about “Raya and the Last Dragon”, namely the introduction of a new kick-a** titular female warrior voiced by Kelly Marie Tran. The animated movie also highlights the distinctly Southeast Asian culture with a predominantly Asian-American voice cast (among others are Awkwafina as Sisu the dragon and Gemma Chan as Raya’s enemy, Namaari). And of course, there’s something to be proud of here, as our very own Malaysian-born Adele Lim happens to be one of the screenwriters for “Raya and the Last Dragon”!
2) Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train (March 5)
Here’s the Japanese anime that everyone has been talking about. Well, at least for the die-hard fans of the “Demon Slayer” anime series. “Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train” previously had an exclusive fan screening in selected GSC cinemas back in early January this year. Even though it cost a whopping RM150 (each ticket comes with a “Demon Slayer” graphic tee, posters, folder and can badges), many fans still turned out in droves. The animated feature was already a big hit in many countries, notably Japan where it famously overtook “Spirited Away” (2001) to become the highest-grossing film in its native country.
3) Stand By Me Doraemon 2 (March 5)
Not into “Demon Slayer”? Here’s another highly-anticipated Japanese anime worth looking forward to: “Stand By Me Doraemon 2”, which will arrive this week as well. A sequel to the 2014 film, it retains the same 3D animation as previously seen in the original. Fans get to see the return of their beloved characters on the big screen, with the sequel offering a mix of endearing adventure and coming-of-age dramedy all rolled into one.
4) Endgame (March 5)
If it wasn’t for the (dreaded) MCO 2.0, we would have managed to catch Andy Lau on the big screen during the Chinese New Year season. Anyway, his latest movie finally arrives this week — a comedy-thriller about a hitman (Andy Lau’s Zhou Quan) and a jobless actor (Xiao Yang’s Chen Xiaomeng) swapping identities following a freak accident. “Endgame” happens to be the third remake, which started out as a 2012 Japanese comedy titled “Key Of Life” followed by the 2016 South Korean version, “Luck Key”.
5) Detective Chinatown 3 (March 11)
Here’s another high-profile Chinese movie that was supposed to make it during the Chinese New Year season. The third “Detective Chinatown” movie already broke the box-office weekend record in China during the first 3 days, proving that fans and audiences alike can’t get enough of madcap hijinks of Tang Ren (Wang Baoqiang) and Qin Feng (Liu Haoran). This time, “Detective Chinatown 3” sees the two detectives investigating a case in Tokyo. Wacky moments ensue and the movie threw in Tony Jaa for good measure, with the latter offering some exciting martial arts sequences.
6) Monster Hunter (March 11)
After spearheading the long-running “Resident Evil” movie franchise, director Paul W.S. Anderson reunited with his wife Milla Jovovich for another big-screen Capcom adaptation. Based on the popular video game series of the same name, “Monster Hunter” features Jovovich as Lt. Artemis and her soldiers (among them includes Tony Jaa) trapped in an unknown world filled with giant monsters.
7) The Con-Heartist (March 11)
Give the fact this is the same production company (GDH) that gave us crowd-pleasing hits including “Bad Genius” and “Happy Old Year”, one can expect “The Con-Heartist” to be a must-see for fans of Thai movies. Mixing over-the-top Hong Kong-style comedy with twisty caper storytelling, “The Con-Heartist” also features a good-looking cast including Pimchanok Leuwisetpaiboon and Nadech Kugimiya.
8) Godzilla vs. Kong (March 25)
Of all the confirmed March releases since the reopening of our local cinemas, this has to be the epic movie event (most) people are waiting for. After introducing Godzilla and Kong in their separate individual movies under Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse shared their universe, and we finally get to watch the two giant titans battling against each other on the big screen! “Godzilla vs. Kong” also features Millie Bobby Brown reprising her role as Madison Russell from 2019’s “Godzilla: King Of The Monsters”.
