As 2022 comes to a close the Storyhouse Cinema Team reflects back on the last 12 months, revealing Your Top 10 Films (as ranked by attendance figures) as well as celebrating their Top Film Picks from this year’s incredible programme.
Check out the list below and sound off on social media with your own favourite films of 2022!
Let’s begin the countdown of features that had Chester audiences flocking to the cinema for this year:
#10 The Duke
Starring Jim Broadbent and Dame Helen Mirren, The Duke is a well-acted and exciting dramatisation of an entertainingly improbable true story. The film was a sweet swan song from Notting Hill director Roger Michell.
#9 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Director Rian Johnson has dunnit it again!
In cinemas for just one week only, the all-star follow up to 2019’s Knives Out was riotously good fun. Audiences enjoyed a series of puzzles of their own – as provided by the Storyhouse Cinema Team – before embarking on the latest triumphant murder-mystery with Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc.
#8 The Banshees of Inisherin
Perhaps the most unique films of the year. Writer-director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) reunited with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for a instantly classic, and darkly humorous tale of bitter friendship and toxic masculinity upon a fictional island off the coast of Ireland.
#7 Living
Writer Kazuo Ishiguro’s British adaptation of the Japanese classic Ikiru was an all-round winner this Autumn. Screen favourite Bill Nighy gave an exceptional performance in a story that taught us it’s never too late to enjoy life.
#6 Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris
Perhaps the cosiest film of the year, the big screen adaptation of Paul Gallico’s novel was a delight for library lovers and film fans alike. Lesley Manville was luminous in this ‘Paddington-eqsue’ feel-good story. Pure joy!
#5 Downton Abbey: A New Era
We returned to Downton Abbey once more this Spring as audiences were cordially invited to the latest big screen story, with a unique offering of delicious lunch-time treats served up by The Kitchen at Storyhouse.
#4 Top Gun: Maverick
No 2022 list would be complete without Tom Cruise’s nostalgic summer blockbuster! Cinema goers held on tight as the long-belated sequel thrilled with hyper-sonic speeds. A perfect follow up that took to daring new heights, and was widely hailed as greater than it’s beloved predecessor.
#3 Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Singing, dancing, and revolting straight to the top rankings of this year’s list. With a Christmas holiday release, this lively adaptation of the stage musical and classic children’s storybook has proven to be a massive hit with kids big and small.
#2 Elvis
If there’s one thing true about the summer of 2022 it’s that audiences couldn’t help falling in love with Baz Luhrman’s electrifying bio-pic of the King of the Rock and Roll. Austin Butler delivered the performance of a lifetime in this epic dramatisation of Elvis Presley and his manager Colonel Tom Parker, as played by Tom Hanks.
#1 Belfast
Kenneth Branagh’s critically acclaimed film was the talk of Awards season. A warm, semi-autobiographical tale of growing up during ‘The Troubles’ in late 1960’s, presented with an eye for child-like wonder and optimism. The cinema team celebrated the release in style too, with a selection of classic pick n’ mix sweets, and traditional Northern Irish cake – the film was just that sweet!
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