LONDON – Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law and a handful of animated chipmunks are among the names on a talent list the trade body the Film Distributors’ Association hopes will provide its membership with healthy box office and bolster movie-going in the U.K. in the fall.

Launching the autumn line-up from its 22-company strong membership, the FDA said upcoming roster highlights include Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 with Pattinson and Stewart, Guy Ritchie’s second Sherlock Holmes adventure, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with Downey Jr. and Law as Holmes and Watson, respectively and the return to the big screen of the third Chipmunks film in the popular children’s franchise, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

Titles for kids feature strongly in the fall distribution roll call – the FDA’s membership includes all the studio’s overseas releasing arms – with school half-term, Halloween and the start of the Christmas holiday season approaching.

George Miller’s Happy Feet Two is touted as being a potential biggie with a voice cast Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Pink, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon for the parents to spot.

And there’s also Arthur Christmas from Aardman Animation featuring a who’s who of British talent including James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent and Ashley Jensen.




For the older audience, the FDA said British films should play a part in bolstering box office numbers in the coming weeks.

Upcoming releases including My Week with Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh alongside Emma Watson and Judi Dench and Perfect Sense directed by David Mackenzie, pairing Ewan McGregor and Eva Green in the lead roles.

The FDA said between October and the end of December, so far 125 releases are scheduled with 40 million cinema visits anticipated.

The top three films this year so far are British – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The King’s Speech and The Inbetweeners – while box-office receipts to date are running 4% ahead of 2010.

FDA president David Puttnam described the list of upcoming releases as “deliciously eclectic” declaring himself “optimistic that 2011 will prove to be an incredibly buoyant year for cinema going.”

Source