4 February 2026 cinema releases: what to watch, depending on your mood
On Wednesday 4 February 2026, what will you go see? If you need to pick fast: Marsupilami for a group screening, On the Job for a sharp, uncompromising film, The President’s Cake for a political story that lingers in your mind.
Contents: Films | Series | Calendar | FAQ
February 4 Cinema Releases 2026
On the Job, Donzelli and declassing without romanticising it
On the Job is released this 4 February, directed by Valérie Donzelli, starring Bastien Bouillon, Virginie Ledoyen and André Marcon. Running time: 1h30. Distributor: Diaphana Distribution.
A renowned photographer walks away from everything to write, then slides into precarity. Donzelli films the fall without “poeticising” it. She focuses on social shame, loss of status, exhaustion, and those moments when talent no longer offers protection. A short, and therefore taut, film that favours the mechanics of reality over stylistic flourishes.
The film is adapted from the novel by Franck Courtès.
Marsupilami, a mainstream adventure comedy
Marsupilami ticks the “group screening” box for your Wednesday. Directed by Philippe Lacheau, with notably Jamel Debbouze, Tarek Boudali, Philippe Lacheau (and the “bande à Fifi”). Running time: 1h39. Distributor: Pathé Films.
To save his job, David agrees to a dodgy scheme: bringing back a mysterious parcel from South America. On board a cruise ship, everything goes off the rails when the parcel opens and a baby Marsupilami pops out. The film moves forward on the strength of its situations, with a very clear promise: laughs, adventure, controlled chaos.
Rental Family, vulnerability as raw material
A change of atmosphere with Rental Family by Hikari, led by Brendan Fraser.[1][2] Running time: 1h43. French distributor: The Walt Disney Company France.[1]
In Japan, agencies rent out “relatives” to play a role in people’s lives. An expatriate actor takes on these gigs, and the line between performance and genuine attachment begins to blur. This film aims for a bittersweet emotion, more “clear-eyed comfort” than straightforward feel-good.
The President’s Cake, a political fable at a child’s eye level
The President’s Cake, written and directed by Hasan Hadi. Running time: 1h43. Distributor: Tandem. Starring Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Rahim Alhaj.
In Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Lamia, 9 years old, has to bake a cake for the president’s birthday. The quest for ingredients, with her friend Saeed, becomes an ordeal. The device is simple, almost like a fairy tale, but it lets you feel fear, scarcity and propaganda without didactic speeches. A film that stays with you after the screening, because it makes you want to talk about it.
The Mastermind, Reichardt and the anti-spectacle
The Mastermind (written and directed by Kelly Reichardt). French release: 4 February 2026. Running time: 1h50. Distributor: Condor Distribution. Starring Josh O’Connor, Alana Haim, John Magaro.
Massachusetts, 1970. Mooney, a family man looking for a fresh start, turns to art trafficking and plans a heist. But the hardest part is not stealing; it is fencing the loot. Reichardt shifts the focus to the aftermath and the consequences, building tension through detail rather than spectacle.
Unfortunately, while the film is funny in its first half, you end up bored stiff in the second, despite Josh O’Connor’s excellent performance.
Series: what to start after the films
Sous le feu de Sonja, a tense social drama (ARTE)
Sous le feu de Sonja (Serbia, mini-series) is available on arte.tv from 6 February 2026 and announced until 5 February 2027. Created by Srdan Golubović and Ivan Knežević.[3] Starring Anita Ognjanović, Boris Isaković, Miodrag Dragičević, Dejan Cukić.[3]
Sonja, a prodigy in shooting, is aiming for Olympic selection. Her life is turned upside down when her older brother is threatened by a local mobster, and financial pressure and violence close in on the family. Key point: the series is adapted from the feature film “Absolute 100”.
Heated Rivalry, a series created by Jacob Tierney, from 6 February on HBO / Canal +
Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov are two professional ice hockey players who play for rival teams, the Montreal Metros and the Boston Raiders. Rivals on the ice, they begin a secret, no-strings relationship that grows more and more intimate over the years.
Calendar: what to note in the coming days
FIPADOC 2026 returns to Paris: 5 to 9 February, at L’Escurial and L’Arlequin.
Valérie Donzelli retrospective at the Cinémathèque française
Like the title of her first short film (It’s Sunny in the Most Beautiful City in the World), Valérie Donzelli’s radiant cinema comes to light up the Cinémathèque for a full week: as her new film, On the Job, hits theatres after being celebrated at the last Venice Film Festival, the programme looks back, in her presence, over the filmmaking career of someone who has also acted for Varda, Veysset, Bonello and Fillières.
If Queen of Hearts, a marvellous romantic fantasy, put her on the map as early as 2009, it was Declaration of War, a box-office triumph, that brought her to a wide audience in 2010.
Since then, Donzelli has been digging the furrow of a political, feminist cinema (Forever Young) that is also joyful, driven by the same life force, flashes of humour (Notre Dame) and a gentle melancholy.
Safdie Brothers retrospective: from 11 February at Reflet Médicis.
To coincide with the release of Marty Supreme (with screenings announced in 70 mm at L’Arlequin from 13 February), the programme brings back Lenny and the Kids (2009), Lenny Cooke (2013), Good Time and Smashing Machine.
On MUBI: Blossoms Shanghai, the series by Wong Kar-Wai, arrives on 26 February 2026.
Launch in three batches of 10 episodes (45 minutes), spaced four weeks apart, for a total of 30 episodes. Shanghai in the 1990s: the rise of Ah Bao, who becomes “Mr. Bao”, in a city in the midst of economic reform, until a new establishment, The Grand Lisbon, cracks the balance between success, memory and nostalgia.
Love Festival UGC: 7 to 14 February 2026.
Promise: 5 cult romances on the big screen and a hotly anticipated preview.
The announced selection: Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann), In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai), Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola), La La Land (Damien Chazelle), and Wuthering (directed by Emerald Fennell) with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
On ARTE: Papillon by Florence Miailhe, an animated painting short film, shortlisted for the Oscars. Available until 15/01/2027.
Watch on ARTE | Conversation with Florence Miailhe.
In the sea, a man swims. As he moves forward, memories rise to the surface. From early childhood to his adult life, all his memories are tied to water. Some are happy, others glorious, others traumatic. This story is that of his final swim. It will take us from concentration camps to the dream beaches of Réunion.
This film is inspired by the story of Alfred Nakache, one of the greatest French butterfly stroke champions. Crystal Bear, Berlinale 2024.
FAQ
Which film should I see on 4 February 2026 if I can only pick one? For a group screening: Marsupilami. For a film that stays with you: On the Job or The President’s Cake.
And which 4 February release should I see with the family?
Marsupilami: pace, gags, adventure, an easy-going screening.
Which series should I start in early February 2026?
Sous le feu de Sonja on ARTE from 6 February.
Coming soon
The Devil Wears Prada (2)
