December Film Releases: A Mix of Festive and Frightening
December brings a wide array of film releases, ranging from holiday specials to horror films. This month offers something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a heartwarming Christmas special or an intense horror experience.
In Theaters
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
The sequel to the 2023 film is inspired by Scott Cawthon’s video games. Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Cawthon, this film follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson) as he searches for his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) after she visits an abandoned pizzeria. He must face the possessed animatronic characters that haunt the place.
Cast members include Elizabeth Lail, Freddy Carter, Theodus Crane, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, Skeet Ulrich, and Matthew Lillard. The film will be available in theaters on December 5.
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2004 Vol. 2 are combined into one four-hour cut called The Whole Bloody Affair. This version, which initially screened in 2006 and 2011, stars Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo, who seeks revenge on David Carradine’s Bill following his betrayal.
A preview released earlier this month mentions a “never-before-seen anime sequence” and states that the film is “the fourth film by Quentin Tarantino as it was meant to be seen.” Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, and Michael Parks also star.
Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris
Christina Aguilera performs a mix of holiday classics and career-defining hits in Paris for a holiday special playing in theaters on December 14 and 21. Between songs, the film drifts into dreamlike Parisian interludes where Christina contemplates love, motherhood, reinvention, and the artistry that has defined her journey.
She teased the release with her rendition of “My Favorite Things” performed with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Sense and Sensibility
The movie, starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, originally released in 1995, will play again in theaters on December 14, 16, and 17. Inspired by Jane Austen’s book, the film follows Thompson’s Elinor and Winslet’s Marianne as they try to find financial footing following their father’s death. Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and James Fleet also star.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The third sci-fi film set in the Pandora universe arrives in theaters on December 19. A trailer for the feature shows the Sully family fighting against rivals. Sam Worthington portrays Jake Sully, who fell in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) in the 2009 film after visiting Pandora.
The sequel, The Way of Water, arrived in 2022. Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Brendan Cowell, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans, Jr., and Kate Winslet also star. James Cameron directs.
The Housemaid
Paul Feig’s film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried hits theaters on December 19. Seyfried portrays Nina, a rich woman who hires Sweeney’s Millie to be a housemaid for her family. But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power.
Brandon Sklenar and Nichel Morrone also star.
Marty Supreme
Timothee Chalamet portrays a headstrong ping-pong player in Marty Supreme, which arrives in theaters on December 25. Gwyneth Paltrow plays a woman he was involved with who is unimpressed by “this little table tennis thing.”
Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher also star.
Streaming or Digital
Tron: Ares
The third film in the Tron franchise arrives on video-on-demand on December 2. The first film, Tron, arrived in 1982, while the second, Tron: Legacy, dropped in 2010. Director Joachim Ronning said, “I mean, all in all, it was important for me to take the Tron universe visually to the next level.”
The titular character, portrayed by Jared Leto, is a 3D printed program that wants to exist in the real world longer than the 29 minutes he is allotted. Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, and Jodie Turner-Smith also star in the feature.
With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration
The duchess of Sussex discusses her “seasonal tips and tricks” in a special edition of her show With Love, Meghan. Fans can watch Meghan Markle’s Holiday Celebration special on Netflix beginning December 3.
“Together, friends and family deck the halls, create holiday feasts, craft heartfelt gifts and share lots of laughs — and give you simple how-tos to follow at home,” an official description reads.
Christmas in Nashville
The country music special, hosted by Trisha Yearwood, will arrive on Peacock on December 4, following a December 3 premiere on NBC. Entertainers include Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, Lauren Alaina, Ne-Yo, The War and Treaty, and Trace Adkins.
Performances take place at Nashville’s Category 10. Yearwood’s hosting gig follows the release of her 16th studio album in July and her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in March.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
The eighth chapter in the Mission: Impossible film series arrives on Paramount+ on December 4, following its theater run, which began in May. The movie follows Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt as he tries to stop an AI program from instigating a world war, and is a sequel for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
Esai Morales, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Angela Bassett, Hannah Waddingham, Katy O’Brian, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Tramell Tillman, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Lucy Tulugarjuk Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, and Rolf Saxon also star.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson’s whodunit follows Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc as he sets out to solve “a perfectly impossible” case. Benoit previously solved mysteries in the 2019 feature Knives Out and the 2022 follow-up Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
This time, he is attempting to solve the murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Glenn Close, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Mila Kunis, and Josh O’Connor also star. Wake Up Dead Man will be available on Netflix on December 12.
Ricky Gervais: Mortality
The comedy special arrives on Netflix on December 30 as Gervais’ tour, which kicked off in 2024, winds down. “I think Mortality is my most honest and confessional show so far. I still can’t believe what a privilege it is to fly around the world making people laugh,” he previously said.
The Netflix show was filmed in the London Palladium and features the comedian discussing life and death.
