“Hamnet”
Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s novel as a mother-son tragedy and the origin story of “Hamlet,” centering Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and her playwright husband William (Paul Mescal) as love and grief reshape a family in plague-era Stratford. Co-written by Zhao and O’Farrell, the film features Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, David Wilmot, and Jack Shalloo, with Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet; shot by Łukasz Żal with an original score by Max Richter, it frames the private heartbreak that seeded a “great work” into something intimate and aching.
Release Date: November 27 (limited); December 12 (wide) via Focus Features.
Honorable Mentions:
“Nuremberg” (November 7, Sony Pictures Classics — Rami Malek, Russell Crowe); “I Wish You All the Best” (November 7, Lionsgate — Corey Fogelmanis, Alexandra Daddario); “In Your Dreams” (November 14, Netflix — voices: Simu Liu, Craig Robinson); “Trap House” (November 14, Aura Entertainment — Dave Bautista, Sophia Lillis); “Arco” (November 14, NEON); “A Merry Little Ex-Mas” (November 12, Netflix — Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson); “Sisu: Road to Revenge” (November 21, Screen Gems — Jorma Tommila).
DECEMBER
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
Emma Tammi returns to the director’s chair for the sequel to Blumhouse’s 2023 hit: Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and Abby (Piper Rubio) are drawn back into Fazbear’s orbit as new animatronics and an all-new pizzeria setting escalate the threat; Matthew Lillard reprises the sinister William Afton, with Elizabeth Lail, Mckenna Grace, Skeet Ulrich, Wayne Knight, and Teo Briones among the ensemble.
Release Date: December 5 via Universal Pictures.
“100 Nights of Hero”
Writer-director Julia Jackman adapts Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel into a witty, medieval-set romance-fantasy: when a neglectful husband makes a secret wager to test his wife’s fidelity, Cherry (Maika Monroe) and her sharp-witted maid, Hero (Emma Corrin), must outmaneuver the dangerously seductive visitor Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) across a tapestry of stories and schemes. Fresh off closing night at Venice Critics’ Week, the film threads fable, desire, and female solidarity, with Charli XCX, Richard E. Grant, Felicity Jones, and Amir El-Masry rounding out the ensemble.
Release Date: December 5 via Independent Film Company.
“Dust Bunny”
“Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller’s feature debut is a grim modern fairy tale about a 10-year-old who hires her mysterious neighbor to kill the “monster under the bed” she believes devoured her family—only to uncover predators of a more human kind. Mads Mikkelsen, Sigourney Weaver, and David Dastmalchian headline, with Nicole Hirsch Whitaker shooting and Lisa Lassek editing.
Release Date: December 5 via Roadside Attractions.
“Ella McCay”
James L. Brooks returns with a political dramedy about an idealistic young deputy (Emma Mackey) juggling messy family dynamics while preparing to take the reins from her mentor, a longtime governor. Brooks writes and directs, reuniting with longtime collaborators, as Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Jack Lowden, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, and Spike Fearn fill out the ensemble.
Release Date: December 12 via 20th Century Studios.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”
Rian Johnson’s third Benoit Blanc outing sends Daniel Craig back into a star-packed whodunit with undertones darker than the previous cases; plot specifics are under wraps, but a high-society circle fractures around a death that demands Blanc’s prickly attention. The ensemble includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
Release Date: December 12 on Netflix (select theaters in November).
“Is This Thing On?”
Bradley Cooper directs and co-stars in a midlife comedy-drama about a husband and wife whose marriage starts to fray in the shadow of career pressures and looming reinvention. Will Arnett leads an ensemble that features Laura Dern, Andra Day, Sean Hayes, Amy Sedaris, and Ciarán Hinds in an intimate holiday counterprogrammer that will premiere at NYFF.
Release Date: December 19 via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
James Cameron’s third Pandora chapter broadens the saga to the Na’vi and new volcanic biomes while continuing the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri’s clan. Returning cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, and Stephen Lang; Wētā’s performance-capture spectacle once again anchors production.
Release Date: December 19 via 20th Century Studios.
“The Plague”
Writer-director Charlie Polinger’s psychological thriller follows a tight-knit boys’ sports camp where team dynamics curdle into coercion and paranoia over a single long, ominous night. Joel Edgerton leads a cast of breakout newcomers in a chilly, contained descent that expands nationwide in the new year.
Release Date: December 24 (limited) via IFC Films.
“The Housemaid”
Paul Feig adapts Freida McFadden’s bestseller into a slick domestic noir: a desperate young woman (Sydney Sweeney) takes a live-in job with an affluent couple (Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar) and discovers the household runs on secrets and manipulation. Michele Morrone co-stars; Rebecca Sonnenshine wrote the script.
Release Date: December 25 via Lionsgate.
“Anaconda”
Director Tom Gormican reboots the ’97 creature classic as a modern survival-comedy: midlife friends (Paul Rudd, Jack Black) stumble into a jungle nightmare that turns their existential funk into a fight-or-flight farce. The ensemble includes Daniela Melchior, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, and Ione Skye.
Release Date: December 25 via Sony Pictures Releasing.
“Marty Supreme”
Josh Safdie’s sports adventure comedy-drama riffs on the legend of ping-pong hustler Marty Reisman, with Timothée Chalamet leading a left-field, New York-brash odyssey of showmanship and obsession. Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher co-star; shot by Darius Khondji with music by Daniel Lopatin.
Release Date: December 25 via A24.
“Song Sung Blue”
Craig Brewer’s musical dramedy pairs Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as a Milwaukee couple who salvage their lives and marriage by forming a Neil Diamond tribute act—small gigs, big feelings, and a shot at joy. Michael Imperioli and Fisher Stevens co-star.
Release Date: December 25 via Focus Features.
Honorable Mention:
“Troll 2” (December 1, Netflix — Ine Marie Wilmann); “My Secret Santa” (December 3, Netflix — Alexandra Breckenridge, Ryan Eggold); “Oh. What. Fun.” (December 3, Prime Video — Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones); “Silent Night, Deadly Night” (December 12, Iconic Events — director Mike P. Nelson); “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” (December 19, Paramount Pictures); “Zero A. D.” (December 19, Angel Studios).
Sure, there are some TBD titles from the fall film festival circuit that could be breakouts and land on this calendar somewhere, but this is more than enough. Plus, unless you have total gold in your hand, you’d be crazy to throw a new title into this crowded mix. Bonne chance and happy movie-going this fall.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
