30 Must-Watch Movies Coming Out This Holiday Season
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The holidays are all about family and friends and gift-giving. But it's also worth getting excited about all the upcoming movies this time of year. As people start to go on holiday vacation and lounge around with their families, it's inevitable that they'll all be looking for something to watch, which means it's the perfect time to release a new movie. And while 2023 has already had some standout films like Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie, and Oppenheimer, there's still some time left to wow audiences and add some more entries to everyone's lists of best movies of the year.
From Thanksgiving all the way to New Year's, there's action, comedy, and yes, Hallmark movies that will keep you and your family excited to sit down in front of the TV. There's a wide range of films to choose from too, including family-friendly holiday films to gripping dramas to bloody slashers. Whatever you're into, there's still time to find a new favorite film. So get your streaming service of choice on hand, and prepare for
Not all of the listed movies are centered around the holidays–some simply have a release date that falls into the season. Still, they're notable enough that we still recommend you check them out in the midst of searching for your next holiday classic. There's potential Oscar contenders, star-studded dramas, and even horror films that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Holdovers
Paul Giamatti stars in this dramedy about a grouchy teacher who stays behind at a New England prep school to watch over the various kids unable to go home for the holidays.
Best. Christmas. Ever!
Heather Graham and Brandy star in this film about two friends who end up spending the holidays together. Despite their perceived closeness, one friend is determined to prove the other's life isn't as perfect as it seems.
Thanksgiving
Want a little horror for the holidays? Check out Eli Roth's Thanksgiving, where an axe murderer descends upon Black Friday shoppers in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
EXmas
Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell star in EXmas. It follows a guy who returns home for the holidays to find his family is already celebrating...with his ex.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
It may not be holiday-themed, but The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a gripping YA drama that'll keep you glued to your seat this holiday season. A prequel to the famed trilogy, this film details a much earlier version of the Hunger Games, tracking the rise of President Snow, who was back then only a determined teen.
Dashing Through the Snow
This Hulu original stars Lil Rel Howery and Ludacris. A social worker no longer believes in the magic of Christmas, so his wife convinces him to bring his daughter to work, where the two begin a magical adventure.
May December
Another non-holiday entry, May December is both interesting and heartbreaking. For an upcoming role, an actress decides to get to close to her subject: a teacher who seduced her student years ago and is now married to him with children.
Genie
Melissa McCarthy stars as a genie who helps a man to win his family life after his workaholic lifestyle drives them away.
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
Ted Lasso fans will enjoy this delightful musical special featuring Hannah Waddingham, who sings festive songs with the help of a live band.
The Velveteen Rabbit
Enjoy this childhood classic brought to the screen. The Velveteen Rabbit follows a boy who gets a stuffed rabbit for Christmas, and the toy desperately wants to become real.
Family Switch
Fans of Freaky Friday may like Family Switch, which stars Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms as parents who end up switched with their daughter and son, respectively, and must find a way back into their bodies before Christmas.
The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday
The animated film The Bad Guys has a holiday special this year. It serves as a prequel to the original film, and it's only 30 minutes, so it's the perfect distraction for your kids while you're wrapping those last-minute gifts.
It's a Wonderful Knife
Love It's a Wonderful Life, but want a bit more of an adult version? Try out It's a Wonderful Knife. The slasher follows a woman who saved her town from a psychotic killer the year before, but feels like her life has only gone downhill. When she wishes she'd never been born, however, things get very, very violent.
Silent Night
Silent Night follows a father out for revenge after he sees his son killed due to warring gangs. The film comes from director John Woo, who's well-known for his gripping and intense action films.
Candy Cane Lane
Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross and more star in this Christmas comedy about a father who accidentally signs a Faustian bargain with an evil elf. He has to recruit the rest of his family to save his life and the holiday season.
Rescuing Christmas
Two of Santa's elves are sent to grant a human three wishes. The human they grant wishes to however, is a woman who's lost all enthusiasm for the season. When she wishes Christmas didn't exist, though, she realizes she made a huge mistake.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever
This animated Christmas comedy follows Greg Heffley as he tries to stay good throughout the holiday season to get a new video game console. But inevitably, he ends up getting into serious trouble, and he and his friend Rowley have to work to keep it from Greg's family.
Merry Little Batman
Batman leaves Damian Wayne alone on Christmas Eve. With nothing to do, Damian transforms into "Little Batman" to keep his home and Gotham safe during the holidays.
The Boy and the Heron
Studio Ghibli fans will enjoy Hayao Miyazaki's newest film, The Boy and the Heron. Released in Japan to critical acclaim, the film's English dub features Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, Gemma Chan, and many, many more stars.
The Sacrifice Game
Two students staying at their boarding school for the holidays have their quiet break disrupted when a murderous gang arrives, intent on performing a dark ritual.
Poor Things
Maybe you're not in the mood for Christmas movies, and want to watch something more off-the-wall. Poor Things is a strange, magical comedy starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo. A mad scientist happens upon a brain dead pregnant woman and rather than putting her out of her misery, decides to place her baby's brain in her body, then raising her.
Round and Round
Stuck in a time loop, a woman enlists the guy her grandmother set her up with to stop reliving her parents' Hanukkah party.
Release Date: December 10, 2023
Yes Chef Christmas
Tia Mowry stars as a culinary school instructor who participates in an annual holiday cook-off under the guidance of an intense mentor.
Release Date: December 10th
Wonka
Timothée Chalamet stars in this musical adventure that serves as a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Chalamet plays a young Wonka amidst his journey to discovering the Oompa Loompas.
Release Date: December 15th
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
Zack Snyder directs a new space opera set to release on Netflix this holiday season. Star Wars fans should enjoy part one of what could be a new major franchise.
Release Date: December 15th
Anyone But You
It's not holiday-themed, but romantic comedies are such a reliable trope during the holiday movie season, Anyone But You could still enter the annual rotation. Starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, the film follows the two as they play a man and woman who get together to make their exes jealous.
Release Date: December 22
The Iron Claw
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson star in this indie drama charting the true story of a major wrestling family and the various tragedies that befall them.
Release Date: December 22nd
Ferrari
Adam Driver takes another crack at the historical biopic (after the decidedly camp film House of Gucci) and plays Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the Ferrari racing team and automobile brand.
Release Date: December 25th
The Color Purple
Fantasia stars in the movie-version of the Broadway musical adaptation of The Color Purple. The coming-of-age tale follows a young woman who is separated from her sister and must marry a cruel man, but always dreams of being reunited with her sibling.
Release Date: December 25th
The Boys in the Boat
Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton star in this George Clooney-directed biopic about the American rowing team that competed during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Release Date: December 25th
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