As 2022 draws to a close and we begin to prepare for end-of-year holiday celebrations, it’s clear that the studios are looking to offer a little bit of everything for prospective moviegoers. With that in mind, we have a pretty healthy variety of noteworthy titles to choose from, and the top five of the month includes a certain sci-fi sequel, a cheeky action-comedy, a period drama set in old Hollywood, and a pair of serious dramas with mature themes. Read on for the most anticipated movies of December!
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
#1 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Release Date: December 16
Say what you will about the pop culture significance of James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi spectacle Avatar, but it’s clear that this 13-years-later sequel will be the movie to watch during the holiday season. Following up on the first film, The Way of Water catches up to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), now fully integrated into the Na’vi culture, as he strives to keep his family safe when new troubles arise on the distant planet of Pandora. With much of the film taking place in the planet’s oceans, the 3D promises to be spectacular, and if the film does well, Cameron has more installments ready to go.
Violent Night (2022)
#2 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Release Date: December 2
If blue aliens aren’t your thing, then maybe a bit of tongue-in-cheek action will do the trick. Stranger Things breakout star David Harbour stars in this holiday action-comedy as Santa Claus, who drops in on a wealthy family’s home as they are being held hostage by a bunch of fortune-seeking mercenaries and takes it upon himself to save the day. Just as Avatar came in first in all of our social media polls, Violent Night notched a unanimous second-place finish.
Babylon (2022)
#3 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (tied), #4 on YouTube
Release Date: December 23
The luster on writer-director Damien Chazelle’s early wunderkind status may have dimmed just a bit, and the early reactions to his latest film, Babylon, have been all over the place, but that doesn’t mean people don’t want to see it. The period Hollywood story takes place during the transition from the Silent Era to the talkies, and it stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, and Jean Smart, just to name a few.
The Whale (2022)
#3 on Twitter (tied) and YouTube, #4 on Instagram, #5 on Facebook
Release Date: December 9 (limited)
Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale has taken some flack for its controversial portrayal of obesity, but Brendan Fraser has earned all the accolades for his performance as the character in question. Fraser stars as a severely overweight teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink), and despite the film’s darker themes, fans are excited to see Fraser in a complex leading role, and it’s fair to expect some awards attention for him.
Emancipation (2022)
#4 on Facebook
Release Date: December 2 (limited), December 9 on Apple TV+
The first four films on this month’s list dominated most of our social media polls, leaving the remaining films to scramble for the fifth spot, and the one that emerged was this based-on-true-events drama. Will Smith stars as Peter, the escaped slave whose dramatic 1863 photo depicting the scars on his back from multiple whippings helped to invigorate the abolitionist movement. The film tells his story, chronicling his escape and his journey to reach the North. The film opens in theaters in limited release before hitting Apple TV+ a week later.
Thumbnail by ©20th Century Studios
