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The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of December

This month's top picks include a couple of decidedly non-Christmasy Christmas Day releases, a stylized new entry in the Lord of the Rings universe, and a pair of high-profile family flicks.

by | December 2, 2024 | Comments

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The holiday movie season is in full effect, and we’ve got a healthy smattering of high-profile tentpoles, festival darlings, notable streaming choices, and four-quadrant fare. There’s lots to see in theaters this month, but the top choice according to Rotten Tomatoes users is a decidedly non-family-friendly horror film. See below for the five most anticipated movies of December!


No. 1

Release Date: December 25, 2024

Talk about counter-programming. Robert Eggers’ latest visually sumptuous, meticulously detailed period film is a fresh new take on a classic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula story, first introduced on the big screen as F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu and later reimagined by Werner Herzog in 1979. The film has earned rave reviews so far, and Eggers is one of this generation’s most intriguing directors, so it’s not surprising to see it rise to the top of this list, even if its Christmas Day release is something of an eyebrow-raiser.


No. 2

Release Date: December 20, 2024

Next up, we have something a bit more appropriate for the holiday season, in that it’s a bright, bubbly family film. Video game adaptations have enjoyed unprecedented success in the past several years — so much so that we may need to rethink the traditional idea that they’re guilty until proven innocent — and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has been at the forefront of that movement. Its third entry sees Ben Schwartz reprising his voice role as the titular hero, alongside James Marsden as human pal Tom Wachowski, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, and Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, but they’ve also added Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog. That’s solid popcorn entertainment, which is what folks like to see this time of year.


No. 3

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Based on the somewhat muted reception we’ve seen to promotional materials for this anime-fied Lord of the Rings adventure, we were a bit surprised to see it rise above some of the other higher-profile titles to take third in this month’s poll, but here we are. The War of the Rohirrim takes place 183 years prior to Peter Jackson’s LotR trilogy and focuses on Helm Hammerhand — yes, he of Helm’s Deep — and his efforts to defend his home of Rohan from invaders. It’s definitely interesting to see Lord of the Rings through the lens of anime, so fans are understandably intrigued.


No. 4

Release Date: December 20, 2024

Disney hasn’t had the greatest track record when it comes to the live-action remakes of their animated classics — and in the case of The Lion King, “live action” may admittedly be a stretch — but this isn’t exactly that. Instead, we have a never-before-told prequel story about the life of Simba’s father, Mufasa, albeit framed in the context of a sequel, since it begins with Rafiki the mandrill telling the story to Simba’s daughter. It’s helmed by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins and features the voices of Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka, who eventually becomes Scar), and returning actors Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Will it inspire the same magic as the 1994 animated film (or outperform its “live-action” counterpart)? We’ll have to wait and see.


No. 5

Release Date: December 25, 2024

Finally, rounding out the top five picks of the month, we have a rather unlikely selection in Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller, which earned terrific reviews out of its Toronto International Film Festival premiere back in September. Nicole Kidman stars as a powerful CEO who engages in a dangerous affair with a much younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson. Critics have said the pair sizzle on screen together, and the story is more thoughtful than your run-of-the-mill erotic thriller. This is Reijn’s follow-up to the well-received slasher flick Bodies Bodies Bodies, so expectations are high.


Thumbnail images by ©Focus Features

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