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Holiday Movie Calendar 2019

A month-by-month breakdown of the best holiday movies 2019 has to offer, from Frozen II and Star Wars to Little Women, Knives Out, Jumanji, Bombshell, and more!

Holidays technically happen all throughout the year, but what we know as “holiday movie season” has just begun, which means we’re about to get a whole lot of awards season hopefuls, big-budget blockbusters, and some combination of the two. But with all the free time likely coming your way in the next couple of months, we know it can be difficult to figure out where to spend your movie budget. With that in mind, we here at RT have put together a handy calendar of all the noteworthy films set to premiere in November and December, from family fare (Frozen II, Playmobil: The Movie) and blockbuster action (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Jumanji: The Next Level) to thoughtful drama (Waves, Bombshell, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), serious thrills (Knives Out, Black Christmas, Queen and Slim), and a few biopics (Ford v. Ferrari, Richard Jewell, Just Mercy). There’s a little something for everyone, so read on for the full list and good luck setting your moviegoing schedule!


Arctic Dogs (2019)
12%
In this animated adventure, Jeremy Renner provides the voice of an arctic fox named Swifty who dreams of becoming one of the arctic’s legendary couriers and unwittingly uncovers a plot for world domination by an evil walrus. More

Directed By: Aaron Woodley


Harriet (2019)
74%
Cynthia Erivo takes on the role of Harriet Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’ biopic of the American historical icon, who famously escaped from slavery, returned to rescue her family, and went on to save hundreds of slaves via the Underground Railroad. More

Directed By: Kasi Lemmons


The Terminator franchise gets a soft reboot as Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger return in a story that picks up after the events of T2: Judgment Day and follows a young revolutionary-to-be targeted by a future A.I. More

Directed By: Tim Miller


Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
64%
Edward Norton writes, directs, and stars in this adaptation of the eponymous novel about a private detective who uncovers a vast conspiracy as he investigates the murder of his mentor and closest friend. More

Directed By: Ed Norton


The Irishman (2019)
95%
Martin Scorsese’s epic crime drama about the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa brings Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel together for the first time. The film screens in theaters briefly before dropping on Netflix later in November. More

Directed By: Martin Scorsese


Doctor Sleep (2019)
78%
Based on the novel by Stephen King, this sequel to The Shining stars Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Danny Torrance, who helps a teenager take down a cult that preys upon others like them who have extrasensory abilities. More

Directed By: Mike Flanagan


Jojo Rabbit (2019)
80%
Taika Waititi writes, directs, and stars in this World War II satire about a Hitler Youth who learns his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic and must decide what to do with the help of his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. More

Directed By: Taika Waititi


Playing With Fire (2019)
23%
John Cena and Keegan-Michael Key star in this comedy about a firefighter who bonds with the three siblings he rescues from a wildfire as the search for their missing parents continues. More

Directed By: Andy Fickman


Last Christmas (2019)
46%
Need a little holiday uplift? You may get it from Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding in this romantic comedy about a self-destructive woman who learns to turn her life around with the help of a handsome stranger. More

Directed By: Paul Feig


Midway (2019)
42%
Roland Emmerich sets his sights on World War II in this historical action film that recounts the events of the famed Battle of Midway, the naval confrontation between the US and Japan that helped turn the tide of the war. More

Directed By: Roland Emmerich


Better Days (2019)
97%
This dramatic thriller — censored in its native China — centers on a bullied high school student preparing for her university entrance exams who falls in with a petty criminal and becomes wrapped up in a murder investigation. More

Directed By: Derek Tsang


Honey Boy (2019)
95%
Shia LaBeouf makes his writing debut in this semi-autobiographical film about a young actor who struggles to come to terms with his tumultuous relationship with his demanding father, the latter played by LaBeouf himself. More

Directed By: Alma Har'el


Ford v Ferrari (2019)
92%
Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in this based-on-true-events drama about Ford’s efforts to put together a racing team that would take down Ferrari in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1966. More

Directed By: James Mangold


The Good Liar (2019)
64%
Legendary actors Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen star together for the first time in this thriller about a con man whose lies catch up to him when he sets out to bamboozle a wealthy widow. More

Directed By: Bill Condon


Charlie's Angels (2019)
52%
Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska star in Elizabeth Banks’ new take on the female spy trio that began as a TV series in the 1970s and spawned a pair of successful films in the early 2000s. More

Directed By: Elizabeth Banks


Waves (2019)
84%
Director Trey Edward Shults’ latest drama revolves around the lives of a Black suburban Florida family, seemingly normal at first, who undergo dramatic changes as life throws unexpected challenges at them. More

Directed By: Trey Edward Shults


Frozen II (2019)
77%
In this follow-up to the wildly popular Disney animated film, Elsa (Idina Menzel) embarks on an adventure with Anna (Kristen Bell) and their friends to discover the source of a mysterious voice emanating from a forbidden land. More

Directed By: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee


Tom Hanks portrays the beloved children’s television icon Fred Rogers in this drama about the relationship he forged with cynical journalist Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys), who was won over by Rogers’ charm and good nature. More

Directed By: Marielle Heller


21 Bridges (2019)
54%
Chadwick Boseman stars in this action thriller about an NYPD detective on the hunt for a pair of cop killers who stumbles onto a massive conspiracy as all 21 bridges to Manhattan are closed to prevent escape. More

Directed By: Brian Kirk


Dark Waters (2019)
89%
The latest from Todd Haynes stars Anne Hathaway and Mark Ruffalo in a drama based on true events about an attorney who discovers a link between a powerful corporation and a string of mysterious deaths. More

Directed By: Todd Haynes


Knives Out (2019)
97%
Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Chris Evans lead an impressive ensemble cast in Rian Johnson’s murder mystery about a detective looking into the murder of a wealthy patriarch on his 85th birthday. More

Directed By: Rian Johnson


Queen & Slim (2019)
82%
In this modern twist on Bonnie and Clyde, Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith play a couple on a first date who flee the scene of an officer-involved shooting and become unwitting media celebrities. More

Directed By: Melina Matsoukas


Based on the popular German toy line, this animated film features the voices of Anya Taylor-Joy and Daniel Radcliffe in an adventure about a young woman who travels to a magical land to rescue her missing brother. More

Directed By: Lino DiSalvo


Little Joe (2019)
67%
Emily Beecham and Ben Whishaw star in this sci-fi thriller about a scientist who develops a unique, therapeutic species of flower and discovers its sinister side effects when she takes one home to her teenage son. More

Directed By: Jessica Hausner


The Aeronauts (2019)
72%
The Theory of Everything co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones reunite for this historical drama about the scientists who undertook groundbreaking experimental gas balloon flights in the mid-1800s. More

Directed By: Tom Harper


Acclaimed French screenwriter Céline Sciamma’s sophomore directorial effort is a romantic drama about an artist commissioned to secretly paint the portrait of an unwilling young bride-to-be. More

Directed By: Céline Sciamma


Black Christmas (2019)
40%
Imogen Poots stars in Sophia Takal and April Wolfe’s remake of the slasher classic, in which a group of sorority girls is terrorized by an unseen killer and decides to fight back. More

Directed By: Sophia Takal


Richard Jewell (2019)
77%
Clint Eastwood’s latest drama revolves around the titular security guard who discovered a bomb at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics but subsequently became the FBI’s lead suspect and suffered public vilification in the press. More

Directed By: Clint Eastwood


Danny DeVito and Danny Glover join the fun as Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan return for a second round as the avatars in a magic video game that sucks victims in for an action-packed adventure. More

Directed By: Jake Kasdan


Bombshell (2019)
68%
Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie star as Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson, and the fictional Kayla Pospisil in Jay Roach’s depiction of the scandal that brought down Fox News chief Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). More

Directed By: Jay Roach


Uncut Gems (2019)
91%
The Safdie brothers’ latest drama, about a New York City jeweler who finds himself deep in debt in pursuit of a big score, might just be the movie that makes Adam Sandler an Oscar-winner. More

Directed By: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie


A Hidden Life (2019)
82%
Acclaimed director Terrence Malick’s latest drama stars August Diehl as Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who was imprisoned in World War II when he refused to fight for the Nazis. More

Directed By: Terrence Malick


Cats (2019)
19%
Director Tom Hooper brings the second big-screen adaptation of the long-running stage musical, enlisting the talents of Taylor Swift, James Corden, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, and more. More

Directed By: Tom Hooper


The final chapter of the Skywalker Saga picks up a year after the events of The Last Jedi, as the Resistance takes a final stand against the First Order, and Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) come to terms with their destinies. More

Directed By: J.J. Abrams


Spies in Disguise (2019)
77%
Tom Holland and Will Smith provide the voices in this animated film about a super spy who is accidentally turned into a pigeon by his scientist sidekick but uses the mishap to his advantage on a dangerous mission. More

Directed By: Troy Quane, Nick Bruno


Little Women (2019)
95%
Greta Gerwig breathes new life into Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel with the help of an all-star cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. More

Directed By: Greta Gerwig


Just Mercy (2019)
85%
Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx star in this true story about young, Harvard-educated attorney Bryan Stevenson and his fight to exonerate Walter McMillian, who was sentenced to death in 1987 for a murder he didn’t commit. More

Directed By: Destin Daniel Cretton


1917 (2019)
88%
Working from a story told to him by his grandfather, Sam Mendes directs this World War I film about two British soldiers who undertake a perilous mission to prevent the deaths of hundreds of their fellow soldiers. More

Directed By: Sam Mendes


Clemency (2019)
92%
Alfre Woodard is generating Oscar buzz for her performance here as a prison warden in charge of inmate executions who struggles with the psychological and emotional toll her job has taken over several years. More

Directed By: Chinonye Chukwu