(This article first appeared in the December print edition of the Hendersonian.)
While November initially relied on the holdover power of Venom: The Last Dance to get through most of the month, the trifecta of Wicked: Part I, Gladiator II, and Moana 2 created a record-breaking Thanksgiving holiday frame. High-profile releases this December hope to continue that momentum, with close to 50 motion pictures finding their way onto screens across the country. Many of the films will be released in limited theaters for Oscar-qualifying runs (including the Colson Whitehead adaptation Nickle Boys, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, and the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown starring Timothée Chalamet) and may not find their way to our area until January 2025. If you need a break from all the holiday hustle and bustle, here are a few noteworthy titles to keep an eye out for this month at your favorite AMC Theaters or Showplace Cinemas location, and always remember to check the showtimes before you leave the holiday office party.
Y2K (December 6) – Not quite in the holiday spirit yet? If that’s the case, give Saturday Night Live alum Kyle Mooney’s latest directorial effort a chance. Mooney also co-wrote this comedy/horror/sci-fi movie about two high school nobodies (Stranger Thing’s Jaeden Martell and Deadpool 2’s Julian Dennison) who crash a New Year’s Eve party in 1999, only to find themselves in one crazy situation after another as the clock strikes midnight.
Kraven the Hunter (December 13) – Now on its fourth release date, this Sony/Marvel collaboration hopes to build off the success of Venom: The Last Dance and not the 2024 Sony/Marvel misfire, Madame Web. The story focuses on the complex relationship between Kraven the Hunter (Aaron-Taylor Johnson) and his father (Russell Crowe) as Kraven looks to become the greatest and most feared hunter in the world. Veteran independent director J.C. Shandor (Triple Frontier, A Most Violent Year) brings this Marvel comic to the screen, with Fred Hechinger (Gladiator II), Ariana DuBose (West Side Story), and Christopher Abbott (It Comes at Night, Possessor) co-starring.
September 5 (Limited: December 13; Wide: January 17) – After receiving high praise at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals, Paramount is hoping to turn that critical reception into awards season nominations for this highly anticipated film by Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum. The feature follows the events of the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis from the perspective of the American sports broadcasters who covered the fate of the Israeli hostages. Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman, Blue Jasmine) stars, with John Magaro (Past Lives, The Big Short) and Ben Chaplin (Snowden, The Thin Red Line) rounding out the cast.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (December 13) – Giving animation legend Ralph Bakshi (The Lord of the Rings animated version from 1978) a run for his money, veteran anime director Kenji Kamiyama (the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series) takes audiences back into Middle-earth, sans Bilbo and Frodo. This time around, the King of Rohan (voiced by Succession’s Brian Cox) must defend his people against Wulf (voiced by Snowpiercer’s Luke Pasqualino), a cunning advisory bent on revenge. The installment was co-written and produced by LOTR veteran Philippa Boyens. Again, this is an animated feature film.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (December 20) – Donut Lords and Chili Dog aficionados rejoice! The whole gang of voice actors (Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails) are back, as are their live-action counterparts James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Shemar Moore, and Jim Carrey. In this installment, Team Sonic must band together to fight the mysterious villain, Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves). Director Jeff Fowler returns to the helm of this successful franchise.
Mufasa: The Lion King (December 20) – Boasting a stellar voice cast that includes Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Mads Mikkelsen, Keith David, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., and Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, this origin story traces the roots of how the orphaned Mufasa becomes The Lion King with the help of a band of misfit animals. Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directs this animated adventure.Nosferatu (December 25) – Premiering a century after F.W. Murnau’s original Symphony of Horror, and 45 years after Werner Herzog’s version staring the iconic Klaus Kinski, writer/director Robert Eggers (The Northman, The Lighthouse, The Witch), reimagines this tale about a terrifying vampire who becomes obsessed with and haunts a young woman. The film stars Bill Skarsgård (It, John Wick 4) as the dreaded Count Orlok/Nosferatu, Lily-Rose Depp (The King, Yoga Hosers) as Ellen and co-stars Emma Corrin (Deadpool & Wolverine), Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, Warm Bodies), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter), and Eggers’ regulars Ralph Ineson (The Witch) and Willem Dafoe. In a daring feat of counterprogramming, Focus Features is taking a chance on audiences being burned out on Hallmark Channel Christmas movies by this point in the month.
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Henderson resident McManus Woodend is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media at the University of Southern Indiana and has worked in film, television and commercials for more than 20 years. To see some of his work, visit www.mcmanuswoodend.com.
