With this week’s update, this roundup of the best new movies coming to theaters in 2024 comes to an end. The year’s almost over! More importantly, there will be no major releases after December 25. However, four contenders on Christmas Day will attempt to stake out a place for themselves. We’d like to see Nosferatu do well, as it looks like a stylish horror film that’s well-suited to be counterprogramming for everything else. But the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, has Oscar bait written all over it. The other two Christmas options are the erotic thriller Babygirl and the sports drama The Fire Inside.
Before we get to the Christmas box office, we’ll have to see if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or Mufasa: The Lion King can put a dent in the one-two-three punch of Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator II this weekend. Right now, the early projections have Sonic 3 taking in $60 million this weekend, well ahead of everything else.
As predicted, Kraven the Hunter was another dismal failure from Sony, the studio behind Madame Web. But even The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim failed to live up to its brand, which suggests that the choice to make the film an animated movie actually kept more viewers away rather than attracting them.
Until 2025 rolls around, stay safe and enjoy the holidays at the movies!
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December 2024
Mufasa: The Lion King
Release date: December 20
It’s kind of hard to make a sequel to The Lion King; just ask Disney! The Lion King 2 went direct-to-video in 1998! However, one of the major characters introduced in that film, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), has a small role in this prequel film as she learns about her late grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre).
Before becoming the Pride Lands’ king, Mufasa was a young orphan taken in by the royal lions and embraced by his adoptive brother, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). We know from The Lion King that Mufasa was ultimately named king, and Taka became the vengeful Scar. This film will reveal how they had their falling out and why Mufasa surpassed his adoptive brother in the eyes of their parents.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Release date: December 20
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is introducing Keanu Reeves as the voice of Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) may have successfully welcomed Knuckles (Idris Elba) into their makeshift family, but Shadow is looking for revenge, and that trio is in his way.
Things are so desperate for Sonic and company that they actually turn to their old enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. Yet, Robotnik is connected to Shadow’s creation in a way that even he never suspected.
Babygirl
Release date: December 25
“This Christmas, get exactly what you want.” A24 is working overtime this year on alternative programming for Christmas movie lovers. And trust us, Babygirl is anything but a Christmas movie. Instead, this is an erotic thriller, which is a genre that Nicole Kidman has some experience in. This time, Kidman is taking the lead as Romy, a powerful CEO who has a husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas), two children, financial security, and more.
What Romy doesn’t have is sexual fulfillment, and that’s where her new intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), comes in. Samuel is a man three decades younger, but he is apparently more than willing to have a torrid affair with his boss. Will Romy allow her young employee to have the power in this relationship, or does she want the control all for herself? And what’s going to happen to her family and her company if the truth gets out?
A Complete Unknown
Release date: December 25
The early line on A Complete Unknown is that this film may be a player in the 2024 Oscar race. Director and co-writer James Mangold is taking a temporary break from making comic book adaptations and sci-fi films to dive into this Bob Dylan biopic, which features Dune‘s Timothée Chalamet as the iconic singer.
A very impressive cast surrounds Chalamet, including Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, and Scoot McNairy. The film explores an early period in Dylan’s life. If this movie lives up to its prerelease hype, Chalamet could even get an Oscar nomination for his performance.
Nosferatu
Release date: December 25
The 1922 silent film Nosferatu was essentially an off-brand Dracula, but it’s also one of the earliest horror movies. Over 100 years later, Nosferatu receives a fresh remake from director Robert Eggers. Bill Skarsgård steps into the role of the monstrous Count Orlok, and so far, the promotional team behind this film has successfully hidden what he’ll look like in full makeup.
In 2000, Willem Dafoe played a slightly different version of Count Orlok in Shadow of the Vampire. This time, Dafoe has a more heroic turn as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz. The professor is the only one who realizes what’s really happening when Orlok stalks a young woman, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), and intends to claim her as his own. Not even Ellen’s husband, Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), can stand in Orlok’s way once the vampire has set his mind on Ellen alone.
The Fire Inside
Release date: December 25
The Fire Inside is based on the true story of Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny), a young woman with ambitious dreams of becoming a boxer. Living in Flint, Michigan, isn’t easy for Claressa, but she finds hope under the tutelage of Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry). Challenges abound for Claressa, and escaping the orbit of her hometown is difficult. However, she has a real shot at greatness at the 2012 Olympics, and Claressa has never been one to back down from a fight or a challenge.
