- Play Hard
- 10th Dec 2025
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What we’re watching in December – and yes, these are Christmas film alternatives…
It looks like we’re ending 2025 with a bang.
December brings some of the biggest releases of the year: the long-awaited return to Pandora with Avatar: Fire and Ash, the next case for super sleuth Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and, on Boxing Day, psychological thriller The Housemaid, based on Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel…
Honourable Mention
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – Limited Cinema Release, or Netflix on 7th December
Wake Up Dead Man is the highly anticipated third film in the Knives Out series and follows renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he tackles a new case involving a charismatic priest and his devout congregation. When a mysterious death occurs, Blanc must navigate a web of secrets and simmering tensions within the community to uncover the truth. The film features an extraordinary cast alongside Craig, including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Cailee Spaeny, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis and Andrew Scott. Expect a mystery that keeps you guessing right to the end — a clever, fresh reinvention of the classic whodunnit.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – out 5th December
Following the success of the 2023 film, the next chapter of animatronic terror begins. Former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) have been hiding the truth about the animatronic characters from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). When Abby sneaks out to reconnect with her old animatronic “friends,” it sparks a terrifying chain of events – revealing dark secrets about Freddy’s origins and unleashing a long-forgotten horror.
Eternity – out 5th December
In an afterlife where souls have one week to choose where they’ll spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) faces an impossible decision: remain with the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller), or reunite with her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her arrival.
Ella McKay – out 12th December
Emma Mackey stars as an idealistic young woman juggling family and work while preparing to take over the job of her mentor in this political comedy-drama from James L. Brooks (As Good as It Gets). Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani and Woody Harrelson round out the cast in this story about the people you love – and how to survive them.
The Shining (45th Anniversary) – out 12th December
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes the winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel, moving in with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd). But a sinister presence soon drives Jack toward violence, while Danny’s psychic abilities reveal terrifying visions from the hotel’s past, and future. Based on Stephen King’s novel and directed by Stanley Kubrick, this iconic psychological horror returns to the big screen for its 45th anniversary.
Avatar: Fire & Ash – out 19th December
James Cameron returns with the third film in the Avatar saga. In the aftermath of the devastating war with the RDA — and the loss of their eldest son — Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña) face a new enemy: the Ash People, a fierce and power-hungry Na’vi tribe led by the ruthless Varang. With their family and Pandora’s future at stake, the battle pushes them to their emotional and physical limits.
Anaconda – out 25th December
Best friends Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have spent their lives dreaming of remaking their favourite “classic”: Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally do it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But when a real giant anaconda shows up, their chaotic movie set becomes a deadly fight for survival. The film they’re dying to make? It might just kill them…
The Housemaid – out 26th December
Based on Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel, The Housemaid follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), who takes a job as a live-in housemaid for wealthy couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) in an attempt to escape her troubled past. What begins as a dream opportunity quickly twists into something far more dangerous – a seductive, unsettling game of secrets, scandal and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking turns that will keep you guessing right until the end.
Marty Supreme – out 26th December
After impressing audiences with his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet steps back in time once more – this time as table-tennis prodigy Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme. Set in 1950s New York and directed by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems), the film follows Marty, a young man with a dream no one takes seriously, as he goes through hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: The Search for SpongeBob – out 26th December
SpongeBob and the gang are back in their biggest adventure yet in The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SpongeBob. Desperate to prove himself to Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob sets out to show he’s brave by following the Flying Dutchman – a mysterious, swashbuckling ghost pirate. What follows is a seafaring, laugh-out-loud quest into the deepest depths of the ocean, taking our favourite sponge where no sponge has gone before.
Chris Kingston
Entertainment Writer
Chris is Laura's brother and the font of all knowledge when it comes to anything related to TV, film and books. He provides our popular round-ups on what to watch at the cinema, the TV not to miss, and new cultural releases.
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