Which films are in cinemas on Christmas Day 2024?

While some spend Christmas Day at home around the tree, many people go straight to the cinema. Luckily, there are plenty of movies to see in theaters on December 25, whether you’re in need of a family-friendly flick or want to get ahead of your awards shows.

New films in cinemas Christmas Day 2024

Kid-friendly options were released earlier (more on those later), so the Christmas Day release list is largely made up of R-rated movies starring major A-Listers.

Baby girl (R) – Nicole Kidman plays a businesswoman who seems to have it all with a man (Antonio Banderas), two children at home while serving as CEO of her technology company. But she risks everything when she indulges her submissive fantasies and has an affair with her young intern (Harris Dickinson). Kidman earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the erotic thriller.

A complete unknown (R) – Timothée Chalamet plays 19-year-old Bob Dylan as he arrives in New York City and begins his meteoric rise to fame. Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro also star in this biopic, which is up to three Golden Globes.

Nosferatu (R) – estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is looking for a house for the wealthy Transylvanian Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) in this remake of the 1922 short. Thomas learns that Orlok is a vampire and he has become fond of Thomas’ wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp). Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe also star.

The fire within (PG-13) – This biopic follows professional boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Destiny), as she trains for the 2012 Summer Olympics with coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry). She becomes the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport.

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The only new Christmas movie in theaters this year

While some cinemas will bring beloved Christmas classics such as Love actually and The Grinch back in theaters, there’s only one new holiday movie hitting the big screen in 2024: The red one. After Santa is kidnapped, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays an ELF (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative who teams up with a bounty hunter and perpetually cheeky schemer (played by Chris Evans) to trace St. Nick. Lucy Liu, JK Simmons, Bonnie Hunt and Kiernan Shipka also star in the film, which is also available for streaming on Prime Video.

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Previous releases still in theaters

There’s no time like the Christmas holidays to catch up on your film trips – or to watch Evil for the third time. No judgement.

Mufasa: The Lion King (PG) – This prequel follows a young Mufasa as he befriends Taka, better known to fans as Scar. The photo-realistic animated film has a star-studded cast that includes Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Tiffany Boone, Blue Ivy Carter and Beyonce.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (PG) – Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (voiced by Keanu Reeves) and Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) reunite to fight Shadow (voiced by Idris Elba) in this threequel. Jim Carrey also returns as Dr. Ivo Robotnik while Krysten Ritter, James Marsden, Shemar Moore and Tika Sumpter round out the live-action cast.

Kraven the Hunter (PG-13) – Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Marvel villain Nikolai Kravinoff in this origin story that explains how his own father sets him on the path to revenge. Ariana DeBose and Russell Crowe also star.

Queer (R) – Daniel Craig earned a Golden Globe nod for his role as an American veteran who evades drug charges by fleeing to Mexico City in the 1950s. He falls in love with a beautiful young American (Drew Starkey), which shows the older man what he has been missing. The movie based on William S. Burroughs‘ 1985 short story, has plenty of Oscar buzz.

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Evil (PG-13) – Let’s hold space for this epic origin story of The Wicked Witch of the West. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey and Michelle Yeoh star of the blockbuster, which scored four Golden Globe nods and is expected to gain more recognition throughout awards season.

Gladiator II (R) – Set 16 years after Maximus’ death in the 2000s Gladiatorthe sequel follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), who saw his uncle kill Maximus. After his wife is killed, he is taken as a prisoner of war and forced into the Colosseum. He must not only fight against his opponents, but fight to bring real change to Rome. Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington also star.