Everything To See At The Cinema This December

Looking for the best things to watch during the festive month? There are plenty of amazing cinema releases in December, with the musical adventure Wonka, will-they won’t-they rom-com Anyone But You, and pedal-to-the-metal thriller Ferrari. Read on for everything you need to see during December:

Anyone But You

Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, Reality) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Devotion) pair up in this anticipated rom-com as two people who had a fling that went disastrously wrong. Despite the initial attraction, Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) soon realise they actually despise each other- but are brought back again as both are in Australia for a wedding. Neither has anyone to go with to the ceremony- so they decide to fake it til they make it and pretend to be a couple, even as tensions between them are simmering. But do they entirely hate each other? Or have the intervening years brought them closer together than they thought?

Release date: 26.12.23

Ferrari

A biopic about the founder of the world-famous car brand, Ferrari stars Adam Driver (Marriage Story, The Last Duel) as Enzo Ferrari, a man balancing both his business troubles and his personal life in the late 1950s. Helmed by Heat director Michael Mann, its scenes on the racetrack might be thrilling, but the scenes with Enzo and his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) that are the most powerful. The infamously perfectionist businessman’s marriage is on the rocks following the death of their son and Ferrari’s impending collapse pushes him to enter his race team to enter one of the most dangerous competitions in the world: the Mille Miglia.

Release date: 26.12.23

Eileen

Love a good psychological thriller? Then you’ll want to head to the cinema this month to see Eileen, a dark new film starring Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night In Soho) and Anne Hathaway (Dark Waters). Set in 1960s Massachusetts, McKenzie plays young prison receptionist Eileen Dunlop, a woman bored with her job and with a few issues of her own.

Her dull life is suddenly changed by the arrival of the stylish, outgoing Rebecca (Hathaway), who’s keen to throw out all the rules and conventions of their jobs. Inviting her out to drink and dance, the two develop a fond relationship, but it quickly starts to become unhealthy. Rebecca wants to use her help unethically for a case, and the once-shy Eileen gets drawn into something that could end up with devastating consequences.

Release date: 01.12.2023

Wonka

Everyone knows Willy Wonka as the mysterious and whimsical owner of a fabulous chocolate factory- but how did he come to be the character we know? Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet (Dune), aims to tell just that story, in a musical extravaganza of the sweet treat connoisseur.

The young Wonka is a man with a dream: to show the world just what you can do with sweets, but his incredible inventions attract the jealousy of a group of established chocolate makers. Joined by his young companion Noodle (Calah Lane) and Lofty the Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant), Wonka sets out to show the world his genius. The all-star cast includes Keegan-Michael Key (The Lion King), Matt Lucas (Paddington), Matthew Baynton (Horrible Histories), Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Olivia Colman (The Favourite).

Release date: 08.12.23

The Boy And The Heron

The latest film from the beloved Studio Ghibli, The Boy And The Heron arrives in UK cinemas with its new English cast dub. Set to be Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro’s final film, it focuses on the adventures of a young boy, Mahito (played by newcomer Luca Padovan) who moves to the Japanese countryside during WWII. Dealing with the death of his mother, he meets a talking grey heron (Robert Pattinson) after finding an abandoned tower, and the two enter a hidden fantastical world. The heron tells him that his mother is in fact still alive, in a realm inhabited by the living and the dead. The English dub also stars Gemma Chan, Karen Fukuhara, Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, Mark Hamill, Dave Bautista and Willem Dafoe.

Release date: 26.12.23

Next Goal Wins

The latest comedy-drama film from Taika Watiti, Next Goal Wins stars Michael Fassbender as a Dutch American football coach who’s on the verge of losing his career, until he’s offered the chance to take up the position of training the American Samoa team. The team is one of the lowest ranked in the world and Thomas (Fassbender) is tasked with the lofty goal of getting American Samoa to the 2014 World Cup.

It’s based on the true story of the team’s attempts to reach the competition and also tells the story of Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), a fa’afafine player, the first transgender person to compete in the World Cup. Also in the cast are Will Arnett (Dolittle), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick) as well as Watiti himself.

Release date: 26.12.23