What to Watch in December

2023 is finally coming to a close after a very busy and frantic year for cinema. The SAG-AFTRA strikes have thankfully come to an end allowing all our favourite stars to begin showing their faces on the red carpet once again. December will see the release of the remainder of Academy hopefuls this side of the new year in the UK with the majority already having been released on the otherside of the Atlantic.

Here is a full breakdown as to what is coming to UK cinemas and streaming throughout the month of December.

Eileen (15)

Dir: William Oldroyd

Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland, Owen Teague, Anne Hathaway

Synopsis: In the 1960s New England, Eileen Dunlop (Thomas McKenzie) is working at a prison when the captivating, glamorous counsellor Mrs. Murray (Anne Hathaway) arrives and helps her access new facets of her personality but may be drawing her into something more dangerous.

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (PG)

Dir: Beyoncé

Cast: Beyoncé

Synopsis: The Documentary concert film will be an amalgamation of the creation of Renaissance, Beyoncé‘s seventh studio album; the record’s accompanying visual album; and the recorded footage from the Renaissance World Tour and its development.

Fallen Leaves (12A)

Dir: Aki Kaurismäki

Cast: Alma Poysti, Jussi Vatanen

Synopsis: Ansa (Alma Poysti), is single and lives in Helsinki. She works in a supermarket, stocking the shelves; later she sorts recyclable plastic. One night she accidentally meets the equally lonely worker Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), an alcoholic. Against all odds and misunderstandings, they try to build a relationship.

It’s a Wonderful Knife (TBC)

Dir: Tyler MacIntyre

Cast: Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, William D. Davis, Justin Long

Synopsis: Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop) saved her town, the idyllic Angel Falls, from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve one year previously, but after wishing she had never been born, she finds herself in an alternate universe in which she doesn’t exist, allowing the killer to slaughter once more.

Wonka (PG)

Dir: Paul King

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Matthew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant

Synopsis: The story of how Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) went from a young adult selling chocolate in a small shop to an eccentric genius known all over the world.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (PG)

Dir: Sam Fell

Cast: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgewick-Davies, Miranda Richardson

Synopsis: After successfully escaping from Tweedys’ farm in a daring and risky manner, Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) has discovered her ideal place – an idyllic island bird sanctuary where the entire flock can live in harmony, without any risks from humans. With the arrival of Ginger and Rocky’s (Zachary Levi) new daughter, Molly (Bella Ramsey), it appears that Ginger’s fairytale ending has finally come true. However, the entire chicken population is now confronted with a menacing and new danger on the mainland led by a familiar foe. Determined to safeguard their freedom, even if it means endangering it, Ginger and her team are determined to break in

Earth Mama (15)

Dir: Savanah Leaf

Cast: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Doechii, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Keta Price, Olivia Luccardi, Dominic Fike, Bokeem Woodbine

Synopsis: A pregnant single mother, with two children in foster care, embraces her Bay Area community as she fights to reclaim her family.

Leave the World Behind (TBC)

Dir: Sam Esmail

Cast: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.

Godzilla Minus One (TBC)

Dir: Takashi Yamazaki

Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki

Synopsis: Japan is already devastated by the war when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, Godzilla.

The Three Musketeers: Milady (12A)

Dir: Martin Bourboulon

Cast: Francois Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmai, Romain Duris, Eva Green, Lyna Khoudri

Synopsis: Constance Bonacieux (Lyna Khoudri) is kidnapped before D’Artagnan’s (Francois Civil) very eyes. In a frantic quest to save her, the young musketeer, aided by Athos, Porthos and Aramis (Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmai and Romain Duris), is forced to join forces with the mysterious Milady de Winter (Eva Green).

Maestro (15)

Dir: Bradley Cooper

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman

Synopsis: A biopic of American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper), with a focus on his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (12A)

Dir: James Wan

Cast: Jason Mamoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman

Synopsis: Several years after the events of the first film, Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) is forced to protect Atlantis and his loved ones from devastation after an ancient power is unleashed by David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) obtaining the cursed Black Trident. In order to achieve this, he will have to seek help from an unlikely ally, his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson).

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (12A)

Dir: Zack Snyder

Cast: Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Donna Bae, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, Fra Fee, Anthony Hopkins

Synopsis: In a universe controlled by the corrupt government of the Motherworld, the moon of Veldt is threatened by the forces of the Imperium, the army of the Motherworld controlled by Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee). Kora (Sofia Boutella), a former member of the Imperium who seeks redemption for her past in the leadership of the oppressive government, tasks herself to recruit warriors from across the galaxy to make a stand against the Motherworld’s forces before they return to the planet.

Anyone But You (TBC)

Dir: Will Gluck

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Rachel Griffiths

Synopsis: Two people, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) who despise one another can’t seem to get away from the other while they vacation in Sydney.

The Boy and the Heron (12A)

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Luca Padovan, Robert Pattinson, Karen Fukuhara, Gemma Chan, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe, Dave Bautista

Synopsis: Mahito (Luca Padovan), a young 12-year-old boy, struggles to settle in a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron (Robert Pattinson) informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.

Ferrari (TBC)

Dir: Michael Mann

Cast: Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell, Patrick Dempsey

Synopsis: In the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), reeling from the death of his son Dino, the deteriorating marriage with his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz), and his company’s impending bankruptcy, enters his racing team to the 1957 Millie Miglia.

Next Goal Wins (12A)

Dir: Taika Waititi

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Moss

Synopsis: Dutch-American football coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) faces the option of being fired or accepting an almost impossible task: to convert the American Samoa National Team, considered one of the weakest football teams in the world, into an elite squad. The storyline also includes fa’afafine player Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), who was the first transgender player ever to compete in a World Cup game.