If you’re looking for something new on streaming in December, we’ve got you covered. If you want to catch up on some of the best movies of the year, many are streaming this month.
Check out some of our picks for what you should add to your December streaming watchlist! What are you most excited to see?
Newly Available on VOD this December
- The Eternal Daughter (PVOD*, available now)
- Four Samosas (available now)
- Hunt (available now)
- Call Jane (December 6)
- She Said (PVOD, December 6)
- Bones and All (PVOD, December 13)
- The Fabelmans (PVOD, December 13)
- Aftersun (December 20)
- Joyride (December 23)
*PVOD titles are fresh from theatrical release and generally rent or sell digitally for $19.99 (or higher).
Criterion Channel
- Screwball Comedy Classics – Looking for something to lighten up your holidays? This selection of 25 genuine classics like Frank Capra’s ‘It Happened One Night,’ Ernst Lubitsch’s ‘To Be or Not to Be,’ George Cukor’s ‘Holiday,’ and Leo McCarey’s ‘The Awful Truth.’ (available now)
- Tessa Thompson’s Adventures in Moviegoing – Thompson sits down with Criterion curatorial director Ashley Clark to discuss acting legends like Angela Bassett and Al Pacino, as well as the films that have had a lasting impact on her understanding of the art. Featuring ‘Black Orpheus,’ ‘Betty Blue,’ and ‘Tampopo.’ (available now)
- Clara Sola – The debut feature of Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, this is the acclaimed story of a woman in a remote village in Costa Rica who experiences a sexual and mystical awakening. (Exclusive streaming premiere, December 14)
Disney+
- The Territory – Darren Aronofsky produced this National Geographic documentary about an Indigenous tribe in the Brazilian rainforest fighting to survive against deforestation and illegal settlers. (available now)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules – Animated sequel, based on the 2008 book of the same name. (available now)
- Strange World – Inspired by ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ this animated Disney adventure was controversial upon its recent release for including an openly gay teenage character (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White). Other voice talent on board includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Lucy Liu and Gabrielle Union. (tbd, but likely on or before Christmas Day)
HBO Max
- Amsterdam – Controversial director David O. Russell (‘American Hustle’) released his first film since 2015 earlier this fall to massive indifference. Despite bombing at the box office, the Prohibition-era drama has an excellent cast that includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, and Taylor Swift. (December 6)
- The Banshees of Inisherin – British-Irish playwright, screenwriter and director Martin McDonagh’s finest work yet follows two friends on the outs. In 1923 Ireland, Brendan Gleeson is Colm, a man who just wants some peace and quiet. Colin Farrell is Pádraic, a guy who just can’t accept that his former best mate doesn’t want to talk to him anymore. Backed with a beautifully gentle score from Carter Burwell and gorgeous cinematography by Ben Davis, this is truly one of the year’s best films. (December 13)
Hulu
- Darby and the Dead – Supernatural teen comedy about a young girl who can start to see dead people after she has a near-death experience herself. (available now)
- Retrograde – From the Oscar nominated director of ‘Cartel Land,’ this National Geographic documentary (on Hulu instead of Disney+ due to its R-rating) follows the final months of America’s 20-year-war in Afghanistan through to the chaos at the Kabul airport as the U.S. withdrew troops. (December 11)
- Sharp Stick – One of two films directed by Lena Dunham to be released this year. Jon Bernthal and Kristine Froseth star in the story of a twentysomething babysitter who loses her virginity to her married boss. (December 23)
Mubi
- Decision to Leave – Park Chan-wook (‘Oldboy,’ ‘The Handmaiden’) won Best Director at Cannes this year and his latest is South Korea’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. One of the biggest theatrical hits of the year in Korea, the romantic thriller follows a police detective investigating the death of a man who fell off a mountain when he finds himself falling in love with the man’s wife, who also happens to be a suspect. (December 9)
Netflix
- Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D.H. Lawrence’s novel was so scandalous when it was written that it was not legally published in England for decades after it was written. The erotic drama stars Emma Corrin as an unhappily married woman who finds herself in a passionate affair with a man (Jack O’Connell) who works on her husband’s country estate. (available now)
- Sr. – Before his father passed away in 2021, Robert Downey Jr. began to shoot home movies with the idea that father and son would each create their own edit of the film. It’s a loving tribute to a dad who just happened to be one of America’s most maverick filmmakers. (available now)
- Bullet Train – Adapted from the 2010 novel by Kōtarō Isaka, Brad Pitt stars in an action-packed thriller with a spectacular cast that involves multiple assassins on a high-speed train across Tokyo. See our full review here. (December 3)
- Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Somehow this is the second feature-length version of the classic tale released this year. Del Toro’s is a stop-motion animated musical. It features the talents of Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Finn Wolfhard, and Ron Perlman. (December 9)
- Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths – The first film since 2015’s ‘The Revenant’ for Alejandro González Iñárritu blurs the line between fiction and documentary filmmaking. (December 16)
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc for another thrilling whodunit from Rian Johnson. The cast includes a never-better Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, and the magnificent Janelle Monae. (December 23)
- White Noise – Noah Baumbach’s third film for Netflix is the first of his eleven features not based on an original story. He adapts Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel here with Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle. (December 30)
Paramount+
- Top Gun: Maverick – Far and away the year’s biggest big office hit (over $716 million domestically alone and still playing over six months later), Tom Cruise returns to the character that made him a legend. (December 22)
Peacock
- Bros – A wildly raunchy and truly hysterical gay romantic comedy from the director of ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ and the comedic mind of Billy Eichner. (available now)
- Ticket to Paradise – I told you that you to wait for streaming in my review. Julia Roberts & George Clooney clearly had a lot of fun making this one in Bali, but their characters are pretty insufferable. (December 9)
Prime Video
- Nanny – Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year, Nikyatu Jusu’s debut film sold to Blumhouse directly out of the fest. The horror drama stars Anna Diop as an undocumented immigrant who cares for the child of an Upper East Side family in New York. (December 16)
- Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank – I’m told this animated feature with the voices of Mel Brooks, Michael Cera, George Takei, Michelle Yeoh, and Samuel L. Jackson is a “loose” family-friendly remake of ‘Blazing Saddles.’ (December 29)
- Wildcat – There is Oscar buzz for this intimately-shot documentary about a British veteran who meets an American scientist in the Amazon. With her help, he battles his PTSD and depression by bonding with an orphaned ocelot. (December 30)
Can’t get enough of our December streaming suggestions? Check out last month’s recommendations here!
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