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sleepykittypaws · 2 years

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2023 Theatrical Holiday Premieres

Updated: December 6, 2023 (NOTE: Will try to keep schedule mostly up-to-date for this last year, but no longer following production)

Switch (a.k.a. Seuwichi; holiday movie starring Oh Jung-se and Kim Mi-kyung; directed by Ma Dae-Yoon; Korean language remake of 2000′s The Family Man; A spoiled actor experiences a new life when he meets a mysterious taxi driver on Christmas Eve) - Jan. 4, South Korea

Plane (New Year’s-set action movie starring Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yonson An and Tony Goldwyn; directed by Jean-François Richet; A New Year’s Eve storm causes a plane to crash lang on an island occupied by dangerous criminals, forcing the pilot to work with a convict to protect his passengers) - Jan. 13 (Trailer)

One Fine Morning (a.k.a. Un Beau Matin; French-language, partially holiday-set movie starring Pascal Lea-Seydoux, Melvil Greggory, Nicole Poupaud and Garcia; written and directed by Mia Hansen-Love; A widow and single mom juggles caring for her family, including her father with dementia, and a new affair with an old friend of her late husband’s) - Jan. 27, limited (Trailer)

Stars Fell Again (holiday-set sequel to 2021′s Stars Fell on Alabama starring James Maslow, Ciara Hanna, Cecilia Kim and Johnnie Mack; co-written and directed by V.W. Scheich; A year after they reunited at a high school reunion, Bryce is ready to pop the question with a Christmas proposal, but family drama interferes with his plans; filmed in Atlanta) - Feb. 3, limited (Trailer)

The Young Santa Claus (avant garde holiday origin story written, directed and starring Sidin Mido Salkic; A young indigenous man comes out of the sea with no memory, freezing, and puts on a Santa suit for warmth, finding himself instantly transformed; filmed in Australia) - Feb. 15, Melbourne premiere

A Disturbance in the Force (documentary from filmmakers Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak on how the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special came to be) - Mar. 11, SXSW (Website)

Great Yarmouth: Provisional Figures (Portuguese language drama starring Beatriz Batarda, Kris Hitchen, Bob Elliott, Romeu Runa, Victor Lourenço, Nuno Lopes and Rita Cabaço; directed by Marco Martins; Set in 2019, the story of Portuguese migrants who descend on the UK to work in turkey production factories in the lead up to Christmas, along with a woman who used to be one of them, now married to a local hotelier) - Mar. 16, limited (Trailer)

The Naughty List (small budget, partially crowd funded, Australian holiday movie about a girl who holds Santa hostage until she gets a “nice list guarantee”) - Apr. 16, Australian Premiere (Instagram, Facebook)

Hellmark (Hallmark horror parody short starring Tanya Jade and Giles Panton; directed by Jessica Lauren Doucet; A traditional Christmas rom-com takes a turn) - Apr. 16, Crazy 8s Gala (Instagram)

To Catch a Killer (partially holiday-set thriller starring Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn; directed by Damián Szifron; co-written by Jonathan Wakeham and Szifron; A troubled Baltimore police detective tracks down a New Year’s Eve serial killer) - Apr. 21 (Trailer)

With Joyful Ring (holiday short film starring Matthew Rhodes and Elena Hollander; written and directed by Gary Karapetyan; A lonely and depressed widower makes an effort to reconnect with the world at Christmas) - April 22, Myrtle Beach International Film Festival (Trailer)

R.M.N. (Romanian-French movie directed by Cristian Mungiu; A man who has been working overseas returns to his small, Romanian village for Christmas, only to find his former friends and neighbors caught up in fear and prejudice, which comes to a head when new foreign workers come to town) - April 28, limited (Trailer)

L’immenmsita (partially holiday-set, Italian drama starring Penelope Cruz, Vincenzo Amaro and Luana Giuliani; co-written and directed by Emanuele Crialese; A mother and her children move to Rome in the 1970s; filmed in Italy, where it was released theatrically in 2022; first U.S. release) - May 12, limited (Trailer)

Jingle Hell (holiday horror short starring Keith Szarabajka, Shalini Bathina and Poonam Basu; directed by Sean Cruser; written by Tyler Beveridge; A married couple spending their holidays in a remote cabin must fight off a Christmas Eve killer) - June 8, Marina Del Ray Film Festival

Another Year Together (holiday movie starring Alexandra Turshen, Kiva Dawson, Marilyn Sokol and Robert S. Gregory; directed by Daniel Hendricks Simon; written by Patrick Davin and Hendricks Simon; Three multi-generational romances are tracked through the New York holiday season; filmed in New York City) - June 20, Manhattan Film Festival (Trailer, Instagram)

A Corpse for Christmas (small-budget holiday horror movie starring Kasper Meltedhair, Nicholas DeGideo and Josh Christensen; written and directed by Bruce Longo; Splatter holiday horror set and filmed in Philadelphia) - July 17, PhilaMOCA

Family Portrait (a.k.a. The Christmas Card; holiday drama starring Rachel Alig, Miriam Spumpkin and Katie Folger; directed and co-written by Lucy Kerr; As the pandemic looms, a Southern family struggles to take the perfect Christmas card photo that hides all the dysfunction and grief they’re actually experiencing; filmed in Hunt, Texas) - Aug. 4, Locarno Film Festival (Website)

Forgetting Christmas (holiday drama starring Melan Perez, Victoria Rowell, Dennis Jones, Donnie Brown Jr., Raisa D'Oyley and Honour Drew; written and directed by Cadell Cook; A young woman comes home for the holidays to deal with her father's early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis) - Aug. 5, Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (Website)

The Shepherd (holiday-set short starring John Travolta, Ben Radcliffe, Steven Mackintosh, Asan N'Jie and Scarlet Grace; based on the short story by Frederick Forsyth; adapted and directed by Iain Softley; A British pilot heading home from Germany for the holidays has all his instruments fail in deep fog and is miraculously saved by a mysterious plane that guides him home safely; filmed in Norfolk, UK) - Aug. 10, HollyShorts Film Festival (Trailer)

Santastein (partially Kickstarter-funded holiday slasher movie based on a film school short, co-directed by Benjamin Edelman and Manuel Camilion; In a world without Christmas, a vengeful Santa takes his rage out on a group of unsuspecting teens; filmed in Miami) - Aug. 12, Popcorn Frights Film Festival (Instagram, Trailer)

Championship Christmas (faith-based holiday movie starring Erica Rowell Green, Dalton Delk and Joey Traywick; written and directed by Traywick; A woman reconnects with an old flame who is now a professional wrestler; filmed in Mississippi) - Aug. 26, Quitman, Mississippi premiere

Operation White Christmas (German-language action-comedy; starring Rauand Taleb, Tim Wilde, Tim Seyfi, Roland Düringer, Andreas Vitasek, Yvonne Yung Hee Bormann and Petra Morzé; written and directed by Flo Lackner; A video clerk finds himself drawn into high-stakes intrigue when he’s tasked with stopping a state visit on Christmas Eve to save his shop.) - Aug. 24, Austria (Teaser)

Werewolf Santa (UK-filmed horror movie starring Nicholas Vince, Mark Arnold and Joe Bob Briggs; written and directed by Arielle Anthony Hayles; Santa turns into a werewolf on Christmas Eve and a YouTuber catches it all on camera; filmed in Surrey, England) - Aug. 25, FrightFest London Film Festival (Website)

War is Over! (animated short film inspired by the song “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” from John Lennon and Yoko Ono, produced their son, Sean Ono Lennon) - Sep. 11, limited

You’re Not Me (a.k.a. Tú No Eres Yo; Spanish-language, holiday-set thriller starring Jorge Motos and Roser Tapias; directed and written by Moisés Romera and Marisa Crespo; A woman returns home for the holidays to find a stranger has taken her place) - Sep. 22, Fantastic Fest

The Sacrifice Game (holiday-set horror movie starring Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre, Madison Baines and Georgia Acken; directed and co-written by Jenn Wexler with Sean Redlitz; Two students, alone at an all-girls boarding school over Christmas break, have to fight off uninvited guests to survive; filmed in Montreal) - Sep. 23, Fantastic Fest

Christmas for Three (holiday movie starring Naomi Matsuda, Ashley Brinkman, Kenney Myers and Paulie Calafiore; written and directed by Candy Cain; A single man suddenly tasked with caring for a child finds himself falling for the social worker trying to help them) - Oct. 28, Lake Placid International Film Festival

How to Ruin the Holidays (holiday comedy starring Colin Mochrie and Amber Nash; directed by Arlen Konopaki and written by Kevin Gillese; filmed in Atlanta) - Nov. 2, limited (Website)

Glisten and the Merry Mission (animated holiday movie from Build-A-Bear, starring Julia Michaels, Dionne Warwick, Chevy Chase, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss and Sisanie Villaclara; directed by Cory Morrison; written by Temple Matthews; A young elf and her mother must find an enchanted deer to save Christmas) - Nov. 3, Cinemark Exclusive (Trailer)

What Happens Later (rom-com starring Meg Ryan and David Duchovny; directed by Ryan; Exes snowed in at a small airport spend a magical night together) - Nov. 3 (Trailer)

The Christmas Classic (holiday movie starring Malin Ackerman, Amy Smart, Ryan Hansen, Will Blagrove, Wes Hager and Charlotte Taylor; written and directed by Shane Dax Taylor; A ski resort owner promises to sell if his ex can defeat her sister, the reigning champ, in an annual Christmas contest a series of outrageous, holiday-themed challenges; filmed in Ruidoso, New Mexico) - Nov. 3, limited (Trailer); also available PVOD

The Snow Queen and the Princess (Russian animated movie based on the Snow Queen fairy tale; released in Russian in February, new English-language dub coming to theaters and PVOD across Europe and the Middle East) - Nov. 9, international (Trailer)

The Holdovers (1970s-set holiday drama starring Paul Giamatti, Carrie Preston and Da’Vine Joy Randolph; directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson; A universally despised teacher without family of his own is forced to stay at his boarding school to supervise students who can’t go home for the holidays, including one particularly surly teen, with only the school’s longtime cook to help; filmed in New England) - Nov. 10 (Trailer)

It’s a Wonderful Knife (holiday horror-thriller starring Jane Widdop, Joel McHale, Justin Long, Sydney Scotia, Sean Depner, Aiden Howard, Erin Boyes and William B. Davis; directed by Tyler MacIntyre; written by Michael Kennedy; A final girl wishes she'd never been born, and lands in an alternate reality where she must once again battle the Christmas Eve killer; filmed in Vancouver) - Nov. 10 (Trailer)

Family Time (a.k.a. Mummola; holiday-set Finnish drama starring Ria Kataja, Elina Knihtilä, Leena Uotila, Tom Wentzel and Jarkko Pajunen; written and directed by by Tia Kouvo, based on his 2018 short; A dysfunctional family slowly implodes during a holiday visit) - Nov. 10, Finland (Trailer)

Manodrome (holiday-set drama starring Jesse Eisenberg and Adrian Brody; directed by John Trengrove; An uber driver with a pregnant girlfriend gets drawn into a cult-like male empowerment group) - Nov. 10, limited

Journey to Bethlehem (musical retelling of the Biblical Christmas story, starring Fiona Palomo, Milo Manheim, Antonio Banderas, Stephanie Gil, Joel Smallbone, Lecrae, Rizwan Manji, Geno Seagers and Omid Djalili; directed by Adam Anders; written by Anders and Peter Barsocchini; original music by Adam and Nikki Anders, along with Peer Astrom; filmed in Spain) - Nov. 10 (Trailer)

Your Lucky Day (holiday-set thriller; starring Angus Cloud, Jason O'Mara and Spencer Garrett; written and directed by Dan Brown; When a winning lottery ticket is purchased at a down-and-out convenience store, a hostage situation breaks out as everyone grapples for the winnings) - Nov. 10 (Trailer)

There’s Something in the Barn (holiday horror movie starring Martin Starr, Amrita Acharia and Jeppe Beck Laursen; directed by Magnus Martens; written by Aleksander Kirkwood Brown; An American family inherits a remote cabin in the Norwegian mountains and heads there for the holidays only to find they’re not alone; filmed in Norway) - Nov. 10 (Trailer)

Vandits (holiday movie starring Enrico Colantoni, Robb Wells, Tony Nappo, Francesco Antonio, Jesse Camacho, Victoria Turko, and Jann Arden; directed by Stuart Stone; written by Rodness and Stone; A group of stoners decide to rob a senior center bingo hall on Christmas Eve; filmed in Winnipeg) - Nov. 10, limited (Trailer)

The Great Turkey Town Miracle (faith-based holiday movie starring and directed by Angus Benfield, along with J William and Cameron Arnett; Inspired by true events, a fired DJ must find 4,000 turkeys for needy families in just a month to hold onto his new job) - Nov. 10, limited (Trailer)

Christmas on Cobbler Street (a.k.a. Den Første Julen i Skomakergata; Norwegian family film starring Henki Kolstad and Kristoffer Olsen; directed by Mika Hovland; written by Maren Skolem; adapted from the classic 1979 TV Norweigan “TV advent calendar” Jul I Skomakergata; An orphan in 1945, post-war Norway takes refuge in a grumpy cobbler’s shop at the holidays) - Nov. 10, Norway (Trailer)

I’ll See You on Thanksgiving (holiday movie starring Aditya 'Adi' Maitra, Ramona Schwalbach and Ulises Ruiz; written and directed by Meshach Malley; College friends meet up after graduation for the holiday and quickly learn how much has changed; filmed in Ohio) - Nov. 11, Columbus, Ohio premiere (Website)

A Savage Christmas (holiday movie starring Rachel Griffiths, Helen Thomson, Darren Gilshenan, David Roberts, Gary Sweet, Ryan Morgan, Thea Raveneau, Max Jahufer and Rekha Ryan; co-written and directed by Madeleine Dyer; A trans woman returns home for the holidays for the first time with her boyfriend, expecting her transition to be the most shocking thing at Christmas dinner only to be upstaged by her dysfunctional family; filmed in Brisbane, Australia) - Nov. 16, Australia (Website)

Thanksgiving (holiday horror movie starring Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Addison Rae, Gina Gershon and Patrick Dempsey; directed by Eli Roth, written by Jeff Rendell; based on the mock trailer seen in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 2007 movie Grindhouse, where a killer fashions a carving board out of his victims; filmed in Toronto) - Nov. 17 (Trailer)

So This is Christmas (Irish holiday documentary about people who struggle with the festive season; directed by Ken Wardrop; filmed in Ireland) - Nov. 17, Ireland (Website)

A Gettysburg Christmas (holiday movie starring Kelley Jackle, Tom Vera, Kate Vernon, Sean Ferris, Lee Majors and Bruce Boxleitner; directed by Bo Brinkman; A woman buys an apple orchard but finds herself lonely at the holidays and in need of a Christmas miracle to keep it all going; filmed in Pennsylvania) - Nov. 27, Majestic Theater, Gettysburg, Pa. (Instagram)

Christmess (Australian holiday comedy starring Steve Le Marquand, Susan Prior and Hannah Joy; directed by Heath Davis; An actor just out of rehab can only get hired as a store Santa during a dysfunctional Down Under summer Christmas; filmed in Campbelltown, Australia) - Nov. 30, Australia (Trailer)

Animal Crossing Christmas Festival: The Movie! (animated movie based on the video game series; A young boy moves to the village and tries to get his busy new friends to celebrate Toy Day with him.) - Dec. 1 (Teaser)

Silent Night (holiday-set, dialogue-free, action-thriller starring Joel Kinnaman, Kid Cudi, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Harold Torres; directed by John Woo; written by Robert Lynn; A father avenges the death of his son, killed by gang violence on Christmas Eve; filmed in Mexico) - Dec. 1 (Trailer)

Teddy’s Christmas (English-language version of the 2022 Norwegian animated-live action release Teddybjørnens Jul, starring Zachary Levi; directed by Andrea Eckerborn; A little girl wins a magical teddy at a holiday market and wants to keep him, but Teddy prefers a more glamorous life) - Dec. 1, limited (Trailer)

Holiday Twist (holiday movie starring Kelly Stables, Neal McDonough, Sean Astin, Brian Thomas Smith, Alison Eastwood, Kelly Rutherford and Caylee Cowan; written and directed by Stephanie Garvin; A workaholic Grinch sees the err of her ways thanks to help from a mall Santa) - Dec. 1, limited (Website, Trailer)

How the Gringo Stole Christmas (holiday movie starring George Lopez, Emily Tosta, Mariana Treviño, Jack Kilmer and Alma Martinez; directed by Angel Gracia; written by Ezequiel Martinez Jr.; A father is shocked when his daughter comes home for the holidays with a new, white boyfriend in tow; filmed in Jackson, Miss.) - Dec. 1, limited (Trailer)

La Navidad en Sus Manos (a.k.a. Holiday in His Hands; Spanish-language holiday movie starring María Botto, Santiago Segura and Ernesto Sevilla; directed by Joaquín Mazón; written by Francisco Arnal and Daniel Monedero; An average man must save Christmas when Santa has a serious accident and needs counseling) - Dec. 1, Spain (Trailer)

Andre Rieu White Christmas (holiday concert special feature André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra, with interview and backstage footage hosted by Charlotte Hawkins) Dec. 2, limited (Website)

Noel Joyeux (a.k.a. Christmas Unplanned; French holiday movie starring Emmanuelle Devos, Franck Dubosc, Dominique Frot, Amel Charif, Axel Auriant and Amir Elkacem; written and directed by Clement Michel; A lonely couple decide to invite seniors from the local retirement home for Christmas; filmed in France) - Dec. 6, France

The Perfect Christmas (faith-based holiday movie starring Anthony Hackett, Cameron Arnett, Gigi Orsillo and Robert Amaya; co-directed by Hackett and Marc Thevenin Jr.; A father tries to pull off the perfect Christmas for his family, but ends up making a mess of their holiday; filmed in the Washington, D.C. area ) - Dec. 8, limited (Website)

Eileen (holiday-set drama starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway and Shea Whigham; directed by William Oldroyd; based on the book by Ottessa Moshfegh; A lonely prison employee becomes fascinated by a newcomer to the staff, but her obsession leads to tragedy; filmed in New Jersey) - Dec. 8 (Trailer)

Love Actually (20th anniversary theatrical re-release of the classic 2003 movie starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson and Bill Nighy; written and directed by Richard Curtis) - Dec. 8 (Trailer)

A Creature was Stirring (holiday-set horror movie starring Chrissy Metz, Annalise Basso, Scout Taylor-Compton and Connor Paolo; directed by Damien LeVeck; written by Shannon Wells; A nurse’s plan to keep her daughter sedated to protect her from a mysterious, malevolent affliction is thwarted by unexpected holiday houseguests with tragic consequences) - Dec. 8, limited (Trailer)

A Male (a.k.a. Un Varon; Columbian holiday-set movie directed by Fabian Hernandez; A young man leaves the safety of his youth shelter in order to spend Christmas day with his family, but must navigate his dangerous neighborhood to do so; filmed in Bogota; submitted for consideration in the Best International Feature category for the 96th Academy Awards) - Dec. 8, limited

A Christmas Story (40th anniversary theatrical re-release of the classic 1983 movie starring Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon and Ian Petrella about a boy who longs for a Red Ryder BB gun) - Dec. 10

A Small Town Christmas (holiday movie co-written, directed and starring Gin Blanton with Tahjjic Smith; A busy attorney with a thriving career finally returns home for the holidays after her grandmother falls ill ) - Dec. 11, Atlanta Premiere (Website)

Christmas with the Chosen: Holy Night (new Christmas special edition of the faith-based story of the birth of Jesus, featuring a musical performance from Andrea Bocelli) - Dec. 12, Fathom Events

SuperKlaus (joint Spanish/Canadian, animated holiday movie/mini-series directed by Steven Majaury and Andrea Sebastián; A concussed Santa adopts the persona Superklaus but gets locked out of his workshop just before Christmas. Can two savvy kids and a loyal elf save Christmas?) - Dec. 15, Spain (Website)

The Christmas Room (holiday movie starring Kelsey Delemar, Donnie Brown Jr., Kimia' Workman, Cassandra Grant, Jordan Nancarrow, Maya Jai Pinson, Chanel Collins, Kelsey Delemar, Mignon Pinson and Faheem Saadiq Abdus-Salaam; written and directed by Pinson; A woman home for the holidays is shocked by her grandfather’s slide into dementia and struggles to get him the help he needs; filmed in Prince George’s County, Maryland) - Dec. 16, Maryland premiere (Instagram)

A Fireman for Christmas (holiday movie sequel to 2022′s Christmas at the Holly Hotel starring Kristen Ryda, Donnell J Clayton, Joe Kurak and Jesi Jensen; directed and co-written by Joel Paul Reisig; A woman falls in love with a firefighter at the holidays; filmed in Michigan) - Dec. 17, The Maple Theater, Michigan

A Christmas in New Hope (holiday movie starring Adrianne Palicki, Malcolm Goodwin, Katrina Bowden, David Anders, Ryan Cooper and Mia Armstrong directed by Julia Barnett; co-written by Barnett and Kathleen Estes; A single mom of a special needs child enters a home renovation contest focused on saving her home from foreclosure, but things get complicated when she falls for her musician neighbor; filmed in Waco, Texas) - Dec. 20, limited (Austin and surrounding areas)

An L.A. Christmas Story (holiday movie starring Jessica Moore, Derrick Zonca, Kaylee Frazier, Marla Lizbeth Perez, McKenzie Kelly and Eric Marq; written and directed by Michael Kallio; When her online video asking for a man who is “not an idiot” for Christmas goes viral, a lifestyle vlogger finds her life turned upside down; filmed in Hollywood, Ca.) - Dec. 20, L.A. premiere (Facebook)

All of Us Strangers (partially holiday-set drama starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal; written and directed by Andrew Haigh; inspired by Taichi Yamada’s Strangers; A lonely man’s encounter with his equally isolated neighbor changes his dreary existence, mostly occupied by memories of past losses) - Dec. 22 (Trailer)

Migration (seasonal animated movie directed by Benjamin Renner; written by Mike White; A family of birds flies south for the winter and encounters dangers along the way) - Dec. 22 (Teaser)

Spy x Family Code: White (holiday-set Japanese anime movie directed by Takashi Katagiri from a screenplay by Ichirō Ōkouchi; based on the manga series; A cooking competition at the academy sets off a chain of events that threaten world peace) - Dec. 22 (Teaser)

Four Little Adults (a.k.a. Neljä Pientä Aikuista; holiday-set Finnish drama starring Eero Milonoff, Alma Pöysti and Vilhelm Blomgren; from writer-director Selma Vilhunen; A middle-aged couple with a marriage in crisis attempt to integrate the husband’s mistress into their relationship) - Dec. 27, Finland

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