The holidays are the perfect time to reconnect with family, be happy and catch up on some of the year’s biggest releases. But with a list longer than Santa’s, it can be a little difficult to know where to start. Worry no more: with our guide to what to watch this Christmas, we can point you in the right direction.
Luckily, streaming services have provided plenty of gifts this year, with huge movies and series available to watch around the holiday season.
Top Gun: Maverick – the best movie of the year – is the star at the top of our streaming tree and is now available on Paramount Plus. Elsewhere, Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is set to solve another whodunnit surrounded by a gaggle of A-list suspects in Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The streamer is also home to more goodies to unwrap – including Charlie Cox’s spy thriller Betrayal and The Witcher prequel Blood Origin.
Over on Disney Plus, the overlooked animation Strange World gets a new lease of life, while The Banshees of Inisherin gets a well-deserved bigger audience as the year draws to a close.
Let’s not forget the cinemas. Usually one of the busiest times of the year, the holiday season once again has plenty of reasons to go to the movies, including the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and the opulent, opulent Babylon (starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt) which charts the rise of Hollywood’s “talker.”
And that’s just the beginning. Join us as we run through our picks for what to watch and stream this holiday season—no matter what you’re looking for. And be sure to check out our lists of the best movies of 2022 and the best shows of 2022 for even more inspiration.
I Hate Suzie Season 2 – HBO Max/NOW TV
Release date: December 20 (UK), December 22 (US)
Available: Great Britain and the United States
Look now: NOW TV (opens in a new tab) (UK), HBO Max (opens in a new tab) (US)
Dark comedy-drama I Hate Suzie returns for a three-part season 2, with Billie Piper returning as former teen pop star and actress Suzie Pickles, who tries to keep her personal and professional life afloat after her phone is hacked and compromising photos are leaked. Set six months after the end of Season 1 (when Suzie discovered she was pregnant and her marriage and career seemed over), Suzie is now a contestant on a festive reality dance show called ‘Dance Crazee Xmas’ – and it’s not even the bleakest thing about her life. Succession’s Lucy Prebble is also back as screenwriter.
The Banshees of Inisherin – Disney Plus
Release date: December 21
Available: Great Britain
Look now: Disney Plus
Did you miss it on the big screen? Director Martin McDonagh’s latest award-winning favorite is now on Disney Plus in the UK. Set in the 1920s on the fictional Irish island of Inisherin against a faint backdrop of civil war, The Banshees of Inisherin documents a sudden rift between two long-time friends, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Pádraic (Colin Farrell), when Colm decides to begin to ignore Pádraic. The latter refuses to take no for an answer, while the former only becomes more stubborn in his rejection – to humorous and heartbreaking results.
Top Gun: Maverick – Paramount Plus
Release date: December 22
Available: Worldwide
Look now: Paramount Plus (opens in a new tab)
The biggest – and best, if we’re being honest – movie of the year is now available to watch from the comfort of your own home. Top Gun: Maverick features the return of Tom Cruise’s Mav as he brings a new generation of flyboys and flygirls on a death-defying mission with the odds stacked against them.
Part legacy sequel, part adrenaline-pumping blockbuster, Maverick marries Tom Cruise’s relentless pursuit of cinematic greatness with a nostalgic treatment of some of the ’80s’ most iconic moments. Come for the action, stay for the Mavericks’ long-awaited reunion with Val Kilmer’s Iceman. There won’t be a dry eye in the house this Christmas.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Netflix
Release date: 23 December
Available: Worldwide
Look now: Netflix (opens in a new tab)
Daniel Craig returns as everyone’s favorite detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion, the delightfully twisted sequel to Rian Johnson’s popular whodunnit Knives Out. Just as star-studded, the new murder mystery features the likes of Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Edward Norton and more, as Blanc tries to solve one of his most complicated cases yet.
While the first film was mostly set in the creaky, cold Ames Mansion, the sequel takes place at a luxury island resort, leaving the suspects more vulnerable than ever – and viewers longing for a vacation. It’s not just money at stake this time either; most of them are famous, which means that a false accusation could threaten to ruin them forever. Let the search begin…
Babylon – cinemas
Release date: 23 December
Available: US
Look now: At the cinema
The Oscar-winning director of La La Land and Whiplash Damien Chazelle returns with Babylon, a flamboyant ode to Hollywood in the 20s when films transitioned from silent to “talkies”. Margot Robbie and Diego Calva star as aspiring actors Nellie and Manny, while Brad Pitt is the famous silent film star Jack. The star-studded ensemble cast also includes Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Tobey Maguire, Katherine Waterston and Samara Weaving. This is one that is best seen on the big screen.
Strange World – Disney Plus
Release date: 23 December
Available: Worldwide
Look now: Disney Plus
The latest Disney film focuses on the Seekers, a family of adventurers and farmers who uncover a beautiful, hidden underground world. At the heart of the film is a generational story of fathers and sons, with Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) determined to be nothing like his boisterous father Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) but unwittingly repeating some of Jaeger’s mistakes with his own son, Ethan . (Jaboukie Young-White), in the process. For much more about the film, see our interview with the filmmakers through the link.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Cinemas
Release date: December 23 (US), December 26 (UK)
Available: USA and UK
Look now: At the cinema
Naomi Ackie stars as legendary singer and actress Whitney Houston in the new biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which follows her career from obscurity to one of the most successful music artists of all time. Directed by Eve’s Bayou helmer Kasi Lemmons, the cast also includes Stanley Tucci as record producer Clive Davis and Ashton Sanders as Houston’s husband Bobby Brown. The screenplay was written by Anthony McCarten, who has written other biographies such as The Theory of Everything and Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Witcher: Blood Origin – Netflix
Release date: December 25
Available: Worldwide
Look now: Netflix (opens in a new tab)
The world of Netflix’s The Witcher series wasn’t always filled with monsters and men. Over 1,000 years before Geralt’s time, the land was packed with prosperous kingdoms, elven warriors – and mysterious monoliths. Blood Origin then follows a band of seven nomads, misfits and ne’er-do-wells – including the likes of Michelle Yeoh’s Scian – as they embark on a quest to reverse a political paradigm shift. If you know your Witcher history, you might be able to predict what happens next. For the rest of you, expect plenty of action, tragedy, and a few Flip a coin for your Witcher style to hum merrily over the holidays.
Matilda the Musical – Netflix
Release date: December 25
Available: US
Look now: Netflix (opens in a new tab)
Everyone’s favorite bookworm is back – and this time with extra singing and dancing. Newcomer Alisha Weir is Matilda, while Emma Thompson takes on the role of Miss Trunchball. Lashana Lynch and Stephen Graham also star. The film is directed by Matthew Warchus, who also directed the original West End production of the musical. Based on Roald Dahl’s novel, the show features original music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and shares the record with Hamilton for the most Olivier Awards won by a musical.
Betrayal – Netflix
Release date: December 26
Available: Worldwide
Look now: Netflix (opens in a new tab)
Daredevil’s Charlie Cox stars in Treason, a new spy thriller from Netflix about Adam Lawrence, an MI6 agent poised for success – until a run-in with a figure from his past throws everything into doubt. Struggling with personal and diplomatic issues, everything is suddenly on the line for Adam. The ensemble cast also includes Ciarán Hinds, Olga Kurylenko and Oona Chaplin, while Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman wrote the script.
Corsage – cinemas
Release date: December 26
Available: USA and UK
Look now: At the cinema
In Carsage, Vicky Krieps is in award-winning form as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi to those who watched the Netflix series The Empress earlier this year. She is a complicated, tragic character from history whose story – one of loss, eating disorders and fighting the patriarchy – has fascinated many. Director Marie Kreutzer’s vision puts a spin on true events, adding contemporary commentary that is in keeping with the subject matter. For fans of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette or a less humorous, more impactful version of Kate Beckinsale’s Love & Friendship.
White Noise – Netflix
Release date: December 30
Available: Worldwide
Look now: Netflix (opens in a new tab)
Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel of the same name sees an “Airborne Toxic Event” disrupt the lives of Hitler academic Jack (Adam Driver), his wife Babette (Greta Gerwig) and their children, as panic grips their town and they must evacuate . The film covers the fallout of the incident, as well as Jack’s bizarre academic career and Babette’s experiences with a mysterious medicine she secretly takes. An absurd comedy-drama, the film has some eerie parallels to pandemic times – and may be the strangest thing you settle down to watch this holiday season.
If nothing here tickles your fancy, you might need to start looking at the back catalog of each streaming service, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they host. Fear not, though… if you’re a TV fan, we’ve got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows, the best Disney Plus shows, and the best Amazon Prime Video shows.
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