This year's holiday movie season brings a mix of crowd-pleasers and Oscar-contenders -- and some might even be both at once.
Hollywood could use a little excitement after a hit-and-miss summer that has left the 2024 domestic box office down more than 12% compared to this time last year. That could change thanks to Disney's "Moana 2" (whose predecessor was a $687 million hit) and other family-friendly titles. We'll also see plenty of Oscar-courting performances, including Angelina Jolie as the opera singer Maria Callas in "Maria" and Adrien Brody as a European architect in "The Brutalist."
At least two upcoming releases could be big hits and win the gold. "Wicked," an adaptation of the Broadway musical, has been called a "masterpiece" by Variety, while Ridley Scott's sequel "Gladiator II" is already considered a Best Picture contender. (Scott's original film won that award for 2000.) If those films do show up in the Oscar race, it could help the Academy avoid the perennial criticism that it honors little-seen titles while ignoring box-office successes.
Here are some of the big movies coming to theaters this holiday season:
An impressionistic view of Christmas in the suburbs from two Smithtown filmmakers: Director Tyler Thomas Taormina and his co-writer, Eric Berger. The cast includes Michael Cera, Maria Dizzia and Ben Shenkman.
RED ONE A security agent (Dwayne Johnson) and a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) team up to rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons). The film will open Nov. 10 for a one-week, IMAX-only release.
Paul Mescal ("All of Us Strangers") takes the starring role in Ridley Scott's sequel to his Oscar-winning "Gladiator." With Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen.
Cynthia Erivo plays the future Wicked Witch (aka Elphaba), while pop star Ariana Grande is Glinda in this adaptation of the Oz-inspired Broadway musical. Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians") directs.
MARIA Angelina Jolie plays the opera singer Maria Callas during the final days of her life. The latest biopic from director Pablo Larraín ("Jackie," "Spencer") will stream on Netflix starting Dec. 11.
Disney's animated sequel once again features Auli'i Cravalho in the title role and Dwayne Johnson as the Polynesian demigod Maui. Its trailer has been viewed more than 178 million times -- more than any other animated title from Disney-Pixar, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
QUEER Daniel Craig, distancing himself ever further from James Bond, plays a drug-abusing expat in Mexico who finds himself drawn to a handsome young man (Drew Starkey). Based on William Burroughs' 1985 novella; directed by Luca Guadagnino ("Call Me by Your Name").
In 1972, ABC's Olympics sportscast becomes a breaking newscast when a Palestinian terrorist group takes several Israeli athletes hostage. Peter Sarsgaard plays the legendary television executive Roone Arledge.
HARD TRUTHS The 15th film from 81-year-old writer-director Mike Leigh features Marianne Jean-Baptiste (an Oscar nominee for Leigh's 1996 drama "Secrets and Lies") as a Londoner possessed by an inexplicable rage. After its Oscar-qualifying run in limited theaters, the film opens wide Jan. 10.
NIGHTBITCH A stressed-out stay-at-home mom (Amy Adams) begins turning into a dog. Marielle Heller ("Can You Ever Forgive Me?") writes and directs from Rachel Yoder's novel.