The holiday season is the perfect time to reconnect with family, be merry, and catch up on some of the year’s biggest releases. But with a list longer than Santa’s, it can be a little tricky to know where to start. Worry no longer: with our guide to what to watch over Christmas, we can point you in the right direction.
Thankfully, streaming services have given gifts aplenty this year, with huge movies and shows available to watch around the festive period.
Top Gun:Maverick – our best movie of the year – is the star on top of our streaming tree and is now available on Paramount Plus. Elsewhere, Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is ready to solve another whodunnit surrounded by a clutch of A-list suspects in Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The streamer, too, is home to more treats to unwrap – including Charlie Cox’s spy thriller treason and The Witcher prequel Blood Origin.
Over on Disney Plus, overlooked animation Strange World gets a second lease of life, while The Banshees of Inisherin gets a well-deserved larger audience as the year draws to a close.
Let’s not forget about cinemas. Typically one of the busiest periods of the year, the holiday season once again features plenty of reasons to head to theaters, including Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and the lavish, opulent Babylon (starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt) charting the rise of Hollywood’s ‘talkies’.
And that’s just the start. Join us as we go through our picks for what to watch and stream over the holiday season – no matter what you’re looking for. And be sure to check out our lists of the best movies of 2022 and 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: UK & US
Watch now: NOW TV (UK), HBO Max (US)
Dark comedy-drama I Hate Suzie returns for a three-part season 2, with Billie Piper back as former teen pop star and actor Suzie Pickles, who's trying to keep her personal and professional lives afloat after her phone was hacked and compromising pictures were leaked. Set six months after the end of season 1 (when Suzie discovered she was pregnant and her marriage and career both seemed to be over), Suzie is now a contestant on a festive reality dance show called 'Dance Crazee Xmas' – and that's not even the bleakest thing about her life. Succession's Lucy Prebble is back as screenwriter, too.
The Banshees of Inisherin – Disney Plus
Release date: December 21
Available: UK
Watch now: Disney Plus
Missed it on the big screen? Director Martin McDonagh's latest awards favorite movie is now on Disney Plus in the UK. Set in the '20s 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-term friends, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Pádraic (Colin Farrell), when Colm decides to start ignoring 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
Watch now: Paramount Plus
The year’s biggest – and best, if we’re being honest – movie is now available to watch from the comfort of your own homes. Top Gun: Maverick features the return of Tom Cruise’s Mav as he takes a new generation of flyboys and flygirls on a death-defying mission with the odds firmly stacked against them.
Part-legacy sequel, part adrenaline-fuelled blockbuster, Maverick marries Tom Cruise’s relentless pursuit of cinematic greatness with a nostalgia-tinged treatment of some of the ‘80s most iconic moments. Come for the action, stay for Maverick’s long overdue 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: December 23
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix
Daniel Craig returns as everyone’s favorite dapper detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion, the delightfully twisty-turny follow-up 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 finds himself trying to crack one of his most complicated cases yet.
While the first film was predominantly set in the creaky, cold Ames Mansion, the sequel takes place at a luxurious island resort, leaving the suspects more exposed than ever – and viewers longing for a holiday. It’s not just money at stake this time, either; most of them are famous, which means a false accusation could threaten to ruin them forever. Let the sleuthing commence…
Babylon – cinemas
Release date: December 23
Available: US
Watch now: In cinemas
Oscar-winning director of La La Land and Whiplash Damien Chazelle returns with Babylon, an ostentatious ode to Hollywood in the '20s as movies transitioned from silent to 'talkies'. Margot Robbie and Diego Calva star as aspiring actors Nellie and Manny, while Brad Pitt is famous silent movie star Jack. The star-studded ensemble cast also includes Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Tobey Maguire, Katherine Waterston, and Samara Weaving. This is one best seen on the big screen.
Strange World – Disney Plus
Release date: December 23
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Disney Plus
The latest Disney film focuses on the Searchers, a family of adventurers and farmers who uncover a beautiful, hidden subterranean world. At the core of the film is a generational story about fathers and sons, with Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) determined to be nothing like his boisterous father Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), but inadvertently repeating some of Jaeger's mistakes with his own son, Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), in the process. For much more on the movie, see our interview with the filmmakers through the link.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody – cinemas
Release date: December 23 (US), December 26 (UK)
Available: US & UK
Watch now: In cinemas
Naomi Ackie stars as the legendary singer and actor Whitney Houston in 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 script was penned by Anthony McCarten, who's written other biopics like The Theory of Everything and Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Witcher: Blood Origin – Netflix
Release date: December 25
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix
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 head out 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 Toss a Coin to your Witcher-style ditties to hum merrily over the holidays.
Matilda the Musical – Netflix
Release date: December 25
Available: US
Watch now: Netflix
Everyone's favorite bookworm is back – and, this time, it's 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 movie is directed by Matthew Warchus, who also helmed 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, alongside Hamilton, holds the record for the most number of Olivier Awards won by a musical.
Treason – Netflix
Release date: December 26
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix
Daredevil's Charlie Cox stars in Treason, a new Netflix spy thriller about Adam Lawrence, an MI6 agent groomed for success – until a run in with a figure from his past throws everything into question. Grappling with personal and diplomatic problems, suddenly everything is on the line for Adam. The ensemble cast also includes Ciarán Hinds, Olga Kurylenko, and Oona Chaplin, while Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman penned the script.
Corsage – cinemas
Release date: December 26
Available: US & UK
Watch now: In cinemas
In Carsage, Vicky Krieps is on award-winning form as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as the Sisi to those who watched the Netflix series The Empress earlier this year. She's a complicated, tragic character from history whose story – one of loss, eating disorders, and battling the patriarchy – has fascinated many. Director Marie Kreutzer's vision puts on a spin on true events, adding contemporary commentary that's in keeping with its subject. 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
Watch now: Netflix
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 event, as well as Jack's bizarre academic career and Babette's experiences with a mysterious medication she takes in secret. An absurd, comedy-drama, the film has some eerie parallels with pandemic times – and might just be the strangest thing you settle down to watch this holiday season.
If there's nothing here that tickles your fancy, then you might have to start looking into each streaming service's back catalogue, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they each host. Fear not, though... if you're a TV fan, then we've got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows, best Disney Plus shows, and the best Amazon Prime Video shows.
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