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8 new movies you can watch Christmas Day: streaming and in-theater options
Tomorrow is Christmas! It’s safe to say that the lineup of Christmas Day 2020 movies is much different than what was originally planned earlier this year. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the majority of movie theaters to close in the United States, and in other parts of the world. That means most people will stay at home, and many will be streaming movies and TV shows safely in their living rooms.
Read more: Best streaming services
Because of this outbreak, many film studios have decided to put up some major new theatrical releases on streaming services as part of their Christmas Day 2020 movie plans. At the same time, some smaller films will still be released on December 25 in the theaters that remain open. Here’s a look at what new movies you can stream on Christmas Day, plus the lineup of films that will debut exclusively in theaters on that same day
Christmas Day 2020 movies – streaming
1. Wonder Woman 1984 (HBO Max)
Warner Bros shocked the movie industry a few weeks ago by announcing that their long-awaited sequel to the hit 2017 DC Comics superhero film would debut on HBO Max and in any open theaters on Christmas Day, and at no additional cost to HBO Max subscribers.
Gal Gadot returns as Diana, and as the title suggests, the movie takes place in the 1980s. Maxwell Lord, played by Pedro Pascal, seems to be the main villain of this film, as he is offering everyone on Earth what they most desire. Kristen Wiig also appears as Barbara Minerva, a geeky researcher who dreams of becoming a powerful woman, and that’s what she becomes when she battles Wonder Woman as the evil Cheetah.
Read more: Best DC Comics movies on HBO Max
Wonder Woman 1984 will be available for HBO Max subscribers starting at 12 noon Eastern time (9 am Pacific time) on Friday, December 25. It will be available to stream for the next 31 days, after which it will be removed from the service for the next several months. HBO Max costs $14.99 a month for new subscribers.
2. Soul (Disney Plus)
The latest movie from Disney’s Pixar animation studio is also the next big original Disney Plus film. Jamie Foxx voices the role of Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher who finally gets the chance to play at New York City’s best jazz club. However, an accident kills off Joe, and his soul is sent to The Great Before, where new souls are created before they head to Earth. Joe has to figure out how his soul can get back to his body. In the process, he learns about his own life.
Read more: Best Pixar movies on Disney Plus
Disney Plus will make the movie available to all of its subscribers at no extra cost. Disney Plus currently costs $6.99 a month.
3. We Can Be Heroes (Netflix)
Netflix has its own superhero sequel movie debuting on Christmas Day, and it also has Pedro Pascal in it. This movie is the sequel to 2005’s The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. This sequel shows how those two young superheroes are now grown up and have kids of their own. However, aliens have arrived to kidnap the duo, and other adult superheroes, and now it’s up to their children to save them. Other cast members include Priyanka Chopra, Christian Slater, and the original Lavagirl Taylor Dooley (Taylor Lautner, who played Sharkboy in the original film, won’t appear in this sequel, with a body double taking his place in a small cameo).
4. Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Prime Video)
Amazon Prime Video is offering some counter-programming to the lineup of family-friendly Christmas Day 2020 movies on streaming. Tessa Thompson plays a woman with high ambitions of being a TV producer. During a memorable summer, she falls for a jazz musician (played by acting newcomer Nnamdi Asomugha), but they soon drift apart. Years later they meet up again, but can they rekindle the romance they once shared?
Christmas Day 2020 movies – theaters
1. News of the World
Tom Hanks reteams with his Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass for this new Western movie. Hanks plays a man who travels from town to town just after the Civil War, relaying the major national and world news of the time to the town’s residents. However, he takes a detour when he agrees to transport a 10-year old girl, played by Helena Zenge, back to her biological aunt and uncle. As they travel to their destination, both will have to face threats from without and within.
2. Pinocchio
This latest retelling of the children’s classic story stars Academy Award winner Roberto Benigni as Geppetto. The puppet maker carves out a new creation, Pinocchio, who magically starts to talk and walk on his own. However, he still wants to become a real boy, and he goes on a quest to make that happen.
3. Promising Young Woman
Carey Mulligan stars in this very dark comedy. She plays a woman who is still dealing with the after-effects of the rape of her best friend in college. She decided to take on her own idea of revenge. She goes out to bars at night, pretending to be drunk, so that she can then humiliate men who try to force themselves on her. Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, Bo Burham, and Connie Britton also star in the movie.
4. One Night in Miami
Actor Regina King makes her directorial debut with this movie. Set in the early 1960s, it offers up a fictionalized version of a real-life meeting in a Miami hotel between four great black icons: the boxer Cassius Clay (later known as Mohammad Ali), the activist Malcolm X, the football player Jim Brown, and the singer Sam Cooke. If you can’t make it to theaters, this movie will be available for streaming to Amazon Prime Video subscribers starting January 15, 2021
That’s a look at the Christmas Day 2020 movies. As you can see, there will be plenty to watch at home and in theaters on Friday.