Best films released this month: December 2022
Highlights include Avatar: The Way of Water, Violent Night, and I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
We're fast approaching Christmas time – and as is usually the case in December, there are some brand new festive films set to arrive in the coming weeks in addition to all sorts of other big-screen releases.
The most hotly-anticipated new film this month is undoubtedly Avatar: The Way of Water, the long-awaited follow-up to James Cameron's record-breaking sci-fi epic. The sequel will see audiences transported back to Pandora where Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their children are faced with an ancient threat.
As for the aforementioned Christmas treats, there are a couple of vastly different films arriving at the start of December – the black comedy action flick Violent Night, which stars David Harbour as Santa, and rom-com Your Christmas or Mine?, starring Sex Education's Asa Butterfield.
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The month also sees the arrival of a couple of exciting films on Netflix following brief theatrical runs in November, with Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion adaptation Pinocchio and the acclaimed Knives Out sequel Glass Onion the pick of the streamer's offerings in December.
And later in the month, cinemagoers can see Naomi Ackie play the great Whitney Houston in the musical biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
To help you pick out the cinema highlights, we've put together a selection of some of the best films to watch this month – watch the video above or read on for our choices.
Violent Night
Release date: Friday 2nd December in cinemas
David Harbour plays a very different Santa Claus from the jolly old man we're used to seeing in this black comedy action flick from Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola.
The film sees Santa intervene after an elite team of mercenaries breaks into an opulent house on Christmas Eve, putting his impressive fighting skills to the test as he aims to free a family of hostages – including a young girl whose help proves instrumental to his mission.
Your Christmas or Mine?
Release date: Friday 2nd December, Prime Video
This festive rom-com stars Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk as a young student couple heading to their respective homes for Christmas – only for them to both have the same idea to turn up at each other's houses for a Christmas surprise.
Heavy snow means they end up stranded with each other's families – one at a posh mansion in Gloucester and the other at a chaotic semi-detached house in Macclesfield – with all sorts of surprises in store for both.
The Silent Twins
Release date: Friday 9th December in cinemas
Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance star in this biographical drama about the strange and tragic lives of Welsh twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, who were born in Wales in 1963.
After a spree of vandalism, the girls were sentenced to spend time in the infamous psychiatric hospital Broadmoor, where they faced the choice to separate and survive or die together.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Release date: Friday 9th December, Netflix
The second new adaptation of the tale of the wooden boy to be released in 2022 – following Robert Zemeckis's version on Disney Plus – this stop-motion take on the classic fable comes from Mexican master of the macabre Guillermo del Toro.
Transposing the drama to Benito Mussolini's fascist Italy of the 1930s, the film explores grief, war, and what it means to be human, with memorable voice performances from the likes of David Bradley and Ewan McGregor.
Emancipation
Release date: Friday 9th December, Apple TV+
Will Smith's first role since the infamous slap at this year's Oscars sees him take on the role of a slave who flees his Louisiana plantation after being whipped nearly to death.
Following his escape, he comes up against cold-blooded hunters as he makes his way North to join the Union Army. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua and is based on a true story.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Release date: Friday 16th December in cinemas
Thirteen years after James Cameron's sci-fi epic broke box office records, audiences finally have the chance to head back to Pandora in this long-awaited sequel.
Jake Sully and Ney'tiri now have a family – but must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora when an ancient threat resurfaces that forces Jake to fight a difficult war against the humans.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Release date: Friday 23rd December, Netflix
Rian Johnson follows up his hit whodunnit Knives Out with this enjoyable sequel – which sees Daniel Craig return as enigmatic detective Benoit Blanc.
This time around, Blanc finds himself receiving a mysterious invite to the Greek island home of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), and it's not long before his crime-solving skills are put to the test once again.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Release date: Friday 23rd December in cinemas
Naomi Ackie stars as iconic singer Whitney Houston in this musical biopic from director Kasi Lemmons.
It charts her life from after she is discovered by record executive Clive Davis, rising from obscurity to international fame in the 1980s and becoming one of the greatest singers of her generation.
If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide or visit our Movies hub for all the latest news.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
