Best films released in the UK this month: December 2023
Highlights include Wonka, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Ferrari.
The year is all but over, and many film fans may have already drawn up their lists of the year's best movies – but there are still a few more exciting releases to come before those lists can truly be finalised.
December's release schedule includes everything from musical Roald Dahl prequels like Wonka to long-gestating passion projects such as Michael Mann's Ferrari, not to mention the hotly anticipated romcom Anyone But You starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney.
Meanwhile, Netflix has also saved two of its biggest new original films of the year for the final month, with Aardman sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Zack Snyder sci-fi epic Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire both getting brief theatrical runs before being added to the streamer.
There's also the latest film from Taika Waititi, Next Goal Wins, an acclaimed directorial debut from former Team GB volleyball player Savanah Leaf in Earth Mama and the second part of the epic adaptation of French classic The Three Musketeers.
To help you pick out the highlights, we've put together a selection of some of the best films to watch this month – check out the video above or read on for our choices.
Eileen
Release date: Friday 1st December in cinemas
Based on Ottessa Moshfegh's novel of the same name, this twisted and richly atmospheric thriller from Lady Macbeth director William Oldroyd boasts terrific performances from Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway.
McKenzie plays a disgruntled employee at a boys' prison in mid-'60s Massachusetts whose life is changed when she becomes enchanted by glamorous new counsellor Rebecca (Hathaway) – their new friendship eventually leading to an unforgettable climax that is bound to elicit strong reactions.
Wonka
Release date: Friday 8th December in cinemas
Paddington director Paul King takes the reins for this delightful musical prequel starring Timotheé Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier before he became the legendary and secretive factory owner we know from Roald Dahl's classic children's novels.
Penned by Simon Farnaby and boasting an array of beloved British stars in the cast – from Olivia Colman as a villain to Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa – it's a great choice for a festive family trip to the pictures.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Release date: Friday 8th December in cinemas, Friday 15th December on Netflix
More than 20 years after the first film, Ginger, Rocky and the rest of the flock return for a brand new stop-motion adventure that retains all the eccentricity and charm we've come to expect from Aardman Animations.
We rejoin them in a more comfortable place than last time, with their audacious escape from Mrs Tweedy having led to the establishment of a utopian island base. But when Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) discover that their intrepid daughter Molly has set off on an adventure, old enemies rear their heads and only an expertly orchestrated heist can avert a calamity.
Earth Mama
Release date: Friday 8th December in cinemas
Former Team GB volleyball star Savanah Leaf's acclaimed directorial debut focuses on Gia, a pregnant single mother with two children in foster care who is fighting to reclaim her family.
Set in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is an intimate look at a subject that hasn't often been explored on the big screen, complete with great performances from the likes of Tia Nomore and Sharon Duncan-Brewster.
The Three Musketeers: Milady
Release date: Friday 15th December in cinemas
The second part of the epic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's classic adventure novel picks up where the previous film left off, with a greater focus on Eva Green's Milady de Winter this time around.
The returning all-star French cast from the acclaimed first film also includes François Civil as D'Artagnan, Vincent Cassel as Athos, and Louis Garrel as King Louis XIII.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
Release date: Friday 15th December in cinemas, Friday 22nd December on Netflix
Zack Synder's epic original sci-fi flick started life as a Star Wars project, and the divisive director now hopes this first instalment in what is planned as a two-parter can launch a whole new franchise.
It follows a young woman with a mysterious past (Sofia Boutella) who is hired to seek out warriors from neighbouring planets to help a colony defend itself from the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee).
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Release date: Thursday 21st December in cinemas
The final film in the DC Extended Universe before it is rebooted under the leadership of James Gunn sees Jason Momoa reprise his role as Arthur Curry – who is forced to protect Atlantis and his loved ones against a new threat from old foe David Kane/Black Manta.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reprises his role as the villain from the previous film, only this time he is armed with the cursed Black Trident - which allows him to unleash an ancient power.
Anyone But You
Release date: Tuesday 26th December in cinemas
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell lead the cast of this hotly anticipated romcom from Easy A and Friends with Benefits director Will Gluck, which has been billed as a modern update of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
The pair star as Ben and Bea – two people who despise one another but can't seem to get away from each other while they vacation in Sydney.
Ferrari
Release date: Tuesday 26th December in cinemas
Adam Driver plays iconic Italian racing driver and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari in this passion project from legendary director Michael Mann, which he has been hoping to make for over 20 years.
The film unfolds over the course of one fateful three-month period in 1957, following Ferrari in both his personal and professional lives as he reckons with bankruptcy, a marriage strained by his wife's discovery of his secret son and mistress, and the Mille Miglia road race across Italy.
Next Goal Wins
Release date: Tuesday 26th December in cinemas
Based on a documentary from 2014, Taika Waititi's new comedy follows the famously terrible American Samoan football team after a new coach is brought in an attempt to reverse their fortunes – with the remit of finally getting them to score a goal.
Michael Fassbender stars as coach Thomas Rongen, who is also reckoning with personal trauma, while his working relationship with fa'afafine player Jaiyah Saelua – the first transgender player ever to compete in a World Cup qualifier game – also becomes a key focus.
The Boy and the Heron
Release date: Tuesday 26th December in cinemas
Hayao Miyazaki's latest film follows Mahito, a 12-year-old boy struggling to settle in a new town after his mother's death – until a strange encounter with a talking heron sees him embark on an surreal journey to find her in another world.
Released both in original Japanese with subtitles and in an English dub – featuring a stellar voice cast that includes Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson – it is the latest in a long line of animated gems from Studio Ghibli.
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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.
