Sky Cinema's new releases in December

Ash Walker • 03 Dec 2024 News

Find out which new films are coming this December.

October will see an absolute ton of excellent films added to Sky Cinema, featuring everything from giant apes to larger-than-life chocolatiers. And, of course, an absolute feast of brand new Christmas movies!

Read on for all the new releases coming to Sky Cinema this month.

Sky Cinema new releases: What’s on in December

The American Society of Magical Negroes - 1st December

Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) stars in this satirical comedy about a down-on-his-luck young man who discovers a secret society of magically-imbued Black people, who have made it their mission to make white people happy.

Playing on the well-worn trope of the ‘magical negro’ - a term popularised by filmmaker Spike Lee to refer to those wise and mystical supporting characters who come to the aid of white characters in movies like The Legend of Bagger Vance - this is attempting to comment on cinema and modern society in general.

Wonka - 6th December

Credit: WONKA | Official Trailer (Warner Bros. Pictures, YouTube)

The secret origin of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet), including the opening of his first chocolate shop and his fateful meeting with the Oompa Loompas, here represented by a tiny, orange Hugh Grant.

Positioned as a prequel/companion piece to 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this musical comedy adventure aims to capture the magic of the original film and, of course, Roald Dahl’s beloved source novel. And with Paul King and Simon Farnaby, the minds behind the Paddington films, behind the camera, there should be plenty of whimsy on display.

Also stars an ensemble of impeccable comedic talent from both sides of the pond, including Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins.

Sweethearts - 7th December

A sort of anti-romantic comedy starring Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Nico Haraga (Booksmart).

Ben and Jamie have been friends since the 8th Grade, and both are now stuck in relationships that they want to be out of. So they make a pact to break up with their significant others over Thanksgiving break.

A Sudden Case of Christmas - 8th December

A remake of Italian film Improvvisamente Natale, this sweet family Christmas film stars Danny DeVito as a grandfather hosting his family at his hotel in Italy.

When his daughter (played by DeVito’s real-life daughter Lucy) and son-in-law announce that they’re going to get divorced, his granddaughter insists that they all spend one last Christmas together - in the middle of August.

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland - 13th December

Based on the children’s book by Carys Bexington and illustrator Kate Hindley - with visuals that match Hindley’s distinctive work - this charming animated film tells the story of St Nick’s attempts to deliver presents in the famously anarchic Wonderland.

Features the voice talents of Gerard Butler (How To Train Your Dragon) as St Nick and Emelia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as the Queen of Hearts.

Abigail - 14th December

Credit: Abigail | Official Trailer (Universal Pictures, YouTube)

A spooky treat for the holiday season, this gory comedy horror follows a group of ne'er-do-wells who have been hired to kidnap the daughter of a mysterious, wealthy businessman. The twist? The ballet-loving moppet is actually a murderous vampire!

From Radio Silence, the collective behind the criminally underrated Ready Or Not and the two most recent Scream films, this is a fun, witty ghost train of a movie with loads of twists and turns. Stars Melissa Barrera (Scream VI), Dan Stevens (The Guest), Kathryn Newton (Lisa Frankenstein) and Alisha Weir (Matilda the Musical).

Coup! - 15th December

During the height of the 1918 flu pandemic, the mysterious cook of an isolated island mansion leads a staff insurrection against the wealthy owners.

A dark, satirical comedy, this stars Peter Sarsgaard and Billy Magnussen as the warring chef and owner respectively.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - 20th December

Credit: Godzilla x Kong : The New Empire | Official Trailer (Warner Bros. Pictures, YouTube)

The latest in Legendary’s ongoing ‘Monsterverse’ series of movies, this one sees gigantic frenemies Godzilla and Kong team up to take on the evil Skar King, another giant ape from the centre of the Earth with designs on the surface world.

There’s a pretty impressive cast here, including Rebecca Hall (Iron Man 3), Dan Stevens (Abigail) and Brian Tyree Henry (Bullet Train), but the human characters admittedly don’t have much to do except react to what the giant monsters are up to.

The big sell here is the kaiju action, and there is certainly plenty of it.

ISS - 21st December

Some high-concept sci-fi thrills with Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), starring as an American astronaut aboard the ISS. When war breaks out on Earth, she receives orders to take control of the station ‘at any cost’. The problem is, her Russian colleagues have received similar orders.

A fun, tense B-movie thriller.

SuperKlaus - 22nd December

A family-friendly animated film in which Santa Claus bumps his head and wakes up thinking he’s a superhero.

Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point - 24th December

Credit: Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point | Official Trailer (Vertigo Releasing, YouTube)

An indie comedy drama following the various trials and tribulations of a sprawling Italian-American family as they meet for dinner on Christmas Eve.

This has received some positive buzz from critics, who have praised its interweaving of stories and off-kilter sense of humour. Stars a huge ensemble of character actors, including Michael Cera (Superbad) and Francesca Scorcese, daughter of famed director Martin.

A Quiet Place: Day One - 25th December

Credit: A Quiet Place: Day One | Official Trailer 2 (Paramount Pictures, YouTube)

A prequel to the blockbuster sci-fi horror series, this details the initial arrival of those pesky alien creatures with super-sensitive hearing, and their destruction of New York City.

With all the heart and humanity typical of this series - as well as the tense, monstery scares - Day One is a must-watch for all thriller fans. Stars Lupita Nyong’o (Us) and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things).

Kung Fu Panda 4 - 25th December

Credit: KUNG FU PANDA 4 | Official Trailer (Universal Pictures, YouTube)

The fourth film in the mega-popular Kung Fu Panda series, this finds cuddly martial arts master Po (Jack Black) attempting to find and train his replacement as Dragon Master. Along the way he teams up with a bandit named Zhen (Awkwafina) to defeat evil sorceress The Chameleon (Viola Davis).

Sure to be popular with the whole family, this is a perfect Christmas Day watch. Also stars Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Ian McShane (John Wick).

Problemista - 31th December

From the warped mind of surrealist comedian Julio Torres (Fantasmas), this offbeat comedy drama follows an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who falls in with an oddball outcast from the art world in an attempt to extend his work visa.

Filled with weird, dreamy visuals and Torres’ unique sense of humour, this is a one-of-a-kind watch. Also stars Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer) and Greta Lee (The Morning Show).

What are Sky Premieres?

Sky Premieres are the films that have arrived on Sky Cinema most recently, with the biggest films getting a major highlight.

These Sky Premiere movies often include some of the year’s biggest releases or major blockbusters from the last couple of years.

The Sky Cinema Premiere channel is the place to watch the new films that are introduced to the catalogue each month, but they can also be found on demand under the New to Sky Cinema section.

Is Sky Cinema the same as Sky Movies?

In a word, yes. Following a rebrand in 2016, Sky Movies is now called Sky Cinema, and offers an even wider range of titles and exclusives than ever before.

Sky Cinema boasts more of the latest blockbusters than anywhere else - including new and exclusive Sky Original films - and an extensive catalogue of over 1,000 movies on demand.

Plus, all Sky cinema customers can also get two free Vue cinema tickets every month, and access to Paramount+ at no extra cost.

Top movies on Sky Cinema

Sky prides itself on bringing the latest and very best movies to its incredibly deep catalogue of films.

You can see many of the top films from across the year on Sky Cinema soon after leaving theatres, so you never have to wait long if you missed out on a big release.

Be sure to get set up with a Sky Cinema package if you haven’t got one already. You can find many great Sky Cinema deals on Digital TV.