Brad Pitt’s ‘F1’ and More

Brad Pitt’s racing blockbuster “F1” arrives on Apple TV this month after grossing $631 million at the worldwide this summer to become the biggest box office hit of the actor’s career (unadjusted for inflation). The movie, directed by “Top Gun: Maverick” helmer Joseph Kosinski, follows Pitt’s character as he emerges from retirement to coach a rookie driver and save a failing F1 team. Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Tobias Menzies co-star in the film, while real-life Formula One champ Lewis Hamilton counts himself among the producers.

Tom Cruise’s alleged last “Mission: Impossible” movie, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” is now streaming on Paramount+ after grossing $598 million at the worldwide box office this summer. Starring Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg and more, “The Final Reckoning” picks up in the wake of “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,” as Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his globetrotting team of agents continue their mission to destroy the Entity, a mysterious and all-powerful AI, before it falls into the wrong hands.

Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are back with a third “Knives Out” mystery, the religious-themed “Wake Up Dead Man.” The new supporting cast includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack  and Thomas Haden Church. Variety’s review of the threequel called it the sharpest “Knives Out’ movie yet, adding: “Its trickiness works on a human scale, as writer-director Rian Johnson immerses us in murder logistics — and, in a playful way, the question of rationality vs. faith.”

Jennifer Lawrence’s “Die My Love” struggled at the box office this fall with $5 million domestically and $10 million worldwide, but more curious moviegoers are likely to discover it when it begins streaming on Mubi just before Christmas. Lawrence gives an acclaimed performance as a new mother who spirals into madness while dealing with postpartum and a husband (Robert Pattinson) who can’t support her needs.

Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst deliver winning performances in Derek Cianfrance’s true story drama “Roofman.” The film centers on Jeffrey Manchester, a U.S. army veteran who resorted to robbing various McDonalds in order to overcome financial hardship. He eventually gets caught and sent to jail, only to break out and go into hiding at a Toys”R”Us.

Noah Baumbach is behind “Jay Kelly,” one of Netflix’s biggest Oscar contenders this year. George Clooney riffs on his movie star persona by playing a world-famous actor who has an existential crisis as he travels overseas to accept a lifetime achievement award. Adam Sandler plays the actor’s manager, while Laura Dern stars as his publicist. From Variety’s review: “Directed by Noah Baumbach, from a script he co-wrote with the actor Emily Mortimer, ‘Jay Kelly’ is a fictional inside-the-movie-world portrait that’s been made with a great deal of care and affection and entertaining dish; it’s the definition of a movie that goes down easy.”

Taylor Swift fans are getting the ultimate holiday gift on Disney+ this month as the Grammy-winning superstar rolls out her “Eras Tour” documentary series along with the release of a brand new concert movie, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show.” The movie is a full concert experience captured during the final show of her tour in Vancouver, B.C., featuring the entire set of “The Tortured Poets Department” for the first time. That portion of the show was added to the tour following the album’s release in April 2024. Fans were able to watch an earlier iteration of the “Eras Tour” theatrical film on Disney+ before those songs were added to the set list.

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s body horror movie “Together” earned $32 million at the worldwide box office over the summer. The real-life married couple plays a husband and wife whose move out of the city takes a horrific turn when their bodies start to literally mesh together. From Variety’s review: “Michael Shanks’ movie is megaplex-ready, but it’s an over-the-top horror film with something on its mind… this is more of an over-the-top roller-coaster acid-trip if-it-looks-weird-do-it freak-out of a movie.”

Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” was named a Variety Critic’s Pick out of the Cannes Film Festival: “Josh O’Connor comes unstuck as a family man whose under-planned theft from a local art museum goes inexorably, amusingly awry… Reichardt has never met a genre she couldn’t meticulously deconstruct. But rarely has she done so with such offbeat wit and bluesy wisdom as with this anti-heist movie, a canny rejoinder to the glamorous high drama of the traditional robbery-gone-wrong plot.”

“Him,” directed by Justin Tipping and produced by horror maestro Jordan Peele follows an up-and-coming quarterback (played by Tyriq Withers) who studies under the questionable mentorship of his football idol (Marlon Wayans). The movie also stars Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker and more.

“Ne Zha II” made box office history this year when it grossed $2.2 billion — making it the fifth highest-grossing movie in history and the biggest animated film of all time (unadjusted for inflation). A24 released an English-language version of the hit over the summer featuring the voices of Michelle Yeoh, Crystal Lee, Vincent Rodriguez III and Aleks Le. The synopsis reads: “A rebellious young boy, Ne Zha, is feared by the gods and born to mortal parents with wild, uncontrolled powers. Now he’s faced with an ancient force intent on destroying humanity, he must grow up to become the hero the world needs.”

Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck” won the TIFF People’s Choice Award in 2024 and was released in theaters this summer by Neon. Based on Stephen King‘s novella of the same name, “The Life of Chuck” is told in reverse, following Tom Hiddleston’s Chuck Krantz from his death and ending with his early childhood.

“Troll 2” is the anticipated sequel to the Norwegian monster movie that became Netflix’s most popular non-English film to date. The official synopsis reads: “When a dangerous new troll is awakened, unleashing devastation across Norway, beloved adventurers Nora, Andreas and Captain Kris are thrust into their most perilous mission yet. To stop the creature’s ruthless rampage, they must enlist new allies and delve into the country’s ancient history, searching for answers. As the clock ticks and the troll’s path of destruction grows wider, our heroes face impossible odds in their fight to save their homeland from falling into darkness.”

Ron Howard‘s star-studded “Eden” features go-for-broke performances from Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney and Daniel Brühl in a stranger-than-fiction true survival thriller about European settlers who seek new life on a previously uninhabited island in the Galápagos. As the official logline explains, “They believe they’ve found paradise — only to discover that hell is other people.”

Prime Video is offering its own original Christmas movie this season with “Oh. What. Fun.” The latest from “The Idea of You” director Michael Showalter features an ensemble cast of Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Danielle Brooks, Devery Jacobs, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria and Joan Chen. Pfeiffer plays an exasperated mother who sets off on an impromptu Christmas season adventure when she hits her breaking point with a family that continues to underappreciate her.

Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox headline Prime Video’s original romantic-comedy “Merv.” The official synopsis reads: “When their beloved dog Merv loses his spark after their split, Anna and Russ are forced into the world’s most awkward co-parenting arrangement. Hoping to shake Merv out of his funk, Russ takes him to Florida for a much-needed getaway—only for Anna to show up unexpectedly. As Mervslowly gets his groove back, turns out fixing their dog’s broken heart may lead to a few sparks of their own.”

Kate Winslet makes her feature directorial debut with the Netflix original “Goodbye June.” The Oscar winner also stars alongside Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall and Helen Mirren. The plot revolves around a “fractured group of siblings who pull together under sudden and trying circumstances.”

Michael J. Weithorn’s unassuming dramedy “The Best You Can” feels comfortingly sweet thanks to the natural chemistry of real-life married couple Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. The movie, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, centers on the blossoming relationship between a security guard and the woman whose home he saves from an attempted robbery.

The official synopsis from HBO Max reads: “Through rare archival footage and deeply personal accounts, this documentary explores the extraordinary life, singular talent, and untimely death of Jeff Buckley — the enigmatic artist whose haunting voice and only album, ‘Grace,’ left an indelible mark on music history.”

Forty-one years in the making, “The End Continues” is the follow-up to Rob Reiner’s 1984 classic comedy “This Is Spinal Tap.” Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer reprise their roles as Spinal Tap bandmates Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls, while Reiner also returns both in front of and behind the camera. The sequel follows the now-split band being forced to come together to play a reunion show in New Orleans. Real musicians make cameos in the film, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Questlove, Trisha Yearwood, Chad Smith and Lars Ulrich.

Edward Burns stars in and directs “The Family McMullen,” which serves as the sequel to his Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “The Brothers McMullen” from three decades ago. Per HBO Max: “The new film tracks the romantic entanglements of a now 50-something Barry McMullen (Burns) and his 20-something kids, as well as his brother Patrick (Michael McGlone) and widowed sister-in-law Molly (Connie Britton), each facing unexpected romantic hurdles of their own.”

Netflix’s original Christmas movie roster expands with “My Secret Santa,” starring Alexandra Breckenridge, Ryan Eggold and Tia Mowry. Breckenridge plays a single mother who disguises herself as an elderly man in order to get hired as Santa Clause at a local ski resort. Naturally, she falls in love with the son of the resort owner while out of costume. 

The “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie franchise continues this month with the Disney+ original “The Last Straw,” adapted from the third installment of Jeff Kinney’s bestselling book series. The synopsis reads: “When laidback Greg finds himself at odds with his dad’s outsized expectations, pressure builds to turn his act around. After a series of hilarious near disasters, Greg’s dad presents him with an ultimatum that just might challenge his wimpy ways for good.”

Ryan Coogler’s critical and commercial hit “Sinners” comes to Prime Video at no extra cost to subscribers after debuting on HBO Max over the summer. The vampire sensation was named one of Variety’s best movies of 2025 so far: “It’s a throat-ripping vampire movie. And a simmering, layered portrait of a small-town Mississippi Delta community in 1932… it’s exhilarating to take a ride in a popcorn fantasy this heady, where the forces of evil add up to an oppressive destiny. Coogler has vowed that there will be no sequel, but the Marvel-style post-credits teaser leaves you wanting and imagining one.”

Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” arrives on Prime Video at no extra cost to describers after streaming on Peacock earlier this year. Variety’s review reads: “Anderson taps into a softer side of Benicio del Toro, who plays a tough negotiator trying to make amends with his estranged daughter in another intricately constructed oddity from the esoteric director.”

“A Minecraft Movie” debuts on Prime Video this month at no extra cost to subscribers after debuting on HBO Max over the summer. The movie remains one of the biggest box office hits of 2025 with $940 million at the worldwide box office. The film’s $162 million opening remains the top start at the domestic box office. The movie stars Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Hansen and Jennifer Coolidge. A sequel is already in development and will hit theaters in July 2027.

Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson’s “The Naked Gun” reboot arrives on Prime Video this month at no extra cost to subscribers after making its streaming debut on Paramount+ earlier this fall. The film brought old-school comedy back to movie theaters this summer to critical acclaim and $102 million at the worldwide box office. From Variety’s review: “The film is an engaging goofball grab bag, well-stocked with vintage terrible puns, nicely detonated movie conventions (in the opening heist sequence, the villain’s henchman steals a remote control marked with the words ‘P.L.O.T. Device’), and serviceable running gags (Drebin keeps getting handed oversize cups of take-out coffee).”

It wouldn’t be the Christmas movie season without the McCallister family. Hulu is marking the holiday movie season by bringing the entire “Home Alone” franchise to streaming, including the Macaulay Culkin-led classics “Home Alone” (1990) and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992). Franchise sequels “Home Alone 3” (1997), “Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House” (2002) and “Home Alone: The Holiday Heist” (2012) are also now available to stream.

Tim Allen’s classic Christmas franchise “The Santa Clause” arrives on Hulu this month just in time for the holiday streaming season. “The Santa Clause” (1994), “The Santa Clause 2” (2002) and “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” (2006) are available to stream now. The films grossed a combined $474 million at the worldwide box office.