Moana (Boxing Day)
Disney’s big ticket release this year is Moana. In a great move for the classic movie studio, the titular Moana is Disney’s very first Pacific Islander princess.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson voices demi-god Maui, who must join Moana on a quest to steal goddess Te Fiti’s heart and allow villagers to once again catch the fish they need.
Expect great things from the best animation studio in the business.
La La Land (Boxing Day)
La La Land is a whimsical musical love letter to the musicals of 1950s Hollywood. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling team up again to bring a compelling love story to screen.
Fans of old-time musicals will love this Oscar best picture front-runner.
Allied (Boxing Day)
Two of Hollywood’s best actors are together under one of film’s most successful directors (Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) in Allied. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard play an army intelligence officer and a French Resistance fighter during WWII, who return from the war and marry.
But authorities suspect Cotillard’s character of being a spy and Pitt’s character is charged with revealing – and exterminating – her if she is.
Red Dog: True Blue (Boxing Day)
Back in 2011, Red Dog blitzed Australia and the world to become one our most successful films ever. It was inevitable that we’d see more from the courageous canine.
Now, Red Dog: True Blue takes us back to Red Dog’s puppy days. Pan’s Levi Miller stars with Bryan Brown, Jason Isaacs and more.
Why Him? (Boxing Day)
Boxing Day’s only pure comedy release, Why Him?, pairs funnyman James Franco with critical darling Bryan Cranston in an awkward family meeting.
Cranston’s character’s daughter (Zoey Deutch) brings the family to meet her very rich and successful boyfriend (Franco), who is desperate to win the family over and propose.
Passengers (January 1)
It was only a matter of time before Hollywood paired its two brightest stars together: Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. The duo are the only cast members (bar a robotic Michael Sheen) in Passengers.
It tells the story of two passengers on a space vessel set for a new planet who wake 90 years earlier than they are supposed to.
Assassin’s Creed (January 1)
Marion Cotillard is back for another holiday release. She is paired with her Macbeth co-star Michael Fassbender for another film from Ausrtalian director Justin Kurzel: Assassin’s Creed.
The film is the movie adaptation of the incredibly popular video game series.
The Edge of Seventeen (January 5)
Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson star in The Edge of Seventeen, the latest teen self-discovery film. Steinfeld has scored herself a Golden Globe nomination for the role and early indications suggest her chemistry with teacher Harrelson will be electric.
Perhaps The Breakfast Club for the new generation?
Jackie (January 12)
Natalie Portman stars as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in this biopic of the famous first lady’s life.
Portman will rock Jackie O’s trademark pillbox hat in the aftermath of JFK’s assassination.
Collateral Beauty (January 12)
Fans of huge, talented ensemble casts will be in their element with Collateral Beauty.
Will Smith leads with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Edward Norton, Naomie Harris, Kate Winslet and Michael Pena in supporting roles in this existential drama.
Smith’s character receives personal visits from the incarnation of Love, Time and Death. Prepare for a weepy.