Your guide to new films in cinemas across Australia this week, 23 to 29 December 2024.
For the monthly guide to new film releases, head to our guide for new films in December.
New movies
26 December
A Real Pain
Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg, who also writes and directs) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin
Classification: CTC
Country: Poland, USA
Runtime: 90m
Anora
In this Palme d’Or-winning love story from Sean Baker (Tangerine, Red Rocket) a Las Vegas sex worker gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she and a young Russian oligarch fall for each other. However, when news of their impulsive marriage reaches his homeland, his parents make moves to get their union annulled.
Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Mikey Maddison, Yuriy Borisov
Classification: MA
Country: USA
Runtime: 139m
Better Man
The director of The Greatest Showman offers a unique look into the experiences that shaped Robbie Williams – by casting the pop star as a walking, singing ape – in this atypical musical.
Director: Michael Gracey
Cast: Robbie Williams, Damon Herriman
Classification: MA
Country: USA
Runtime: 135m
ScreenHub: Better Man: Robbie Williams is a chimp in the Australian-made biopic
Parthenope
The life of Parthenope – neither siren nor myth – from her birth in 1950 to the present day. Her long existence embodies the full repertoire of human existence: youth’s lightheartedness and its demise, classical beauty and its inexorable permutations, pointless and impossible loves, stale flirtations and dizzying passion, nighttime kisses on Capri, flashes of joy and persistent suffering, real and invented fathers, endings and new beginnings.
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Cast: Gary Oldman, Celest Dalla Porta
Classification: CTC
Country: France, Italy
Runtime: 136m
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and director Jeff Fowler return for the third film in the family-friendly adventure film series, based on the beloved SEGA videogames.
Director: Jeff Fowler
Cast: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden
Classification: CTC
Country: USA
Runtime: 109m
26 December
The Room Next Door
Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter. Eventually, they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro
Classification: M
Country: Spain
Runtime: 107m
ScreenHub: Film Review: Parallel Mothers (and hidden pasts)
Recently released
19 December
Mufasa
Simba, having become king of the Pride Lands, is determined for his cub to follow in his footsteps while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored in this follow-up to the 2019 blockbuster, this time directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight).
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Aaron Pierre, Billy Eichner, John Kani
Classification: CTC
Country: USA
Runtime: 118m
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Gromit’s growing concern that Wallace has become over-dependent on his inventions is justified when he invents a ‘smart gnome’ that seems to develop a mind of its own. As events spiral out of control, it falls to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces – or Wallace may never be able to invent again.
Director: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham
Cast: Adjoa Andoh, Peter Kay, Lenny Henry
Classification: PG
Country: UK
Runtime: 79m
ScreenHub: Has Aardman, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit, run out of clay for future animations?
21 December
Royal Ballet & Opera 2024-25: The Nutcracker
Discover the enchantment of ballet with this sparkling festive treat for the whole family. Julia Trevelyan Oman’s period designs bring festive charm to the production.
Director: Peter Wright
Cast: Marcelino Sambé, Anna Rose O’Sullivan
Classification: CTC
Country: UK
Runtime: 165m
