Happy Holidays, one and all! It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and not just because sleigh bells are ringing. Almost all of the major streaming services have dropped at least one headline-grabbing movie or TV show this weekend, so there really has never been a better time to plonk yourself in front of the television and catch something new.
Leading the festive charge is Netflix, whose Knives Out sequel and adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda will surely light up millions of living rooms over Christmas. But HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV Plus all have something new to offer, too, so there’s no shortage of options to peruse once that post-dinner exhaustion kicks in on Sunday.
Below, then, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows to stream over the next few days.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
Daniel Craig continues his post-James Bond career redefinition with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (otherwise known as Knives Out 2) on Netflix this weekend.
The highly anticipated follow-up to director Rian Johnson’s acclaimed murder mystery flick, Glass Onion sees Craig reprise his role as master detective Benoit Blanc to solve another humor-filled whodunnit – this time on a private Greek island owned by eccentric tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton).
Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Leslie Odom Jr, Kate Hudson and Ethan Hawke also star in Johnson’s sequel, which has been praised for being "lighter and brighter" than its predecessor. No doubt Glass Onion will soon make it onto our list of the best Netflix movies, so add this one to your watchlist ASAP.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (Netflix)
Netflix’s all-singing, all-dancing movie adaptation of Matilda the Musical (which itself is an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel) is the definition of festive family fun.
Directed by Matthew Warchus and featuring original music by Tim Minchin – both of whom helmed the Tony Award-winning stage show – Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical tells the tale of Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir), a schoolgirl with extraordinary powers who dares to take a stand against her oppressive parents and villainous head teacher.
Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough also star in this sumptuous Netflix musical, which is available to stream in the US from Sunday, December 25 (aka Christmas day to those who celebrate). UK viewers can find Matilda in theaters, where it'll stay exclusively until 2023.
Available to stream on Netflix from Sunday.
The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix)
If you’re itching to return to the creature-filled forests of the Continent but can’t wait for The Witcher season 3, then the series’ first spin-off show, The Witcher: Blood Origin, could be the answer to your prayers.
This four-part miniseries – set 1,200 years before the time of Geralt of Rivia – traces the origin story of the very first Witcher and follows seven destiny-bound outcasts who join forces to topple the tyrannical elven kingdom of Xin’trea. Sophia Brown (a replacement for the originally cast Jodie Turner-Smith), Michelle Yeoh, Laurence O’Fuarai and Minnie Driver are among the show’s cast.
Ahead of Blood Origin’s release, we spoke to its creators and cast about how the series reshapes The Witcher’s mysterious past. For our money, though, this Netflix spin-off is "a frustrating and magic-less misfire that doesn't know what it wants to be."
Available to stream on Netflix from Sunday.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse (Apple TV Plus)
Rivaling Matilda the Musical for wholesome-ness this weekend is The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, which is available to stream on Apple TV Plus from Sunday.
A BBC-produced adaptation of Charlie Mackesy's mega-successful children’s book, this animated short follows one boy’s journey home and the unlikely companions he makes along the way. Idris Elba, Tom Hollander and Gabriel Byrne lend their voice talents.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse’s limited runtime means it probably won’t break into our list of the best Apple TV Plus movies, but its understated tale of simple kindness is sure to leave you feeling uplifted this Christmas weekend.
Available to stream on Apple TV Plus from Sunday.
Jack Ryan season 3 (Prime Video)
John Krasinski’s special agent Jack Ryan returns for his long-awaited third outing on Prime Video this weekend.
Amazon’s synopsis for Jack Ryan season 3 isn’t exactly short, but the general gist of the series’ new episodes is as follows: while working as a CIA officer in Rome, Ryan becomes alerted to a secret plan to restore the Soviet Empire that sends him on a crisscrossing tour of Europe in a bid to prevent World War III. Standard spy shenanigans, then.
All eight episodes are available to stream on Prime Video now – here’s hoping they’re good enough to earn Amazon’s espionage series a place on our list of the best Prime Video shows.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
I Hate Suzie season 2 (HBO Max)
Sky-produced series I Hate Suzie didn’t set the world alight when it debuted back in 2020, but those who did watch the Billie Piper-starrer couldn’t recommend it enough.
Now, Piper’s titular child star-turned-actress returns for more public meltdowns in the three-episode I Hate Suzie Too, which has been described by Sky as "an anti-Christmas Christmas special” given Suzie’s ongoing battle with ex-husband Cob (Daniel Ings) and estrangement from best friend Naomi (Leila Farzad).
Still not convinced? Showrunner Lucy Prebbile – who co-wrote I Hate Suzie (and its follow-up) with Piper – also serves as a co-executive producer and writer on Succession season 4, aka the forthcoming entry in one of the best HBO Max shows ever. How’s that for credentials?
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
Alice in Borderland season 2 (Netflix)
Japanese sci-fi thriller series Alice in Borderland returns for its much anticipated second season on Netflix this weekend.
Continuing the story of Haro Aso’s manga of the same name, Alice in Borderland season 2 will find Kento (Ryōhei Arisu) and Tao (Yuzuha Usagi) faced with the challenge of completing the show’s deadly, Squid Game-esque games at the behest of the mysterious gamemasters.
Judging by the season’s trailer, things get suitably bloody in Alice in Borderland season 2, and all eight episodes are available to stream on Netflix now (maybe the series will finally make its way onto our best Netflix shows list).
Now available to stream on Netflix.
