As we ramp up to the end of 2016, we can look back on a year filled with franchise tentpoles, some of which worked and some of which didn’t. For those looking forward to more franchise blockbusters, our 2016 Holiday Movies Preview is chock full of them, and those looking for respite from them have some solid Oscar-bait dramas and hilarious comedies and animated films to look forward to.
Marvel Studios is bringing us a strange new hero, Lucasfilm is ushering Darth Vader back to the screen and J.K. Rowling is exploring a new avenue of her Harry Potter universe. You also have exciting new films from directors like Ang Lee, Robert Zemeckis, Warren Beatty and many more!
Check out our 2016 Holiday Movies Preview in the gallery below, and let us know which films you’re looking forward to the most in the comments section!
Holiday Movie Preview 2016
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Doctor Strange (Nov. 4)
After nearly three decades in development, Marvel's Master of the Mystic Arts finally conjures his way into the MCU. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title surgeon-turned-Sorcerer Supreme as he fights to save the world from Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his band of Zealots. Horror director Scott Derrickson (Sinister) will bring Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's classic supernatural creation to the screen, with early reviews saying the action sequences are spectacular.
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Hacksaw Ridge (Nov. 4)
Academy Award-winning director Mel Gibson (The Passion of The Christ, Braveheart, Apocalypto) returns behind the camera to tell the true story of US Army medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a conscientious objector who saved the lives of over 75 men during WWII's Battle of Okinawa. The war scenes are visceral, but there's real heart to Garfield's portrayal. Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey and Hugo Weaving co-star.
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Trolls (Nov. 4)
In what is sure to be the trippiest film of the fall, DreamWorks Animation is bringing back the wacky doll line created in the 1950s that became a fad again in the 1990s. Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake voice the leads, who are on a quest to save Troll Town with some song and dance numbers along the way.
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Almost Christmas (Nov. 11)
A highly-dysfunctional family reunites for the first time since their matriarch died. Big league producer Will Packer brings together an all-star cast for this holiday comedy, including Kimberly Elise, Omar Epps, Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, Romany Malco, Gabrielle Union and John Michael Higgins.
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Arrival (Nov. 11)
This sci-fi film from director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) has been earning out-and-out raves from early screenings. Amy Adams plays a linguistics expert dispatched to aid in communication with a recently-landed spacecraft in order to prevent all-out war between species. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker co-star.
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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Nov. 11)
Although this film was shot at 120 frames-per-second, the highest (and presumably most realistic) frame rate of any major release film, there will only be a few theaters presenting it that way. Based on the novel by Ben Fountain, it is directed by Oscar-winner Ang Lee (Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain) and presents a portrait of a soldier returning home from Iraq. Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin and Joe Alwyn star.
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Shut In (Nov. 11)
The Ring's Naomi Watts and Room sensation Jacob Tremblay star in this horror-thriller from Luc Besson's EuropaCorp. Watts plays a psychologist forced to take care of her ailing son during a terrible storm who begins to suspect someone is in the house with them.
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nov. 18)
Author-turned-screenwriter J. K. Rowling expands her Harry Potter universe with this prequel set in 1920's New York. Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) brings a briefcase from the wizarding world full of magical creatures, but when the things escape it causes widespread panic. Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, Ron Perlman and Jon Voight co-star.
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The Edge of Seventeen (Nov. 18)
The debut feature of Kelly Fremon Craig follows the hilariously-awkward life of a high school junior named Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld). Things turn around for her when she sparks a friendship with a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto). The legendary James L. Brooks ("The Simpsons," Bottle Rocket, Say Anything) produces the film, with Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick co-starring.
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Allied (Nov. 23)
Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Contact, Flight) helms this romantic thriller based on a true story. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard play fellow spies who fall in love while on a mission to assassinate a German official during World War II and get married.
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Bad Santa 2 (Nov. 23)
Billy Bob Thornton returns as Willie Soke and Brett Kelly as Thurman Merman in this sequel to Terry Zwigoff's 2003 classic. Thornton's drunken, thieving, foul-mouthed mall santa appears not to have learned any lessons from the last movie. Mark Waters (Mean Girls) directs.
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Moana (Nov. 23)
South Pacific culture gets a Disney spin in their latest animated blockbuster. The title young girl/navigator (Auli’i Cravalho) sets sail with the demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to search for a fabled island. Listen up for new songs by "Hamilton" superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda.
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Rules Don't Apply (Nov. 23)
Lily Collins and Alden Ehrenreich play Hughes' employees who fall in love despite a work contract that expressly forbids it. Warren Beatty's first screen appearance in 15 years is cause enough to celebrate, but the legend also writes and directs the period comedy in which he portrays eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Although young folk may not be as into this throwback romantic comedy, it will provide a perfect adult destination this holiday season.
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Jackie (Dec. 2)
Natalie Portman is a virtual shoe-in for an Ocsar nod portraying former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the days before and after the assassination of her husband. Greta Gerwig, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup, Richard E. Grant and John Hurt co-star.
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Nocturnal Animals (Dec. 9)
Fashion designer and A Single Man director Tom Ford returns with a new film starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film follows a woman who perceives her ex-husband's new novel as a personal threat.
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Office Christmas Party (Dec. 9)
Jason Bateman stars as the branch manager of a company whose CEO sister (Jennifer Aniston) is trying to oust him. In a last-ditch effort to nab a high-profile client, he and his associate (T.J. Miller) decide to hold the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties. Directed by Blades of Glory duo Josh Gordon and Will Speck.
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Collateral Beauty (Dec. 16)
The Devil Wears Prada's David Frankel helms this dramedy that's looking to fill the Christmas counter-programming slot. When a tragic event sends a New York advertising executive (Will Smith) on a downward spiral, his friends rally to help him. Smith nabbed the role once earmarked for Hugh Jackman.
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La La Land (Dec. 16)
This original big screen musical from Whiplash filmmaker Damien Chazelle is already earning the kind of accolades that typically translate to a Best Picture nomination. The story follows a romance between an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) in LA. J. K. Simmons co-stars.
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Dec. 16)
This prequel set just before 1977's original Star Wars tells the tale of a ragtag group of rebels led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) who seek to steal the plans for the first Death Star from The Empire. Prospects for Lucasfilm's first Star Wars spin-off movie couldn't be higher, especially with the addition of Darth Vader to the promotional campaign.
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The Space Between Us (Dec. 16)
Asa Butterfield stars as a boy born on Mars who travels to Earth for the first time. Tomorrowland's Britt Robertson co-stars as the Earth girl he falls in love and goes on an adventure with.
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Assassin's Creed (Dec. 21)
After Warcraft bit the dust, it's up to producer/star Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Apocalypse, Prometheus, 300) to finally break the video game curse. He plays career criminal Callum Lynch, a man who has to re-live the memories of his ancestor -- a deadly assassin during the Spanish Inquisition era -- in order to acquire the skills to defeat a modern-day enemy.
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Passengers (Dec. 21)
Jon Spaihts wrote a brilliant script -- originally meant to star Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon -- that has now found new stars in the form of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. The sci-fi romantic adventure follows a man and woman who wake up prematurely aboard an interplanetary voyage.
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Patriots Day (Dec. 21)
After the recent Deepwater Horizon, star Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg reunite for this true story of 2013's Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent manhunt that followed. John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan and Kevin Bacon co-star.
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Sing (Dec. 21)
Garth Jennings, the creative filmmaker behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Son of Rambow, helms his first 3D animated movie. The story revolves around a group of animals auditioning a whole town to put on a show to raise money for a dying theater.
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A Monster Calls (Dec. 23)
The Orphanage director J.A. Bayona is already getting great early reviews for what is supposed to be a moving and emotional fantasy film. This fable revolves around a boy (Lewis MacDougal) dealing with his mother's illness and school bullies who encounters a giant, magical talking tree voiced by Liam Neeson.
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Silence (Dec. 23)
Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson star in this period story about Jesuit priests traveling to Japan to spread the word of Christianity. Iconic Martin Scorsese (The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street) directs this historical tale which he has been developing for decades.
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Why Him? (Dec. 23)
The Meet the Parents formula goes into overdrive as Bryan Cranston plays a nervous dad meeting his daughter's boyfriend for the first time. That boyfriend turns out to be an eccentric and mildly annoying celebrity, played by James Franco.
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Fences (Dec. 25)
Denzel Washington plays Troy Maxson and Viola Davis plays Rose Maxson in this adaptation of August Wilson's Broadway hit Fences. It follows a former baseball player-turned-sanitation worker as he struggles to provide for his family. Washington directs from a screenplay by Wilson.
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Gold (Dec. 25)
Loosely based on the Bre-X mining scandal of the early '90s, this film stars a tubby, bald Matthew McConaughey as an entrepreneur who sets out to find gold in the jungles of Borneo. Édgar Ramírez and Bryce Dallas Howard co-star and Syriana's Stephen Gaghan directs.
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Hidden Figures (Dec. 25)
This is the true story of African American mathematician Katherine Johnson and her two colleagues, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, who were instrumental in calculating crucial data for NASA's first Apollo mission in the 1960s. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe and Kevin Costner star.
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Live by Night (Dec. 25)
Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (Argo, The Town) returns behind the camera to direct this tale of a Boston criminal who builds a bootlegging empire in Florida. Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson and Zoe Saldana co-star.
