Christmas movies used to be predictable. Other than the occasional Die Hard-style movie, viewers are either watching a tired dad who’s doing everything to make sure the holiday goes down without a hitch, or they’re watching improbable occurrences, like a talking snowman. Either way, each one almost always ends with a happy ending viewers could see coming from a mile away.
2026 is a strange year for holiday cinema, but a good kind of strange. Five movies are on their way, and none of them are doing the same thing. Theaters or streaming, family-friendly or total chaos, there’s something here for whatever mood you might in this holiday season.
5. A Dog’s Perfect Christmas
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas leans hard into the tearjerker territory, but the cast makes it worth the emotional gamble. Dennis Quaid, Milo Ventimiglia, Mary Steenburgen, and Jennifer Tilly all show up for this one. Tilly has voiced everything from Tiffany in Bride of Chucky to a bunch of animated baddies, so her signature cackle fits right in. The movie itself is based on W. Bruce Cameron’s 2020 novel. He’s the same guy behind A Dog’s Purpose, so audiences know what they can expect.
The twist here is that a basset hound named Winstead narrates the whole thing. He’s voiced by Thomas Haden Church, who sounds like he’s been smoking cigarettes since the Nixon administration. The plot involves a teenager and her grandpa trying to hold their family together over the holidays. Cathryn Michon directs, and she wrote the screenplays for the earlier films (A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journey) in this universe, so at least it’s in consistent hands. It drops on Netflix on November 4, aggressively early for a Christmas movie.
4. Ebenezer
Not many people ever watched A Christmas Carol and thought that it needed more creeping dread. That’s why Ebenezer is looking to be totally unique. Ti West, the filmmaker who brought us X and Pearl, decided to treat Charles Dickens’ ghost story like the actual ghost story it is, even though most viewers have conveniently forgotten that part because they’ve seen the Muppet version dozens of times.
In his first big studio role in years, Johnny Depp steps into the shoes of Ebenezer Scrooge. And the supporting cast is stacked enough for a prestige drama, let alone a Christmas movie, with Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, and Daisy Ridley joining the gothic affair. Paramount puts it in theaters on November 13. Horror fans who normally skip holiday movies might want to make an exception for this one.
3. Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint
This one sounds like it was engineered in a lab to make the holidays even sweeter for fans. John Bradley, aka Samwell Tarly from Game of Thrones, plays Aubrey Flint, a guy who hates Christmas more than most people hate Mondays. It makes his court-ordered community service almost too perfect. He gets sent to Willow Lodge, a retirement home held together by duct tape and stubbornness. Naturally, he ends up directing the residents in their own scrappy version of A Christmas Carol.
According to early reports, Karl Pilkington plays Colin Barrow, one of the residents. And casting the man best known for looking miserable on three continents in An Idiot Abroad as a grumpy retiree feels like a genuinely good joke. Richard E. Grant, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, and Sophia Di Martino complete a cast built for exactly this kind of warm British comedy. The ensemble setup invited Love Actually comparisons, which feels like a stretch, but stranger things have happened. Signature Entertainment handles the UK release, and the movie is expected to drop on November 6. Samuel Goldwyn Films has the North American rights, with a release only confirmed for “this Christmas” so far.
2. Violent Night 2
The first Violent Night was a lot of fun. It was basically Die Hard, but Santa’s the one crawling through vents. This R-rated sequel brings David Harbour back as Santa, except now he’s stuck in a New Jersey mall with no magic left, and he has to watch a crime boss named Mason (Jared Harris) run the place like his own personal Grinch empire. Kristen Bell shows up as Mrs. Claus, and apparently she’s not just sitting around baking cookies. Tommy Wirkola directs again, leaning even harder into the Die Hard comparisons than the first movie dared. Universal releases it on December 4, promising even more carnage than round one.
1. The Man with the Bag
Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn’t let his festive side out since 1996’s Jingle All the Way. Now approaching 80, he has decided to make use of his grey beard as no other than jolly ol’ Saint Nick. In The Man With the Bag, his magic bag gets stolen, and he has to turn to reformed thief Vance (played by Alan Ritchson), aided by a crew of misfit elves which includes Awkwafina, to pull off a heist and save Christmas.
Adam Shankman directs, and it’s coming to Prime Video on December 2. Ritchson going from punching out bad guys on Reacher to doing elf-related shenanigans is a career move worth applauding. Ken Jeong and Jane Krakowski are also in it, which suggests that the movie is aiming for chaotic fun rather than anything serious. Schwarzenegger promised he’d be back. Now he’s promising presents under a Christmas tree. Only time will tell if it beats Jingle All the Way.
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