With Thanksgiving and the holiday season coming up, seeing new movies is a great way to spend time with friends and family. Over the week of Thanksgiving, in-theater releases will include: “Wicked: For Good,” “SISU: Road to Revenge,” “Zootopia 2,” “Eternity,” “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” and the “Jingle Bell Heist” via Netflix. Many of these are sequels to previous films or franchises, and provide returning fans with engaging new content. As each movie caters to a different interest, everyone can find something they’ll enjoy.
Of these releases, the most anticipated overall are “Wicked: For Good” on Friday, November 21, and “Zootopia 2” on Wednesday, November 26. With the announcement of the “Wicked” storyline being split into two separate films back in 2022, fans have been eagerly awaiting the second and final part. As an adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, there are high expectations for the film and its performance, which were met with the great success of “Wicked.” The cast will reprise their roles in the second movie, with Cynthia Erivo returning as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Glinda Upland. The sequel will pick up at the story’s climax, and throughout will eventually converge back with the classic storyline of “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Zootopia 2” is expected to be one of the biggest animated events of 2025, and rides on the success of the 2016 original, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde will return to screens, with fans anticipating new developments in their relationship. One of the major plot points is the introduction of reptiles into the Zootopia community, touching on important social issues such as diversity and acceptance. It is projected to dominate the box office and be one of the highest-grossing films of the year, as the previous film generated over $1 billion worldwide.
“Eternity” is a fantastical romantic-comedy starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner. The plot revolves around a sort of surreal version of the afterlife called The Junction, where every newly-deceased soul has one week to pick their “Eternity,” as well as the person they will spend it with. Olsen’s character, Joan, is faced with choosing between the love of her life, Larry, that she built her family with, or Luke, her first husband and first love, who died serving in the Korean War.
“SISU: Road to Revenge” is an action-thriller that takes place in 1946, in the territory Finland lost to the Soviet Union, all following World War II. The main character, Aatami Korpi, is a former Finnish commando who aims to honor his family that was killed during the war. The central theme remains consistent with the Finnish concept of Sisu, which is having determination in the face of impossible odds.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” is the third film in the “Knives Out” series and takes a turn from the previous cases, sending Detective Benoit Blanc to a Catholic parish in upstate New York to investigate an “impossible crime.” Within a few weeks of its in-theaters release on Wednesday, November 26, it will come out on Netflix for those who would rather watch at home.
“Jingle Bell Heist” is also releasing on Wednesday, November 26. Unlike the other films, it will release directly to Netflix rather than theaters. Centered around two small-time thieves who form an unexpected alliance, the movie will add a fun twist to the holiday genre.
With such a variety of different genres covered throughout the coming weeks, everyone has the opportunity to find entertainment they’ll enjoy and be able to kick off the holiday season with.
