Johnny Depp’s Scrooge, a fighting Santa and a corgi: Every new holiday movie worth your time this year

November 13, 2026

By Kim Komando

Grab the popcorn. This year’s holiday lineup has a corgi, a Santa who throws punches and Johnny Depp as the grumpiest man in London.

Me? I’m going to see Ebenezer for sure. Depp plays Scrooge, Ian McKellen is Jacob Marley and Rupert Grint is Bob Cratchit. It’s directed by Ti West, who usually makes horror movies, so I’m expecting chains that actually rattle.

🍿 Worth a trip to the theater

• Nov. 13: Ebenezer.Daisy Ridley also joins the cast of this spooky yet sentimental retelling of A Christmas Carol.
• Dec. 4: Violent Night 2. David Harbour is back as a Santa who annihilates the naughty, with Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus. Not for the kiddos.
• Dec. 11: The Holiday returns to theaters for its 20th anniversary. Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and a good cry.
• Not Christmas movies, but they’ll pack theaters over the break: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Nov. 20), Focker-in-Law (Nov. 25), Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three (both Dec. 18) and Jumanji: Open World around Christmas.

FYI, you might see Greta Gerwig’s Narnia on holiday lists, but it got pushed to February 2027.

📺 Stay in your PJs

Netflix has four new Christmas movies for U.S. viewers:

• Nov. 4: A Dog’s Perfect Christmas. Dennis Quaid and Milo Ventimiglia. A grieving grandpa, a family in crisis and a corgi puppy who fixes everything. Tissues required. I loved it!
• Nov. 11: Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas. Fantasia, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar and CeCe Winans. Come for the story, stay for the singing.
• Nov. 18: Guarding Stars. Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki in a fake-dating bodyguard rom-com.
• Dec. 2: In a Holidaze. Maddie Ziegler and Rob Lowe. Groundhog Day but with eggnog.

There are plenty more Christmas movies. These are the ones with the heaviest promotional budget.

🎄 Team Hallmark?

The festive factory has 34 new Christmas movies this year. Mark these: Lacey Chabert in Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True (Nov. 28), the Hanukkah movie Eight Nights for Love (Nov. 29) and A Grand Biltmore Christmas (Dec. 5).

You don’t need every streaming service all season. Hallmark+ is $9 a month and streams the new movies the day after they air. Sign up the week of Thanksgiving, binge through New Year’s, then cancel. Same with Netflix. One month, every new movie, done.

Set a calendar reminder to cancel the day you sign up. That’s your cash staying in your wallet.

🧦 Dress for the marathon. These great fun socks say “Please do not disturb” on one foot and “I’m watching Christmas movies” on the other. Prop your feet up and let them do the talking. Grab a pair for about $9. (Hello, stocking stuffer or white elephant gift.)

What has 15 actors, four settings, two writers and one plotline? 632 Hallmark Christmas movies. (You laughed cause it’s true!)

🗣️ Text/post this stat: Hallmark is premiering 34 new Christmas movies this year. Subscribe for one month, binge them all, then cancel. GetKim.com

📩 Send this to someone who has already started their Christmas movie marathon (and it’s not even Thanksgiving).