The festive period is finally upon us, and what better time is there to kick back on the sofa and work through your watch list? As usual, too, this Christmas is jam-packed full of great new releases on streaming, meaning that there will be plenty to keep you occupied after stuffing yourself with turkey. Among the highlights are a festive Doctor Who special to kick off Ncuti Gatwa's season as the Time Lord as well as Zack Snyder's hugely-anticipated new sci-fi adventure, Rebel Moon Part One.
Some recent big releases are also heading to streaming this festive period, including The Creator and Saltburn. The former made it into our list of the best films of 2023 too, while the latter has been a big conversation starter. That's not all either, as one of the BBC's best shows returning as The Tourist gets a season 2 and we finally get to see the hugely anticipated adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney Plus.
Rebel Moon Part One
Available: Worldwide on December 21 (US) and December 22 (UK)
Watch on: Netflix
Zack Snyder's space opera is the legendary DC director's answer to Star Wars. Based loosely on his old pitch for a galaxy far, far away, the fantasy epic is set in a universe governed by the brutal Motherworld. When its military – known as the Imperium – threatens a farming community on the moon Veldt, a young woman sets out on a quest to take them down. Her journey sends her across the galaxy to recruit warriors to help her mission. Sofia Boutella leads the cast as Kora, alongside Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Ray Fisher, and Anthony Hopkins. If that wasn't enough either, Snyder already has a directors' cut and sequel ready to go in 2024...
For more on the movie, check out our interview with Snyder and the cast about mythology, female empowerment, and griffin taming.
Doctor Who Christmas special
Available: Worldwide on December 25
Watch now: Disney Plus in the US; BBC iPlayer in the UK
Following on from his brief introduction in the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials, Ncuti Gatwa is back for his first proper outing as the Doctor. The Christmas special, called 'The Church on Ruby Road', introduces the new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, who was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby. Cut to the present and she's living with her mum Carla and her grandmother Cherry when a chance encounter with the Doctor sets her on a new adventure.
Saltburn
Available: Worldwide on December 22
Watch now: Prime Video
One of 2023's wildest movies is heading to streaming this Christmas. Saltburn, Emerald Fennell's follow-up to Promising Young Woman, hits Amazon Prime Video on December 22. The black comedy stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford University student who becomes infatuated with one of his classmates, Jacob Elordi's Felix Catton. Their unlikely friendship gets very weird, very quickly when Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his family manor house, Saltburn. Full of hedonistic party scenes, great needle drops, and some, ahem, steamy bathtub sequences, it's a wild ride.
For more, read our interview with Emerald Fennell.
The Creator
Available: US
Watch now: Hulu
Gareth Edwards' stunning sci-fi The Creator takes place in the near future when humans are at war with AI. John David Washington's ex-special forces soldier is given the task of hunting down a new weapon made by the Creator, the architect of the advanced AI. Things get complicated when he finds out the weapon in question is a young child simulant named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). The film has been praised for its beautiful cinematography as well as being one of the best original sci-fi movies in recent years. UK viewers will have to wait a little while longer though as it doesn't land on Disney Plus until January 17.
For more, read our interview with director Gareth Edwards.
The Tourist season 2
Available: UK on January 1
Watch now: BBC
Jamie Dornan returns for The Tourist season 2 on New Year's Day, though UK fans expecting to see the bright sunshine of Australia's outback might be disappointed, because this time, the action takes place in Ireland.
The second chapter sees Dornan's Elliot return to his homeland alongside Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), as he tries to rediscover his roots. Before long, though, the pair get "dragged into the dangerous whirlwind of his past life and are confronted by friends and foes both old and new."
If the NYE plans were a little too wild, and you plan on recuperating on the sofa for the whole day, the BBC has got you covered, too, with all six episodes set to land on iPlayer at once. Hallelujah, hangover cure! US viewers will have to wait a little longer for this one, however, as it arrives on Netflix in February 2024.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Disney Plus
Rick Riordan's literary hero Percy Jackson gets a new on-screen update in Disney Plus series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which sees the titular 12-year-old demigod (Walker Scobell) – whose father is the water god Poseidon – accused of stealing Zeus' thunderbolt.
Plunged out of his normal life into the world of Greek mythology, Percy finds himself at Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for other young demigods. He's joined on his ensuing adventures by his best friends, Athena's daughter Annabeth, and Grover, a satyr, played by Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri.
The series' star-studded supporting cast includes Lance Reddick as Zeus, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, and Jay Duplass as Hermes, while Jason Mantzoukas is Dionysus, the head of Camp Half-Blood.
Berlin
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix
A prequel to Netflix's super popular Spanish-language series Money Heist, Berlin centers on Pedro Alonso's eponymous thief of the same name – and is set long before he finds out about his terminal diagnosis and takes the Royal Mint of Spain hostage.
"It's a trip through the golden age of the character, when he robbed around Europe, crazy in love," the original show's creator previously explained Álex Pina. "That's the most surprising, the comedy. [Pedro is] going to make people laugh a lot."
If there's nothing here that tickles your fancy, then you might have to start looking into each streaming service's back catalogue, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they each host. Fear not, though... if you're a TV fan, then we've got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows, best Disney Plus shows, and the best Amazon Prime Video shows.
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