A Look at the 4 New Movies Coming Out This Week: ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘The Boys in the Boat,’ and More!

Get ready, movie fans! Four new movies are coming out this week, releasing on Christmas Day!

First, The Color Purple is back, this time as a vibrant musical on the big screen! Next is the George Clooney-directed film The Boys in the Boat, chronicling the riveting journey of an underdog group of college students who dare to dream big and compete in the 1936 Olympics.

Director Michael Mann tells the tale of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari’s (Adam Driver) attempt to keep his car company from bankruptcy by winning a 1,000-mile race in the streets of Italy. And we have a new documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen in Occupied City.

Below is the full list of all the new movies coming out this week in theaters and streaming!

New Movies Coming Out This Week: December 25, 2023, – December 31, 2023

The Color Purple  (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Monday, December 25, 2023.

Summary: The Color Purple is a musical that follows the decades-spanning tale of Celie (Fantasia Barrino), who faces hardships in her life but finds her strength to survive through her faith and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

What to Watch For: The Color Purple was originally a book by Alice Walker, adapted to the screen by Steven Spielberg for the 1985 film. The book was turned into a Broadway musical, first in 2005 and then revived in 2015. This film version is based on the musical.

Word on the Street: Fantasia Barrino reprises the role of Celie that she portrayed in the 2005 Broadway musical. Danielle Brooks reprises her role as Sophia from the 2015 revival.

My Take: Both Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks got Golden Globe nominations for their roles in the film. There is talk among film critics that Colman Domingo could get an Oscar nomination for his role of Mister.

The Boys in the Boat  (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Monday, December 25, 2023.

Summary: The Boys in the Boat tells the story of the University of Washington junior eight-man rowing squad, from their Depression-era beginnings to their magical trip to the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

What to Watch For: The film is directed by the two-time winner and eight-time Academy Award-nominated George Clooney.

Word on the Street: The film is based on a true story, with the source material being the book of the same name by Daniel James Brown.

My Take: Joel Edgerton plays Coach Al Ulbrickson, who molds the crew into winners, and Callum Turner plays Joe Rantz, a self-made man who has been on his own since he was 14 and joins the team to stay in college.

Ferrari  (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Monday, December 25, 2023.

Summary: Ferrari takes place in 1957, when Enzo Ferrari’s (Adam Driver) auto empire is in trouble, and all that he and his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) built in the last ten years is about to crumble. Enzo decides to bet it all on winning one race, the 1,000-mile trek across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.

What to Watch For: Directed by Michael Mann (Manhunter, The Last of the Mohicans, Heat), who has been trying to make this film for over ten years (both Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman were attached to the movie at one time).

Word on the Street: The cast includes Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell, Ben Collins, and Patrick Dempsey.

My Take: Two of my favorite actors, Shailene Woodley and Penélope Cruz, are in the same film! This is a must-see.

Occupied City   (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In select theatres on Monday, December 25, 2023.

Summary: The documentary Occupied City looks at the past when the Nazis entered the city of Amsterdam in 1940 and committed atrocities against the local Jewish population and compares it to the present during years of the pandemic and protests.

What to Watch For: Steve McQueen, who won an Oscar for his 2014 film 12 Years a Slave, directs the film.

Word on the Street: The film is based on the book Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940-1945 by Bianca Stigter.

My Take: The film was nominated for three awards at the 2023 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.

Which New Movies Coming Out This Week Are You Excited to Watch?

Let us know below what new movies you plan to see this week!