A Look at the 10 New Movies Coming Out This Week: ‘Moana 2,’ ‘Maria,’ and More!

Lights, Camera, Action! This week’s movie lineup is a thrilling blend of animated magic and biographical brilliance.

It’s been three years since Moana discovered she was a ‘Wayfinder,’ and now, in Moana 2, she and her friends are on a new adventure to find a mysterious island. Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson are back for the fun.

In Maria, Angelina Jolie portrays one of the most famous opera singers, Maria Callas, whose life made headlines almost every time she walked out on the stage or on the town with a romantic partner.

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

New Movies Coming Out This Week:  November 25, 2024 – December 1, 2024

Moana 2  (2024)

Rating:  PG

Release Date:  In theaters nationwide on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Summary: Moana 2 takes place when Moana receives a message from her wayfinding ancestors and must go on a journey to the far seas of Oceania. Moana and her friends will sail into dangerous, long-lost waters to seek out an island that could unify all the people of Oceania.

What to Watch For: Auli’i Cravalho reprises her role as Moana, along with Dwayne Johnson as Maui.

Word on the Street: The film takes place three years after the first Moana movie. 

My Take:  Alan Tudyk will once again be providing the voice of Moana’s sidekick, her chicken friend, Heihei.

Maria   (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In select theaters on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, and Netflix on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

Summary: Maria is about Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie), who was at one time the world’s most famous opera singer with a voice that thrilled the masses. Now Maria has retired and has retreated to Paris, where she is attempting to mount a comeback but cannot escape the past.

What to Watch For: Maria is from filmmaker Pablo Larraín, who brought us the movies about Jackie Kennedy in Jackie (2016) and Princess Diana in Spencer (2021).

Word on the Street: The movie premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion Best Film Award.

My Take: This is Angelina Jolie’s first film since the 2021 movie Eternals.

Dear Santa  (2024)

Rating:  PG-13

Release Date:  Premiering on Paramount+ on Monday, November 25, 2024. 

Summary: In Dear Santa, every year, tons of kids send letters to Santa. This year Liam (Robert Timothy Smith) sent his letter to someone else because he is a crappy speller: that man, Satan (Jack Black). 

What to Watch For: The film is from Bobby Farrelly, who, along with his brother Peter Farrelly, directed Jack Black in the 2001 film Shallow Hal. 

Word on the Street: The supporting cast includes Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Post Malone, Hayes MacArthur, and P.J. Byrne.

My Take: This is the first film of 2024 where Jack Black will be appearing on screen. He did the voice of Claptrap in Borderlands and Po in Kung Fu Panda 4.

Queer   (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In theaters on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Summary: Queer is about William Lee (Daniel Craig), an American expat living in Mexico City in the 1950s, struggling to survive on part-time jobs and the GI Bill. Along comes Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a former soldier, and William starts to believe that having an intimate connection with someone might be possible. 

What to Watch For:  The film is based on a novella of the same name by William S. Burroughs.

Word on the Street: The movie is from filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, known for his films Call Me by Your Name (2017) and Challengers (2024).

My Take: The film premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

Beatles ’64  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  Premiering on Disney+ on Friday, November 29, 2024.

Summary: Beatles ’64 is a documentary about the Beatles’ US debut, which created a frenzy that changed the world of music forever.

What to Watch For: The movie contains rare film footage shot by documentary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles.

Word on the Street: Director David Tedeschi was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for the 2012 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World. 

My Take:  One of the film’s producers is Martin Scorsese.

The Seed of the Sacred Pig  (2024)

Rating:  PG-13

Release Date:  In theaters on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Summary: The Seed of the Sacred Pig focuses on a family thrust into turmoil when Iman is appointed as an investigating judge in a high-profile case in Tehran. As political unrest erupts in the streets, Iman (Missagh Zareh) realizes that his job has put himself and his family in danger.

What to Watch For:  Filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof shot the film in secret in Iran and then fled to Germany to edit the film as he was about to serve an 8-year sentence for criticizing the government in his home country. 

Word on the Street: The film is the official submission of Germany for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category of the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.

My Take: The film is currently at 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with over 50 film critic reviews. 

September 5  (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In select theaters on Friday, November 29, 2024. 

Summary: September 5 takes place during the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting team finds itself covering a hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.

What to Watch For: Filmmaker Tim Fehlbaum is best known for his award-winning 2021 film The Colony.

Word on the Street: The cast includes Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, and Georgiana Rich.

My Take: The film won the Audience Award at the 20243 Middleburg Film Festival. 

Our Little Secret  (2024)

Rating:  TV-14

Release Date:  Premiering on Netflix on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Summary: In Our Little Secret, Avery (Lindsay Lohan) is spending the holidays with her boyfriend’s family for the first time and she has two problems. Her boyfriend’s mother, Erica (Kristin Chenoweth), doesn’t like Avery from the moment she walks in the door. Worse, Avery’s ex, Logan (Ian Harding), is dating her boyfriend’s sister. It’s going to be a long holiday.

What to Watch For:  This is the third film that Lindsay Lohan has made for Netflix.

Word on the Street: Filmmaker Stephen Herek also directed the Netflix film Dog Gone (2023) that starred Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

My Take: I enjoyed Lohan’s last Christmas movie she did for Netflix, Falling for Christmas (2022). 

Sweethearts  (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  Premiering on Max on Thursday, November 28, 2024. 

Summary: Sweethearts is about two college freshmen (Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga) who decide that when they go back to their hometown for the Thanksgiving holiday, they will pull a “Turkey Dump” and break up with their high school sweethearts. They decide to do it on “Drunksgiving,” the night before Turkey Day, but things don’t always work out the way you want them to.

What to Watch For: Kiernan Shipka is best known for playing the lead role of the TV series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Word on the Street: This is the first feature film for writer/director Jordan Weiss, known for creating and writing the TV series DollFace.

My Take:  I really enjoyed Nico Hiraga’s performance in the recent Michael Keaton starring film Goodrich.

Nutcrackers  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  Premiering on Hulu on Friday, November 29, 2024.

Summary: In Nutcrackers, Mike (Ben Stiller) is a workaholic who moves into his deceased sister’s house in rural Ohio after his four nephews lose their parents in a tragic accident. Mike will soon learn that this temporary setup will have lots of consequences. If he can survive the first week in this household.

What to Watch For: This is the first starring role for Ben Stiller in seven years. 

Word on the Street: The film premiered as the opening night film of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

My Take: One of my favorite actors, Linda Cardellini, plays a family services worker in the film. 

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

Below, let us know what new movies you plan to see this week.