A Look at the 6 New Movies Coming Out This Week: ‘The Damned,’ ‘Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever,’ and More!

Looking to kick off 2025 with some fresh entertainment? From chilling historical thrillers to mind-bending documentaries, this week’s new movies coming out offer something for every movie fan!

Bundle up for The Damned, a haunting tale that plunges us into a 19th-century Icelandic fishing village where moral choices become matters of life and death after a mysterious shipwreck. Meanwhile, in Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, we dive into the controversial world of tech millionaire Bryan Johnson, whose multi-million dollar quest to crack the code of aging has everyone asking: visionary or viral sensation?

Ready to explore this week’s full lineup? Here’s your complete guide to all the new movies coming out in theaters and on streaming platforms, complete with trailers and everything you need to know!

New Movies Coming Out This Week: December 30, 2024 – January 5, 2025

The Damned  (2024)  

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In theaters on Friday, January 3, 2025.

Summary: The Damned takes place in 19th-century Iceland, where Eva (Odessa Young), a widow, runs a fishing station in a remote village. Eva and her fellow villagers see a ship sinking offshore in icy waters. Should they risk their lives in horrible weather and bring back survivors to share their last remaining food for the winter or let nature take its course? Whatever they do, their lives will forever be changed.

What to Watch For: The film won the Special Mention of the Jury Prize at the 2024 Cork International Film Festival. 

Word on the Street: Odessa Young is best known for her roles in The Daughter (2017) and Shirley (2020).

My Take: The film was shot on location in Iceland. 

Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever   (2024)

Rating: N/A

Release Date:  Premiering on Netflix on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. 

Summary: In the documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, we follow tech millionaire Bryan Johnson, who is willing and able to do anything to slow down the aging process and extend his life beyond all the known medical limits.

What to Watch For: The filmmakers were given access to Johnson’s grueling daily routine, including all his medical procedures and interviews with family and friends.

Word on the Street: Filmmaker Chris Smith is known for his award-winning documentaries Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017), Frye (2019), and Wham! (2023).

My Take: I remember seeing news reports about Bryan Johnson and his quest to live as long as possible. 

The Girl with the Needle   (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In select theatres on Friday, January 3, 2025

Summary: In The Girl with the Needle, Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) hasn’t heard from her husband in years after he left to join the fight in WWI. She becomes desperate and homeless, but all is not lost when she meets a woman named Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who promises to help her if Karoline will do something illegal and possibly dangerous.

What to Watch For: The Girl with the Needle is on the Best International Feature Film shortlist for the 2025 Academy Awards.

Word on the Street: Director Magnus von Horn is known for his award-winning films Sweat (2021) and The Here After (2015). 

My Take: I loved Vic Carmen Sonne’s performance in the 2022 film Godland.

Porcelain War  (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In select theatres on Friday, January 3, 2025.

Summary: Porcelain War is a documentary featuring three Ukrainian artists who choose to stay behind and defiantly find beauty and art amid the destruction of the country they love.

What to Watch For: The documentary has been a tremendous success on the film festival circuit, including winning Best Documentary at the 2024 Seattle International Film Festival. 

Word on the Street: Porcelain War is on the Best Documentary Feature Film shortlist for the 2025 Academy Awards.

My Take: Co-director of the film, Brendan Bellomo, is a former winner of the Student Academy Awards. 

A Traveler’s Needs  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  In select theatres on Friday, January 3, 2025.

Summary: In A Traveler’s Needs, Iris (Isabelle Huppert) is a French woman living in Korea. Needing money, she ends up teaching French to Korean women, using unconventional techniques. Are those lessons successful or just a way to make money? Only Iris knows for sure.

What to Watch For: This is the third movie that Isabelle Huppert has made with filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. 

Word on the Street: The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.

My Take: I really enjoyed the first film that Isabelle Huppert and Hong Sang-soo made in 2018, Claire’s Camera.

From Ground Zero  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  In select theatres on Friday, January 3, 2025.

Summary: From Ground Zero is a collection of 22 short films created by filmmakers for Gaza, who, despite harsh filmmaking conditions, give us a portrait of daily life in an area of the world torn by conflict.

What to Watch For: The 22 films are between three and six minutes long and are a mix of fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental genres.

Word on the Street: Filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, an award-winning writer/director, put together the project.

My Take: The film won the Occhiali di Gandhi Award at the 2024 Torino Film Festival.

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.