By Rama Gaind.
The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute (Lionsgate)
Synopsis: Follows Marie, as she makes a wish and becomes the same size as her toy nutcracker, who is really a prince under a spell, and they must travel to the magical Land of Flowers to save the world from the rat people.
Genre: Animation, fantasy
Voice cast: Lyubov Aksyonova, Prokhor Chekhovskoy, Aleksey Chumakov
Director: Georgi Gitis
Strange World (Disney Animation Studios)
Synopsis: The legendary Clades are a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission.
Genre: Action, animation, adventure
Voice cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White Gabrielle Union
Directors: Don Hall and Qui Nguyen
Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (Netflix)
Synopsis: An adaptation of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.
Genre: Comedy, family, musical
Cast: Emma Thompson, Alisha Weir, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Sindhu Vee
Screenwriter, original music, lyrics: Tim Minchin
Director: Matthew Warchus
15 December 
Avatar: The Way of Water (20th Century Studios)
Synopsis: Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet.
Genre: Action, adventure, fantasy
Cast: Kate Winslet, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Director: James Cameron
26 December 
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Sony Pictures)
Synopsis: When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All that changes, when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile that loves baths, caviar and great music.
Genre: Animation, adventure, comedy
Cast: Constance Wu, Javier Bardem, Scoot McNairy
Directors: Josh Gordon and Will Speck
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Sony Pictures)
Synopsis: The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.
Genre: Biography, drama, music
Cast: Stanley Tucci, Naomi Ackie, Tamara Tunie
Director: Kasi Lemmons
The Lost King (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Synopsis: An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III’s remains, which were lost for over 500 years.
Genre: Comedy, drama
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Shonagh Price, Helen Katamba
Director: Stephen Frears
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Universal Pictures)
Synopsis: Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burned through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.
Genre: Animation, adventure, comedy
Voice cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén
Directors: Joel Crawford and Janual Mercado
January 2023
A Man Called Otto (Sony Pictures)
Synopsis: A grumpy widower whose only joy comes from criticizing and judging his exasperated neighbors meets his match when a lively young family moves in next door, leading to an unexpected friendship that will turn his world upside-down.
Genre: Comedy, drama
Cast: Tom Hanks, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mariana Treviño,
Director: Marc Forster
Blueback (Roadshow Films)
Synopsis: Based on a novel by Tim Winton, it follows Abby, a child who befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while diving. When Abby realizes that the fish is under threat, she takes inspiration from her activist Mum, Dora, and takes on poachers to save her friend.
Genre: Drama, family
Cast: Radha Mitchell, Mia Wasikowska Eric Bana
Director: Robert Connolly
The Amazing Maurice (Sky Cinema/Telepool)
Synopsis: This story follows Maurice, a goofy streetwise cat, who has the perfect money-making scam. He finds a dumb-looking kid who plays a pipe and has his very own horde of rats, who are strangely literate.
Genre: Animation, family
Voice cast: Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, David Thewlis
Directors: Toby Genkel, Florian Westermann
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (Lionsgate)
Synopsis: Special agent Orson Fortune and his team of operatives recruit one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars to help them on an undercover mission when the sale of a deadly new weapons technology threatens to disrupt the world order.
Genre: Action, comedy, thriller
Cast: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes
Director: Guy Ritchie
