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The best new Christmas films in 2023 and where to watch them
Get into the festive spirit with these upcoming Christmas movies streaming on Netflix, Disney+ and more
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The festivities have arrived, and there’s nothing quite like cosying up on the sofa with a Christmas film on the telly. But while firm favourites such as Home Alone, The Santa Clause and Elf provide good fun, let’s be honest, after 30 repeats, their charm is wearing a little thin.
Now, with the rise of streaming, we’ve got an overwhelming surplus of Christmas content coming out of our ears, with Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+ all releasing new festive films for 2023.
Expect the familiar cheesy, family-friendly fare you get with Christmas movies, plus lots of laughs. In Netflix’s Dashing Through the Snow, rapper and actor Ludacris plays a Christmas-hating single dad who inevitably discovers the festive spirit, while, in Candy Cane Lane on Prime Video, Eddie Murphy makes a deal with an elf, leading to comedic consequences.
So, without further ado, these are the best new Christmas films you should have on your watchlist for a very merry Christmas, including when they’re released and how you can watch them as the winter nights roll in. We’ll be constantly updating this list, as more seasonal films are announced.
The best new Christmas movies of 2023
‘Best. Christmas. Ever!’
- Streaming platform: Netflix
- Available to watch: Now
Heather Graham and singer-turned-actress Brandy Norwood are teaming up this winter for a Christmas comedy, where they play long-term frenemies thrown together for the festive period. Every year, Jackie (Norwood) sends out a Christmas newsletter to all her friends, boasting of her perfect family, enraging former university friend Charlotte (Graham), who’s sceptical that anyone’s life could be so idyllic. But when a twist of fate lands Charlotte on Jackie’s doorstep days before Christmas, she vows to get to the truth.
‘EXmas’
- Streaming platform: Amazon Prime Video
- Available to watch: Now
There’s nothing quite like a romantic comedy to help ring in the festivities. When Graham (Robbie Amell) decides to surprise his family by travelling home for Christmas, the one person he isn’t expecting to see celebrating with his family already is his ex-fiancée, Ali (Leighton Meester), who was really missing Graham’s family. The two exes wage war, hoping the family will pick them over the other to stay on Christmas Day.
‘Dashing Through the Snow’
- Streaming platform: Disney+
- Available to watch: Now
Single dad Eddie (Ludacris) hates Christmas. But when a man dressed as Santa Claus (Lil Rel Howery) – who might actually be the real Father Christmas – appears in Eddie’s chimney, he and his daughter set out on a chaotic adventure. Will Eddie be able to regain his Christmas cheer?
‘The Naughty Nine’
- Streaming platform: Disney+
- Available to watch: Now
When Andy wakes up on Christmas morning and finds no presents under the Christmas tree, he realises he’s made it onto the naughty list. Vowing to get the presents Andy feels he deserves, he pulls together a crack team of other kids on the naughty list, to pull off a North Pole heist. But, over time, the kids begin to realise Christmas is actually more about giving than taking.
‘Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas’
- Streaming platform: Apple TV+
- Available to watch: Now
Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham presents this musical extravaganza at the London Coliseum. Featuring special guests, the show was recorded in front of a live audience, and sees Waddingham perform festive classics accompanied by a big band, to ring in the festive period.
‘Family Switch’
- Streaming platform: Netflix
- Available to watch: Now
Who doesn’t love a good body-switch movie? Jennifer Garner does, that’s for sure. Almost 20 years after swapping bodies in 13 Going on 30, she’s back in this Netflix Christmas movie, in which a rare cosmic event causes her and her husband to switch bodies with their teenage kids, days before Christmas. The family is forced to help each other navigate landing a promotion, college interview, record deal and football tryout.
‘Candy Cane Lane’
- Streaming platform: Amazon Prime Video
- Available to watch: Now
Eddie Murphy stars in this Christmas comedy adventure about a man on a mission to win his neighbourhood’s annual Christmas home-decoration contest. But after Chris (Murphy) inadvertently makes a pact with an elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell), she casts a spell that brings the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ to life. We’re expecting to see lots of birds invading the town as Chris sets out to break the spell.
‘Genie’
- Streaming platform: Sky Cinema/Now TV
- Available to watch: From 1 December 2023
King of Christmas Richard Curtis, the writer of Love Actually, is back with a new film this Christmas. In Genie, Bernard Bottle (I May Destroy You’s Paapa Kwakye Essiedu) is in a rut. His wife has left him and he’s lost his job. But then he stumbles upon an antique jewellery box and begins to rub it. What pops out is Flora (Melissa McCarthy), who’s been stuck inside the box for more than 2,000 years, and is ready to grant an unlimited number of wishes. In this comedy romp, Bottle hopes Flora will help him get his family back, but he finds much more along the way.
Watch now on Sky Cinema and Now TV
‘Merry Little Batman’
- Streaming platform: Amazon Prime Video
- Available to watch: From 8 December
Batman’s son Damian takes centre stage in animated caper Merry Little Batman. After Batman is called away to the Justice League, the Joker finds an opportunity to take Christmas from Gotham City. Vowing to save his home, Damian steps up to try and save Christmas, becoming a superhero just like his dad.
‘Your Christmas Or Mine 2’
- Streaming platform: Amazon Prime Video
- Available to watch: From 8 December
In the sequel to the posh-guy-meets-working-class-girl Christmas romp Your Christmas Or Mine, James’s (Asa Butterfield) father Lord Humphrey (Alex Jennings) invites James’s girlfriend Hayley (Cora Kirk) and her family to join them for Christmas in a luxury ski resort in the French Alps. Except when Hayley’s dad Geoff (Daniel Mays) insists on handling his family’s side of the booking, the two families end up at each others accommodation. Chaos ensues.
‘Meet Me Next Christmas’
- Streaming platform: Netflix
- Available to watch: Likely 2023
There has been a surprising lack of holiday romcoms announced so far, but there is at least one. In pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dreams, Layla (Christina Milian) races through New York City to try and get her hands on tickets to the sold-out Pentatonix Christmas Eve concert. Expect lots of harmonies in this mad-dash romantic comedy. There is no release date yet, but we’re expecting a 2023 launch.
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