The Complete Guide to Hollywood Movies Opening in December 2019

It’s the month of Star Wars: Episode IX (opening 19 Dec), the final movie in the Skywalker family saga. However much certain segments of fans hated The Last Jedi, they will definitely turn up for this one. Even so, there’s space for other movies like the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel (5 Dec) to thrive. I’ve also included Ip Man 4: The Finale (20 Dec), even though it’s a Chinese movie, because it’s the biggest movie in Singapore this month. (Yes, even bigger than Star Wars, which to be frank, has a diminishing audience in Singapore, as well as worldwide. Probably a result of a glut in Star Wars content in recent years, which Disney acknowledges now.)

Cats (26 Dec) looks super iffy though. The Internet HATED the trailer when it came out because of how uncanny the cats looked, so there’s a potential bomb there. I wonder if the filmmakers are doing any rescue work on it now.

Movies coming out in December 2019

(Click on the movie titles in the bullets to jump to that section if you don’t want to scroll through the entire list. You can also click on each movie’s heading to go to their IMDb pages. Release dates below are for Singapore, but if you’re outside Singapore, IMDb can tell you fairly accurately what’s the release date in your country.)

Opening on the week of 5 December

Jumanji: The Next Level (5 Dec)

Director: Jake Kasdan (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”, “Sex Tape”, “Bad Teacher”)

Cast: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Ser’Darius Blain, Danny Glover

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy

Synopsis: In JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.

Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (5 Dec)

Directors: Will Becher (debut feature), Richard Phelan (debut feature)

Voice Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Synopsis: Strange lights over the quiet town of Mossingham herald the arrival of a mystery visitor from far across the galaxy… When the intergalactic visitor – an impish and adorable alien called LU-LA – crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun soon sees an opportunity for alien-powered fun and adventure and sets off on a mission to shepherd LU-LA home. Her magical alien powers, irrepressible mischief and galactic sized burps soon have the flock enchanted. Shaun takes his new extra-terrestrial friend on the road to Mossingham Forest to find her lost spaceship, unaware that a sinister alien-hunting agency is on their trail. Can Shaun and the flock avert Farmageddon on Mossy Bottom Farm before it’s too late?

Opening on the week of 12 December

The Aeronauts (12 Dec)

Director: Tom Harper (“Wild Rose”, “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death”, TV’s “War & Peace”)

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Himesh Patel

Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography

Synopsis: In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and advancing scientific discovery, their voyage to the very edge of existence helps the unlikely pair find their place in the world they have left far below them. But they face physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, as the ascent becomes a fight for survival.

Opening on the week of 19 December

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (19 Dec)

Director: J.J. Abrams (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Star Trek”, “Star Trek Into Darkness”, “Super 8”, “Mission: Impossible III”)

Cast: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Joonas Suotamo, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Kelly Marie Tran, Dominic Monaghan

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Synopsis: The finale of the Skywalker saga.

Ip Man 4: The Finale (20 Dec)

Director: Yip Wai Shun (The “Ip Man” series)

Cast: Donnie Yen, Chan Kwok Kwan, Scott Adkins, Wu Yue, Vanness Wu, Gordon Lam, Patrick Tam, Karena Ng

Genre: Action

Synopsis: Ip Man’s life remains unchanged after his wife’s death, but he and his son are slowly drifting apart. To seek a better future for his son, Ip Man decides to travel to the U.S. only to find the stable, peaceful life abroad is only skin deep. Underneath lies a deep rooted racial discrimination that is far worse than he has expected. Ip Man re-examines his position and ponders on the reason he took up martial arts in the beginning.

Opening on the week of 26 December

Spies in Disguise (25 Dec)

Director: Nick Bruno (debut feature), Troy Quane (debut feature)

Cast: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Ben Mendelsohn, Karen Gillan, Rashida Jones, DJ Khaled, Masi Oka

Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure

Synopsis: Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is … not. But when events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo are forced to team up for the ultimate mission that will require an almost impossible disguise – transforming Lance into the brave, fierce, majestic… pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril. SPIES IN DISGUISE flies into theaters this Christmas.

Cats (26 Dec)

Director: Tom Hooper (“Les Miserables”, “The King’s Speech”, “The Danish Girl”)

Cast: Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Jason Derulo, Taylor Swift

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Musical

Synopsis: Movie adaptation of the long-running stage musical. A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.

Official Secrets (26 Dec)

Director: Gavin Hood (“Eye in the Sky”, “Tsotsi”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “Rendition”, “Ender’s Game”)

Cast: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Ralph Fiennes

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama

Synopsis: In 2003, as politicians in Britain and the US angle to invade Iraq, GCHQ translator Katharine Gun leaks a classified e-mail that urges spying on members of the UN Security Council to force through the resolution to go to war. Charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act, and facing imprisonment, Katharine and her lawyers set out to defend her actions. With her life, liberty and marriage threatened, she must stand up for what she believes in…

The Wedding Year (26 Dec)

Director: Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde”, “The Ugly Truth”, “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton”, “Monster-in-Law”, “21”, “Killers”)

Cast: Sarah Hyland, Tyler James Williams, Anna Camp, Jenna Dewan

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Synopsis: Meet Mara. She’s a carefree aspiring photographer who just started dating Jake, an aspiring chef. After wedding invitations pour in, Mara and Jake embark on a year-long adventure that puts their new relationship to the test.