‘The Marvels’ (out now)
Stars: Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris Director: Nia DaCosta
The skinny: When their superpowers become entangled with one another thanks to a wormhole, Captain Marvel (Larson), Ms. Marvel (Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Parris) team up to figure out how to fix their situation plus tackle a new cosmic threat.
‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ (Nov. 17)
Stars: Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Viola Davis Director: Francis Lawrence
The skinny: The pre-Katniss prequel centers on the Hunger Games going from violence to spectacle, with Zegler as young tribute Lucy and Blyth as her mentor Coriolanus Snow – who’ll become the tyrannical president of Panem decades later.
‘May December’ (Nov. 17)
Stars: Natalie
Charles Melton
Director: Todd Haynes
The skinny: This soapy true-crime riff (streaming on Netflix on Dec. 1) centers on a couple (Moore and Melton) whose marriage is tested – 20 years after their forbidden romance made headlines – when the actress (Portman) playing the wife in a movie asks for up close and personal research.
Portman,
Julianne
‘Trolls Band Together’ (Nov. 17)
Moore,
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Troye Sivan
Director: Walt Dohrn
The skinny: In the animated comedy threequel, Poppy (voiced by Kendrick) finds out that Branch (Timberlake) used to be in her favorite boy band with his brothers, and the two venture to reunite the siblings and pull off a daring rescue.
‘Maestro’ (Nov. 22)
Stars:
Bomer
Director: Bradley Cooper
The skinny: Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” follow-up (which streams on Netflix on Dec. 20) finds him portraying legendary composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein through musical successes, a long marriage to his actress love Felicia (Mulligan) and the tension caused by his gay side dalliances.
Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt
‘Napoleon’ (Nov. 22)
Stars:
Rahim
Director: Ridley Scott
The skinny: The historical epic (which streams on Apple TV+ at a later date) charts the rise of French military commander Napoleon Bonaparte (Phoenix) to emperor, his use of genius tactics on the battlefield and in politics, and the volatile relationship with his beloved Josephine (Kirby).
‘Wish’ (Nov. 22)
Stars: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk Directors: Fawn Veerasunthorn and Chris Buck The skinny: DeBose stars in the latest Disney animated musical as Asha, a teen who wishes on a star to help the people of her kingdom – and the star shows up as an excitable sidekick – but runs afoul of the powerful and egotistical King Magnifico (Pine).
‘Poor Things’ (Dec. 8)
Stars: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
The skinny: The dark fantasy comedy stars Stone as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by a mad scientist (Dafoe). Yearning to see more of the world, she runs off for globetrotting adventures with a rakish attorney (Ruffalo).
‘American Fiction’ (Dec. 15)
Stars:
Rae
Director: Cord Jefferson
The skinny: The satirical dramedy stars Wright as an academic who can’t sell his latest novel and is irked by the mainstream’s zest for tired tropes. When he writes a “Black” book to make a point, it ends up being a massive success that complicates his life.
Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Issa
‘Wonka’ (Dec. 15)
Stars:
Hawkins
Director: Paul King
The skinny: The fantastical prequel to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” stars Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka. He dreams of owning a sweets store, but when a candy cartel shuts him out, he gets assistance from a prickly Oompa Loompa (Grant).
Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Sally
‘All of Us Strangers’ (Dec. 22)
Stars: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy Director: Andrew Haigh
The skinny: The drama stars Scott as a London screenwriter who visits his childhood home to reconnect with his parents (Foy and Jamie Bell) who died when he was 12 while also fostering a relationship with a man (Mescal) in his apartment building.
‘The Iron Claw’ (Dec. 22)
Stars:
James
Director: Sean Durkin
The skinny: Efron and White star as Kevin and Kerry Von Erich, brothers in a tight-knit Texas pro wrestling family – run by their commanding father (Holt McCallany) – who experience the heights of popularity and a series of tragic turns in the 1980s.
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Lily
‘The Boys in the Boat’ (Dec. 25)
Stars:
Robinson
Director: George Clooney
The skinny: Based on a true story, the sports drama stars Edgerton as coach of the University of Washington rowing team, a crew of young underdogs who represented America and took on the world at the 1936 Summer Olympicsin Berlin.
Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Hadley
‘The Color Purple’ (Dec. 25)
Stars: Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson
Director: Blitz Bazawule
The skinny: The musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s award-winning 1982 novel centers on the sisterhood of three Black women (Barrino, Brooks and Henson) in the South as they navigate domestic violence, abuse, racism and poverty in the early 20th century.
‘Ferrari’ (Dec. 25)
Stars:
Woodley
Director: Michael Mann
The skinny: In the biopic set in 1957, Enzo Ferrari (Driver), still reeling from his son’s death and weathering the implosion of his marriage, scrambles to save his auto empire from bankruptcy by entering his racing team in a dangerous 1,000-mile race across Italy.
Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene