The Weeknd STARBOY

The singer gets all-star assists from Daft Punk (“Starboy”), Lana Del Rey (“Stargirl Interlude”) and Kendrick Lamar (“Sidewalks”) on a darkly romantic album of alluring odes to excess.

Lion FRI. 11/25, PG-13 ★★★★✩

Twenty-five years after being lost — and separated from his brother and mother — as a boy in India, Saroo (Dev Patel) searches for his first family with the support of his adoptive Australian parents (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham) and girlfriend (Rooney Mara). This truelife tearjerker builds to an emotional climax.

WED. 11/23, PG ★★★✩✩

A teen girl (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) sets sail for a fabled island, teaming up (and bickering) with a tattooed demigod (Dwayne Johnson) to help save her homeland. With witty songs by Lin-manuel Miranda, this epic animated adventure from Disney is a sweet-spirited journey of identity with a plucky heroine who’s not a princess driven by romantic love.

Bad Santa 2 WED. 11/23, R ★✩✩✩✩

Hard-drinking Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) reluctantly reteams with small sidekick Marcus (Tony Cox) for a holiday heist of a charity — but the raunchy jokes fall flat in this utterly unnecessary comedy sequel, which squanders Kathy Bates as Willie’s mom. Put it on your “not see” list! The Gist: The Empire star — and single mom — chronicles her rocky road to success (including escaping an abusive relationship) in this honest and inspiring memoir.

Notable Quotable: “Time and again, I’ve lost roles because someone with the ability to green-light a film couldn’t see black women beyond a very limited purview he or she thought ‘fit’ audience expectations.”