By Gary Symons
The Licensing Letter
It’s been well over a year since The Licensing Letter stopped publishing regular reports on film release dates, because of the large number of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, however, a general decline in case numbers due to vaccinations has solidified release dates, and the film release schedule will again be a regular feature on all of TLL’s platforms, including our emailed newsletters, the website, and the monthly Licensing Letter magazine.
This month TLL is pleased to reintroduce the monthly film release schedule with a list of all the dates for North American-wide releases over the holiday period.
This month also includes two of the most anticipated releases of the year, particularly for the licensing industry.
The Marvel blockbuster Spiderman: No Way Home will hit theaters on Dec. 17 and is expected to dominate the holiday box office, but it will face competition from the long-awaited Matrix Resurrections, a fourth sequel to the hugely influential 1999 sci fi hit The Matrix.
The latest Matrix installment will actually premiere a day earlier at a special screening in Toronto, Canada, on Dec. 16, but the film debuts in theaters across North America on Dec. 22.
Both films are considered a major draw for holiday film goers. The third installment in Marvel’s version of the Spiderman franchise is considered a central pivot point for the entire future of Marvel’s sprawling superhero universe, commonly known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU. What we know about the film so far is that central character Peter Parker (aka Spiderman) has his identity exposed to the world, is faced with threats to his family and friends, and enlists the help of fellow Avenger Dr. Strange.
A spell that is supposed to make the world forget Spiderman’s true identity goes awry, and opens up a portal in the multiverse, allowing Spiderman villains from past Sony Pictures versions to reappear in the Marvel universe. Without giving too much away, the opening of the multiverse will apparently be the central source of the upcoming MCU movies for the next decade, so this film is considered a critical viewing for any true Marvel fan.
Against that compelling story, Matrix Resurrections also brings a pretty dedicated audience as the original trilogy created a legion of diehard fans who have been clamoring for a sequel since the third film in the franchise, Matrix Revolutions hit theaters in 2003.
The latest installment of the franchise is directed by Lana Wachowski, who originally co-wrote and co-directed the Matrix with sibling Lilly Wachowski. Plot details are scant, but we do know the film finds central character Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) as an older man who believes his memories of the Matrix are simply fantasies that he relates to his therapist.
The amazing Carrie-Ann Moss is back in her role as Neo’s right-hand woman, while rebel leader Morpheus is now a younger man, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Also coming out this month is The King’s Man, a prequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service and 2017’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Set for release on Dec. 22, The King’s Man will tell the story of how the Kingsman Secret Service was founded, and pits the heroes against the sinister Rasputin, advisor to the Russian emperor.
The full list of theatrical releases is below:
Release Date |
Movie |
Distributor |
Dec. 14 | Macross Plus Movie Edition (Special Engagement) | Fathom Events |
Dec. 15 | Minamata (Limited) | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
New Year (Limited) | Self Distributed | |
Dec. 17 | Nightmare Alley (Wide) | Searchlight Pictures |
Spider-Man: No Way Home (Wide) | Sony Pictures | |
Fortress (Limited) | Lionsgate | |
The Legend of the Five (Limited) | Vertical Entertainment | |
The Nights of Cabiria (Limited) | Rialto Pictures | |
The Novice (Limited) | IFC Films | |
President (Limited) | Greenwich | |
Schemes in Antiques (Limited) | Well Go USA | |
Swan Song (Limited) | Apple Original Films | |
The Tender Bar (Limited) | Amazon Studios | |
Wild Game (Limited) | Gravitas Ventures | |
Spider-Man: No Way Home (IMAX) | Sony Pictures | |
Dec. 22 | The King’s Man (Wide) | 20th Century Studios |
The Matrix Resurrections (Wide) | Warner Bros. | |
Sing 2 (Wide) | Universal | |
The Tender Bar (Expands Wide) | Amazon Studios | |
I Won’t Be Home for Christmas (Limited) | Miramax | |
The Velvet Queen (Limited) | Oscilloscope Pictures | |
The Matrix Resurrections (IMAX) | Warner Bros. | |
Dec. 24 | Licorice Pizza (Expands Wide) | MGM |
Parallel Mothers (Limited) | Sony Pictures Classics | |
Dec. 25 | American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story (Wide) | Lionsgate |
A Journal for Jordan (Wide) | Sony Pictures | |
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Limited) | A24 | |
Dec. 26 | Memoria (Limited) | Neon |
Dec. 29 | Jockey (Limited) | Sony Pictures Classics |
Dec. 31 | The Man on the Other Side (Limited) | Capital Motion Picture Group |
Sensation (Limited) | Vertical Entertainment | |
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