‘Tis the season to be looking for new movies to watch, and we’ve got you covered with a curated list of new movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video this month. Late December offers the perfect chance to catch up on movies you missed earlier this year, and indeed two pretty major 2023 films are newly streaming on Prime Video this month – one a superhero epic, the other a star-studded affair from a famous director. But we’ve also got a bevy of holiday-related picks as well that range from family friendly to kid-centric to just-for-adults.
Check out our list of the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in December 2023 below.
Candy Cane Lane
If you’re looking to get in the holiday spirit, try Eddie Murphy’s first-ever Christmas movie “Candy Cane Lane.” The Prime Video original follows a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s Christmas decoration contest who accidentally makes a deal with a mischievous elf (played by Jillian Bell), who casts a spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life. The spell wreaks havoc on the town, and it’s up to Murphy and his family to literally save Christmas.
Hot Tub Time Machine
If you like your holiday movies a little raunchy, the R-rated comedy gem “Hot Tub Time Machine” is a solid pick. This 2010 film stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson as a group of friends who travel to a ski resort to relive the joys of their youth, only to literally be transported back in time to their heyday by a magic hot tub. Shenanigans ensue and silliness abounds, with a rockin’ 1980s soundtrack to boot. Lizzy Caplan, Sebastian Stan, Crispin Glover, Clark Duke and Chevy Chase co-star.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Before Donald Glover’s new TV series arrives, check out the original “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” The 2005 film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks when they discover that each is actually a secret spy, keeping the secret from the other. When they’re individually tasked with taking each other out, sparks fly. Doug Liman, the filmmaker behind the “Bourne” movies and “Edge of Tomorrow,” directs this action rom-com with excellent action but an incredibly funny relationship at its center.
Asteroid City
Wes Anderson’s latest film “Asteroid City” is now streaming on Prime Video, and it’s one of his best. Released just this year, the story continues the Russian nesting doll structure that Anderson enacted so well in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” as it follows a troupe of actors who are performing a play about a bunch of people who end up quarantined in a 1950s desert after they’re visited by an alien. The film packs an emotional punch as Anderson was clearly inspired by the pandemic with this one, and it boasts yet another incredible cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston and Steve Carell.
The Ring
Director Gore Verbinski’s 2002 horror film “The Ring” still holds up as one of the best — and scariest — horror remakes of all time. Based on the Japanese horror film “Ringu,” the story revolves around a cursed video tape: if you watch it, you will die in seven days. Naomi Watts stars as a journalist investigating the tape, and Verbinski makes excellent use of the Pacific Northwest to really lean into the dreary landscape. Dread fills nearly every frame of this one.
Merry Little Batman
It’s a Batman movie that was abandoned by HBO/Max/Warner Bros. (no, not that one). “Merry Little Batman” was given a second chance by Prime Video, who picked up the accompanying series “Bat Family.” And we are all the better for it. After watching “Merry Little Batman,” you will be even more baffled. The movie is terrific. It follows little Damian Wayne (Yonas Kibreab) who is forced to defend Wayne Manor and, later, the rest of Gotham, after his dad goes away. (For much of the movie Alfred is going to get marshmallows. Don’t ask.) “Merry Little Batman” is warmly rendered in a storybook art style (with animation by Finnish studio Gigglebug) that boasts strong character designs and vivid action set pieces. And Luke Wilson is surprisingly great as Batman. Just watch it. It’s a delight.
The Flash
Merry Christmas from the DCEU. If you missed “The Flash” in theaters or on Max, this will be your chance to stream the long-in-the-works DC movie on Prime Video — starting on Dec. 25. Ezra Miller reprises his role as a speedster in a time travel story that involved Michael Keaton’s Batman, an alternate version of Miller’s Flash and Supergirl as played by Sasha Calle. Andy Muschietti, the director of the “It” movies, was the one to bring this superhero project home, and while it’s unlikely this iteration of any of these characters returns now that James Gunn is rebooting the DC universe, this film marks a nice exit note. Watch it after you get back from seeing Jason Momoa’s “Aquaman” sequel in theaters.
