What's new at Odeon's this week - Thursday 25th & Friday 26th December 2025.

Christmas is upon us once again and every year it seems to come around quicker than the last. And so it is that time of year to wish my worldwide readership all the best for a very Merry, Happy and safe Christmas, wherever you are in world, whatever it is you do to celebrate the occasion, and whoever you share it with. Thanks for your ongoing support over the last twelve months - it is your viewership that makes my reviews and previews of the latest release new movies worthwhile, and I look forward to doing more of the same throughout 2026. Until then, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, complements of the season, may your God be with you, and enjoy your festivities - from Sydney, Australia. 

Turning the attention to this weeks slew of eight new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a psychological thriller that sees a struggling woman who seems happy to start over as a live-in maid for an affluent, elite couple who harbour sinister secrets . . . what could possibly go wrong? Then we turn to a comedy drama film about an American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig - working for a Japanese agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. Next up we have a pair of hapless guys going through their mid-life crises who have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favourite action horror movie, but, it might just get them killed! This is followed by a Norwegian film about a fractured relationship between an acclaimed Director and his two estranged daughters, which becomes even more complicated when he decides to make a personal film about their family history. Up next is a drama offering from a first time Director about a young addict living on the streets of London who is given a shot at redemption, but his road to recovery soon curdles into a strange odyssey from which he may never escape. Following on we have a French drama offering which has an acclaimed musical conductor who has leukemia and needs a bone marrow donor, and learning he was adopted, he finds an older brother, a musician and factory worker. Then, we have a documentary that follows the career of George Orwell, and how his political observations are still relevant in present day authoritarianism; before closing out the week with an animated adventure comedy that sees SpongeBob journey to the ocean's depths to face the Flying Dutchman's ghost, encountering challenges and uncovering marine mysteries.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the eight latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'THE HOUSEMAID' (Rated MA15+) - is an American psychological thriller film that is Co-Produced and Directed by Paul Feig, and is based on the 2022 novel of the same name penned by Freida McFadden. Paul Feig's filmography take in his debut with 'I Am David' in 2003, and which we would follow up with the likes of 'Bridesmaids' in 2011, 'The Heat' in 2013, 'Spy' in 2015, 'Ghostbusters' in 2016, 'A Simple Favor' in 2018, and 'Another Simple Favor' released earlier this year. The film was released in the US last week, has generated largely positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$23M off the back of a US$35M production budget.

Here, we enter a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the affluent and elite couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous - a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters' closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

'RENTAL FAMILY' (Rated M) - this US and Japanese Co-Produced comedy drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Hikari (real name Mitsuyo Miyazaki) in only her second feature film offering following '37 Seconds' in 2019. Set in modern-day Tokyo, this film follows an American Actor Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) who has lived in Japan for seven years and who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig working for a Japanese 'rental family' agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection. The film has its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in late September and was released Stateside towards the end of November having generated largely positive press and grossing so far US$10M.

'ANACONDA' (Rated M) - is an American action comedy film that is Co-Written and Directed by Tom Gormican and serves as a meta-reboot of the 1997 film of the same name. Tom Gormican's previous feature film making efforts are 'That Awkward Moment' in 2014 and 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' in 2022. Here, wedding videographer Doug McCallister (Jack Black) and background actor Ronald 'Griff' Griffin Jnr. (Paul Rudd) who are both experiencing a mid-life crisis, travel to the Amazon to film an amateur remake of their favourite horror film, 1997's 'Anaconda'. Their project unravels when a real giant anaconda emerges, turning the light-hearted shoot into a perilous fight to stay alive. Also starring Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior with Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez making cameo appearances as themselves. The film is released Stateside this week too.

'SENTIMENTAL VALUE' (Rated M) - this Norwegian drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Joachim Trier whose previous feature film output takes in his debut with 'Reprise' in 2006, which he would follow up with 'Oslo, 31 August' in 2011, 'Louder Than Bombs' in 2015, 'Thelma' in 2017 and 'The Worst Person in the World' in 2021. Sisters Nora Borg (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes Borg Pettersen (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav (Stellen Skarsgard), a once-renowned Director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father, and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics. The film had its World Premiere showcasing at the main competition of this years Cannes Film Festival in late May where it received widespread critical acclaim, won the Grand Prix, and received a nineteen minute standing ovation. The film has so far grossed US$12M since its release, has generated universal critical acclaim and has so far collected fourteen award wins and a further ninety nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, many of which are still pending a final outcome.

'URCHIN' (Rated MA15+) - is a British drama film that is Written, Directed, stars and is Co-Produced by Harris Dickinson through the Production Company, Devisio Pictures, which he founded with Producer Archie Pearch. This is Dickinson's feature film making debut. On the streets of London, Mike (Frank Dillane) a young man experiencing homelessness, is hustling to get by. Roadside evangelists won't let him sleep in peace, his slippery friend won't pay up the money he stole, and before long, he finds himself in trouble with the law. As he struggles to reintegrate into society, shuffling between jobs as a line cook and a garbage collector, he must balance a newfound sense of community with his own itch for self-destruction. The film had its World Premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May this year where Dickinson won the FIPRESCI Prize and Dillane won the section's Best Actor award. It was released in the UK in early October, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$672K.

'MY BROTHER'S BAND' aka 'THE MARCHING BAND' (Rated M) - this French drama film Co-Written and Directed by Emmanuel Courcol in his third feature film making outing following 'Ceasefire' in 2016 and 'The Big Hit' in 2020. When acclaimed orchestra conductor Thibaut Desormeaux (Benjamin Lavernhe) is diagnosed with leukemia, a DNA test to find a bone marrow donor reveals that he is adopted. Thibaut meets his biological brother Jimmy Lecocq (Pierre Lottin), a cook in a school canteen who plays trombone in a local marching band in Lille. When the band loses its conductor, Thibaut steps in as replacement, and the brothers learn more about the circumstances that shaped each other's lives. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-May 2024, and only now is it released here in Australia having so far grossed US$26M from a production of US$7M.

'ORWELL : 2+2=5' (Rated M) - is a French and US Co-Produced documentary film that is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Raoul Peck, whose most recent documentaries are 'I Am Not Your Negro' in 2016, 'Silver Dollar Road' in 2023, and 'Ernest Cole : Lost and Found' in 2024. He has also helmed a number of feature films, most recently 2017's 'The Young Karl Marx'. Here then, through archive photos, newsreel footage, films, contemporary documentaries, and notorious speeches, the Director explores how early 20th Century authoritarianism still echoes in contemporary life, especially during ongoing conflicts threatening democracy and public liberties, such as the Myanmar civil war, the Russo-Ukrainian war, the United States' War on terror and the January 6th Capitol attack, the Gaza War, and many others. The film saw its World Premiere at the Cannes Premiere section of this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, where it was nominated for the L'Œil d'or. It was released in the US in early October, and will be released in France at the end of February next year. It has garnered generally positive critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$355K. The film is narrated by Damian Lewis, as George Orwell, paying particular attention to the lessons from his 1949 novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.

'THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE : SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS' (Rated PG) - this American animated adventure comedy film is based on the 'SpongeBob SquarePants' TV series, and is Directed by series veteran Derek Drymon and stars the show's regular voice cast. This film is the fourth feature in the series after 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie' in 2004, 'The SpongeBob Movie : Sponge Out of Water' in 2015 and 'The SpongeBob Movie : Sponge on the Run' in 2021. There have also been two Netflix spin off instalments, with those first three films grossing at the Worldwide Box Office a total US$470M against combined production budgets of US$164M. Here then, desperate to become a 'big guy', SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), and so travels to the deepest depths of the ocean to face off against the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill). The film was released in the US last week, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far recovered US$16M from a production budget of US$64M.

With eight new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-