Next Week in Tickets: Films playing Boston 20 December 2024 - 24 December 2024

Just through Tuesday, since some places haven't posted their Christmas schedules yet.

Also, I've been thinking that the listings at the Embassy on Fandango were just put in a while ago and not taken down when it ceased operations, but apparently the folks running the gymnastics school are doing it themselves rather than contracting it out or something. Peculiar, but at least there's a place to go to the movies in Waltham!

• Two big franchise films open ahead of Christmas. Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the CGI remake from a couple years back, but I gather it works well enough if you only know the original. It shows how Mufasa, Scar, and Sarabi met and formed their pride. It's mainly of interest because Barry Jenkins (of Moonlight, Medicine for Melancholy, and If Beale Street Could Talk fame) is directing. It's at The Capitol Theatre, Fresh Pond (including 3D), The Embassy, the Lexington Venue, Jordan's Furniture (Imax 2D), West Newton, CinemaSalem, Boston Common (including Dolby Cinema & RealD 3D), Causeway Street (including RealD 3D), Kendall Square, the Seaport (including RealD 3D), South Bay (including Dolby Cinema & Imax Xenon 2D/3D & RealD 3D) Assembly Row (Dolby Cinema & Imax Laser 2D/3D & RealD 3D), Arsenal Yards (including CWX), and Chestnut Hill.
  
  Also opening is Sonic The Hedgehog 3, which brings Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves) into another Dr. Robotnik/Eggman plot. Jim Carrey plays both Robotnik and his father, even though he talked of retiring after the last one (also, is it disappointing that I thought the latter was played by Jim Broadbent when I saw the trailer, because that would have been fun casting?). It plays theCapitol, Fresh Pond, West Newton, Boston Common (including Dolby Cinema), Causeway Street, the Seaport, South Bay (including Dolby Cinema), Assembly Row (including Dolby Cinema), Arsenal Yards (including CWX), and Chestnut Hill
  
  Fresh Pond has the Howard/Carrey How The Grinch Stole Christmas; Arsenal Yards has The Polar Express Saturday to Tuesday and The Royal Nutcracker Sunday & Monday.
• Apple Fresh Pond has six new South Asian films for the weekend, although not everything shows every day. Playing through Tuesday are Vanvaas, a Hindi-language action film built around a man approaching senility (also at Boston Common); Tamil-language crime film Viduthaliai Part 2; and Telugu action movie Bachhala Malli. Kannada-language sci-fi adventure plays Friday/Saturday/Monday/Tuesday afternoons, Malayalam thriller Marco plays early matinees Friday/Sunday/Monday/Tuesday, with Rifle Club (also in that language) playing Saturday morning. Telugu action film Pushpa Part 2: The Rule continues at Boston Common.
  
  Hong Kong's The Last Dance and Mainland China's Her Story both continue at Causeway Street.
• The Brattle Theatre has Singin' in the Rain for the Friday Film Matinee, and then it's back to the "Unsilent Nights" of big fun blockbusters: A double feature of Pacific Rim & Speed Racer, both on 35mm film, Friday evening and Saturday afternoon; The Dark Knight on 35mm Saturday evening; a double feature of Furiosa & Mad Max: Fury Road on Sunday; and Die Hard & Die Hard 2 on Monday. Tuesday, as is traditional, they are dark so that the staff can do some last-minute Christmas shopping (and no opening just to sell merch at the concession stand this year!).
• The Coolidge Corner Theatre holds the same films over through tuesday. The midnights this weekend are Underworld (on 35mm) and Hundreds of Beavers on Friday and the original Black Christmas on Saturday (a 35mm print rather than the restoration that's been going around) on Saturday. There are also Kids' Shows of The Muppet Christmas Carol on Saturday & Sunday, a 35mm Big Screen Classic presentation of Meet Me in St. Louis on Monday,
• The Seaport Alamo has Eyes Wide Shut Friday/Monday, The Holdovers on Saturday, and a brunch show of It's a Wonderful Life (Tuesday). There are also Movie Party showtimes for Sonic 3 (Saturday), Elf (Sunday), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (a bit later Sunday).
• Landmark Kendall Square continues to be the only local screen with Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and, hey, I'd make an exception to an anti-Netflix rule for those guys.
• The ICA has Kids Flicks Short Films matinees this weekend, with shorts for kids as young as 5 on Saturday and Sunday's package recommended for ages 8 and above
• The Lexington Venue has Mufasa, A Real Pain, and Conclave through Tuesday. Short "Star in the Night" plays Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesdaywith free popcorn for those who come with canned goods and unwrapped toys and free admission for everyone.
  
  The West Newton Cinema opens Mufasa and Sonic 3, keeping <Moana 2, Wicked, and A Real Pain. A Christmas Story plays Friday Evening, The Polar Express Saturday afternoon, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Saturday evening, Wonka Sunday afternoon, Elf Monday evening,
  
  The Luna Theater has Heretic on Friday and It's a Wonderful Life on Saturday & Sunday (though the Saturday shows are listed as sold out).
  
  Cinema Salem has Mufasa, Flow, Moana 2, and WIcked through Monday. Dial Code Santa Claus plays Friday, with Gremlins on Saturday.
• Joe's Free Films shows a free screening of The Polar Express at Roadrunner in Brighton on Sunday (RSVP on EventBrite, with an upstairs area where parents can watch the football game and keep an eye on the kids watching the movie below

Got a lot of Christmas shopping to do this weekend, so I may not find time to squeeze anything but Wallace & Gromit in, though some of the big shows at the Brattle are tempting. Kind of shocked I missed the window on The End, which came and went fast even though some less likely-seeming things are hanging around.