It may officially be school holidays in South Africa now, but the festive film fare – at least in terms of mega big movie attractions – is evidently taking a short breather between the release of Zootropolis 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
In addition to the four new feature releases below, there’s André Rieu’s 2025 Christmas Concert: Merry Christmas; Bollywood actioner Dhurandhar; K-Pop concert film MONSTA X : CONNECT X IN CINEMAS (this Sunday only); The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Strauss’s Arabella; and the Throwback return of No Time to Die, which is notable for 007 fans as Daniel Craig’s final James Bond outing.
Nothing says Christmas holidays like Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, right? This week the hit horror game adaptation gets a sequel which takes place one year after the events of the first film. Former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) has kept the truth from his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) about the fate of her animatronic friends. When Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, her actions reveal dark secrets about Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
Your one traditional holiday film for the week is comedy Tinsel Town, set in the UK. Kiefer Sutherland’s arrogant action star seeks a career reinvention on the stage, but instead of the West End, he finds himself in a small English village’s Christmas pageant. Fortunately the production’s quirky cast and no-nonsense choreographer (Rebel Wilson) are around to help him embrace the opportunity, and relook his priorities.
Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel head up the cast of survival thriller Not Without Hope, which is based on a true story. Four friends see their fun fishing trip turn into a nightmare when a massive storm causes their boat to capsize in the Gulf of Mexico. Cue waves, sharks, dehydration and hypothermia, as the Coast Guard risk their lives to save the men.
Finally, there’s South African drama Treasure Hunt, which actually is a Faith-based tale set in KwaZulu-Natal and made by pastor turned filmmaker Chim Onyebilanma. When destitute former convict Vusi Duma finds a pouch of valuable jewellery, he’s conflicted about what to do, provoking the anger of his wife and gaining the attention of the violent criminals who stole the treasure in the first place.