This week’s streaming releases sees Kate Winslet make her directing debut with Christmas drama Goodbye June, popular anime Chainsaw Man’s first movie lands on VOD rental, Netflix goes disastrous with South Korean blockbuster The Great Flood, and more!
SERIES
Made in Korea S1
24 December 2025 – Disney+
When it comes to bringing the best South Korean TV and film productions to Western markets, Netflix is the undisputed king. That doesn’t mean the other streamers aren’t also doing their part though, with Made in Korea being Disney+’s newest South Korean addition (via Hulu). This criminal thriller series sees acclaimed veteran Jung Woo-sung (The Good, The Bad, and the Weird) facing off against rising star Hyun Bin (Confidential Assignment) as two driven men on opposite sides of the law. Baek Ki-tae (Jung) is a shrewd, ambitious operative for the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) who secretly controls illicit business networks to amass power and wealth, while Jang Geon-young (Hyun) is a principled, uncompromising public prosecutor who wants to reveal a corrupt government and law-enforcement agencies. As Geon-young starts his probe into Ki-tae’s smuggling operations and their links with high-ranking officials, the two men become embroiled in a perilous rivalry fueled by political conspiracies, criminal enterprises, and conflicting visions of justice.
Stranger Things 5: Volume 2
25 December 2025 – Netflix
If your idea of Christmas fun is battling monsters from a twisted nightmare dimension in the 1980s, then Netflix has you covered. The penultimate batch of episodes for the final season of Stranger Things drops on Christmas Day, and this one is a biggie! Boasting three episodes that vary from 58 minutes to 97 minutes in length, it’s been promised that Volume 2 will finally lay bare some of the show’s biggest mysteries, with the tagline proclaiming that “Everything we have ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong”. Given the explosive revelations at the end of episode four, fans should be in for a wild ride on the way to the two-hour-long grand finale on New Years Day.
MOVIES
The Great Flood
19 December 2025 – Netflix
Like I mentioned above, there are few platforms that can match Netflix when it comes to South Korean media. And if you’re a fan of the Asian country’s productions as well big disaster movies, then you’re in luck! The Great Flood is a new sci-fi blockbuster set on the last day on Earth, after a catastrophic flood submerges the world and leaves a handful of survivors stranded in a sinking apartment building. Kim Da-mi stars as An-na, an artificial intelligence researcher who finds herself and her son trapped in their home by the ever-rising waters, while Park Hae-soo (Squid Games) plays Hee-jo, a member of a security team who shows with a mysterious offer and way out of the disaster for An-na.
The King of Kings
21 December 2025 – Showmax
While many celebrate Christmas as just a secular holiday, you can’t forget its Christian roots. And if you’re looking for more religious entertainment for the family this festive season, then check out animated family film The King of Kings. A father tells his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus (voiced by none other than Oscar Isaac), witnessing his miracles, facing his trials, and understanding his ultimate sacrifice. Alongside Isaac, the film’s voice cast also includes such esteemed talents such as Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, and Uma Thurman.
Dear Santa
22 December 2025 – Showmax
And now for a Christmas movie about as different to The King of Kings as it gets! Originally released on Paramount+ last year, Dear Santa stars Jack Black as that big red mythological figure who makes children’s wishes come true on Christmas… the Devil. Wait, what?! Written and directed by the Farrelly Brothers (Dumb & Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin) this twisted holiday tale follows Liam Turner, a young boy who decides to mail a letter to Santa asking him for gifts, just like so many other kids do at this time of year. There’s just one little problem. Liam is dyslexic and thus accidentally addressed his letter to Satan instead. And when the missive actually makes to the ruler of hell, the Devil decides to have a little fun with it, granting Liam three wishes and showing him a Christmas unlike any other.
Goodbye June
24 December 2025 – Netflix
If you’re looking for a Christmas movie but not the usual schmaltzy red and green fluff, check out Goodbye June. Directed by, produced by, and starring Kate Winslet, this heartfelt family drama is Winslet’s feature directing debut and was actually written by her son Joe Anders. Featuring an all-star ensemble cast that includes the aforementioned Winslet alongside Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, and Helen Mirren, the film follows four siblings and their families, whose lives are irrevocably changed when their ailing mother June (Mirren) takes a turn for the worse over the Christmas season. But the quick-witted June orchestrates her decline on her own terms – with biting humour, blunt honesty, and a lot of love. Keep the tissues handy for this one.
RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Purchase: Apple TV – R200
Rental: Apple TV – R130
We’ve been very fortunate to have gotten most of the big anime feature film releases as of late thanks to Ster Kinekor. If you missed out on the most recent one though, not to worry as Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is now out for VOD rental/purchase! The anime’s big screen debut follows on from the first season of the popular series which is set in a world populated by Devils, creatures born from humanity’s collective fears. It’s here where we were introduced to Denji, a super desperate young man willing to take on any work to pay off the debt he inherited from his parents, including working for some very bad people as a Devil Hunter. When he is betrayed though and left for dead, Denji’s beloved chainsaw-powered devil-dog, Pochita, made a rare deal with him and saved his life by fusing with him. Reborn as the unstoppable Chainsaw Man and recruited by a government run group of Devil Hunters, Denji sets out to erase all his debts as he takes on ever bigger threats. Reze Arc is a direct sequel to the events of the first season, and sees the introduction of Reze, a mysterious girl who appears to have romantic feelings for Denji, but who will actually trigger his deadliest battle yet. Since debuting in cinemas in October, the movie has proved itself equally as popular as the anime series by earning $175 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time.