5 new Netflix movies to watch in December 2025

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek

Netflix has been saving some of its most exciting releases for the end of the year. With the holiday season in full swing, the platform is giving your watchlist one last makeover before the New Year.

From a highly anticipated third installment of a mystery movie series to relaxing holiday-themed films, Netflix’s releases for the month will suit every mood. Here are some new Netflix movies you need to add to your watchlist this December.

5

Jay Kelly

Directed by Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), Jay Kelly is a comedy drama starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern. Kelly (Clooney), a well-known actor, wants to reconnect with his youngest daughter, Daisy, before she leaves for college, but the distance between them has built up over the years.

As he deals with the death of a mentor whom he wronged and a bitter confrontation with an old friend that results in a disastrous outcome, Kelly abruptly abandons his new project and heads to Europe in hopes of tracking Daisy down. During this trip, he tackles everything he has been running from while trying to fix his relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile, Ron (Sandler), Kelly’s manager, deals with a temperamental Kelly as his personal life goes for a spin.

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Jay Kelly

Release Date: November 14, 2025
Runtime: 132 minutes
Director: Noah Baumbach

Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Isla Fisher, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Greta Gerwig, Emily Mortimer, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Eve Hewson, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham, Jamie Demetriou, Lars Eidinger, Patsy Ferran, Sunny Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Louis Partridge, Charlie Rowe, Jared Sandler
Writers: Emily Mortimer, Noah Baumbach
Producers: David Heyman, Noah Baumbach, Amy Pascal
Main Genre: Drama
Genres: Drama, Comedy

4

Troll 2

The most-watched non-English Netflix movie of all time is getting a sequel this December. Troll 2 is a Norwegian monster action film, directed by Roar Uthaug (2018’s Tomb Raider), which continues the journey of Troll‘s unlikely group of ragtag heroes. This time, they must reunite to battle a new troll spawning from a mountain that is wreaking havoc across Norway, but with a twist: the group (this time with a new member) has to befriend and recruit the help of another giant troll. The film series is inspired by Norwegian folklore.

Troll, a Netflix original movie, boasts more than 103 million views, so it will be interesting to see how the epic monster film’s sequel fares as the holiday rolls around.

Troll 2

Release Date: December 1, 2025

Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim S. Falck-Jørgensen, Sara Khorami, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Karoline Viktoria Sletteng Garvang, Ola G. Furuseth, Anne Krigsvoll
Director: Roar Uthaug
Writers: Roar Uthaug, Espen Aukan
Producers: Espen Horn, Kristian Strand Sinkerud
Main Genre: Fantasy
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Adventure

3

My Secret Santa

If you haven’t started building your Christmas watchlist on Netflix already, this is where you can start. My Secret Santa is a holiday romcom about a single mom (She’s the Man’s Alexandra Breckenridge) who disguises herself as an old man to work as Santa Claus at a ski resort—she needs a job for the holidays, and it comes with a nice perk of discounts for her daughter’s snowboarding lessons. Trouble brews when the resort’s manager begins suspecting her, and she falls in love with the resort owner’s son (The Blacklist’s Ryan Eggold).

In a similar vein, a Netflix title you can look into if you’re searching for new Christmas romantic comedy films is Jingle Bell Heist. Released in November, this film tells the love story between two strangers who team up to rob a department store in London.

My Secret Santa

Release Date: December 3, 2025
Runtime: 89 minutes
Director: Mike Rohl

Cast: Alexandra Breckenridge, Ryan Eggold, Tia Mowry, Madison MacIsaac, Diana Maria Riva, Dominic Fox
Writers: Ron Oliver, Carley Smale
Producers: Howard Braunstein, Alexander Braunstein
Genres: Comedy, Romance

2

Goodbye June

Tap into the holiday spirit with Goodbye June, a Netflix Christmas drama starring and directed by Kate Winslet. This touching holiday film is a family watch, revolving around how the lives of four siblings change when their mother’s health worsens as Christmastime rolls around. If you want to cut through the noise of generic Christmas movies that follow the same script, Goodbye June will be a refreshing (and emotional) watch that revolves around the spirit of family and the holiday season.

Goodbye June stars an ensemble cast, including Winslet, Toni Collette, Helen Mirren, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, and Timothy Spall.

Goodbye June

Release Date: December 12, 2025
Director: Kate Winslet
Writers: Joe Anders

Cast: Kate Winslet, Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, Stephen Merchant, Fisayo Akinade, Jeremy Swift, Raza Jaffrey
Producers: Kate Winslet, Kate Solomon, Tina Pawlik
Genres: Drama
Executive Producer(s): Eric Fellner, John Hodge, Lauren Hantz, Tim Bevan

1

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

This is one of the most exciting releases of the year that I’ve personally been itching to watch since its teaser dropped in May. Wake Up Dead Man is the third installment in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out film series, and a standalone sequel to Glass Onion. It was released in theaters this November before its Netflix release this month.

Daniel Craig reprises his role as private detective Benoit Blanc as he tries to solve the mysterious death of a priest, who is stabbed inside a storage closet during a Good Friday service. As with its prequels, this Knives Out mystery will see Blanc set out to solve this murder mystery in his unconventional ways.

Wake Up Dead Man features an ensemble cast, including Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Scott.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Release Date: November 26, 2025
Runtime: 140 minutes
Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church, Annie Hamilton, Kerry Frances
Writers: Rian Johnson
Producers: Ram Bergman, Rian Johnson
Franchise(s): Knives Out
Main Genre: Mystery
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Studio(s): T-Street Productions
Distributor(s): Netflix
Streaming Service: Netflix
Streaming: Knives Out, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Netflix is set to release a string of holiday-themed titles this month, which will sit nicely alongside its existing festive collection. But you can still find non-holiday titles in your Netflix app by navigating to the “New and Popular” tab and surfing your favorite genres.