This December, Riverside Studios welcomes audiences to a rich line-up of festive favourites, new releases, family-friendly screenings and special cinema events. From beloved Christmas classics restored in stunning 4K to fresh stories from visionary filmmakers, the programme offers something for everyone looking to celebrate the season.
Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s Christmas classic, as How the Grinch Stole Christmas: 25th Anniversary (13–17 December) brings Ron Howard’s heartwarming adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s classic to Riverside Studios. Jim Carrey stars as the grumpy green Grinch, who descends from his mountaintop hideout to steal Christmas from Whoville — but meets the kindhearted Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), whose innocence challenges his miserly ways.
Richard Curtis’s Love Actually (4K Restoration) (14–16 December) weaves nine interlocking stories of love, from a newly-elected prime minister navigating romance to a married man tempted by a colleague. Starring Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson, the film celebrates the messy, joyful, and sometimes painful truths of love.
The timeless and heartwarming It’s a Wonderful Life (4K Restoration) (20–24 December) returns audiences to Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve, where George Bailey (James Stewart) faces despair until his guardian angel Clarence shows him a world without his presence.
Ticketholders to Riverside’s Christmas classics lineup this December (How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Love Actually, and It’s a Wonderful Life) can claim a free mince pie from the cinema foyer bar before the show.
Alongside these revivals, Riverside also presents a collection of new releases. Wicked: For Good (28 November–11 December) brings the final chapter of the untold story of Oz’s witches, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, as Elphaba lives in exile and Glinda navigates fame, their fractured friendship tested by dark truths and the fate of Oz. Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident (5–11 December) follows mechanic Vahid, who kidnaps a man he believes tortured him, using only the telltale squeak of a prosthetic leg as evidence, sparking tense moral reckoning in a politically charged yet deeply humane exploration of justice and retribution. As part of the November Noiversaries, catch Sunset Boulevard (6-7 December), with Billy Wilder’s classic noir tale of a screenwriter who becomes dangerously entangled with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
In addition to those highlights, the season also features Eleanor The Great (12–18 December), Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut starring June Squibb as the witty and 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, whose storytelling becomes a lifeline after a profound loss. Blue Moon (13–18 December), directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke, offers a bittersweet look at legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart on the night Oklahoma! premieres – a thoughtful, melancholic drama of art, regret and ambition. Sentimental Value (27 December–1 January) reunites a successful stage actress with her estranged father, a former film director, in a graceful, emotionally charged exploration of family, memory and reconciliation. And Avatar: Fire & Ash (19–24 December) returns viewers to Pandora, where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) lead their Na’vi family into a breathtaking new conflict with a dangerous clan known as the Ash People – a striking, visually spectacular adventure.
Riverside is also hosting a vibrant programme of special one-off events throughout the season. Music lovers can experience Pitchblack Playback: Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (Bonus Edition) – 25th Anniversary (4 December), an immersive listening session in complete darkness, as well as The Cure: The Show of a Lost World (11-14 December) on the big screen. James Bond fans can enjoy a 60th anniversary screening of Thunderball (13 December), followed by a live Q&A with Bond star Martine Beswick, and a rare showing of Great Absence (5 December), paired with an authentic sake sampling experience as part of Riverside’s ongoing celebration of modern Japanese cinema. Sci-fi enthusiasts can step into the Whoniverse with Doctor Who: Projections in Time – Time and the Rani (7 December), featuring special guests as part of this celebratory screening event. Finally, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood + Q&A (10 January) invites cinephiles to revisit Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed film followed by a discussion with the author of the new The Making of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book Jay Glennie, with Tarantino’s new cut of his epic Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair also screening the same weekend. National Theatre Live also returns with the acclaimed HAMLET screening on 22 January directed by Robert Hastie and staring Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi).
Parents and little ones can also enjoy a cosy cinema trip this December with Riverside’s Parent & Baby screenings. This month’s line-up includes special parent-friendly screenings of previously announced titles Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Parent & Baby Screening): (1 December), Eleanor the Great (15 December), Avatar: Fire and Ash (22 December), and Sentimental Value (29 December). With lowered volume, subtle lighting, and a relaxed environment perfect for feeding and settling, Riverside offers an easy, welcoming way for new parents to return to the magic of the big screen.