5 best new Netflix movies (and 5 old movies) to watch in December 2023

Netflix is adding dozens of movies in December 2023, but only a handful of those movies are new Netflix movies. The good news is that of those new Netflix movies all of them have the potential to be huge hits for the streaming service. We shared a list of five new Netflix movies to watch in December, along with five older movies added to Netflix this month. Most of the “old movies” aren’t even that old, and one was just released in theaters this year.

Let’s get the list started with the best Netflix movie of the month so far, May December.

May December

• Release Date: Dec. 1, 2023
• Director: Todd Haynes
• Cast: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton

May December is on the shortlist of Oscar contenders after its theatrical release earlier this fall. Charles Melton, who stars in the film alongside Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, is getting some Oscar buzz, too. I’ll be shocked if he’s not nominated.

The film is loosely based on the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, a former teacher who was charged and convicted after starting a sexual and romantic relationship with one of her students. After her time in prison, Letourneau and the student married.

In May December, Portman’s character, Elizabeth, is preparing to play Gracie Atherton-Yoo, played by Moore, in an upcoming movie. She visits and interviews Gracie and her husband, Joe, played by Melton, for the role.

She’s The Man

• Release Date on Netflix: Dec. 1
• Director: Andy Fickman
• Cast: Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, Robert Hoffman, Alex Breckenridge, Julie Hagerty, and David Cross

She’s The Man was released on Netflix on Friday, Dec. 1, and it’s easily one of the best older movies to hit the streamer this month. She’s The Man is iconic for people of a certain age. It was released during the height of Amanda Bynes’ popularity in 2006. If you haven’t seen She’s The Man, you need to watch it on Netflix this month.

The movie is inspired by Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. In She’s The Man, Viola Hastings (Bynes) pretends to be her twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk) and tries out for the boys soccer team after the girls’ program is cut from her school’s budget. She’s a star, but now, she has to keep up the charade, which is a challenge at her new school.

The Meg

• Release Date on Netflix: Dec. 1
• Director: Jon Turteltaub
• Cast: Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, and Cliff Curtis

If you like shark movies and/or Jason Statham, The Meg from 2018 is the movie for you! The Meg was just released on Netflix on Dec. 1, and there’s been a report from What’s on Netflix that The Meg 2 is coming to Netflix later this month, too. That’d be great because it was just released in theaters, but we have not been able to verify the report.

The Meg tells the story of Jonas Taylor (Statham), a deep sea expert and rescue specialist. While on a mission, Jonas goes toe-to-toe with a megalodon, a massive shark-like creature who is interfering with rescue and recovery efforts.

The Suicide Squad

• Release Date on Netflix: Dec. 1
• Director: James Gunn 
• Cast: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, and Pete Davidson 

The Suicide Squad is just one of the many DC movies released on Netflix in December. Netflix and Warner Bros. agreed to a deal to bring at least 10 DC movies to Netflix in December, including Black Adam, The Batman, Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and more. The Suicide Squad is my favorite of the bunch (aside from The Batman), and you should definitely check it out on the streaming service this month.

The Suicide Squad is the 2021 film from James Gunn, not be confused with Suicide Squad from 2016. The Suicide Squad tells the story of a ragtag group of villains who come together on a mission with a nice reward if the mission is complete. This isn’t your ordinary supervillain movie, and these ain’t your normal supervillains.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

• Release Date on Netflix: Dec. 3
• Director: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was just released on Netflix on Sunday, Dec. 3, and it’s already flying up the charts on the Netflix Top 10. The Illumination movie premiered in theaters in April 2023, and fans have been waiting for it to hit Netflix. There’s no doubt this will be one of the most-watched movies on Netflix this holiday season.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is based on the Nintendo characters from Super Mario Bros. and tells the story of Mario, the plumber who finds his way into the Mushroom Kingdom. With the help of friends, Mario sets out on a quest to save Princess Peach.

If you’re up for a fun animated movie on Netflix, this is the movie for you!

Leave the World Behind

• Release Date: Dec. 7
• Director: Sam Esmail
• Cast: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon

Leave the World Behind has some serious potential to be the most popular new Netflix movie of the month on Netflix. No movie has a stronger cast than Leave the World Behind, and it looks terrific. It’s based on Rumaan Alam’s book of the same name and tells the story of a family vacation gone wrong as the world descends into chaos.

Thrillers like this are usually very popular on Netflix. With such a strong cast, we have to imagine fans are going to tune in for this one, even if it’s not the best movie of the month.

Love and Monsters

• Release Date on Netflix: Dec. 9
• Director: Michael Matthews
• Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Dan Ewing, Michael Rooker, and more

Love and Monsters is my personal favorite of the old movies featured on this list and coming to Netflix in December. This movie, unfortunately, premiered in October 2020, and I don’t think it got the buzz that it should have with its release on Paramount+, although it was distributed internationally on Netflix.

In a world overrun by monsters, Joel (Dylan O’Brien) decides to leave his bunker to reconnect with his girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick), but the monsters stand in his way. Luckily, Joel meets some friends along the way, and they show him how to survive.

If you missed this movie the first time around, you have to check it out on Netflix.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

• Release Date: Dec. 15
• Director: Sam Fell
• Cast: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Nick Mohammed, and Miranda Richardson

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget also has some sneaky potential to be one of the most popular movies of the month on Netflix. The new Netflix movie is the sequel to 2000’s Chicken Run, which was a huge success for stop-motion storytelling. Based on how popular the first movie was for several generations, Dawn of the Nugget should be a hit, and it’s already getting great reviews after its premiere at the

After fleeing the farm way back when, the chickens, including Ginger and Rocky, have settled on a human-free island. Everything is perfect until, well, it’s not!

Check out Dawn of the Nugget on Dec. 15 only on Netflix.

Maestro

• Release Date: Dec. 20
• Director: Bradley Cooper
• Cast: Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper

If I were a bettor, I’d place my bets on Maestro to win at least one Oscar. I haven’t seen the movie, but the reviews are great so far. Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, and stars in the new Netflix original movie, along with Carey Mulligan. They’ll definitely be nominated for Oscars, and it appears, this year, it’s anyone’s game.

Maestro premieres on Netflix on Dec. 20, and it tells the story and relationship of the couple, Leonard Bernstein, the famous composer, and Felicia Montealegre, the famous actress.

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire

• Release Date: Dec. 22
• Director: Zack Snyder
• Cast: Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, Fra Fee, and Anthony Hopkins

Finally, we have Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire from Zack Snyder to close out 2023. The Netflix movie premieres on Dec. 22, and it’s going to be huge. Netflix always positions its most popular movie around the holidays, and Rebel Moon is getting that Christmas treatment.

Snyder’s film was actually inspired by his take on Star Wars way back, and it’s been revisited for a two-part (at least!) Netflix movie series. In the film, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a former member of the Motherworld, builds an army to fight against the corrupt government. So, yeah, it does have some Star Wars vibes.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver premieres on April 19, 2024. You better watch the movie this holiday season with the second half coming so soon in 2024.