The Christmas/New Year school holiday period is traditionally a major boon for Hunter cinemas.

And, 2022-23 should be no different with some of these offerings.

Avatar: The Way of Water

• Release date: 15 December
• Director: James Cameron
• Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver

The wait is finally over.

After Avatar broke box office records throughout the world, amassing $2.923 billion, a sequel seemed certain.

Now, more than a decade later, The Way of Water will hit the big screen.

Jake Sully (Worthington) and Ney’tiri (Saldana) have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together.

However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora.

When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must work with the army of the Na’vi race to fight a difficult war against the humans to protect their planet.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

• Release date: 26 December
• Director: Joel Crawford
• Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone

Everyone’s favourite leche-loving, swashbuckling, fear-defying feline returns. 

In the new adventure in the Shrek universe, daring outlaw Puss in Boots (Banderas) discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll.

He has burned through eight of his nine lives, though he lost count along the way.

He’ll now embark on an epic journey into the Black Forest to find the mythical Wishing Star.

But, with only one life left, Puss will have to humble himself and ask for help from his former partner and nemesis: the captivating Kitty Softpaws (Hayek).

The Fabelmans

• Release date: 5 January
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch

Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg returns with The Fabelmans, which won the People’s Choice Award at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.

It’s a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on his own adolescence, told through an original tale of the fictional Sammy Fabelman, a young aspiring filmmaker.

He falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see The Greatest Show on Earth.

Armed with a camera, Sammy starts to make his own films at home, much to the delight of his supportive mother.

Soon, he sees the truth about his dysfunctional family and those around him.

Notable mentions:

• A Man Called Otto (Tom Hanks)
• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Shawn Mendes)
• Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (Emma Thompson)
• The Pale Blue Eye (Christian Bale)
• Babylon (Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie)

For more entertainment stories:

• The Very Popular Theatre Company scoops pool at CONDAs
• It’s beginning to look a lot like… Christmas Lights 2022
• End of year celebrations soar to new heights in Newcastle

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