The holiday season is officially upon us, and while the weather outside might be frightful, your streaming queue is looking strictly delightful. From Oscar winners going “feral” to the long-awaited return of our favorite Hawkins heroes, Hollywood is delivering a massive week of viral moments that have fans taking to X and TikTok to plan their holiday binges.
Leading the charge is Jennifer Lawrence, who is trading her relatable “girl next door” persona for something much more intense. In the new film Die My Love, streaming on Mubi Dec. , Lawrence plays a new mother whose behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Starring alongside Robert Pattinson, J-Law is already earning rave reviews for her “bracingly raw” performance.
Critics are calling the film a “jagged, go-for-broke psychodrama” with a “primal punk spirit.” For fans used to seeing Lawrence in blockbusters, this “uncompromising and delirious portrait of marital hell” is set to be the performance everyone is talking about around the dinner table this year.
But if you’re looking for a trip back to the ‘s rather than a psychodrama, Netflix has the ultimate Christmas gift. The next block of Stranger Things Season episodes ( through ) drops on Christmas Day. When we last left Hawkins, Vecna’s plan was in full swing and Will Byers was finally stepping into his powers. With the final episodes of the series set for New Year’s Eve, the internet is already buzzing with theories about who will make it out of the Upside Down alive.
For those who need a good holiday cry, Kate Winslet is pulling double duty. The superstar directs and stars in Goodbye June, hitting Netflix on Christmas Eve. The family drama features a powerhouse cast including Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, and Andrea Riseborough as adult siblings coming to terms with their mother’s terminal illness. It’s the kind of “solid, distinguished drama” that Winslet excels at, and you might want to keep the tissues nearby.
If you’re craving a little pop-star magic with your morning coffee, the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade is back. Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, the special features a star-studded lineup including Gwen Stefani, Nicole Scherzinger, and Bebe Rexha. It’s the perfect wholesome vibe before things get intense with the week’s other big releases.
Action fans aren’t being left out, either. Simu Liu stars in Peacock’s new espionage thriller The Copenhagen Test, playing an intelligence analyst whose brain has been hacked. All episodes debut Dec. , making it the perfect post-Christmas binge. And for a taste of the “high life,” Netflix is debuting Members Only: Palm Beach on Dec. . As star Taja Abitbol teases, “Nobody goes lower than high society.”
Whether you’re watching the record-breaking Chinese epic Ne Zha II on HBO Max (featuring the voice of Michelle Yeoh) or catching up on indie game gems like Hades II, there is truly something for everyone to stream while the leftovers are in the fridge.
Happy bingeing!
Jennifer Lawrence And Josh Hutcherson Are Returning To The Hunger Games Universe
The rumors are true, and months of denials have officially aged like milk. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reportedly returning to the world of Panem, reprising their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in Lionsgate’s highly anticipated prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
At first, the idea seemed impossible. The new film takes place decades before Katniss ever volunteered for the Hunger Games, making the return of Lawrence and Hutcherson appear unlikely. However, the filmmakers have reportedly found a clever way to bring the beloved characters back without disrupting the timeline of the original trilogy.
The key is a framing device reportedly taken from Suzanne Collins’ latest novel. The story is expected to feature an older Katniss and Peeta spending time with Haymitch Abernathy as he tells them about the horrifying experience he endured during his own Hunger Games. This approach gives fans an opportunity to see the original characters again while allowing the prequel to remain focused on Haymitch’s story.
The revelation is especially amusing considering Josh Hutcherson’s recent comments about the project. For months, the actor insisted that he knew nothing about the upcoming film and emphasized how much he still loved the franchise. In Hollywood, however, such denials can often mean that a carefully worded confidentiality agreement is keeping the truth under wraps. Fans now have plenty of reason to laugh at those earlier statements.
Sunrise on the Reaping centers on the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell. This particular Games was designed to be especially brutal, with twice the usual number of tributes being sent into the arena. The story follows a young Haymitch as he struggles to survive one of the most devastating and psychologically intense Games in Panem’s history.
Bringing Katniss and Peeta into the story through a framing sequence could create an emotional connection between Haymitch’s past and the characters fans have followed since the beginning of the franchise. It also gives Lawrence and Hutcherson a chance to return without changing the events established in the original films.
Fans have already taken to social media to celebrate the reported reunion, with many joking about how successfully the actors managed to keep the secret. The combination of familiar stars, Suzanne Collins’ source material, and director Francis Lawrence returning has created enormous anticipation.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 20, 2026. Whether Katniss and Peeta appear only briefly or play a more meaningful role remains unclear, but their return could make this new chapter one of the franchise’s biggest cinematic events yet.
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