Christmas is a time for family reunions, exchanging gifts, and unbridled joy.  However, one aspect of Christmas that tends to go unnoticed is the number of movies that come out this time of year.  While Christmas usually doesn’t hold a candle to the summer blockbuster season, this year seems to be an exception to that rule. Luckily for you, Anchor News has a rundown of all the highly-anticipated movies coming to Columbus’ own Central 7 Theater this December. 

“American Underdog”

“American Underdog” is based on the true story of Kurt Warner, an Iowa man who went from being a Hy-Vee stockboy to a Super Bowl Champion quarterback. This film focuses on all of the challenges and setbacks that could have destroyed his desire to become the football player he always dreamed of being. Warner is played by Zachary Levi who also played the titular superhero from the 2019 film “Shazam.” The supporting cast is made up of multiple well-known actors such as Cindy Hogan, Anna Paquin, Adam Baldwin, and Dennis Quaid. “American Underdog” is an inspiring film that shows anything is possible as long as you’re determined and work hard. “Underdog” opens in Columbus on Christmas Day.

“The Matrix Resurrection” 

The “Matrix” franchise makes a return to the big screen with its fourth installment,” The Matrix Resurrections.” The “Matrix” Trilogy ended 18 years ago with “The Matrix Revolutions,” but now “The Matrix Resurrections” will continue the story and explain the return of its characters such as Neo and Trinity. Keanu Reeves makes a return to his iconic role of Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss will reprise her role of Trinity under the direction of Lana Wachowski. There are also newcomers in this movie as well such as Jessica Henwick and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will replace Lawrence by playing the courageous Morpheous this time around. The movie was originally going to come out May 21, 2021, but when Covid-19 hit, the movie was delayed to April 1, 2022. Fans were excited to hear that Warner Bros decided to release the feature earlier, and can expect to see the picture in Columbus on December 22.

“Sing 2”

Illumination is back with another much-anticipated sequel, this time to the “Sing” franchise. The first “Sing” was released back in the December of 2016 to commercial success. The major players from the original cast return for its sequel, as does director Garth Jennings. The movie has a huge cast to play all of their humorous characters such as Taron Egerton, Bono, Scarlet Johannson, and Halsey just to name a few. According to Universal.com, the plot revolves around Buster the Koala who wants his crew to play in the biggest show in the world, and in order to reach that goal, Buster has to convince a Rock Star who has shut himself off from the outside world to take the spotlight once again. This film is great for the whole family and shows how music can really bring out the best in a person. “Sing 2” is scheduled to release in theaters on December 22, 2021.

“West Side Story”

“West Side Story” is directly based on Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and a remake of the classic musical. Lead by legendary director Steven Speilberg, the plot revolves around Tony and Maria, two Manhattan teens engaged in a forbidden love because of their association in rival groups, the Jets and Sharks. The Jets are made up of white Americans and the Sharks are all made up of Puerto Ricans. The movie’s cast boasts Ansel Elgort playing Tony, Rachel Zegler (Maria), Ariana Debose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), and Mike Faist (Riff). EGOT winner Rita Moreno also features prominently in this film after playing Anita in the 1961 film. Moreno is also one of the producers for this film and oversees the production. The main theme of this movie is to not let hate impede your love. While West Side Story mambos into theaters nationwide on December 10, 2021, it’s exact opening in Columbus is not yet known.  Be sure to check back right here for updates!

“Spider-Man No Way Home”

The most highly anticipated movie of 2021 is without a doubt “Spider-Man No Way Home”. No Way Home serves as the final chapter in the trilogy that began with “Spider-Man Homecoming”, but certainly won’t be the last Spider-Man movie. The first trailer broke the internet racking up 355.5 million views in its first 24 hours, an all-time record beating the previous record-holder “Avengers Endgame” by nearly 100 million views for its first trailer. 

The reason for these high numbers is because of all the rumors and fan theories surrounding the film. The theories were about returning cast members from previous movies coming into No Way Home which turned out to be true. The cast of this Spiderman is certainly “Amazing” with, the lead character Tom Holland being the one and only Spider-Man advertised in this film, Alfred Molina returning to play as Dr. Octopus 17 years after 2004’s Spider-Man 2. Willem Defoe is cast yet again as the nefarious Green Goblin 19 years later after the very first Spider-Man film and Jamie Foxx is returning as the Villainous Electro from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” in 2014. The movie is directed by Jon Watts who directed the two previous Spider-Man films. 

The plot revolves around Peter Parker’s identity being revealed to the entire world by the Master of Illusions, Mysterio. Parker seeks the help of the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange to erase the world’s memory of Spider-Man’s identity.  However, while Strange agrees to cast the spell, something unexpected happens and causes the multiverse to go nuts. “Spider-Man No Way Home” swings into theaters on December 17, 2021.

Christmas is a time of togetherness and the best way to enjoy time with family is to watch all of these wonderful upcoming movies. Make sure to head down to the Center 7 to catch these flicks and follow CHS Anchor News on Twitter, Instagram and Fufsoo. 

Photo Credits:

Header photo courtesy of Digital Spy

Thumbnail photo courtesy of The Denver Post