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When students return home for the break this weekend, they face a flurry of conversations on every possible subject, from food preparation to football and, inevitably, what to watch after dinner.

Luckily, there is no shortage of options this holiday season, whether you and your loved ones prefer franchise blockbusters, small-scale comedies or bizarre Thanksgiving-themed horror fare.

Here are six new movies out in theaters and on streaming to fight over this Thanksgiving break:

The Marvels (Nov. 10)

Rounding out the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 2023 productions is “The Marvels,” the sequel to the $1.1 billion grossing “Captain Marvel” starring Brie Larson. This female-led team-up action movie sees Carol Danvers’ superpowers getting entangled with those of S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani).

The 33rd entry in the MCU also stars Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn, a Kree revolutionary who causes ruptures in the universe by opening jump points across space, and Samuel L. Jackson, returning as Nick Fury. Directed by Nia DaCosta (“Candyman”), the movie picks up from character threads established in “Captain Marvel” as well as the Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel” and the Emmy-nominated “WandaVision.”

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Nov. 17)

Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” series returns to the big screen this month after nearly a decade. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a prequel set 64 years before the original film. At the 10th Hunger Games, tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) is paired with a mentor, a younger version of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), the dictatorial villain of the original series.

Francis Lawrence, who directed every film in the franchise except the original, is back in his usual role and said he would be “super excited” to return in the future if Collins continued to write more books. Positive early reviews and box office projections suggest that “The Hunger Games” may be back to stay.

Next Goal Wins (Nov. 17)

From director Taika Waititi (“Jojo Rabbit,” “Thor: Ragnarok”) comes “Next Goal Wins,” described as a “humorous and heartfelt underdog story” about the “infamously terrible” American Samoa soccer team. The film stars Michael Fassbender as coach Thomas Rongen, who must turn around a team that held the world record for the worst loss in FIFA history: 31-0 against Australia.

Alongside Will Arnett and Elisabeth Moss, the film has a cast of Polynesian actors including Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane and Rachel House. “Next Goal Wins” is also Waititi’s first non-superhero film since “Jojo Rabbit,” which garnered a Best Picture nomination and a Best Adapted Screenplay win at the Academy Awards. Waititi’s latest, which was delayed after initial shooting wrapped in 2020, will hopefully be a return to form for a witty and sentimental writer.

Thanksgiving (Nov. 17)

Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving,” based on a mock trailer of the same name featured in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse,” is a holiday-themed slasher about a mysterious, ax-wielding serial killer. When a Black Friday riot in Plymouth, Massachusetts, ends in tragedy, the killer aims for revenge against the town’s inhabitants.

Roth differentiates his film from other holiday slashers, usually set during Halloween or Christmas, by setting it during the Black Friday craze of the Thanksgiving season. Starring Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Patrick Dempsey and Addison Rae, the film turns the mock trailer’s absurd premise into a feature-length project. Early reviews are largely positive with Deadline writing, “It is all ridiculous fun, playing as much like a broad comedy as a classic horror flick.” Horror fans are in for a pleasant and gory holiday surprise with “Thanksgiving.”

Wish (Nov. 22)

Disney is marking its 100th anniversary with an animated musical inspired by the studio’s earlier classics. “Wish” tells the story of Asha (Ariana DeBose), a girl who wishes on a star and receives magical powers to save her kingdom from the treacherous King Magnifico (Chris Pine). The film’s visual style is meant to reflect the hand-animated features that built Disney’s reputation, with a blend of modern CG and traditional 2D elements.

Disney animation tends to dominate Thanksgiving — “Encanto,” “Frozen” and “Moana” each won the holiday weekend — so it’s fitting that a celebration of the company’s legacy would continue the trend. After a series of recent flops, and at a time when rival studio Illumination has outperformed Disney’s animated films at the box office, “Wish” might help restore the studio’s reputation as the first name in the animation.

Good Burger 2 (Nov. 22)

Since 1997, the original “Good Burger” has steadily grown in status from a Nickelodeon comedy to one of the most beloved touchstones of ‘90s nostalgia. Now, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are reuniting for a sequel streaming on Paramount+, in which both actors reprise the roles of their once-teenaged characters, who still work their fast food gigs at Good Burger in their 40s.

The film includes an eclectic supporting cast of celebrities ranging from Yung Gravy to Rob Gronkowski to Mark Cuban. If you’re too stuffed to get off the couch and into a theater on Thanksgiving day, there are few better ways to honor the holiday’s central joys of eating and friendship than with “Good Burger 2.”

Published on November 15, 2023 at 9:00 pm