New Movies Open for Busy Christmas Weekend

Every year, much buzz and excitement gives way to the movies that come out during the holiday season, particularly those on Christmas day. Christmas weekend is one of the busiest times for movie theaters. The kids are out of school and others are on vacation and looking for something fun to do.

Royal Oak is home to two multi-screen theaters, so you might think about adding adding a gift card from  to your shopping list, where prices start at $15, and the , where gift cards start at $25. Both can be purchased from the comfort of your home or at the theaters.

With the movie theaters experiencing their busy season, which movies do you plan to see?

Opens Dec. 20

• Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol‎: The third installment in the Tom Cruise-led action/adventure/drama‎ series. This time, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin and must clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. Rated PG-13, 2 hours 12 min‎‎utes‎

Opens Dec. 21

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Based on the first novel of Stieg Larson's best-selling trilogy, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara play characters who search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years. Rated R, 158 minutes
• The Adventures of Tintin: Directed by Steven Spielberg, the animated film adaption is inspired by George Remi's beloved Tintin comic strip. Rated PG, 107 minutes

Opens Dec. 23

• We Bought a Zoo: A widower (Matt Damon) purchases a zoo in hopes of bringing his family back together. Based on Benjamin Mee's autobiographical memoir. Rated PG, 124 minutes

Opens Dec. 25

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Two years after his father is killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, a curious boy discovers a secret key hidden in a household vase and begins a journey to find the matching lock. Rated PG-13, 115 minutes
• The Darkest Hour: Starring Emile Hirsch, the movie is based on five young people stranded in Moscow following a devastating alien attack. Rated PG-13, 89 minutes

Main Art Theatre 

Now playing

• Melancholia: First premiering this summer at the Cannes Film Festival, the film centers around Kirsten Dunst who celebrates her wedding, complete with tension and chaos, at the same time that another planet is heading straight toward Earth, signaling the end of the world. Rated R, 135 minutes
• Shame: This intense drama from award-winning British director Steve McQueen is about a New Yorker whose carefully cultivated private life – which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction – is disrupted when his sister moves in for an indefinite stay. Rated NC-17, 101 minutes

For a complete list of showtimes and ticket purchases, visit the websites of the Emagine Theater website and the Main Art Theatre.