By John Corrado

New releases for the week of January 2nd, 2026. Happy New Year!

Theatrical Releases:

We Bury the Dead (Wide Release): There aren’t a ton of big releases in this post-holiday window, but we are getting this new zombie thriller starring Daisy Ridley (of Disney Star Wars fame). It comes to us from Australian writer-director Zak Hilditch, and has been getting decent buzz since premiering at SXSW last spring. A solid choice for genre fans to start the year. (Review coming soon!)

More Releases: The Plague (Limited/TIFF Lightbox), Cactus Pears (TIFF Lightbox), DJ Ahmet (TIFF Lightbox)

Streaming Releases:

Stranger Things 5: The Finale (Netflix): The series finale of Stranger Things has arrived, premiering on New Year’s Eve both on Netflix and in theatres for special fan screenings. I honestly found it to be a very satisfying way to end this series, which has always aimed to be a mix of Amblin and Stephen King (like Stand By Me mixed with The Goonies). I know some fans have been disappointed, but I’m not exactly sure what they were expecting. It was a bittersweet and slightly sentimental send-off to these characters after nearly a decade (especially Dustin’s instnatly iconic speech). I’ve been a fan since the beginning, and I was happy with where all of them ended up, and found the final scenes very touching. I really enjoyed going on this ride, and I’m curious to see whatever the Duffer Brothers do next.

More Releases: Wicked: For Good (VOD)