‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ ‘Aquaman’ and 9 More Movies Yule Love This Holiday Season

Credit: Jay Maidment/Disney

'Mary Poppins Returns,’ ‘Aquaman’ and 9 More Movies Yule Love This Holiday Season

The holidays are right around the corner, so it’s time to bundle up and get to the movies. Us Weekly has gathered your 11 must-see movies of the holiday season. Get the highlights below and read more in the issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.

Credit: Jay Maidment/Disney

'Mary Poppins Returns,’ ‘Aquaman’ and 9 More Movies Yule Love This Holiday Season

The holidays are right around the corner, so it’s time to bundle up and get to the movies. Us Weekly has gathered your 11 must-see movies of the holiday season. Get the highlights below and read more in the issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.

Credit: John Mathieson / Focus Features

Mary Queen of Scots (out December 7)

By request, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie never crossed paths while in character. That is, until the duo shot their first — and only — scene together. (The historical drama follows the rivalry between Margot’s Queen Elizabeth and her cousin Mary Stuart, played by the Irish actress.) “It was our idea and a fun thing to do it,” Saoirse tells Us. ”To personally go through the experience of never having seen each other was powerful ... We wereshaking when we finally saw each other!”

Credit: Mark Schafer

Ben Is Back (out December 7)

The research was endless... and gut-wrenching. As Julia Roberts prepared to play the mom of a teen addict (Lucas Hedges), she uncovered “documen-taries, online forums and news specials,” the Oscar winner tells Us. “Sadly, there was all too much material to access.” Her maternal role toward Lucas and Kathryn Newton carried over offscreen. “I was able to invite everyone to my house, which allowed me to bring my family together with my movie family,” adds the mom of three. “Kathryn and Lucas are incredible people, and it was very easy to wrap my arms around them.”

Credit: Universal Pictures and MRC

Mortal Engines (out December 14)

Prepping for the action-heavy post-post-apocalypse flick wasn’t an easy task for Hera Hilmar. In fact, to get ready she would “practice climbing and go into the wilderness and imagine I had no one to help me,” she tells Us. By the end of filming, she had inherited the fearless mind of her heroine Hester, who must stop cities from destroying others. “I went bungee jumping, which I wasn’t keen on doing,” says Hera. “I thought, ‘Hester would do this and you think you can’t? It ́s been you playing her!’”

Credit: Sony Pictures Animation

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (out December 14)

To put it gently, Peter Parker is washed up. Now 40, “he’s gone through heartbreak and he’s not his strongest,” says Jake Johnson, who voices the former superhero in the animated flick. “This is Peter with worn-out tires.” Alas, he still has a mission to complete: mentor high schooler Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who is struggling with homework and, oh right, his new spidey senses. “Peter is hesitant to be Miles’ mentor,” says the New Girl alum. “But like all great teachers, he comes around when he sees something special in his pupil.”

Credit: Tatum Mangus / Annapurna Pictures

If Beale Street Could Talk (out December 14)

Stephan James had a goal: Humanize a statistic. In the drama — based on James Baldwin’s 1974 titular novel — his Fonny is imprisoned after being falsely accused of rape. “I chose to do this to speak to an issue that’s still deeply affecting society,” he says. “It meant so much to be a voice of a young man no different than I am. He loves deeply, has a family who cares.” Indeed, with Fonny in jail, his pregnant fiancée (KiKi Layne) and her relatives (including one played by Regina King) tirelessly work to free him. “It’s black love that’s never been seen before,” he says. “It’s telling what the power of love can get you through.

Credit: Jay Maidment/Disney

Mary Poppins Returns (out December 19)

Lin Manuel Miranda couldn’t wait to take on the role of Jack, apprentice to Dick Van Dyke’s Bert, especially because of his love for the original 1964 film. “I remember crying so hard at ‘Feed the Birds’ — possibly the saddest melody in the history of film — and turning it off,” he tells Us. “I didn’t see the end of the movie till I was old enough to handle ‘Feed the Birds!’” He also raves over Emily Blunt in the lead role: “She just is Mary Poppins.”

Credit: Barry Wetcher/STX

Second Act (out December 21)

For her romcom, Jennifer Lopez had her sights set on just one leading man: Milo Ventimiglia. “I got a call from my reps and they said, ‘Jennifer wants you... you and only you,’” recalls the This Is Us star. “I was like, ‘Oh! OK!’” But playing her onscreen love — he helps Maya scheme her way into a fancy consulting gig — really meant taking a backseat to J.Lo and her BFF (and costar!) Leah Remini. “I’m a periphery guy,” he jokes to Us. “I witnessed close friends bring their relationship to camera. When you watch, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, They’ve known each other for decades.’”

Credit: Jaimie Trueblood/Paramount Pictures

Bumblebee (out December 21)

As a kid, John Cena “loved Transformers,” he tells Us. “They were two toys in one, almost magical.” Now he’s recreating that wonder in the franchise’s prequel, which finds the titular autobot hiding out in a small town. Though considered an enemy — especially to the actor’s Agent Burns — “Bumblebee is a guardian, a warrior with a huge heart,” he says. “He displays those traits, but not at once. That leads his heroism to be misunderstood.” Alas, in a face-off with the wrestler, the Transformer doesn’t stand a chance. Jokes the WWE champ, “Although Bumblebee has damaging weapons systems, it’s hard to fight someone you can’t see!”

Credit: Warner Bros.

Aquaman (out December 21)

The 2017 Justice League epic was just a weekend in the life of Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman. At least, so says Jason Momoa, who stars as the reluctant Atlantis ruler. In the origin story, “we see where he came from and how he found his powers,” the former Game of Thrones star tells Us. “He doesn’t believe in himself, but without his help, the world could perish.” Now, alongside pal Mera (Amber Heard), he must learn to straddle the surface world and the sea — and stop an underwater revolution. “The fight scenes are so elaborate and crazy,” he raves, “much like when you’re a kid and see Star Wars. I was like, ‘Wow!’ My mind was blown."

Credit: Jonathan Wenk / Focus Features

On the Basis of Sex (out December 25)

To transform into a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Felicity Jones went straight to the source: the 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice herself. “I was insanely nervous — I felt like I wanted to curtsy!” the actress recalls to Us. “I asked her for advice, and she simply said, ‘I’ve seen your work, you can do it.’ It gave me enormous confidence.” In the latest biopic, the budding lawyer and her husband, Marty (Armie Hammer), bring a gender discrimination case in front of the Supreme Court. “She’s fighting for the truth, and that’s what gets her through,” says the star. “Her beliefs in true equality are so deep that no obstacle is too big.”

Credit: SABRINA LANTOS

Destroyer (out December 25)

Tatiana Maslany couldn’t believe her eyes. Witnessing costar Nicole Kidman’s make-under in the crime thriller, “I was completely blown away!” the Orphan Black alum says. “She’s fascinating to watch and was just as mesmerizing to work with.” Her own transformation was equally captivating. As a gang leader’s girlfriend, Petra, “her addiction has eaten away at her,” she tells Us. “It really forced me to see myself differently. Getting into the darker headspace felt natural.”