Your guide to Christmas movies in Milwaukee theaters for the 2025 holiday season

Rivoli Theatre in Cedarburg
Oriental Theatre
Neighborhood Theater Group
Avalon Theater
Rosebud Cinema
Times Cinema
Marcus Theatres' Season's Screenings

Treat yourself to a big-screen film experience with a visit to a movie theater this holiday season. From Thanksgiving Eve to New Year's Day, Milwaukee-area movie theaters are showing Christmas or holiday-themed films, many with discount ticket prices. Here's a guide:

Rivoli Theatre in Cedarburg

The Rivoli Theatre's Holiday Film Festival brings back the classics from Nov. 28 through Dec. 23. Bring the entire family to revisit these warm-hearted holiday films at the historic single-screen theater at W62 N567 Washington Ave., Cedarburg. Tickets are $4. rivoliofcedarburg.com

Nov. 28: 7 p.m., "It’s a Wonderful Life"
Nov. 29: 3:30 p.m., "Elf"; 7 p.m., "White Christmas”
Nov. 30: 3:30 p.m., "The Polar Express"; 7 p.m., "The Bishop’s Wife" (1947)
Dec. 1: 7 p.m. "A Christmas Story”
Dec. 2: 7 p.m., "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (2024)
Dec. 3: 7 p.m., "It Happened on 5th Avenue"
Dec. 4: 7 p.m., "White Christmas"
Dec. 5: 7 p.m., "The Grinch" (2018)
Dec. 6: 3:30 p.m., "It’s a Wonderful Life"; 7 p.m., "Elf"
Dec. 7: 3:30 p.m.,"The Polar Express"; 7 p.m., "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
Dec. 8: 7 p.m., "Holiday Affair"
Dec. 9: 7 p.m., "The Bells of St. Mary’s"
Dec. 10: 7 p.m., "Last Christmas"
Dec. 11: 7 p.m., "You’ve Got Mail"
Dec. 12: 7 p.m., "Elf"
Dec. 13: 3:30 p.m., "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964 TV special); 7 p.m., "White Christmas" singalong
Dec. 14: 3:30 p.m., "Polar Express"; 7 p.m., "The Bishop’s Wife"
Dec. 15: 7 p.m., "The Holiday"
Dec. 16: "It Happened on 5th Avenue"
Dec. 17: 7 p.m., "It’s a Wonderful Life"
Dec. 18: 7 p.m., "Holiday Inn"
Dec. 19: 7 p.m., "Elf"
Dec. 20: 3:30 p.m., "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (2024); 7 p.m., "White Christmas”
Dec. 21: 1 p.m. "The Star" (2017 animated movie); 3:30 p.m., "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964 TV special); 7 p.m., "A Christmas Story"
Dec. 22: 1 p.m., "The Grinch" (2018); 3:30 p.m., "It’s a Wonderful Life"; 7 p.m., "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
Dec. 23: 1 p.m., "The Polar Express"; 3:30 p.m., "Elf"; 7 p.m., "White Christmas" sing-a-long

George (James Stewart, left) and Mary Bailey (Donna Reed, center) face a tumultuous Christmas Eve in "It's a Wonderful Life."

Oriental Theatre

The Oriental Theatre’s 2025 Season’s Screenings offers a range of holiday fare from Thanksgiving week through New Year's Day at the east-side theater, 2230 N. Farwell Ave. The films this year feature warm Christmas favorites, classics, international films and yuletide terror. Two special events include the screening of “Hundreds of Beavers: Northwoods Christmas” on 35mm film Dec. 3, and the return of the Cinebuds Live podcast directly following the screening of “Scrooged” on Dec. 11. Ticket prices range from $7 to $13. mkefilm.org/seasonsscreenings

Nov. 21, 23: “The Holiday”
Nov. 22-23, 29: “Beethoven”
Nov. 26: "The Last Waltz"
Nov. 27: "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"
Nov. 28: "The Godfather"
Nov. 29: "The Godfather Part II"
Nov. 30: "The Godfather Part III"
Dec. 3: “Hundreds of Beavers - 35mm Northwoods Christmas”
Dec. 5-6: "Krampus"
Dec. 11: "Scrooged" with Cinebuds Live
Dec. 11-12: “Blood Beat”
Dec. 12-15: "White Christmas"
Dec. 12-13: “Tokyo Godfathers” (subtitled)
Dec. 14: “Tokyo Godfathers” (dubbed)
Dec. 16-24: "It's a Wonderful Life"
Dec. 19-20: “Christmas Evil”
Dec. 21, 27-28: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) - 4K restoration
Dec. 25-26: "Fiddler on the Roof"
Dec. 27-28: “The Thin Man”
Dec. 27-28: “Bridget Jones’ Diary”
Dec. 31-Jan. 1: "When Harry Met Sally … "
Jan. 1: “Phantom Thread”

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) goes all out for the holiday in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

Neighborhood Theater Group

The Avalon Theater, Rosebud Cinema, and Times Cinema present a “Ho Ho Holiday Movie Bash” from Dec. 5 through Dec. 24. Tickets are $8 (except the Avalon’s Santa's Silver Screen Celebration on Dec. 13). ntg-wi.com

Avalon Theater

Dec. 5: 9 p.m., "Black Christmas"
Dec. 6-7: 12:30 p.m. and noon, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
Dec. 6-7: noon and 12:30 p.m., "The Polar Express"
Dec. 12: 9 p.m., "Bad Santa"
Dec. 13: Santa’s Silver Screen Celebration with screenings of "The Christmas Chronicles" at noon and "The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever" at 12:15 p.m. Admission is $15 and includes a movie, soda, popcorn, treats for kids and a visit with Santa.
Dec. 14: noon, “A Christmas Story”; 12:30 p.m., "Elf”
Dec. 19: 9 p.m., "The Holdovers"
Dec. 20-21: 12:30 p.m., “It’s a Wonderful Life"
Dec. 20-21: noon, "White Christmas"
Dec. 24: noon, “It’s a Wonderful Life"

Rosebud Cinema

Dec. 6: 12:30 p.m., “A Christmas Story”
Dec. 7: 12:30 p.m., "Elf"
Dec. 13: 12:30 p.m., "Scrooged"
Dec. 14: 12:30 p.m., "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
Dec. 19: 9 p.m. “Love Actually” (35mm)
Dec. 20: 12:30 p.m., “White Christmas”
Dec. 24: Noon, "It's a Wonderful Life"

Times Cinema

Dec. 6: 12:30 p.m., "8-Bit Christmas"
Dec. 7: 12:30 p.m., "Red One"
Dec. 13: 12:30 p.m., "Home Alone"
Dec. 14: 12:30 p.m., "Home Alone 2"
Dec. 19: 9 p.m., "Die Hard"
Dec. 20-21, 24: 12:30 p.m., "It's a Wonderful Life"

A mall Santa (Jeff Gillen, left) makes Raphie (Peter Billingsley) nervous in "A Christmas Story."

Marcus Theatres' Season's Screenings

Marcus Theatres will bring the classics back to the big screen from Dec. 5 through Dec. 18. Tickets start at $6, or purchase a Season's Screenings Passport of four tickets for $15. Movie lineups vary by location; check the website for the full schedule: marcustheatres.com.

Dec. 5-11: “Elf,” “Dr. Seuss' The Grinch” (2018)

Dec. 12-18: “The Polar Express,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “White Christmas,” “It's a Wonderful Life,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”