While the 2024 movie year officially kicks off with “Night Swim” this weekend, it’s not the only option for movie goers looking to head out to theaters.

Several films opened during the Christmas holiday, giving audiences a multitude of options to satisfy whatever genre they desire. Here are a few films in theaters that you may have missed while celebrating the holidays.

“Wonka” (B) is a delightful little treat, a prequel to the beloved Gene Wilder classic that builds off that original while adding its own unique flavor.

Timothée Chalamet stars as the title character, a chocolatier who arrives in Europe with dreams of opening his own chocolate shop. Those dreams are put on hold by three rival chocolate makers (Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton) and a hotel owner (Olivia Colman), who are all intent on either stopping Wonka or using him for their own benefit.

Chalamet is delightful in the lead, really settling into the iconic role quite well. He brings the same charm and slightly smart-aleck attitude to the character that Wilder did, while managing to give the character a fresh spin.

The musical numbers are charming as well, with a solid supporting cast that includes Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa and Sally Hawkins as Wonka’s mother.

It’s a fun little film that has something for the whole family.

Another retelling of sorts is “The Color Purple” (B), which has a little more in common with the Broadway musical than the 1985 Steven Spielberg adaptation of the novel by Alice Walker.

“Purple” tells the story of the struggles of Celie (Fantasia Barrino), a young woman trying to survive in the South in the early 1900s.

Throughout her life, Celie has to deal with abuse, separation from her family (including her sister Nattie) and other emotional trauma. These themes are handled with care by Marcus Gardley’s screenplay and director Blitz Bazawule.

Barrino heads a fantastic cast that includes award worthy work from Danielle Brooks and strong performances from Colman Domingo and Taraji P. Henson. It’s one of the strongest ensembles of 2023.

Bazawule’s direction isn’t always the strongest, with some of the musical transitions a bit too calculated. (As an aside for some reason, Warner Brothers chose to downplay the musical element not just here but in “Wonka” as well. I think both are strong musicals that should be marketed as such).

“The Color Purple” may not always hit the mark, but it is still a worthy entry into the awards season.

And finally for the romantic comedy fans, there’s “Anyone But You” (C-), which is sadly a bit too convoluted for its own good.

Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) have a magical night together, but their attraction quickly sours. Flash forward to a few months later and the two are forced to interact when both are invited to Australia to the wedding of Bea’s sister (Hadley Robinson).

When Bea and Ben realize the rest of the wedding party is trying to get them together, they agree to go along with the charade – only to learn that perhaps they don’t dislike each other as much as they originally thought.

There are so many elements in place to make this work – the exotic locale and a strong supporting cast, which includes Bryan Brown, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths and Alexandria Shipp.

“You” has too many fatal flaws however. The script is full of contrivances and character development that only happen to force the story in the direction that the writers (co-written by Ilana Wolpert and director Will Gluck) want it to go.

Then there are the two leads, who just have no chemistry at all. Powell plays the bad boy quite well, but Sweeney has little screen presence – playing the whole thing in a rather one note performance.

With a better script and better chemistry, “Anyone But You” could have worked, but as is, it is anything but good.