New this week in Myrtle Beach-area theaters

New this week

Star Wars: The Force Awakens | In this continuation, balance returns to the Force as the First Order, emerging from the ashes of the Empire, clashes with the Resistance, which includes scrappy newcomers as well as heroes from the former Rebel Alliance. PG-13. Starring: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in New York City... and dump them. PG. Starring: Jason Lee, Tony Hale and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

Sisters | Two disconnected sisters are summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Looking to recapture their glory days, they throw one final high-school-style party for their classmates. R. Starring: Tina Fey, Madison Davenport and Amy Poehler.

The Big Short | When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: The Big Short. R. Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling. Opens Dec. 23.

Continuing

In the Heart of the Sea | In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. PG-13. Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Ben Whishaw.

Krampus | When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. PG-13. Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner.

Brooklyn | Eilis Lacey is a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother's home for the shores of New York City. PG-13. Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson and Emory Cohen.

The Good Dinosaur | What if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? PG. Starring: Lucas Neff, John Lithgow and Frances McDormand.

Creed | Adonis Johnson never knew his famous father, world heavy weight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there's no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed's legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa. PG-13. Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson.

Victor Frankenstein | James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe star in a dynamic and thrilling twist on a legendary tale. Radical scientist Victor Frankenstein and his equally brilliant protégé Igor Strausman share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research into immortality. PG-13. Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy and Jessica Brown Findlay.

Spotlight | This film tells the riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world's oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper's tenacious "Spotlight" team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church. R. Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams.

Bridge of Spies | The story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. PG.13. Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance and Scott Shepherd.

The Night Before | Ethan, Isaac and Chris have been friends since childhood, and for a decade, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity. R. Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Miley Cyrus.

Secret in Their Eyes | A tight-knit team of rising FBI investigators - Ray and Jess, along with their District Attorney supervisor Claire - is suddenly torn apart when they discover that Jess's teenage daughter has been brutally and inexplicably murdered. Pg-13. Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 | With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow in the final showdown. PG-13. Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth.

Love the Coopers | When four generations of the Cooper family come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all towards a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of Christmas. PG-13. Starring: John Goodman, Diane Keaton and Amanda Seyfried.

Spectre | A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. PG-13. Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Léa Seydoux.

The Peanuts Movie | Charlie Brown embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. G. Starring: Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller and AJ Tecce.

The Martian | During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. PG-13. Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain and Kristen Wiig.

Compiled by Lisa Urban, lurban@thesunnews

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 8:59 AM with the headline "New this week in Myrtle Beach-area theaters."