Hollywood hopes to spice up the holiday season after a rather flat fall at the box office.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” didn’t exactly wield aces. “Venom: The Last Dance” fared better worldwide but didn’t take a huge bite out of the domestic box office. Superhero fatigue looks to be the real deal.

Then there’s the big-budget “Megalopolis” from Francis Ford Coppola. It bombed, as did sentimental offerings such as “Here” with de-aged stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.

Dig a bit deeper, though, and success stories do turn up. “The Wild Robot,” contender for best animated feature of 2024, flexed true staying power even as it migrated to streaming. The news is also guardedly hopeful for daring indies such as Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which managed to maneuver into the Top 10.

Now Hollywood shifts to the holidays — the second most lucrative time of the year — with a string of hotly anticipated releases, including Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked.” Will they get audiences to show up? We’re keeping a positive outlook.

Then there are the indie award contenders, including Luca Guadagnino’s searing “Queer,” with Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, and the powerful epic set in Tehran, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”

Here’s a rundown of some, but by no means all, of the films coming to screens big and little through the end of 2024. They are arranged chronologically, though of course release dates are subject to change.

“Red One”: In this high-concept action comedy, the first in a potential franchise, a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) teams up with North Pole security top-dog Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) and his enforcer of a polar bear to try to get a kidnapped St. Nick (J.K. Simmons) back in time for, well, you know. Director Jake Kasdan’s seasonal offering also features Lucy Liu. Details: In theaters Nov. 15.

“Wicked”: Will the spell that this beloved Tony-Award winning, San Francisco-born phenom cast on theatergoers extend to persnickety moviegoers? Early reactions to Palo Alto native Jon M. Chu’s cinematic reimagining of the hit Broadway musical — loosely based on the Oz-themed book of the same name — suggest “Wicked” could find lift-off at the box office (unlike Chu’s wonderful “In the Heights”). The magical cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum as the iconic Wizard. Details: Part One in theaters Nov. 22; Part Two scheduled for release November 2025.

“Gladiator II”: Twenty four years ago, Ridley Scott’s bloody good sword-and-sandal epic with Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix kicked up a whole lot of sand at the box office and went on to triumph in the Academy Awards arena, nabbing five Oscars. Scott’s big-budget sequel (allegedly exceeding $300 million) is said to be a visual spectacle with terrific teeth-gnashing performances, especially from Paul Mescal as the vengeance-seeking Lucius — son of Maximus (Crowe). He enters the cursed do-or-die ring after his wife is killed and he’s turned into a slave. Others in the top-notch cast includes Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and more. Details: In theaters Nov. 22.

“The Piano Lesson”: The legendary August Wilson earned a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for this powerhouse stage drama about a 1930s family grappling with the gravity of the past, which comes into sharp focus over a family heirloom piano. Malcolm Washington’s feature-length directorial debut is jam-packed with quality actors, including Danielle Deadwyler, John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Corey Hawkins. Details: Begins streaming Nov. 22 on Netflix.

“Moana 2”: Originally envisioned as a Disney+ series, this latest sequel from the Disney empire is set three years after the goings-on of the original 2016 animated musical and pivots on Moana’s daring plan to put the kibosh on a god’s curse. Auli’i Cravalho (in the title role), Dwyane Johnson, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk return to voice their original characters. Details: In theaters Nov. 27.

“Queer”: Prolific “Call My By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino follows up his sweaty tennis love triangle (“Challengers”) with an intense and, also quite sweaty, gay love story. His adaptation of Beat generation author William S. Burroughs’ trippy novel finds Daniel Craig smoldering in 1950s Mexico City as a lonely expat gobsmacked by a handsome younger man (Drew Starkey) he devotedly pursues. Details: In limited theatrical release Nov. 28; wider after in December.

“The Order”: An obsessed FBI agent (Jude Law) and a smart young cop (Tye Sheridan) try to collar the culprits behind a spate of bold, savage robberies and heists. Their investigation leads them to a 1980s white supremacist group in the Pacific Northwest and the magnetic racist family man (Nicholas Hoult) at its center. Australian director Justin Kurzel’s fact-based, chilling thriller draws its inspiration from the book, “The Silent Brotherhood” by Kevin Flynn. Details: In theaters Dec. 6.

“Nightbitch”: A mom at her wits’ end (Amy Adams) channels her inner beast in Alameda native Marielle Heller’s dark comedy that taps into what it means to be not only a mother but a whole person. Details: In theaters Dec. 6.

“Y2K”: Kyle Mooney of “Saturday Night Live” fame directed, co-wrote and co-stars in this disaster/comedy that reimagines what went down just after the clock struck 12:01 a.m. during that much-hyped entrance into 2000. Two teens (Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison) get into the party mood until things turn ugly. Details: In theaters Dec. 6.

“September 5”: Director Tim Fehlbaum’s intense re-creation of the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics crisis concentrates on how sports reporters and producers found themselves covering a far different story than what they were expecting when Israeli athletes were taken as hostages. John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin and Leonie Benesch star.  Details: Opens in theaters Nov. 29 (Los Angeles and New York) and Dec. 6 (Bay Area).

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”: A father’s promotion to judge in Tehran coincides with his two daughters’ outrage at how both women and dissenters are treated by Iran’s authoritarian government. Mohammad Rasoulof’s riveting, award-winning political thriller, shot in the shadows, led to the director living in exile. It’s a must.  Details: in theaters Nov. 27 (Los Angeles) and Dec. 13 (Bay Area).

“Kraven the Hunter”: J. C. Chandor’s R-rated Marvel action film with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the thorn in Spidey’s side finally gets its release after bouncing from date to date like an Olympics gymnast. Will this more violent Marvel origin story appeal to fans as well as those uninitiated to the ways of Kraven, who’s a hunter in the comic books? We’ll soon find out. Details: In theaters Dec. 13.

“The Brutalist”: It takes a director with a lot of chutzpah to convince studio execs that a nearly 4-hour film is a good idea. But American filmmaker Brady Corbet (“Vox Lux”) did just that and the result is this immigrant epic about a acclaimed Jewish architect (Adrien Brody) from Budapest making his way post-World War II to Pennsylvania where he starts a new life and lands a huge project dreamt up by a wealthy eccentric (Guy Pearce). Corbet’s film wowed at the Venice Film Festival and was quickly snatched up by A24. Oscar is taking notice. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

“The Count of Monte Cristo”: Already a box-office hit in France, where it received raves, this nearly 3-hour epic takes the classic Alexandre Dumas revenge tale and muscles up the action and basks in the period details. We’re all in. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

“Mufasa: The Lion King”: Disney plumbs the origins of Simba’s dad with this latest entry in a cherished franchise that extends into new generations and features a photorealistic look. “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins brings gravitas to the project while “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda has been tasked with writing the songs that the whole world is expected to sing. The voice cast includes a pride of top talent:  Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Mads Mikkelsen (Krios), Beyoncé (Nala) and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter (Kiara). And, yes, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen return as scene-stealers Timon and Pumbaa. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

“Babygirl”: A highly successful and quite married CEO (Nicole Kidman) hooks up with a new intern (Harris Dickinson) and the twosome get tied up into all sorts of sexual knots in this ultra-steamy offering. The lusty, comical trailer certainly aroused our interests. Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

“Nosferatu”: Robert Eggers lends his trademark Gothic sensibilities (the trailer made us swoon) in a lavish redo of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 landmark horror classic. As the vampire Count Orlok, Bill Skarsgård is ready to pounce and give us a fright like he did as Pennywise in 2017’s “It.” Jarin Blaschke’s eerie cinematography alone looks to raise the stakes, as does the cast (Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe who teamed up with Eggers on the divisive “The Lighthouse”). Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

“A Complete Unknown”: Timothée Chalamet charmed audiences worldwide as a younger version of Willy Wonka, but can the “Dune” star convincingly transform into a mid-20s Bob Dylan? Director James Mangold certainly thinks so. Rather than tell Dylan’s life story, the “Ford v. Ferrari” filmmaker focuses on the icon’s shocking 1965 decision to “go electric” at the Newport Folk Festival. That more focused approach perks up our interests. Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

“The Fire Inside”: Rachel Morrison’s inspirational sports-themed biopic relates the true story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Shields), a boxer training for the 2012 Olympics. Barry Jenkins wrote the screenplay. Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

Animated treats

It’s been a stellar year for animated features, and these releases look to keep the trend going through year-end.

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”: This release from award-winning anime director Kenji Kamiyama takes place nearly two centuries before the landmark trilogy. Details: In theaters Dec. 13.

“Flow”: A black cat befriends numerous animals in the aftermath of a climate-change-induced flood. Details: In theaters Nov. 22 (Los Angeles) and Dec. 6 (Bay Area).

“Spellbound”: The Netflix release  is set in a fantasyland wherein the daughter of two crowned heads seeks to reverse a spell that turned her parents into monsters. Details: Streaming Nov. 22.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3”: Animated characters gets mixed in with live-action cast members again as Sonic and sidekicks Knuckles and Tails team up to take on a new adversary in this latest film based based on the video game series. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

The glamor but also the nasty underbelly of Hollywood have always loomed large in the imagination. You’d think the great destabilization that’s hit the TV and film industry would have led to all kinds of showbiz satires excavating the anxieties and disruptions brought on by streaming and, more recently, artificial intelligence. And yet the latest entry in this genre, HBO’s “The Franchise” — about the absurdity of superhero moviemaking — has nothing to say about any of it. Worse, it’s not even funny.

Perhaps it’s fitting that in such an uninspired era of commercial entertainment, not even a satire of this moment can muster up an original idea.

That got me thinking about better, more thoughtful attempts in the past, which prompted me to revisit “The Comeback.” I haven’t watched the show since it originally aired (on HBO, ironically enough) nearly 20 years ago.

Created by Michael Patrick King (“Sex and the City”) and Lisa Kudrow (who also stars), the series is equal parts comedy and tragedy, following the travails of a middling sitcom actress named Valerie Cherish. After being out of work for a few years, she’s asked to audition for a new series, but it comes with an awkward stipulation: If she’s cast, a reality TV crew will follow her around during the process to capture her “comeback.”

She’s often accompanied by her doting hairdresser (a hilarious Robert Michael Morris). “I pray you get this sitcom, because I’m two years from retiring and I need those health benefits,” he tells her. “They found two more questionable melanomas — don’t cry for me, Argentina!”

“Well, here we are,” she interrupts as they arrive at the network. “I’m sorry, darlin’, just put a pin in that.” Just put a pin in that revelation you have skin cancer, no big deal!

Kudrow was coming off her 10-year run on “Friends” when the first season of “The Comeback” premiered in 2005. It wasn’t meant to be a commentary on the show that made her famous. Even so, it’s a savage behind-the-scenes depiction of sitcom life. A second season aired in 2014, which was a meta turn of events — a comeback for “The Comeback,” a decade later. (Both seasons are available to stream on Max.)

The series portrays an era when pilot season and the network sitcom still were dominant. Watching it now, I expected “The Comeback” to feel dated. And yet the show’s observations are still so on point about Hollywood itself. King and Kudrow capture a searing but also empathetic look at the way show business can make a person deranged. Through it all, Valerie keeps a smile on her face because she has an old-school approach to stardom: Never let them see you sweat (or cry or fall apart).

We’re witnessing the raw footage of Valerie’s reality show as it’s being shot and she’s a wonderful amalgam of ridiculous but also professional.  Her standard greeting upon walking into any room: “Hello, hello, hello!” When she thinks a moment is unflattering and shouldn’t be filmed, she makes a time-out motion while her director (Lauren Silverman) consistently ignores her pleas. This makes Valerie frantic and vulnerable, forever trying to maintain her composure in the face of humiliation. She also has plenty of self-sabotaging tendencies. She’s terrible at reading the room or knowing when to let things go. The more she feels minimized, the worse she gets. She has no chill, and yet you feel deep wells of sympathy for her.

That sympathy only goes so far. “Oh, there’s that girl writer,” she says of the lone woman who’s been added to the sitcom’s writing staff. Valerie can’t be bothered to learn her name because she’s only interested in people who have power.

Veteran sitcom director James Burrows plays himself, and he is a very funny and grounding presence as he tries (in vain) to give Valerie a reality check. Her mere presence has become an annoyance to her sitcom bosses and Burrows takes her aside. “Why are you so worried about this show?” he asks and then points to the reality crew filming: “That’s your show.” He’s the voice of reason, but it’s a harsh truth that she is not prepared to accept, and the genius of “The Comeback” is that Valerie is usually some combination of wrong and right at any given moment.

Her nemesis is one of the sitcom’s creators, a hateful and obnoxious person known as Paulie G (a terrifying Lance Barber, who more recently played the dad for seven seasons on “Young Sheldon”). In “The Comeback’s” long-belated second season, we learn that Paulie G was a heroin addict when he and Valerie first worked together. Now he’s clean and making a prestige series about his time working on that sitcom. Valerie is cast to play herself, and she takes the role because her consuming hunger for fame means she’ll put up with all manner of insults. You can practically see the rage shooting out like laser beams from Paulie G’s eyes. He is Valerie’s worst nightmare — and she his.

More than a stock villain, Paulie G is a miserable, complicated man. Several years ago, when I interviewed Kudrow, she said the show’s various writers had encountered a similar personality type at some point in their careers.

“When we were interviewing people to write for the show, they all thought they knew who Paulie G was based on, and everyone had a different person in mind.  So there are a lot of those guys out there, that’s what that said to me.”

Despite the many shifts that have reshaped Hollywood in recent years, I suspect this aspect hasn’t changed much at all.

“The Comeback” makes fun of, but also has so much compassion for, an actor’s self-involved absorption and desperation. Valerie is just trying to retain some dignity in a business that’s doing everything to demolish it. Aren’t we all.

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.