Martin Scorsese's Newest Film 'Silence' to Release Just in Time for the Holidays/Oscar Season

Nothing says "family fun Christmas time" quite like watching a film about Jesuit Catholic priests being persecuted in Japan.

The Release Date

Variety reveals the latest addition to Martin Scorsese's impressive filmography, Silence, is set for limited release on December 23rd, 2016 with its wide-release occurring sometime in January, a prime spot for Oscar contention. The film stars an impressive amount of talent including Liam Neeson, Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield.

Scorsese's screenwriter collaborator on Gangs of New York and The Age Of Innocence, Jay Cocks, reunites for a third time on this project and it will certainly be interesting to see how it compares to the original 1971 Japanese picture, Chinmoku.

Intense Competition At The Box Office

Although Martin Scorsese has essentially become a household name and the stars in the picture are incredibly popular, the other films slated for release during December/January — specifically that weekend — pose immense competition with the historical drama.

Three major films are set for release on Wednesday, December 21st to gather as much money as they possibly can for the holiday weekend including:

• The animated film Sing, voiced by a myriad of stars including Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon;
• The highly anticipated adaptation of Assassin's Creed starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard;
• And finally, the Chris Pratt/Jennifer Lawrence sci-fi pairing of Passengers, all release on the 21st.
• Lest we forget Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's release one week prior to on the 14th.

With the film's limited release and ultimate expansion in January, nobody is expecting it to be a huge smash at the box office its opening weekend or even its entire run. It will be nice to have another Scorsese picture at the movies and will certainly attract those movie fans looking for a dramatic film to celebrate the holidays with.

Are You Planning On Watching The New Scorsese Flick?