Since next Tuesday falls on Christmas day, and most stores will be closed, the studios have adjusted their release schedules a bit and decided to make some movies available just a little sooner, or hold them up an extra day.

Because of the way shipments to stores work, it’s entirely possible that these movies are already on store shelves right now. In fact, it’s a very common occurence to see movies in stores a week or more before their official release date. Having just finished watching The Bourne Ultimatum, I’m looking forward to seeing The Kingdom very much, hopefully sooner rather than later.

In terms of family viewing pleasure, all of the titles this week are rated R, so you’ll have to rely on past releases if you’re looking for holiday fare with young ones running around the house.

Here are the movies due on Sunday, December 23. (All links go to Amazon’s ordering pages. There’s no way you’ll get these by Christmas, but you can at least enjoy the discounted pricing)

The Kingdom (2007) Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner Directed by Peter Berg Rated R

Eastern Promises (2007) Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts Directed by David Cronenberg Rated R

Cat People (1982) Nastassia Kinski, Malcom McDowell, John Heard Directed by Paul Schrader Rated R

Timecop (1994) Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver Directed by Peter Hyams Rated R

These movies will be released on Wednesday, December 26:

The Heartbreak Kid (2007) Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, Michelle Monaghan Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly Rated R

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu Directed by Guillermo Del Toro Unrated (film was originally rated R)