As always, some of these will be incredible while others will surely disappoint. A few will likely even be straight up dookie, that’s just how these things work out. Still, that’s no reason not to be psyched for the cinematic landscape of 2025.
[Related Reading: The Top Ten Movies of 2024]
I’ll wind up seeing most of these, though there are always a few titles I never get around to. Time is finite after all. And though these are the movies I’m most excited for right now, others will pop up seemingly out of nowhere and blow my mind. Between festivals, international releases, and under-the-radar titles, that happens every single year.
What else should you know? There aren’t many superhero movies on this list, especially since Marvel shelved Blade indefinitely. (Insert Wesley Snipes, “only one Blade, only ever going to be one Blade,” gif here.) And I’m generally indifferent to Superman as a character, so...
[Related Reading: The 50 Most-Anticipated Movies of 2024]
One last note. Some of these have release dates, some don’t. The first section is chronological with those films that have set schedules; the second is alphabetical for those that don’t. Also, don’t take these dates as gospel, some are bound to change, what’s here is the most current information I can find. (Every year, almost without fail, the moment I hit publish one of the undated movies announces a release change.) I’m not going to come back and update the dates; I don’t have the time or inclination to keep up with that.
Without further ado, here are my most-anticipated movies of 2025. Should you feel the urge, sound off in the comments below with what you’re looking forward to in the coming twelve months.
The Chase, January 1
Sami Bouajila in a grim action thriller. That’s how you kick off the new year in style. Sadly, however, it appears the January 1 date is the French release. Hopefully we’ll get it in other regions soon. This seems like the kind of thing that drops on Netflix one random day with zero fanfare, so if anyone notices, hit me up.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, January 10
Again, 2025 comes out swinging, with the sequel to one of my favorite heist movies of the past few years. Can’t wait to see Gerard Butler roid-raging his way through another epic robbery.
The Prosecutor, January 10
Donnie Yen. I mean, come on, 2025 continues to come in hot with the action hotness.
Wolf Man, January 17
Last time Leigh Whannell remade a classic Universal Monster movie we got Invisible Man. So, what the hell, why not give another go?
Presence, January 24
Steven Soderbergh, horror. I’m a simple man, that’s all it takes to get me to watch your movie.
Heart Eyes, February 7
From director Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) and writers Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) and Michael Kennedy (Freaky), comes a Valentine’s Day slasher. Love holiday specific horror.
Love Hurts, February 7
You have to love a good mild-mannered-milquetoast-everyman-is-a-secret-badass story. From long-time stunt performer Jonathan Eusebio, making his directorial debut, I can’t wait to see Key Huy Quan fight Marshawn Lynch on a big screen.
The Gorge, February 14
The latest from Sinister director Scott Derrickson finds two special operators guarding opposite sides of a mysterious gorge that houses some sort of monstrous force of evil. You have my attention.
Paddington in Peru, February 14
I’m dead inside, but not that dead.
The Monkey, February 21
I’m pretty mixed on Oz Perkins’ films—I enjoy Longlegs but find it deeply, deeply silly—but they’re always at least interesting to watch.
The Legend of Ochi, February 27
Writer/director Isaiah Saxon’s teen fantasy adventure looks strange and surreal, and heavily relies on puppets, animatronics, and practical effects. It’s sure to make me sob like a baby.
Mickey 17, March 7
It’s been scheduled, it’s been pulled, it’s been moved around on the release schedule countless times. But for a Bong Joon-ho weirdo sci-fi genre-bender starring Robert Pattinson and Toni Collette, we’re willing to wait.
Black Bag, March 14
Steven Soderbergh’s second offering of 2025 merits his second inclusion on this list. This time he’s dipping his toe into the espionage game with a husband-and-wife spy thriller starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.
A Working Man, March 28
Last time Jason Statham and David Ayer teamed up we got The Beekeeper, which is a damn fine time, so this tale of a mythical retired counter-terrorism agent returning to his old world sounds like my kind of trash. Also apparently co-written by Sylvester Stallone.
Woman in the Yard, March 28
I’m always down for some middle of the road Jaume Collet-Serra thriller trash. And when it reportedly strays into horror territory, that’s most of my wheelhouses in one place.
Sinners, April 18
I’m excited to see Ryan Coogler back working on original material, and the fact that it’s his first horror movie makes it all the more intriguing. Add Michael B. Jordan to the mix, you’ve got something.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, May 9
Following Columbus and After Yang, anything Kogonada makes immediately leaps to the top of the must-watch pile.
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, May 23
I’ve said it before, many times, but I firmly believe that if Tom Cruise can die, he will die making a Mission: Impossible movie. At this point it’s practically a moral imperative I watch them because of the entirely unnecessary risks he takes. And it also happens to be one of the best big studio action franchises currently running.
Ballerina, June 6
A John Wick spinoff starring Ana De Armas as a revenge-driven assassin. This sequence of words was scientifically created to convince me to watch this movie.
28 Years Later, June 20
The first two are great, of course I’m going to watch this.
M3GAN 2.0, June 27
More uncanny valley robotic murder doll, please.
Jurassic World Rebirth, July 2
I mean, it’s dinosaurs wreaking havoc on a movie screen, I’m not made of stone.
The Naked Gun, August 1
I have no idea what a Naked Gun movie starring Liam Neeson in 2025 will look like, but damn if I’m not curious to find out.
Nobody 2, August 15
Nobody is a fun action movie, so I was already game for a sequel. But when the reins were given to Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us, The Shadow Strays), that elevates this from a movie I want to see to a movie I’m foaming at the mouth to see. Any Timo movie is a welcome addition to the viewing slate, especially since it doesn’t seem like his Train to Busan remake is happening, soon or otherwise.
The Bride, September 26
Maggie Gyllenhaal directing a musical Bride of Frankenstein riff starring her brother, Christian Bale, and Jessie Buckley. That sounds fun as hell.
Predator: Badlands, November 7
Last time director Dan Trachtenberg messed around in the Predator universe, we got the excellent Prey for his troubles. Now he’s coming back with the Predator-as-the-central-character Predator: Badlands.
The Running Man, November 7
I’m up and down on Edgar Wright’s filmography outside of the Cornetto Trilogy, but Stephen King’s dystopian tale of reality television taken to extremes seems ripe for an update in the current landscape.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, December 19
James Cameron, an immersive world, and fancy technological innovations equal epic spectacle on the grandest possible scale. Given the history, do we believe it will actually release on schedule? Who knows? But we’ll watch the crap out of it when it does.
Marty Supreme, December 25
Here’s what we know: Josh Safdie, 1950s, ping pong, Timothee Chalamet.
Alpha
A new Julia Ducournau (Raw, Titane) movie. That’s all we really know, but that’s more than enough. Fingers crossed we get it this year.
Alphas
A very different movie. This one is a Liam O’Donnell directed sharks versus orcas joint. You can yell, “Hell yeah,” now.
Death of a Unicorn
Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega run over a unicorn. Then things start to get strange. The trailer for this looks weird and delightful and maybe like something we haven’t seen before.
Diablo
Ernesto Diaz Espinosa (The Redeemer) directing Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror. This is going to whip every ass in the building and then go looking for more.
Die, My Love
The first of two potential Lynne Ramsay movies coming this year. This one is a horror comedy about a mother struggling to stay sane, with a case that includes Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Lawrence, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte, among others.
Eddington
Love him or hate him, Ari Aster movies are at least always an interesting watch. Described as a horror western comedy, Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and a murderer’s row of other actors.
The Entertainment System is Down
On the surface, a movie about a long flight where the entertainment system goes out doesn’t sound all that exciting. But in the hands of Ruben Ostlund (Force Majeure, Triangle of Sadness), you know it’s not going to be that straightforward.
Fear Street: Prom Queen
The first three of these are fantastic, so you bet your ass I’m jazzed for another installment.
Havoc
And for the third straight year, Gareth Evans’ Havoc lands on my most-anticipated list. But when the director of The Raid assembles a cast of Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant, Luis Guzman, and Narges Rashidi, among others, to tell the tale of a grizzled cop fighting his way through London’s criminal underworld, you wait as long as necessary.
Honey Don’t!
The second installment of Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s trilogy that began with Drive-Away Dolls is a detective story with a banger cast and cult. Sign me the hell up.
Hope
I certainly hope we get this new Na Hon-jin (The Yellow Sea, The Wailing) thriller this year. It’s reportedly in post-production, so a boy can dream.
The Ice Tower
You better believe I’m queuing up to watch a dark fantasy from Lucile Hadzihalilovic (Evolution, Earwig).
No Other Choice
You had me at “crime thriller from Park Chan-wook.” Especially one starring Lee Byung-hun. In production now, I’m not holding my breath for 2025, but anything is possible.
Onslaught
The latest from Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest) could get here in 2025. But when their “gonzo action movie” stars Dan Stevens, Adria Ajorna, Michael Biehn, and Reginald VelJohnson and involves a threat that escapes from a secret military base, we want this injected into our eyeballs ASAP.
Polaris
Lynne Ramsay’s Polaris was on my list last year. Here’s what I wrote: “Lynne Ramsey’s latest follows an old-timey photographer who encounters the devil in 1890s Alaska. That sounds sparse and bleak and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, we’re all in.”
Sacrifice
After Romain Gavras lit our collective hair on fire with Athena, whatever he does next is a must-see. His follow up, about a star-studded charity event besieged by a radical group, assembled an insane cast fronted by the likes of Chris Evans, Salma Hayek, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sam Richardson, Charlie XCX, and more.
Skyline: Warpath
Any time Liam O’Donnell returns to the Skyline world, I’m there. Bring Iko Uwais, Scott Adkins, Yayan Ruhian, and more along for the ride, I’m there day one.
The Smashing Machine
A second solo Safdie-brother movie, this time from Benny, is a biopic of UFC pioneer Mark Kerr and stars a nearly unrecognizable Dwayne Johnson. If you know the documentary of the same name, you know we’re in for a tough time.
The Toxic Avenger
There’s still no word on if or when the Macon Blair directed Toxic Avenger remake will ever see the light of day, but we’ve heard good things so hopefully that happens in 2025.
Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Movie
There’s a chance we will get a new Kathryn Bigelow movie in 2025. If that’s not worth celebrating, nothing is. This one is reportedly a real-time thriller set in the White House during an imminent missile strike. I can’t imagine better hands for such a story.
Wake Up Dead Man
As long as Rian Johnson wants to kick out Benoit Blanc mysteries, we will keep watching them. And, of course, he assembled a bonkers cast that features Daniel Craig, Kerry Washington, Cailee Spaeney, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, and more.
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