Well, 2025 is finally here, and with it comes a new wave of exciting and highly anticipated movies. Last year was a solid one for movies, with a string of expected hits ( the lame Deadpool & Wolverine did boffo business, as everyone knew it would) and a few unexpected winners (looking at you, Wicked). However, 2025 has a slate of truly inspired films, promising 12 months of exhilarating and gripping entertainment for cinema lovers.
From auteur-driven remakes like Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Edgar Wright’s The Running Man to the final chapters of revered franchises like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning to the continuations of a few recent hits like Wicked: For Good, there’s a wealth of anticipated 2025 movies. Narrowly missing the cut are Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!, Gareth Edwards’ Jurassic World Rebirth, and Dougal Wilson’s Paddington in Peru, which says a lot about the quality of the films that actually made the list.
10. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (TBD)
The Knives Out series will return for the third entry, Wake Up Dead Man. We know Daniel Craig will be back as Benoit Blanc, the infallible detective who has so far solved the mystery of Harlan Thromby’s (Christopher Plummer) death and Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) guilt. Joining Craig is an all-star cast, including Oscar nominees Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, and Thomas Haden Church, plus Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Challengers star Josh O’Connor, Kerry Washington, and Cailee Spaeny.
As was the case with Glass Onion, details are still under wraps. However, we at least know O’Connor and Brolin will play priests and Kunis will play a police detective. Netflix has not revealed when Benoit Blanc will return, but chances are the streamer will want to give it a flashy awards season-friendly date. Glass Onion premiered on November 24, so look for a November date for Wake Up Dead Man.
9. The Running Man (November 7)
Few actors exploded in such a notable way as Glen Powell. Following a scene-stealing supporting turn in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, Powell became a legitimate box office draw with Anyone but You and Twisters. His critically acclaimed turn in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man made him a Golden Globe nominee, and his slate of upcoming projects is full.
In 2025, Powell will headline Edgar Wright’s flashy remake of The Running Man. The second adaptation of the eponymous Stephen King novel, following the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Running Man follows a group of people competing in a reality show where they are chased by murderous hunters for the chance to win money. Dystopian movies are very hit-or-miss, but with such a lethal combination as Powell and Wright, The Running Man is a potential hit that should inject some much-needed adrenaline into 2025’s holiday period.
8. Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19)
As the saying goes, “Never bet against James Cameron.” The director will return in 2025 with the third installment in his Avatar series, subtitled Fire and Ash. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet will reprise their roles from previous movies, joined by other returning figures, plus a few new faces.
Although the plot is unknown, numerous hints point to the introduction of a new clan possibly related to fire. More details will surely come out throughout next year in preparation for the film’s ultimate debut on December 19. Avatar: Fire and Ash will be Disney’s major play for the Christmas season, and considering the first two movies in the series grossed over $2 billion and currently occupy the first and third place on the all-time box office top 10 list, chances are this third entry will also do great business.
7. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (May 21)
After almost 30 years and seven movies, Tom Cruise is apparently ready to say goodbye to Ethan Hunt. The 62-year-old actor will reprise his role as the IMF’s greatest agent in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth entry in the saga and a direct sequel to 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Series staples Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg will also be back, as will Hayley Atwell, who joined the franchise in Dead Reckoning.
Although the actual plot of the movie remains a secret, the seventh film left several lingering threads that will surely be addressed here. The Entity and its main liaison, the assassin Gabriel (Esai Morales), will also be back, hinting that Ethan’s ultimate confrontation will bring him face-to-face with his past. It’s unclear if this will indeed be the last chapter of this saga, but one thing is for certain: as long as Tom Cruise is around, more Mission: Impossible films will always be a possibility.
6. Thunderbolts* (May 2)
After only releasing one movie in 2024, Marvel Studios is back in full swing in 2025 with three major releases. The second will be Thunderbolts*, which will bring together many of the MCU’s greatest antiheroes, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Red Guardian (David Harbour), under the dubious guidance of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
The details of the plot remain unclear other than a shadowy female figure reuniting a group of antiheroes with questionable track records and morals to carry out dangerous missions for the American government. If Thunderbolts* sounds like a copy of DC’s Suicide Squad, it’s because it pretty much is. However, the film has a stellar cast and will act as the final chapter of the MCU’s Phase Five, making it a must-watch for both loyal and casual fans of the growing cinematic universe.
5. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25)
Following Thunderbolts*, the MCU will enter Phase Six with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. After years of speculation and endless fan-casting, Pedro Pascal, Oscar nominee Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will step into the boots of Marvel’s First Family. Like pretty much every movie on this list, plot details are still a secret, but a few details have emerged since the casting was announced.
We know the film won’t be an origin story and will be set in the 1960s in a retrofuturistic version of Earth. Ralph Ineson will play Galactus, with Julia Garner as his herald, Silver Surfer. Having the team fight one of their most powerful enemies on their first outing is certainly a bold choice, but considering that nemesis Doctor Doom is busy elsewhere, it’s the most logical choice. The Fantastic Four: First Steps might just be the most anticipated film in Marvel’s 2025 slate, thanks to its spot-on casting and the promise of finally seeing a worthwhile version of Marvel’s First Family.
4. 28 Years Later (June 20)
Perhaps no movie genre is as consistent as horror. Any given year has a remarkably strong slate of horror movies, and 2025 is no exception. However, perhaps the most anticipated horror offering of 2025 is 28 Years Later, the long-awaited sequel to 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, which is itself a sequel of the 2002 sleeper hit 28 Days Later. Oscar-winner Danny Boyle is back in the director’s chair, with Oscar nominee Alex Garland back as the screenwriter.
Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes will lead the cast, which is confirmed to include the series’ original protagonist, Jim, played by Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. The plot will follow a survivor from a small, secluded island community who ventures outside on a mission in the Rage Virus-ravaged Earth and discovers dark secrets. Thanks to its eerie and impactful teaser trailer, 28 Years Later quickly became the hottest horror ticket of 2025. The return of Boyle, Garland, and Murphy also hints at positive things for this unexpectedly successful horror trilogy.
3. Wicked: For Good (November 21)
No movie’s success was more surprising in 2024 than Wicked. The musical, based on the hit Broadway play, has grossed over $400 million domestically, although its international numbers are somewhat disappointing. Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as Elphaba and Glinda in this prequel to The Wizard of Oz, which focuses on the rise of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked‘s overwhelming critical and commercial success domestically instantly makes its sequel one of the hottest projects of 2025. Furthermore, if Wicked does well during the upcoming awards season, then Wicked: For Good might have a chance at reaching a $1 billion next November. It won’t be an easy battle, especially considering the musical’s second act is far weaker. However, Wicked already defied expectations (and gravity), meaning its sequel can soar even higher. For now, it’s already one of the most anticipated movies of next year.
2. Superman (July 11)
James Gunn will officially launch his DC Universe on the big screen with Superman. David Corenswet will play the Man of Steel, opposite Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Multiple other DC characters will appear, but Gunn has promised the story will remain firmly focused on Supes and Lois and will start “in the middle of the action.”
The official trailer for Superman broke records, and it’s currently the most-watched ever for both DC and Warner Bros., hinting that the excitement for the film is real. After over a decade of turmoil, this film promises to be a new dawn for DC and a more faithful take on the Last Son of Krypton. Superman will face heavy competition, though, as both Jurassic World Rebirth and The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiere in the same month, but if the anticipation is real, the Man of Steel will fly high.
1. Frankenstein (TBD)
The most anticipated movie of 2025 is, without a doubt, Guillermo del Toro’s remake of the Gothic classic Frankenstein. Oscar Isaac will star as Victor Frankenstein, with Jacob Elordi as the monster. Modern horror icon Mia Goth (MaXXXine) will also star, joined by two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, and Lars Mikkelsen.
Del Toro has already cemented himself as a modern auteur whose name is enough to drive the conversation and generate interest. Adding a property like Frankenstein and a stellar cast to the mix only makes this project even more exciting. Netflix will release the film, and while no release date has been confirmed, it’s highly likely that the studio will have Frankenstein as an awards season play. Then again, the streamer might also want to capitalize on the spooky season and send the film to October. Only time will tell, but the fact remains that Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is the most promising project of 2025.
