The 20 most anticipated movies of 2025

Thunderbolts* is the latest Marvel release that will see the anti-hero version of The Avengers assemble. Featuring Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost and more, viewers will finally get to see Marvel’s answer to Suicide Squad. Fans are most curious about the meaning of the asterisk in the film’s title, which will be revealed in the film itself.

With director James Gunn rebooting the DC Universe, he is also rebooting the most famous superhero of all time, and that is Superman. Gunn’s version of the iconic character will be the first in a new DC Universe, with David Corenswet taking on the role. He will also be joined by Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Corenswet certainly looks the part, but will he be able to live up to the likes of Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill? We’ll find out.

Since 1996, Tom Cruise has been pulling off death-defying stunts and accepting missions as agent Ethan Hunt in the  Mission: Impossible series. In 2025, audiences may be seeing the last of Hunt, as the title of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning suggests. A direct sequel to Dead Reckoning, the film looks to be an emotional conclusion for Hunt’s character and the biggest in the series yet. If this is the final hurrah, expect Cruise and the filmmakers to go out with a bang.

Back in 2019, South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho wowed the world with his unique and unpredictable class warfare thriller Parasite. It was an international hit, sweeping the Oscars and winning Best Picture. Viewers have been awaiting Joon-Ho’s follow-up film, Mickey 17 , which is finally releasing. The sci-fi film stars Robert Pattinson, who will play multiple cloned versions of his character. Expectations are high after Parasite, but Joon-Ho always seems to deliver.

In 2022, James Cameron finally released Avatar: The Way of Water, his long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Avatar. While fans had to wait thirteen years to return to the world of Pandora, now they will have had only to wait three years. Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to release at the end of 2025 and will further expand Cameron’s fantastical sci-fi universe. Most cast members are set to return, including Sam Worthington as Jake and Zoe Saldana as Neytiri. It’s sure to be another big-screen spectacle.

Everybody knows Steve Rogers as Captain America, but in 2025 a new Cap arrives in the form of Sam Wilson. Also known as Falcon, Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, will wield the shield in Captain America: Brave New World . The film marks a new chapter in the MCU, as Mackie fills the shoes of former co-star Chris Evans. It will be interesting to see how Wilson continues the legacy of the character, and he will also be joined by President Ross/Red Hulk, played by Harrison Ford.

The Fantastic Four will finally join the MCU in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps. It’s not the first time they’ve hit the big screen, however. There are the 2000s Fantastic Four movies and 2015’s utterly terrible adaptation.  Hopefully, this new iteration will make up for it, and if the cast is anything to go by, it looks very promising. The film will feature Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Thing.

Practically every Disney movie gets a sequel these days, so it’s a surprise that it took so long for the studio to announce a sequel to Zootopia , one of their best films of the last ten years. The film will return to the titular world, where anthropomorphized animals live together in a metropolitan setting. It will see rabbit cop Judy Hopps team up with her fox friend Nick Wilde to crack another case. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman will return as Judy and Nick, as well as Shakira as pop star Gazelle.

The Predator franchise has been around for decades now, but director Dan Trachtenberg managed to breathe new life into it with 2022’s Prey. The highly acclaimed film, set in the Great Plains, saw Comanche warrior Naru go head-to-head with the famous Predator. Trachtenberg is returning to Predator: Badlands, but it is unknown how the film will fit into the Predator timeline. Elle Fanning is set to star, and with Trachtenberg at the helm, audiences can be assured they are in good hands.

Wicked was one of the biggest movies of 2024, with the beloved Broadway musical finally coming to the big screen. However, that was only an adaptation of the show's first act. There's plenty more Wicked to come, with Wicked: For Good set to release at the end of 2025. The second movie will adapt Act Two of the show, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande returning in their highly acclaimed roles as Elphaba and Glinda. It is set to be a magical conclusion.

Director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan, who collaborated on Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, are reuniting once more for their latest film, Sinners. In this horror-thriller from Warner Bros., Jordan plays twin brothers who return to their hometown trying to escape their past. As they try to start fresh, evil is waiting for them. Jordan’s dual performance is highly anticipated, and the film looks to have an intriguingly original concept.

Pixar returns in 2025 with Elio, a much-welcomed original film from the studio after many sequels. This sci-fi adventure follows the titular Elio, a young boy with an active imagination and obsession with all things space. When he finds himself at a galactic organization with several alien leaders, he is mistaken for Earth’s ambassador. The film is sure to have plenty of intergalactic fun and comedy, and knowing Pixar will deeply resonate with kids and adults alike.

Different generations of martial arts unite in Karate Kid: Legends. The film follows a new karate kid, Li Fong, who has been uprooted from Beijing to New York City. Joining him will be original karate kid Daniel LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio, and Mr. Han from the 2010 remake, played by Jackie Chan. The Karate Kid universe is obviously coming together as one, but it is unknown if the movie will have any connection to the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai. Audiences will just have to wait and see.

Frankenstein has been adapted for the screen many times before, but in 2025, visionary director Guillermo del Toro will put his own spin on the classic. Oscar Isaac will play Dr. Victor Frankenstein, while The Monster will be portrayed by the appropriately towering Jacob Elordi. Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz will join them. Del Toro is obviously the perfect choice for Frankenstein, having directed plenty of fantasy and monster movies throughout his career. 

Daniel Craig will return as detective Benoit Blanc for his third case in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery . The whodunnit will feature a new all-star cast including Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Cailee Spaeny, Josh O’Connor, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Daryl McCormack, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close and Thomas Haden Church. Like its predecessor, Glass Onion, Wake Up Dead Man will also head straight to Netflix. Fans cannot wait to uncover this next mystery.

After four films and a prequel series, the John Wick universe further expands with spin-off Ballerina. Ana de Armas will play the titular assassin, who is trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization and seeks revenge for her father’s death. The film will feature the signature neon-drenched and stylized violence of the Wick films, and Keanu Reeves will even appear as Wick himself. The late Lance Reddick also makes his final screen appearance as Charon.

After 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, Danny Boyle brings us 28 Years Later, with more zombie and apocalyptic action. Nearly three decades later, the virus continues to rage as the film follows a new group of survivors and horrors. It will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes, and Cillian Murphy will also be returning as Jim from the first installment. Here’s hoping Boyle can create an excellent zombie trilogy and terrorize audiences once again.

The Jurassic Park franchise is heading in a new direction with Jurassic World Rebirth, which will be set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion . This film will see another expedition venture out to isolated regions to extract DNA from prehistoric creatures for medical research. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, and is directed by Godzilla, Rogue One and The Creator filmmaker Gareth Edwards, meaning that it will likely be visually spectacular.

Things are set to get even more freaky in Freakier Friday, the long-awaited sequel to the 2003 Disney comedy Freaky Friday . Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back as Anna and Tess Coleman, and Anna now has a daughter and stepdaughter. As two families collide, more body-swapping chaos occurs. Chad Michael Murray will reprise his role as Jake, and Manny Jacinto also joins the cast. Many of those who grew up with Freaky Friday cannot wait to see what is in store.

The Tron series gets its third installment with Tron: Ares, which will be a standalone sequel to Tron: Legacy . The Disney sci-fi will return to the digital world, where Ares, a highly sophisticated program, is sent to the real world on a dangerous mission. It will star Jared Leto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson and Greta Lee. Jeff Bridges will also reprise his role as Kevin Flynn. Nine Inch Nails are set to compose the soundtrack, which will hopefully be as good as Daft Punk’s in the previous movie.