The new year is here, and I’ve assembled my list of Most Anticipated Films for 2025. It’s always exciting to look ahead at the upcoming releases for the year. With that in mind, as always, I’m well aware that plenty of movies are not even on my radar yet. However, it’s always riveting to have an idea of all the currently planned releases and narrow it down to a collection of intriguing or fun-looking titles. The following is a month-by-month look at what movies I look forward to seeing this year (trailer links added where available). Feel free to post the films you look forward to in the comments!
First, let’s start with a recap of my 2024 picks:
January – The Book of Clarence – A little messy in its overall delivery, but LaKeith Stanfield led a strong cast in a film that kept me thinking about it weeks after.
February – Drive-Away Dolls – Like a few Coen brothers movies that took me a bit to warm to, Ethan Coen’s directorial debut is very specific in the kind of humor and story it aims for. Still, once settling with its objective, there’s fun to be had here.
March – Mickey 17 – Delayed to this coming March.
April – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – The real joy was not only getting a new Godzilla movie but seeing it become a major box office hit, so it shows that Big G’s American films will stick around for a while.
May – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Madman George Miller delivered in every way by releasing one of my favorite films of the year.
June – The Bikeriders – Perhaps my least favorite Jeff Nichols film by default, but that doesn’t stop this from working as a solid biopic focused on some bikers and one of their wives.
July – Deadpool & Wolverine – Entirely okay, with its best elements hampered by dull direction and bland visual choices.
August – Trap – Disappointing. Areas of this film shine, but despite all the tricks Shyamalan pulled out from his sleeves, I had less fun with this film than I had hoped.
September – Wolfs – Largely chosen due to how uninterested I was in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (which was as bad as expected), Wolfs still had the chance to show us a good time with Clooney and Pitt sparring with each other. The results were a bit forgettable but decent enough in the moment.
October – Joker: Folie Á Deux – The worst film of 2024, given all it had to work with versus what was delivered.
November – Gladiator II – While struggling to build its own iconography, there’s fun to be had thanks to the film not confusing itself to be a prestige player like the (slightly better) first film. Plus, Denzel’s performance is excellent.
December – Nosferatu – I was happy to succumb to the darkness of Robert Eggers’ terrific remake of the classic silent vampire film. I appreciated the work from all, including the surprise MVP – Lily-Rose Depp.
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January
Wolf Man (1/17)
So, I try not to put films here that I’ve already seen, but January tends to only offer so many options. That said, while I’ve already seen Soderbergh’s Presence, which would have easily been my pick, the first month of 2025 is actually a bit more crowded than usual. Yes, Den of Thieves 2 inexplicably exists and is sure to please its fans, but the Issa Rae-produced One of Them Days, a new Donnie Yen film – The Prosecutor, and some international entries I look forward to all I have my attention. The other big release is Companion, from the producer of Barbarian and Strange Darling. I’m psyched to see it, but given its ambiguity, I guess I’ll still put in for Leigh Whannel’s Wolf Man. The genre filmmaker already delivered a terrific Universal Monster movie with The Invisible Man, and his Upgrade was also rock-solid. Can another attempt to ground the monsters in a modern reality bode well for all involved? I have enough going in to support a positive (if a bit hairy) outcome.
Other Notable Releases: Back in Action, Companion, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, I’m Still Here, Night Call, Presence, The Prosecutor, One of them Days, You’re Cordially Invited
February
The Monkey (2/21)
As established during my rave of Longlegs, I’m entirely in with director Osgood Perkins. His ability to deliver on intense atmosphere yet find ways to bring the audience in through performance and a dark sense of humor entirely works for me when looking at his horror movies. The Monkey brings him together with producer James Wan and Stephen King, who wrote the original short story. The premise is a familiar “be careful what you wish for” type of plot, but with this cast and what I’m seeing so far, there’s just plenty here to keep me excited. That said, this is a busy month as well, complete with Marvel’s first effort of the year, a new Paddington movie (with a different director), Ke Huy Quan’s first star vehicle – Love Hurts, Questlove’s follow-up to Summer of Soul (my favorite film of that year), a Looney Tunes movie, and more.
Other Notable Releases: Armand, Becoming Led Zeppelin, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Bring Them Down, Captain America: Brave New World, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, The Dead Thing, The Gorge, Heart Eyes, Last Breath, The Legend of Ochi, Love Hurts, My Dead Friend Zoe, Paddington in Peru, Sly Lives, Universal Language
March
Black Bag (3/17)
While I couldn’t pick the first Soderbergh film of 2025, lucky for us, he has a second. Black Bag stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as married intelligence agents, with one being told the other may have betrayed the nation and must sort it out. All the regulars for Soderbergh are behind the scenes on this one, and it just looks like the kind of fun I’m happy to receive from one of my favorite directors. Otherwise, March also finally brings Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, which I couldn’t choose because it was on last year’s list. Given their stars, Opus and The Woman in the Yard could be interesting genre films. Those Russo brothers (still visionary?) also have a new movie coming to Netflix, which I’m told is quite expensive. The Alto Knights brings director Barry Levinson back to the big screen, instead of HBO, for a change, so we’ll see.
Other Notable Releases: The Alto Knights, Ash, Disney’s Snow White, The Electric State, Euphus, The Friend, Mickey 17, Novocaine, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Opus, The Woman in the Yard, A Working Man
April
Sinners (4/18)
While having navigated the world of IP and blockbusters, I still find Ryan Coogler to be one of the most exciting newer filmmakers out there, and here we have a new original feature from him, featuring his frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan, in a dual role. Sinners seems to be boiling down to watching Jordan battle vampires in the 1930s South, and I’m all for it, but we’ll see how much Coogler and Jordan’s love of anime has an influence on how we see it all go down. Otherwise, April also delivers the giant question mark that is the Minecraft Movie, along with another “I can’t believe this got a sequel” in the form of The Accountant 2. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden also return to the drama world, following Captain Marvel, with Freaky Tales, starring Tom Hanks and Pedro Pascal. And I believe it’s April when we discover what happens after the Death of a Unicorn.
Other Notable Releases: The Accountant 2, The Amateur, Death of a Unicorn, Drop, Freaky Tales, A Minecraft Movie, The Ritual, Sneaks, Until Dawn, Warfare, The Wedding Banquet
May
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (5/23)
While I may have put so many eggs in the Mission: Impossible basket that it left me a little disappointed that Dead Reckoning wasn’t better, it doesn’t make me any less excited for whatever is being promised by this sure-to-be-stunt-filled action epic starring Tom Cruise in what may be his final outing as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. May also offers the Marvel kick-off film Thunderbolts, a new Final Destination movie (about time!), the latest from Koganada – A Big Beautiful Journey, and the TIFF audience award winner from Mike Flanagan, The Life of Chuck. Oh, and a live-action Lilo & Stitch movie for some reason.
Other Notable Releases: A Big Beautiful Journey, Clown in a Cornfield, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Golden, Karate Kid: Legends, The Life of Chuck, Lilo & Stitch, Thunderbolts*
June
28 Years Later (6/20)
28 Days Later was part of the horror movement that reignited zombie movies. 28 Weeks Later was somehow even better. Now, with what feels like 28 years having passed, we skipped months and have gone straight to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, returning to this series for 28 Years Later, which looks to be going deep on evolved rage monsters and nasty cults. I’m all for whatever Boyle and Garland have cooked up for their latest collaboration mixed with this solid cast. Pixar is also here with an original film – Elio, which goes up against a live-action How to Train Your Dragon. We’ll attempt to see if Ballerina can work without Chad Stahelski at the helm. M3GAN returns, maybe with a new dance. And Joseph Kosinski follows up Top Gun: Maverick with a ground-focused driving action film, F1.
Other Notable Releases: Elio, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, F1, How to Train Your Dragon, M3GAN 2.0
July
Superman (7/11)
Director James Gunn’s very earnest efforts involving superheroes have already kept me from having any concerns about his take on Superman, but that trailer has locked me in on believing a man can fly once again. With just the imagery on display, I’m pleased with what’s in store, let alone the fact that this film realizes that Superman can deal with other characters besides Lex Luthor and General Zod. However, July has other things going on, including another Jurassic World from Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), which automatically gets my attention. There’s Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie, which feels more like a question mark than it should. I Once Again Am Aware of What You Did All Those Summers Ago is also coming, but I’m far more interested in whatever Kendrick and South Park’s Trey Parker are cooking up, as the basic premise is already provocative.
Other Notable Releases: The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Jurassic World Rebirth, I Know What You Did Last Summer, On Swift Horses, The Smurfs Musical, Untitled Kendrick Lamar/Trey Parker Film
August
The Battle of Baktan Cross (8/8)
Rumors about what’s going on with the latest from Paul Thomas Anderson (including the possibility of it moving to 2026), but I’m picking it for August because it’s PTA and Leonardo DiCaprio in an IMAX-level release, which is plenty exciting. This film may be inspired by another Thomas Pynchon work, and it also features a bunch of stars, which is sure to make this PTA’s biggest film yet. That said, August also offers sequels to the quite solid The Bad Guys and Nobody, a new take on The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson and The Lonely Island team behind the production, and a spin-off from Insidious. Not bad for this part of the Summer.
Other Notable Releases: The Bad Guys 2, Beneath the Storm, Freakier Friday, Mercy, The Naked Gun, Nobody 2, Thread: An Insidious Tale
September
The Bride! (9/26)
While there’s yet to be word on when Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein will be released, we do know when Maggie Gyllenhaal’s take on The Bride of Frankenstein will be coming, and I’m excited about it. I enjoyed her directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, and while this seems to be going off the deep end in another direction, Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale leading the cast is just the start of something that could be really fun. September also offers the supposed final Conjuring film, Him, from producer Jordan Peele, which I’m rather interested in, and the follow-up to the surprisingly great Saw X. We’ll see if Jigsaw can hold it together.
Other Notable Releases: The Conjuring: Last Rites, Downton Abbey 3, Him, Saw XI
October
Roofman (10/3)
While a 1000-pound gorilla is arriving in October, I will need a lot to sell me on the potential quality of an Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael Jackson biopic. The rest of October is pretty bare (for now), which includes the arrival of a third Tron movie featuring box office plateu Jared Leto. So with that, I’m going with the latest from Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines) – Roofman. Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, and Peter Dinklage, among others, this is based on the story of a former US Army Reserves Officer who turned to crime by entering through the roofs of McDonald’s to steal and evading capture by hiding in the roof of a Toys “R” Us. All of this sounds good enough to enjoy.
Other Notable Releases: Animal Friends, The Black Phone 2, Good Fortune, Michael, Mortal Kombat 2, Tron: Ares
November
Bugonia (11/7)
There are a few high-profile franchise/IP options available in November. That includes a follow-up to the very strong Predator film Prey – Predator: Badlands, Edgar Wright’s re-imagining of The Running Man, Disney’s Zootopia 2 (the first being my favorite Disney animated movie of…I dunno, the last two decades), and Wicked: For Good, which I’m very interested in, knowing nothing about the play beyond act one. There’s also a decade-too-late Now You See Me sequel for some reason. However, I’m going with the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia, because whatever this is, it will be unlike anything else I see that month. It once again features Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, and it seems to be a conspiracy theory story about CEOs and aliens. It will probably be darkly hilarious and bizarre. Oh, and Rian Johnson’s latest Benoit Blanc mystery will likely drop around Thanksgiving, so that’s another one to look forward to.
Other Notable Releases: Now You See Me 3, Predator: Badlands, The Running Man, Wake Up a Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2
December
Avatar: Fire and Ash (12/19)
This one is pretty simple. James Cameron continues to build an entirely original universe from the ground up, having thought through every aspect of what the world of Pandora and everything connected to it is capable of, developing all sorts of new filmmaking technology to bring it all to life in the process. The Way of Water managed to surpass the first film in terms of quality (let alone becoming one of the biggest films ever to quell concerns over the previous film’s relevance). Will the third film follow suit? I doubt it reaches that milestone so closely (the more you get in a short amount of time, the less impact). Still, it’s no matter when Cameron is here guiding a ship guaranteed to deliver massively entertaining spectacle. The rest of December offers a comedic Anaconda reboot, a new SpongeBob movie, a Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel, and a Safide/Chalamet film sure to join a huge line of end-of-year award contenders I’ll be eagerly anticipating.
Other Notable Releases: The Anaconda, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, The Housemaid, Marty Supreme, Sarah’s Oil, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
Dates Not Yet Set:
Of course, while plenty of films are listed, there is still only so much to be aware of in January, as plenty of other releases have not been scheduled yet. So, I’m happy to shout out some titles I am keeping in mind, such as Bring Her Back, Die My Love, Echo Valley, Eddington, Father Mother Sister Brother, Frankenstein, The Governess, Havoc, Hedda, Highest 2 Lowest, Hot Milk, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, In the Blink of an Eye, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Materialists, Mother Mary, The Phoenician Scheme, The Shrouds, The Smashing Machine, Wildwood, The Way of the Wind, and more. Plus, these films and others are coming from directors Ari Aster, Noah Baumbach, Wes Anderson, Kathryn Bigelow, Terrence Malick, Celine Song, Jim Jarmusch, Guillermo del Toro, David Lowery, Guy Ritchie, Lynne Ramsey, The Philippou Brothers, The Safdie Brothers (separately), Luca Guadagnino, Nia DaCosta, and Spike Lee.
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