Movies That Will Blow Everyone Away In 2025

As of this writing, we've still got a whole year of movies to get through before 2025 comes along. The list of films worth looking forward to in 2024 is long and includes lots of major releases, including big franchise tentpoles and major independent drops from acclaimed filmmakers. But of course, it's never too early to start thinking about the future — so let's take a look ahead to 2025. 

In 2025, we're expecting yet another round of major franchise releases, from several Marvel Cinematic Universe entries to high-powered horror sequels to the long-awaited launch of a new era of movies based on the heroes of DC Comics. We'll also enjoy a pair of Disney live-action remakes, a new Pixar adventure, and adaptations of beloved media. In short, 2025 is shaping up to be a great year for cinephiles. From "M3GAN 2.0" to "Avatar 3," here are the films we're excited to eventually check out in 2025.

Updated on April 16, 2024: As we get closer to 2025, we'll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest news about the year's most exciting movies.

In 2020, filmmaker Leigh Whannell took the classic "Invisible Man" story and gave it a modern-day spin, and now, he looks to do the same thing with another iconic Universal monster — the Wolf Man.

Originally, the "Wolf Man" movie was meant to star Ryan Gosling of "Barbie" fame, working under filmmaker Derek Cianfrance ("The Place Beyond the Pines"). Eventually, both left the project, and now Whannell is working with Christopher Abbott, who you'll now doubt recognize from his incredibly scary turn in "Poor Things."

According to the official plot synopsis, Abbott will portray "a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator." However, we do wonder if the predator haunting Abbott's family will turn out to be Abbott himself. In addition to the "Poor Things" actor, we'll also see Julia Garner of "Ozark" and the upcoming "Fantastic Four." The Blumhouse movie was originally meant to horrify audiences in October 2024, but it's since been moved to January 17, 2025.

Ke Huy Quan is one of the greatest Hollywood comeback stories of all time. He got his start in '80s classics like "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," but shortly after that, the parts dried up due to a lack of Asian characters in Hollywood movies. However, Quan came storming back into the spotlight with 2022's "Everything Everywhere All at Once," earning a best supporting Oscar for his incredible turn as Waymond Wang. Now, Quan has his next feature film lined up, starring — for the very first time — as the main character of a big-deal movie.

The film is titled "Without Love," and it'll be released on February 7, 2025. We know very little about the movie, but we're expecting it to be an action flick, as it's being produced by 87North, the company behind titles like "Nobody" and "The Fall Guy." Plus, it will be directed by Jonathan Eusebio, who previously worked as a stunt and fight coordinator in projects like "The Matrix Resurrections" and "Black Panther." Quan will be joined here by fellow Oscar winner Ariana DeBose ("West Side Story"), as well as Daniel Wu of "American Born Chinese."

When it comes to the great actor-director pairings, you might think of names like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro or Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart. Of course, you also have to add Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan to that list. This dynamic duo has been working together since 2013's "Fruitvale Station." In fact, Coogler has yet to make a feature film without his longtime buddy appearing somewhere in the movie (Jordan even had a quick cameo in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"). Now, the two "Creed" collaborators are teaming up yet again for a new tale — one that promises plenty of blood and undead action.

Yep, Coogler and Jordan are reportedly making a vampire movie. While nothing is official, rumor has it that Jordan will be playing a pair of vampire twins in the 1930s South. With the movie reportedly taking place in the Jim Crow era, it seems that Jordan's bloodsucking characters will be the heroes, and Jack O'Connell of "Unbroken" is set to play the villain. Does that mean we're getting a "vampires vs. the KKK" movie? Because that sounds incredibly awesome. In addition to O'Connell, we'll see Hailee Steinfeld ("Hawkeye"), Delroy Lindo ("Da 5 Bloods"), and Wunmi Mosaku ("Loki"). The vampire tale hits the big screen on March 7, 2025.

Robert De Niro loves playing gangsters, but he usually plays these complicated criminals under the direction of Martin Scorsese. However, in March 2024, De Niro will team up with filmmaker Barry Levinson to play not one but two mobsters. The upcoming crime film is titled "Alto Knights" — previously called "The Wise Guys" — and it's based on a script by Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the books that inspired "Goodfellas" and "Casino" (and who also co-wrote those screenplays).

According to the plot synopsis, the movie will follow "two of New York's most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and how their separate paths to power place them on a deadly collision course." De Niro will play both parts, and he'll be joined here by Debra Messing ("Will & Grace") and Kathrine Narducci ("The Sopranos"). As for Levinson, it's been a minute since he's directed a movie that's really resonated with critics and audiences, but back in the day, he helmed classic titles like "Rain Man," "Diner," "Good Morning, Vietnam."

Expect to see De Niro working double time on March 21, 2025.

There's never been a musician like Michael Jackson. The moonwalking icon delivered some of the greatest songs and most impressive dance moves of all time, and no modern pop star compares when it comes to celebrity and influence. Now, Jackson will be the subject of his very own biopic, with director Antoine Fuqua at the helm. Fuqua is best known for his collaborations with Denzel Washington in projects like "Training Day" and "The Equalizer," but he's also helmed documentaries like "What's My Name: Muhammad Ali" and "American Dream/American Knightmare."

The script hails from John Logan — who previously penned "Gladiator," "The Aviator," and "Skyfall" — and will star Jackson's own nephew, Jafaar Jackson, in the title role. Colman Domingo ("Rustin") will play Jackson's infamous father, Joe, while Nia Long ("Boyz N the Hood") will play Jackson's mother, Katherine, and Miles Teller ("Top Gun: Maverick") will portray lawyer John Branca. The biopic will reportedly cover the King of Pop's entire life, although with Jackson's nephew in the starring role and the Jackson estate involved with the film, we're unsure how the movie will address the sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, if at all.

According to the official plot synopsis, "'Michael' will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

In the early months of 2023, "M3GAN" emerged as a runaway horror hit for Universal Pictures, setting the stage for another round of adventures for the killer doll and the family she's out to keep, no matter the cost. It took just days for the studio to greenlight a sequel after the film's premiere, confirming that "M3GAN 2.0" would reunite writer Akela Cooper and stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, with director Gerald Johnstone also returning for the second film.

We still don't know much about what the follow-up will do in terms of story, but the original film leaves a teaser that suggests M3GAN has managed to survive as a piece of software moving between systems, so it's possible she'll get a new body (and a few new dances) the second time around. Producer James Wan elaborated on this a bit with Empire Magazine (via Collider), saying, "The first film came just at the right time [when concerns about AI were mounting], and we're definitely leaning into that on the next one. We're exploring the AI universe even further."

Whatever happens, we know we won't want to miss it. "M3GAN 2.0" hits theaters on May 16, 2025.

In 2021, we learned the plan for the future of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise is back-to-back seventh and eighth installments, shot almost simultaneously and geared toward a massive sendoff of Tom Cruise's lead character, Ethan Hunt. Now, it seems many of those plans have changed, but no matter what the story turns out to be, we're still getting an eighth movie in 2025.

Cruise will of course return as Hunt, alongside writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and stars Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, and Pom Klementieff. You can also expect to see newcomers Hanna Waddingham ("Ted Lasso"), Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation"), Katy O'Brian ("Love Lies Bleeding"), and Holt McCallany ("Mindhunter"). Originally billed as "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two," the film now has no official subtitle, as things get somewhat retooled following the release of "Dead Reckoning." What the new title will be isn't clear, and it's also not clear that the film is intended as a conclusion, as McQuarrie has noted there are still plenty of ideas for more installments.

However it turns out, "Mission: Impossible 8" is set to hit theaters May 23, 2025, so we'll know more soon enough.

After three hit animated movies, three animated series, and countless spinoffs into other realms of entertainment, the "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise is still going strong — but there's one frontier it hasn't conquered yet. In 2025, that changes: The franchise is gearing up for its first-ever live-action entry.

Described as a live-action reboot of the original story, the new "How to Train Your Dragon" film will feature the return of franchise mastermind Dean DeBlois as both writer and director, which means the story is in safe hands for longtime fans. To help him along the way, DeBlois has enlisted young stars Mason Thames ("The Black Phone") and Nico Parker ("The Last of Us") to play the live-action versions of Hiccup and Astrid. Serving as a bridge between the animated and live-action films, Gerard Butler will reprise the role of Stoick, the Viking leader and father of Hiccup. We'll also see Julian Dennison ("Deadpool 2"), Gabriel Howell ("Bodies"), Bronwyn James ("The Dig"), and Harry Trevaldwyn ("The Bubble") playing Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, respectively.

So, how will the new film diverge from the old? What will the live-action visuals accomplish that the animated ones couldn't? We don't know yet, but we can't wait to find out. The new "How to Train Your Dragon" film was originally scheduled for March 14, 2025, but it's since been pushed back to June 13, 2025.

One of 2022's most successful horror releases, "The Black Phone" combines top talent both in front of and behind the camera to craft a terrifying ghost story that also features an unforgettable and all-too-human villain. Now, the same creative team will get together to do it all again.

In November 2023, we learned that "The Black Phone 2" isn't just on track to hit theaters in 2025, it's returning all of the original cast to the story of a child killer, a mysterious ghostly telephone, and the kids who try to fight back. That means Ethan Hawke is back as the Grabber, Mason Thames is back as the kid who escaped him, and Madeleine McGraw is back as Gwen, the girl with often frightening prophetic powers. To make things more exciting, original co-writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are also on board for the next chapter, and Derrickson will also be returning to the director's chair.

"The Black Phone 2" will call you back on June 27, 2025.

In November 2022, James Gunn became co-head of DC Studios, and in the process ushered in a new era for DC's superhero films. In 2025, the first fruits of all that work will finally emerge in the form of "Superman," formerly titled "Superman: Legacy" and the character's first standalone film since "Man of Steel" more than a decade earlier.

Written and directed by Gunn, the new film is set to star a younger version of the title character, thus introducing a new version of the DC universe that Gunn and company can build out into something exciting. In March 2023, Gunn revealed that David Corenswet is his choice to play the new Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will play Lois Lane. This casting news sets the stage for an exciting new era of Superman stories, but that's only the beginning. 

Nicholas Hoult of "The Menu" will portray Lex Luthor, and you can also expect to see Nathan Fillion ("The Rookie") as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Skyler Gisondo ("The Righteous Gemstones") as Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce ("The Wire") as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, and Isabel Merced ("Dora and the Lost City of Gold") as Hawkgirl. The line-up will also include Anthony Carrigan ("Barry") as Metamorpho, Maria Gabriela de Faria ("The Moodys") as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Edi Gathegi ("For All Mankind") as Mister Terrific, and Sara Sampaio as Lex Luthor's henchwoman Eve Teschmacher.

We can't wait for this one, and "Superman" will fly into theaters on July 11, 2025.

After years of missing some of their star players, Marvel Studios finally most of their A-team back under one roof. They acquired Spider-Man for "Captain America: Civil War," and everyone rejoiced when it was announced Hugh Jackman's Wolverine would star alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. Of course, the one supergroup we're all truly waiting to see is the Fantastic Four — one of the most famous superhero teams ever and seemingly cursed to star in subpar movies. But if anyone can make a good Fantastic Four flick, it's the folks running the MCU, who announced the project back in 2019.

While we don't know much about the plot for the upcoming film, we do know who's portraying Marvel's First Family. After years of online speculation, Marvel Studios revealed the cast on Valentine's Day 2024. Pedro Pascal of "The Mandalorian" will portray Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise will play Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn of "Stranger Things" will star as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). Julia Garner of "Ozark" will appear as the Silver Surfer, and we also know that "WandaVision" director Matt Shakman has taken the helm, replacing "Spider-Man: Homecoming" director Jon Watts.

After initially being a scheduled for a May 2025 release date, "The Fantastic Four" has been shuffled back a little further in the year. Now, we'll finally get to see Marvel's most famous family join the MCU on July 25, 2025.

When Paul Thomas Anderson directs a movie, it's a major cinematic event. The man has only released nine movies to date, but almost all of them have been instant classics, a la "Boogie Nights," "There Will Be Blood," "Phantom Thread," and "Licorice Pizza." Now, the master — see what we did there? — is returning with an untitled project that just might be the biggest movie of his career thus far.

This untitled project stars the one and only Leonardo DiCaprio, hot off the heels of "Killers of the Flower Moon." The movie will also star Sean Penn ("Mystic River"), Regina Hall ("Girls Trip"), Teyana Taylor ("A Thousand and One"), Wood Harris ("Creed"), Alana Haim ("Licorice Pizza"), and newcomer Chase Infiniti. In addition to directing, Anderson is writing the script, but we're not 100% sure what the film will be about.

However, rumor has it that the untitled film will be adapting Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland." (If true, this would be Anderson's second Pynchon adaptation after "Inherent Vice.") The plot of the aforementioned book involves an ex-hippie on the run from a vengeful federal agent, along with plenty of family drama and political/cultural satire. Interestingly, it's also believed the movie will take place in modern day, as opposed to the novel's 1980s setting.

Of course, the Pynchon stuff hasn't been confirmed, but IndieWire has reported that the movie will be Anderson's most "commercial" project, which seems like an odd way of describing a possible Thomas Pynchon adaptation. Regardless of what source material Anderson is or isn't working with, we'll see the story play out on August 8, 2025.

Get your Light Cycle ready because we're heading back to the world of Tron with the upcoming "Tron: Ares." The last time we were sucked inside a video game, we got a score by Daft Punk and met a de-aged Jeff Bridges. This time around, we'll get Jared Leto as a computer program who breaks free into the real world, bringing tiding of artificial intelligence with him.

Leto will be joined by Greta Lee of "Past Lives," Evan Peters of "American Horror Story," Gillian Anderson of "The X-Files," and Jodie Turner-Smith of "After Yang." Rounding out the cast, the movie will feature Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Hasan Minhaj. Joachim Rønning of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" will direct. "Tron: Ares" was shut down during the actor and writer strikes of 2023, but now, the movie is moving forward again, with a release date of October 10, 2025.

In 2023, the Broadway smash "Wicked" celebrated 20 years as one of the most successful musicals of its era. In 2024, the celebration will continue with the release of "Wicked: Part One," the first half of a massive film adaptation from "In The Heights" director John M. Chu. But of course, as the title suggests, the first film is only half the story. In 2025, we'll get to see the conclusion.

"Wicked: Part Two" will feature all of the same talent from part one, including Chu in the director's chair and a cast that includes Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Galinda, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz himself. The film, based on the musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, is set to tell the "true story" of the witches of Oz, complete with hit songs like "Defying Gravity" and "For Good."

What we still don't know at this point is where exactly "Part One" will cut the story off to set up "Part Two," but we don't have that much longer to wait. "Wicked: Part One" hits theaters November 27, 2024, followed by "Part Two" almost exactly a year later on November 26, 2025.

After taking nearly 10 years to get to theater screens, "Five Nights at Freddy's" absolutely cleaned up at the box office. Hailing from Universal and Blumhouse, "Five Nights" earned nearly $300 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Blumhouse movie ever. (For comparison's sake, that means it made more money than titles like "Get Out," "M3GAN," "Insidious," and "Paranormal Activity.") With all that money pouring in, no wonder we're going back to that haunted pizza restaurant for more robotic terror.

Yep, the "Five Nights at Freddy's" sequel was confirmed in April 2024 at CinemaCon, and those creepy animatronics will be slowly stalking our way in the fall of 2025. Industry insider DanielRPK reports that the sequel will be scarier than the previous film, which was a bit of a flaw with the original movie, as it was light on hair-raising moments. Blumhouse also tweeted an image from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, where it seems the fine folks who made the robots for the first film are bringing the terrifying Mangle (the messed-up fox monster from the sequel game) to life.

In the fall of 2023, director Eli Roth finally made good on a years-old promise and released "Thanksgiving," the feature-length version of his "Grindhouse" trailer about a small New England town stalked by a killer in a pilgrim mask. The film was an immediate hit with critics and audiences, putting up great numbers for a horror film. Now, we know that in 2025, we can expect a follow-up.

Roth announced in late November 2023 that "Thanksgiving 2" will be coming in two years, as the filmmaker will take a year off to work on the script, then shoot the sequel to the story of a town plagued by a killer posing as John Carver, its Pilgrim founder. We don't have any details yet as to what the film will do to top the first movie's dose of holiday-themed gore, but we know that the original "Thanksgiving" leaves us with the setup for a sequel, and we know that there's still plenty of story left to mine for future helpings of the franchise.

"Thanksgiving 2" arrives in 2025. It doesn't have a firm release date yet, but expect this one to come sometime around Turkey Day.

The original "Final Destination" was released in 2000, introducing us to a delightfully macabre world where there's no escaping Death. Okay, that's true in the real world too, but in the "Final Destination" universe, if you skip your date with the Grim Reaper, you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a Rube Goldberg-style death scenario where you might get mangled during a gymnastics routine gone wrong, get fried inside a tanning bed, or wind up cooked at the family barbecue.

Fortunately for gorehounds, Death isn't done taking names just yet — the franchise is coming back to life 25 years after the original film played in theaters. The sixth installment is titled "Final Destination: Bloodlines," and the film features a list of young actors that includes Brec Bassinger ("Stargirl"), Teo Briones ("Chucky"), Richard Harmon ("The 100"), Anna Lore ("They/Them"), Owen Patrick Joyner ("Julie and the Phantoms"), Max Lloyd-Jones ("The Mandalorian"), and Kaitlyn Santa Juana ("The Flash").

Bloody Disgusting also reported in September 2023 that franchise veteran Tony Todd will return as the incredibly eerie William Bludworth, the mortuary worker who knows a whole lot about the way Death works. The horror mag also reported that the movie would reveal a bit more about Bludworth's past and that the story will have something to do with first responders. None of that has been confirmed, but no matter what happens, we're eagerly waiting to see what fiendish delights Death has in store.