2025 is shaping up to be a massive year for cinema, with major franchises returning, fresh original films from visionary directors, and long-awaited sequels finally hitting the big screen. From high-octane blockbusters to thought-provoking dramas, there’s a good variety of genres represented this year. 2024 was one of the greatest film years of the last two decades and while there’s no way this year could produce as many new classics, I do think there’s a strong chance it could be almost as good overall. Here’s hoping the streak continues.
These are my 25 Most Anticipated Films of 2025.
25. Him
For some reason, I thought this and Companion were directed by their more famous producers. Once I realized my mistake, this dropped about 20 spaces and Companion was left off the list entirely. I believe this still could be good or at least interesting but without a trailer, all I have to go on is my gut and it’s telling me that this is going to be just ok. The story centers on an up-and-coming athlete, portrayed by Tyriq Withers, who trains under a legendary player nearing retirement, played by Marlon Wayans. The cast also includes Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Guapdad 4000, and Tierra Whack. I’m hoping we get the Marlon Wayans from Requiem For a Dream because it’s been too since we seen him. And No, I don’t know what the fuck a Guapdad 4000 is either.
24. The Backrooms
Directed by an up-and-coming 17 year horror filmmaker, The Backrooms is based on a popular creepypasta and centers around a group of friends who stumble upon a hidden doorway that transports them into a parallel reality called the Backrooms. This alternate dimension is composed of seemingly endless yellow-tinted rooms, devoid of any logical structure or purpose. As they struggle to find their way out, the characters encounter eerie entities and face terrifying threats that add a sense of danger and suspense to the narrative. One of the strengths of the horror short is its atmosphere. The production design effectively creates a visually unsettling space, with its dimly lit rooms, peeling wallpaper, and claustrophobic corridors. Combined with the cinematography, the film captures a sense of desolation and dread, constantly keeping the audience on edge. It’s easily one of the best horror shorts of all time and I can’t wait to see it adapted into a feature length film. There hasn’t been any updates on it in months but since it hasn’t been officially cancelled, I’m holding out hope that is still coming out.
23. C’est Pas Moi
Leos Carax has long been one of the most delightfully unpredictable filmmakers working on Planet Earth. Any new film that the French auteur decides to grace us with is bound to be a polarizing event. It’s been close to 12 years since the release of his magnum opus Holy Motors and I can only think of a handful of films that come close to touching its unhinged brilliance. It’s a film that tackles seemingly every theme and topic under the sun save for one: himself. His latest project has been described as “a self-portrait, which revisits more than 40 years of the author’s filmography and questions the major stations of his life while capturing the political tremors of the time.” Essentially what that means is that Carax will encounter characters from his past films including the sewer-dwelling beastman Denis Lavant plays in Tokyo! and Holy Motors. The premise and their long-awaited reunion are enough to get me psyched for whatever this is.
22. The Shrouds
David Cronenberg originally envisioned The Shrouds as a limited series for Netflix and while I’m sad we’ll never get to see that version of the story, I’m just glad to see him working again. The world needs more Cronenberg. No one sees the world like he does. The way his brain works is fascinating to me. He’s a futurist that makes prescient body horror films that are equal parts repellant and intelligent. While I wasn’t hot on his last two films, I’m still chomping at the bit to see where his unique brain takes me next.
21. The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine is a biographical sports drama directed by Benny Safdie, featuring Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The film delves into Kerr’s rise in the MMA world and his personal battles with addiction and relationships. Johnson’s portrayal marks a departure from his typical roles, showcasing a more dramatic and emotional performance. If anyone could turn The Rock’s career around, it’s Benny Safdie. Since the Academy seems to hate his films, I don’t expect this to give Dwayne the nom he so desperately wants but if he truly wants to reinvent himself as a serious actor, this is the film to do it.
20. The Bride!
Set in 1930s Chicago, where Dr. Frankenstein (Christian Bale) collaborates with Dr. Euphronius to bring a murdered woman (Jessie Buckley) back to life to be his bride. This act ignites a complex romance and attracts the attention of law enforcement. The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Penélope Cruz as Myrna, Peter Sarsgaard as a detective, and Annette Bening in an undisclosed role. Additional cast members feature Julianne Hough, John Magaro, Jeannie Berlin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Emond, Louis Cancelmi, and Matthew Maher. There’s been a ton of Frankenstein adaptations released lately, so I’m hoping first-time director Maggie Gyllenhaal does something unique with the premise to help differentiate it from all the others.
19. The Legend of Ochi
A fantasy adventure film produced by A24, The Legend of Ochi focuses on a young girl (Helena Zengel) who runs away from home and learns how to communicate with an animal species known as Ochi. Not the most compelling elevator pitch I’ve ever heard but it’s A24 producing, helmed by one of the greatest music directors working today, and Willem Dafoe is in it. I’m seeing it regardless of how basic it sounds.
18. Predator: Badlands
Following the unexpected success of Prey, which reinvigorated the series with its stripped-down survival horror approach, Badlands is expected to continue taking the franchise in a new and interesting direction while staying true to its brutal, action-packed roots. While plot details remain under wraps, the title suggests a rugged, unforgiving landscape—potentially the American frontier, a lawless wasteland, or even an extraterrestrial battleground. Most assumed it was going to take place during WW2 but rumors strongly suggest it takes place on an alien planet. Personally, I don’t care where it takes place, if it’s as good as the last one, it could be set during Victorian-era France with the predator wearing a fancy wig for all I care.
17. Bugonia
A remake of the 2003 South Korean sci-fi comedy Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap a high-powered CEO, convinced she is an alien intent on destroying Earth. Emma Stone stars as Michelle, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, while Jesse Plemons portrays Teddy, a conspiracist beekeeper. Alicia Silverstone also joins the cast as Teddy’s mother. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original but this has Yorgos Lanthimos reteaming with Stone and Plemons, so as long as it’s not 3 hours, I’ll see it day one.
16. Thunderbolts*
I’m not going to lie, my anticipation for this thing just about died once they revealed the lineup. I like all of those characters individually but in the wake of The Suicide Squad, a movie with the exact same premise but with a team of unique weirdos, it feels like a huge step backward. The Suicide Squad had a giant shark man, a chick who controlled rats, and a dude who shot polka dots. Each one was visually distinct and looked cool. The Thunderbolts has none of that. They all look the same and have the same power — they shoot guns. It’s just not as exciting to me but the second trailer sold me on a fun action comedy, so I’m at least hoping it delivers on that front.
15. Sinners
Set in 1932 Mississippi, Sinners follows twin brothers Elijah and Elias as they return to their hometown, only to confront a greater evil presence. The narrative unfolds over a single night of terror, with the brothers defending their community against vampires. That premise is enough to get me excited but when you add in Ryan Coogler and duel performances by Michael B. Jordan, I’m practically rabid. It also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, and Delroy Lindo.
14. Eddington
Eddington is a contemporary Western about a couple stranded in a small New Mexico town during the pandemic. Initially welcomed, the town takes a sinister turn by nightfall. Eddington could be a Paddington spin-off about his cousin that’s a Vegemite-obsessed koala and I’d still see it because it’s directed by Ari Aster. He hasn’t made anything that landed for me as hard as Hereditary but that’s an almost impossible bar. He will never live up to that movie but as long as he keeps making weird shit with Phoenix, I’ll be there.
13. One Battle After Another
For some cinephiles, Paul Thomas Anderson is placed alongside the greatest directors of all time and I’m still waiting to be converted. There Will Be Blood is the best movie of the last decade and The Master has some of the greatest acting I’ve ever seen but the rest of his filmography keeps me at arm’s length. I think most are good but I don’t see what makes them masterpieces. There Will Be Blood is proof that I can fall in love with one of his movies and despite its wacky-sounding premise, I’m hoping One Battle After Another is the next. A modern adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, and Benicio del Toro. This could either be one of my favorites of the year or a film I forget exists the second I stop thinking about it. *Cough* Inherent Vice *cough*
12. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Every year I tell myself I’m done with the MCU and every year I end up watching at least one of their projects. Thunderbolts looks like it could be fun but I’m most likely going to skip it if the reviews are meddling. This is the first project they’ve announced in a while that has my attention. I like the cast, I like that they’re going for a retro-futuristic 1960s vibe and I have a soft spot for the Fantastic Four in the first place. I just want to see one good adaptation in my lifetime. The Incredibles is still the best version and that doesn’t even count. Here’s hoping the MCU can finally do these characters justice.
11. Marty Supreme
So far, the separation of the Coen Brothers has resulted in one really good movie (The Tragedy of Macbeth) and one incredibly mid-movie (Drive Away Dolls), so here’s hoping The Safdie’s fare better when their new movies hit. Since they’re both biopics about athletes (ping pong is a sport, dammit!) starring actors I like, it’s hard to gauge which one I think will be better but I can tell you this, I’ve seen a million boxing movies but only like three movies about ping pong, so I’m definitely more interested in this one. Marty Supreme is loosely based on professional ping-pong player Marty Reisman (Timothée Chalamet) and has a cast that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler, the Creator, Odessa A’zion, Penn Jillette, Kevin O’Leary, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher. That’s a veritable smorgasbord of that guy actors I love. Sign me up for whatever the fuck this’ll be.
10. The Toxic Avenger
As a connoisseur of bad films, I am intimately familiar with the work of Troma. They have been producing grade-A trash for over 40 years. Their most well-known and arguably best series is The Toxic Avenger. It spawned four movies, a children’s animated show, and even a toy line. It was easily their biggest cash cow but for some reason, Uncle Lloyd stopped milking it almost a quarter of a century ago. It’s laid dormant ever since. Thankfully Macon Blair decided now was the time for Toxie and I agree. We need more wacky over-the-top splatter action and from the reviews I’ve heard from its festival run, it delivers that and then some.
9. The Monkey
Oz Perkins is a director with an unmistakable style. He makes methodically paced dread-inducing nightmare machines designed to get under your skin, so the prospect of him making a fun blood-soaked adaptation of a Stephen King short story about a toy monkey that has a tendency to cause mayhem when it claps its cymbals has my attention.
8. Superman
I’m all in on the new Gunnverse. He’s the only person consistently producing superhero content I like. The Guardians trilogy is my favorite thing in the MCU, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker are the only projects in the DCEU I enjoyed and his new show Creature Commandos is fun as fuck. I trust him to deliver the best iteration of Superman since Richard Donner made the world believe a man could fly.
7. Havoc
After a drug deal gone wrong, a bruised and battered detective (Tom Hardy) must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son. Based on the director’s previous works and the intensity of its lead, I’m predicting Havoc will be this year’s John Wick. As much as I love those films (I can watch Keanu load a gun all day), they pale in comparison to the Raid 1 & 2. They’re about as close to non-stop bone-crunching action as you can get. Even if he dials the action of those films down by 40%, that’ll still be the most action-packed movie of the year by a considerable margin.
6. The Running Man
While I haven’t loved any of his films since he stopped collaborating with Simon Pegg (except Scott Pilgrim of course), Edgar Wright still remains one of my favorite directors. A remake of The Running Man isn’t exactly what I expected he’d make after Last Night in Soho but since this version aims to stay more faithful to the original novel, I’m cautiously optimistic. The film is set in a dystopian United States of 2025, where the government exerts control over the media. The protagonist, Ben Richards (Glen Powell), volunteers to participate in a deadly game show in a bid to secure a cash prize that could save his sick child and improve his family’s dire circumstances. It also stars Katy O’Brian, Lee Pace, and Michael Cera, so I was going to see it regardless of what it was or who directed it.
5. 28 Years Later
28 Years Later, the long-awaited sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, is by far my most anticipated horror film of 2025. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland—reuniting the duo that made the original film a genre-defining classic—this installment promises to bring fresh terror to the post-apocalyptic world ravaged by the Rage virus. I’ve been eagerly awaiting a continuation of the story given 28 Weeks Later left several loose ends and hinted at a global outbreak. With Boyle and Garland back on board, expectations are high for a film that recaptures the raw intensity, social commentary, and nerve-wracking suspense that made the original a landmark in horror cinema. Given the rise of modern horror and the continued success of post-apocalyptic storytelling, 28 Years Later has the potential to be a groundbreaking addition to the franchise.
4. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
If you had told me that my favorite franchise of the last decade would involve a Foghorn Leghorn-sounding detective solving intricate murder mysteries starring an all-star cast, I wouldn’t have believed you but then Knives Out came out and blew me away. I had no idea how badly I missed the Agatha Christie genre until Rian Johnson brought it back from the dead and now I want a new one of these every couple of years. When they’re done well, there’s nothing more entertaining or narratively satisfying and so far, he’s two for two. Hopefully, Wake Up Dead Man continues the streak.
3. Mickey 17
Anyone expecting Bong Joon-ho to follow up his Oscar-winning behemoth Parasite with something similar hasn’t been paying attention to the man’s oeuvre. He’s never made the same film twice but this might be his wildest swing yet. The film stars Robert Pattinson as a volunteer astronaut sent to colonize an icy, far-away planet. The mortality rate is high, so our deep-space explorer keeps getting endlessly cloned after a series of comedic deaths. Things become complicated once the clones start interacting with one another. Pattinson is slowly becoming the most interesting actor of his generation and Joon-Ho is getting better with each film. The collision of their talents has me excited.
2. Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro has been trying to adapt Frankenstein for what feels like an eternity at this point. I believe the original plan was for him to use Darabont’s script that Kenneth Branagh essentially threw in the trash when they made that De Niro version, then he wanted to make it a four-part mini-series and then a million things got in the way. Del Toro might hold the record for the most amount of unmade projects of any director. For some reason, the universe seems to fuck with him every time he’s attached to something, with so many of his projects getting abandoned forever. Thankfully, the cinema Gods decided to finally give him a break to let him make his ultimate passion project. I was in regardless of who was in the cast but the fact that it’s made of some of my new favorites is just icing on the cake. If this finally got made, I now have hope that At The Mountains of Madness might finally happen.
1. Untitled Trey Parker Comedy
The creators of South Park, Kendrick Lamar and Vernon Chatman (Wonder Showzen, Xavier: Renegade Angel) teaming up for a project was the biggest and weirdest piece of movie news from last year and it feels like everyone immediately forgot it was announced. Despite the fact that Kendrick Lamar just won some Grammys and is set to perform at the Super Bowl in a couple of days, no one is mentioning the project when they talk about him nor has it come up during the coverage of the new Casa Bonita doc, which is about that crazy restaurant Trey Parker and Matt Stone bought and restored. I’m assuming no one is talking about it because they literally can’t wrap their heads around its existence. It sounds too insane to exist and that’s exactly why it’s my number 1 with a bullet. I have no idea what it could be and that’s exciting.
What are some of your most anticipated movies?
