March 14, 2025
With the crowning of Anora as the queen of 2024’s movies at the Oscars ceremony earlier this month, we can officially close the book on last year and move on to 2025. This week I’m sharing a preview of my most anticipated films of this coming year. Yes, we’re almost three months into 2025, but this time of year is usually pretty slow at the theater. You get the runoff of last year’s Oscar contenders getting an extended theatrical run, and new titles that sometimes feel like filler, just to sell some tickets. The industry has a term for the movies we usually see in January and February. They call it “Dumpuary” as studios are prone to “dump” titles that aren’t seen as having the same potential as a summer blockbuster or end-of-year awards contender into theaters. A lot of these films are pretty weak, but there are usually some fun horror and action movies. I’ll share some of my favorites from the first few months in my movie report at the end of the month. For now, let’s jump into the 2025 preview, beginning with a genre that needs some momentum. Unfortunately the year is not off to a great start.
The Superheroes are Back?
The comic book movie genre was the lifeblood of the theatrical industry for the better part of the last twenty years, however Marvel and DC are in a bit of a slump. Sure, there are some reliable franchises that will perform at the box-office (like last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine), but it’s not a guarantee anymore that these films will be big hits.
Last month saw the latest Marvel installment, Captain America: Brave New World, debut to tepid reviews and box-office results. Only the die-hard fans seem to be interested at this point. I have seen a number of the MCU movies, but have kind of lost interest, especially with the onslaught of television series that felt like homework to stay on top of all of the interconnected storylines. While I have no plans to see the new Captain America movie, I might check out Thunderbolts (which looks decent) when it arrives in theaters on May 2nd, but if the early reaction is pretty bad, I won’t bother. I am also intrigued by The Fantastic Four: First Steps (in theaters July 25th), mostly because I like the look of the trailer and the cast is very good.
The biggest bet of the comic book movie genre this year is the return of Superman, coming to theaters on July 11th. James Gunn, who was instrumental in the success of the MCU franchise, has joined Warner Bros. Studios to direct this newest installment about the man of steel. The studio has a lot riding on Superman, as the intention is to have it launch a new extended universe, much like Iron Man did with the MCU back in 2008. Will it work? I’m skeptical – Superman has been done so many times over the years, and the first trailer was underwhelming to me.
Welcome to Sequel Town, Population: Many
When I came up with the list of sequels on my movie list for 2025, I was stunned at how many there were, but then I remembered that almost the entire top ten box-office movies of 2024 were sequels. So, naturally, Hollywood will keep doing what works.
First up is a “legacy sequel,” which is the continuation of a story that we haven’t seen in many years. Top Gun: Maverick was an example of a legacy sequel back in 2022. 28 Years Later is the third film in a series that began in 2003 with 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Cillian Murphy. That film was about a worldwide pandemic that caused death and destruction following the spread of a deadly virus. A sequel (28 Weeks Later) came in 2007 that further showed how society further devolved. Now, Boyle is back to share what has happened 28 years after the virus was unleashed on the world. This one was written by Alex Garland (Civil War) and stars Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer. The first trailer looks fantastic and I will be seeing it as soon as it hits theaters on June 28th.
When movies make money, you can be sure a sequel will be put into production quickly. M3GAN, the fun 2022 thriller about a homicidal robot doll is back in M3GAN 2.0, coming to theaters on June 27th. I suspect it will be silly and fun, just like the original. I am on the fence about seeing the seventh (!) movie in the Jurassic franchise. On the one hand, Jurassic World: Rebirth (coming to theaters July 2nd) is directed by Gareth Edwards, who brought us Rogue One, and stars Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, so it has a good pedigree. On the other hand, I haven’t seen the last three Jurassic World movies and it feels like homework to watch them before the new release, especially considering my allergy to Chris Pratt, the star of those films. We’ll see.
On the action front, look for Ben Affleck to return to kick ass as the titular character in The Accountant 2, the sequel to the terrific 2016 film, in theaters on April 25th. An accountant that kicks ass? Don’t they all? Seriously, this one got great reviews after its premiere at South by Southwest last week. Charlize Theron returns in The Old Guard 2, as the leader of a group of immortal superheroes, in the sequel to the 2020 film that I liked a lot. This one premieres on Netflix on July 2nd. Lastly, Bob Odenkirk is also back as the quiet, unassuming family man, pulled back into his previous life as an assassin in Nobody 2, coming to theaters on August 15th.
On the blockbuster front, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (and many others) return for Wicked: For Good, the sequel to the Oscar-nominated film that was also a major box-office hit. It will reportedly follow the second half of the Broadway play closely and include a few new songs. Look for your next adventure with Elphaba and Glinda in theaters on November 21st. And the biggest film at the box-office this year is sure to be Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron’s (at least) five part series. The last two movies grossed over $2 billion. Each! There’s a reason one of Hollywood’s favorite expressions is “Never doubt Big Jim.” Avatar: Fire and Ash will be in theaters on December 19th.
And then there is the mystery of what will happen with Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga franchise. The first chapter was a box-office disappointment last year, but got pretty good reviews. I liked it a fair amount, even if it felt like three episodes of a television series, plot wise. It looked beautiful on the big screen – Costner is a terrific director. Chapter Two is done and recently screened at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, to positive reviews. Here’s the thing – no studio has offered Costner the money to promote and release the movie, primarily because he still needs additional financing to complete his planned last two chapters, and won’t make a deal on the second film until he secures that budget. You know who has the bankroll to step in? Netflix, which put the first movie on its streaming service, resulting in very high viewing statistics. Would I love to see the remaining films on the big screen and not on my television? Sure, but if it means having to settle for a Netflix release at home or never seeing the rest of Costner’s vision for this storyline? That’s an easy choice. Stay tuned.
The 80s Called and They are Returning to Theaters
Megawatt star Glen Powell is back as The Running Man, the remake of the 1987 adaptation of the Stephen King short story about a futuristic game show where if you lose, you die. Powell fills the role previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Colman Domingo plays the game show host, who was originally portrayed by Family Feud host Richard Dawson. I recently watched the 1987 version and it was pretty underwhelming. I’m going to chalk that up to the subpar 1980s special effects and Schwarzenegger’s (ahem) acting abilities. The new version is directed by Edgar Wright, one of my favorite filmmakers, and Powell is great in everything he does. Fingers crossed this is a good one. We’ll see when it premieres in theaters on November 7th.
I’m not sure if we needed a remake of the 1980s police procedural spoof The Naked Gun, which starred Leslie Nielsen as bumbling cop Frank Drebin. Nevertheless, here we are. Stepping into the lead role is Liam Neeson as Drebin’s son, getting into the usual wackiness we’ve come to expect from this series. I’m very skeptical of this one, especially since the humor of those films (and the television series they were based on) was of a certain time, and I’m not sure how it will translate to today’s audiences. The film is directed by Akiva Schaffer, who has a strong pedigree as a frequent collaborator of Andy Samberg, but the screenplay has five credited writers and is based on a story by Seth McFarlane. When there are that many writers on a script, that’s a big red flag that a film is having a lot of problems coming together. Here’s hoping it’s a clever movie in the vein of 2012’s funny action-comedy 21 Jump Street. The Naked Gun will be in theaters on August 1st.
Next up is the curious tale of two movies about iconic 1980s musicians, who (incidentally) despised each other. First up is one that you will actually be able to see. Michael is a look at the career of Michael Jackson, directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar in the lead role. Based on early footage screened at a recent conference, his performance as his uncle is uncanny and the movie looks great. However, it’s unclear if this will be a transparent examination of Jackson’s life or if it will sugarcoat some of his transgressions. Recent reports indicated that the entire third act needed to be rewritten and reshot because the film’s producers discovered they could not include one of the victims of Jackson’s abuse in the story, due to the provisions of a settlement between Jackson and the victim. The film has a release date of October 3rd, but we’ll see if that moves out due to this latest development.
At least we’ll (eventually) be able to see Michael. The same will not be the case for The Book of Prince, about the iconic musician who died in 2016. The multi-part documentary was directed by Ezra Edelman, who won an Oscar for his brilliant film OJ: Made in America in 2016. Edelman was granted access to a treasure trove of Prince’s music and archives, and conducted interviews with everyone in his life, financed by Netflix in a planned multi-part documentary film. When the managers of Prince’s estate saw the movie, they objected to how the musician was portrayed in certain parts of the film and tried to get Edelman to change it. The director, who had full creative control based on his contract, refused because their objections were not fact-based, only opinion-based. The estate has refused to approve the film’s release, using a technicality by saying it is longer than what was agreed to with Edelman and Netflix. The Book of Prince is reportedly nine hours long.
They have now indicated a new movie will be produced without Edelman’s involvement and you can imagine it will ignore some of the more controversial aspects of Prince’s life. In interviews about the project, Edelman has criticized the recent decline of documentary films, especially ones with the subject matter as an executive producer. They have become hagiographic depictions of celebrities, akin to a television magazine puff-piece, and not a critical examination of everything about the subject. Alas, he is right, and it’s a damn shame we will likely never see The Book of Prince. That being said, I had the chance to see a remastered version of Purple Rain in the theater last week. I haven’t seen this film since the late 1980s and while the story is predictable and the acting is very wobbly, the music is still so incredible. Seeing Prince perform some of his best songs on film hits just as well as it did in 1984 and unless the stalemate over The Book of Prince is resolved, Purple Rain will have to fill that void.
For the Horror Fan
If there’s one surefire guarantee to be a good investment at the box-office, it’s a scary movie. When you combine the potential of sequels and horror movies, you get a lot of options at the theater. Such is the case with our outlook for 2025.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are back for The Conjuring: Last Rites, the fourth and (reportedly) last installment of the series about a couple who investigate paranormal activities. The last film was a little underwhelming, so I’m hoping they find the magic of the first two movies for this one, which will be in theaters on September 5th. The franchise that will never die will be back in Saw XI, as Jigsaw returns to torture a new crop of victims. If you are into this sort of disturbing horror, you can find it in theaters on September 26th. And returning to terrorize kids in the 1970s is Ethan Hawke in The Black Phone 2, the sequel to the 2021 hit about a child abductor called The Grabber. Look for that one in theaters on October 17th.
One of my favorite horror movies of the last five years was Talk to Me, the 2022 hit about a possessed hand that terrorized its victims after holding onto it for too long. I recently saw this film again on the big screen and was reminded how creative the storyline was, as well how first-time directors Danny and Michael Philippou selected the perfect cast of mostly unknown actors. The brothers will return with Bring Her Back, in theaters on May 30th. Not much is known about the plot, but the teaser I recently saw in the theater looked terrifying. Sign me up. The Philippou brothers are reportedly working on a sequel to Talk to Me, but it’s unclear if we will get that one this year. One sequel that we are definitely getting soon is They Follow, the follow-up to the terrific 2014 film It Follows about a stalking spirit. Director David Robert Mitchell and star Maika Monroe are both back for the sequel which has started filming. I’m hoping we get They Follow this year, but it could slip to early 2026, a good time of the year for horror movies.
Lastly, we have two films that could fall into the category of “prestige horror,” given the storyline and pedigree of the directors and cast. First up is The Bride!, written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, about the bride of Frankenstein. Jessie Buckley (one of my favorites) stars as the titular character with Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster. Gyllenhaal is a talented filmmaker and has recruited an incredible cast for this one, so I’m hoping it’s a success. The Bride! premieres in theaters on September 26th. Not to be outdone, Netflix has recruited Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro to direct a new version of Frankenstein with Oscar Isaac as the crazed doctor and Jacob Elordi as his monster. This film also features an all-star cast and even though I’d love to be able to see this one on the big screen, I’ll still be tuned in when Frankenstein premieres on Netflix in November.
Some Potential Awards Contenders
A handful of films that could be in the Oscar race by the end of the year are worth noting here. On Swift Horses is a 1950s romance-drama featuring a talented cast, led by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi, will be in theaters on April 25th. Margot Robbie is joined by Colin Farrell in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, described as a romantic fantasy, and directed by Koganda, the talented filmmaker behind 2021’s terrific After Yang, and the wonderful Apple TV+ series Pachinko. Even though I know nothing about this film’s plot, given the talent involved, I will be seeing this when it hits theaters on September 19th. Another strong actor-director combination is featured in The Rivals of Amziah King, which just premiered to very strong reviews at last week’s South by Southwest Festival. Matthew McConaughey returns for his first starring role in six years as a man who reunites with his foster daughter in a crime-drama directed by Andrew Patterson, who made the fantastic science-fiction movie The Vast of Night in 2019. Look for this one in theaters later this year.
The winner of the top prize at last year’s Toronto Film Festival will finally get a wide release this year. It’s worth noting this recognition as historically that honor has led to several Oscar nominations. The Life of Chuck is based on a Stephen King short story (think science-fiction drama, not horror) and stars Tom Hiddleston as the lead character, reportedly an accountant dealing with an approaching apocalypse. Why do I feel like I will be able to relate to this character in more ways than one? The film was directed by Mike Flanagan, who previously adapted King’s novels Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, in addition to his well-received horror series The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. I haven’t read this King story yet, and I’m trying to avoid learning too much about the movie before it’s released in theaters on June 6th.
Timothée Chalamet returns to the big screen this year in Marty Supreme, a sports comedy-drama based on a real-life ping pong player. The film comes from Josh Safdie, the talented director who (along with his brother Benny) brought us 2019’s excellent Uncut Gems. If Timmy can channel his talents to transform into Bob Dylan, is there any doubt he can convincingly portray a ping pong player? Look for Marty Supreme in theaters on Christmas Day. The other Safdie brother also has a new movie coming this year. Benny is the director behind The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson as a former MMA fighter and Emily Blunt as his wife. If this one has strong reviews, look for A24 to push Johnson for an Oscar campaign, as he is reportedly taking on a radically different role to change the perception that he is not a serious actor. The Smashing Machine will be in theaters later this year.
The director behind one of my ten favorite movies of 2023, Past Lives, is back with her new picture. Celine Song wrote and directed Materialists, a romantic comedy-drama starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. With how much I loved Past Lives, you can bet that any movie that Song makes will be high on my list as soon as it is announced. Materialists will be in theaters on June 13th. In contrast to my feelings about Song, director Ari Aster is in my doghouse. I loved Hereditary and Midsommar, his two first movies, but his last picture, Beau is Afraid, was a big disappointment. He is back this year with Eddington, described as a Western / dark comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler. A strong cast, for sure, but that only goes so far if the story doesn’t work for me. I’m hoping that Aster can do what Alex Garland did by following up the disappointing Men with the excellent Civil War last year. Eddington will be released in theaters later this year.
Last up among this group of potential Oscar contenders is the next picture from one of the more talented filmmakers working today, Wes Anderson, who returns with The Phoenician Scheme, opening in theaters on June 6th. As expected, this one has a deep cast attached to it, including Benicio del Toro in what appears to be the lead role. It’s described as an espionage thriller, which seems odd for Anderson, but I’m sure it will have his trademark playful dialogue and beautiful production design. If you missed his last film, Asteroid City was one of the most overlooked movies of 2023 and deserved more love.
Hell Yeah
Let’s move from the serious to the fun with a few selections that I am excited for, just because I love a good time at the theater. First up is Ballerina, the spinoff from the John Wick franchise starring Ana de Armas as a badass assassin out for revenge. This one was delayed for over a year, reportedly due to some reshoots after a disappointing early screening. It was theorized that the studio and filmmakers wanted to make this one closer to a John Wick movie, which I am excited about. The trailer for this looks outstanding, and de Armas showed her action chops in a supporting role in the last James Bond movie, No Time to Die. Ballerina premieres in theaters on June 6th.
Spike Lee reunites with Denzel Washington for his first film since 2020’s underappreciated Da 5 Bloods with Highest 2 Lowest. This is a crime thriller featuring Washington as a wealthy businessman caught up in a kidnapping plot. I’m excited to see Lee’s version of this novel, which was previously adapted by legendary director Akira Kurosawa in 1963’s High and Low, one of my favorites by that director. Anytime Spike and Denzel get together for a movie, I’m immediately in for the ride. Highest 2 Lowest will premiere in theaters this summer, before streaming on Apple TV+. I will be taking a look at Denzel’s incredible career in conjunction with that film’s release for my blog early this summer.
Another pairing that I get excited for is when long-time friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon team up for a film. This time it’s RIP, a crime-thriller set in Miami, with a strong supporting cast alongside these two stars. Affleck won’t be directing this one, but he will be behind the camera for his next action film, Animals. I bring that one up only to note that Damon was originally cast to lead that movie, but had to drop out to star in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, coming in 2026. When Nolan calls, you say yes, even if you have to disappoint your lifelong friend. That’s ok for Affleck, though. He found a suitable replacement to lead that film – himself. In the meantime, look for RIP on Netflix later this year.
My Most Anticipated Films of the Year
And we’ll finish up with my five most anticipated movies of 2025, because I can’t resist having a list in one of my blogs.
#5 – Sinners Michael B. Jordan stars as twin brothers in a reunion with director Ryan Coogler, the talented filmmaker behind Creed and Black Panther. Early word on Sinners indicates it’s about a group of vampire hunters in the early 1900s, which is plausible given the trailers, which are excellent. Coogler is so talented that I’m convinced this one will look fantastic and may scare the shit out of moviegoers. I’m just hoping the story delivers. Sinners premieres in theaters on April 18th.
#4 – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Director Rian Johnson is back with his third (and reportedly final) installment of the series featuring Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc to solve a mystery. I loved 2019’s Knives Out and thought the sequel, Glass Onion, was also very good. I love how Johnson writes these movies in a clever way, such that they feel like an old-fashioned Agatha Christie story, but are in no ways predictable. Wake Up Dead Man will be on Netflix later this year. I’m hoping we get a theatrical release, as are Johnson and Craig, but Netflix is reportedly not eager to do anything beyond a brief and limited release, the bare minimum to qualify for the Oscars. Maybe I’ll be lucky to catch this one at the Philadelphia Film Festival, as I did with Glass Onion. Fingers crossed.
#3 – F1 Want a loud action film with a bona fide movie star (literally) behind the wheel, directed by the filmmaker who delivered one of the biggest action movies of the last ten years? Let me present F1, starring Brad Pitt as a Formula One racer in what looks like a thrilling film from Joseph Kosinski, the man who convinced Tom Cruise to put the flight suit back on and star in Top Gun: Maverick. I suspect this one will have your typical sports-drama beats, but if the action is top-notch (I have no reason to think otherwise), I expect it to be an exciting time at the theater. Look for F1 when it premieres on June 27th. And if you want a great auto racing film in the meantime, don’t forget about 2019’s terrific Ford v. Ferrari, with Christian Bale and Matt Damon. That film was nominated for Best Picture and directed by James Mangold, who last year brought us the wonderful A Complete Unknown.
#2 – One Battle After Another Much like every Paul Thomas Anderson movie, consider this one a tentative title, at least until we get an official announcement from Warner Bros. Studios. This is another big bet for the studio, as it reportedly gave Anderson a whopping $150 million budget for this action-comedy-drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Not a lot is known about the plot at this point (also typical for Anderson’s movies) except that it’s been described as an “event film” that will get an IMAX release. There are theories that it is based on the Thomas Pynchon novel Vineland, which I tried reading recently and gave up about a quarter of the way through, which I never do. It was just way too convoluted of a story and I am hopeful that Anderson’s film is only loosely connected to the novel. He is a damn good storyteller and screenwriter, so I am holding out hope we have another iconic movie to add to his outstanding filmography. Look for One Battle After Another in theaters on August 8th.
#1 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning I see a lot of movies (shocker, I know) so I also see a lot of movie trailers. I try not to get to the theater too early as seeing some of the same trailers over and over again gets boring and sometimes annoying. Usually I am not paying attention so I don’t learn too much about a film I’m interested in seeing. I’ll just scroll the news on my phone, which is scarier than most horror movies these days. Seriously, what in the actual f*ck is going on in this country right now?
Anyway, I bring this up because there is one trailer that I have seen several times over the last month or two that I will put my phone down and watch with great interest every time it comes on the screen. It’s for Tom Cruise’s newest installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, the eighth film, if you are keeping score at home, and perhaps the last? We’ll see. I for one loved 2023’s Dead Reckoning, which was deemed a box-office disappointment, primarily because it was released the week before Barbenheimer swallowed up all of the box-office interest for the rest of that summer. People forgot about Cruise’s mission to save the world, but you know who didn’t forget? This guy. And let me tell you, this new film looks incredible. I’m sure it will feature a nonsensical plot, will be ridiculously long, and feature some laughable stunts. I don’t care. This is the exact kind of summer blockbuster that reminds me of the wonder of movies, and I can’t wait. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premieres in theaters on May 23rd.
That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed my 2025 movie preview and found some good options to add to your watchlist. I’ll be back in two weeks with my next monthly movie report of new films I’ve seen to start the year. I’ll be covering the terrific thriller Companion, a few music documentaries, the new films from Oscar-winners Bong Joon-ho and Steven Soderbergh, and much more. Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe below.