2024 WAS, largely, the year of the sequel (again). When the worldwide box office closed on December 31st, 14 of the year’s 15 highest grossing films were sequels. The one exception was Wicked, which, as part one of a two-part adaptation of a Broadway juggernaut, feels generous to differentiate from the rest.

Among these many sequels was Dune: Part Two, which is one of the few blockbusters expected to garner consideration this awards season. Of course, so is Wicked, with four Golden Globe nominations – and one win – already under its belt. Elsewhere, body horror made a comeback with The Substance, as Longlegs and Nosferatu held down the fort in the more typical, supernatural horror genre. Gladiator, Twister and Joker finally got belated sequels, but the jury’s still out on whether or not they were worth the wait.

Looking ahead to the most anticipated films of 2025, sequels will remain on theatre bulletins throughout the year (shocker!), but there will be far more varied options. If it’s A-list directors you’re after, James Cameron, Paul Thomas Anderson, Guillermo del Toro, Ari Aster, Bong Joon-ho, Celine Song, Steven Soderbergh and Ryan Coogler will all have new releases. And on the movie star front, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Tom Cruise, Robert Pattinson, Daniel Craig, Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Ralph Fiennes, Robert De Niro, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brad Pitt and Emma Stone will all feature in leading roles.

Yes, there’ll be so much to watch that you likely won’t have time to watch it all. So, to help you start narrowing down your watchlist, these are the most anticipated films set to release in 2025.

The most anticipated film releases in 2025

Alto Knights

Mickey 17

Release date: April 17

Bong Joon-ho’s long-awaited follow-up to the Oscar-winning Parasite was originally scheduled to release in 2024, but was pushed back by almost an entire year. The end result, of course, has been a dramatic uptick in interest, with Mickey 17 becoming one of the most anticipated films of 2025. Robert Pattinson is taking on the leading role as volunteer astronaut Mickey Barnes, who is sent to a distant planet, alone. It’s a dangerous mission, so dangerous that Pattinson’s character has little to no chance of surviving. To remedy this slight drawback, every time Mickey dies, he is cloned and born again, with his memories intact. This leads to Mickey’s 17th clone having an existential crisis when some of his copies start to show up in the same timeframes.

Sinners

Release date: April 17

What’s better than one Michael B. Jordan? Two Michael B. Jordan’s! In Ryan Coogler’s return, the Creed and Black Panther director has cast his favourite leading man as two leading men, or, for the sake of clarity, twins. Yes, MBJ plays a pair of twins who stumble across something supernatural in their rural hometown in the 1930s. Specifics of the plot are scarce, but expect a seriously scary watch with a socially conscious edge, given Coogler’s past work.

The Wedding Banquet

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Release date: May 22

The last time we saw Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, he was paragliding with one of the two keys that will supposedly placate a dangerous A.I. system. Now, all he needs is that other key, in the second half of 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. This is slated to be the final Mission: Impossible film, but we’d never count Tom Cruise out.

Materialists

28 Years Later

Release date: June 19

18 years after the franchise’s last entry, director Danny Boyle is returning to the zombie-infested world audiences were first introduced to in 28 Days Later. After nearly three decades, those uncontrollable zombies are still roaming the planet, wreaking havoc wherever they go. That’s a problem for survivors Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, who are struggling to fight off the undead.

F1

Release date: June 26

If you followed the 2024 Formula 1 season, you will have inevitably noticed the recurring appearance of Brad Pitt at the occasional grand prix to shoot his upcoming film, F1. The Oscar-winning actor plays a veteran driver who has retired from racing after a serious accident. However, the ace is drawn back to the grid to mentor and partner with an upcoming prodigy, played by Damson Idris. Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon and Tobias Menzies co-star. 

Superman

Release date: July 10

David Corenswet takes the reins from Henry Cavill in Superman, the first big entry in the reworked DC cinematic universe under new head creative James Gunn. Expect this Superman story to go back to the basics, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luther.

The Bride!

Release date: September 25

Drawing from The Bride of Frankenstein, The Bride! is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s punk-musical reimagination of the titular character’s story. Featuring Christian Bale as the infamous monster and Jessie Buckley as his purpose-built bride, the film is certifiably star-studded, with Penelope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Annette Bening and Peter Sarsgaard also appearing.

Wicked: For Good

Release date: November 27

The second half of Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Broadway titan Wicked is set to release towards the end of 2025. If you’ve seen the play, you know how this one ends, but the rest of you are in for a treat. The full cast from part one returns, so expect more of the same from Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and co.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Release date: December 18

The third entry in the Avatar franchise was shot at the same time as the second, but James Cameron has had this one on ice for the last three years to build hype. We don’t know too much about it, but judging by the title, we expect that Fire and Ash will see Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully and his family to visit the fire clan of Na’vi. Further details are scarce, but we can still safely predict it’ll make billions of dollars.

Marty Supreme

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