The way things are looking, we could all use some good, old escapism in 2025. Going to the cinema is always a surefire way to tune out and into another world for a while—and sometimes action movies, with their gripping plots, high-octane stunts, and blockbuster qualities are the best for that.
There are dozens of exciting action movies due out in 2025, from intriguing, women-fronted spinoffs of beloved franchises to highly anticipated sequels to original assassin and espionage thrillers. Whether you love classic, big-budget action films or prefer ones that defy genre a bit, there's likely something coming soon that'll draw you to the multiplex or captivate you on streaming. Below, find the best action movies of 2025, including what's coming soon and due out later this year. (For more recommendations of titles you can watch right now, check out our list of the best action movies of 2024.)
'Den of Thieves 2: Pantera'
Release date: January 10
Starring: Gerard Butler, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Meadow Williams, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Salvatore Esposito
Why it’s worth seeing: A sequel to 2018’s hit heist movie Den of Thieves is coming to theaters soon, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Detective Nick "Big Nick" O'Brien. The synopsis states the follow-up will find him “back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.”
'Back in Action'
Release Date: January 17 on Netflix
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Andrew Scott, Jamie Demetriou, Kyle Chandler, and Glenn Close
Why it’s worth watching: Cameron Diaz is officially back in action after taking a hiatus from acting. The ‘90s/’00s rom-com icon leads this action-comedy alongside Jamie Foxx as a couple pulled back into the espionage work they left years ago for a quiet, domestic life together when their secret CIA identities are almost exposed. We can’t wait to see the former Charlie’s Angel in her element.
'Flight Risk'
Release date: January 24
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace
Why it’s worth seeing: Buckle up: This one’s sure to be a wild ride. It’s a tense new thriller directed by Mel Gibson, almost entirely set aboard a claustrophobic flight in which a pilot is tasked with transporting a U.S. marshal and fugitive to trial. However, it’s soon revealed not everyone is who they claim to be.
'Inheritance'
Release date: January 24
Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale, and Kersti Bryan
Why it’s worth seeing: Phoebe Dynevor showed her erotic/workplace thriller chops in Fair Play, so we can’t wait to see her in an espionage movie. She leads this thriller as a young woman drawn into an international conspiracy when she learns that her father used to be a spy.
'Valiant One'
Release date: January 31
Starring: Chase Stokes, Lana Condor, Desmin Borges, Callan Mulvey, Jonathan Whitesell, and Daniel Jun
Why it’s worth seeing: Lana Condor is showing her range and we’re here for it. The To All the Boys alum and fellow Netflix favorite, Outer Banks heartthrob Chase Stokes, are among the leads of this war action-thriller about U.S. soldiers whose helicopter crash lands into dangerous North Korean territory. Stokes will play the general tasked with leading the team into safety, while Condor plays a civilian tech specialist brought along for the mission.
'Love Hurts'
Release date: February 7
Starring: Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Marshawn Lynch, Mustafa Shakir, Lio Tipton, Rhys Darby, André Eriksen, and Sean Astin
Why it’s worth seeing: Everything Everywhere All At Once brought ‘80s movie icon Ke Huy Quan back into the spotlight, and we’re so glad it did because now we have a new fave leading man in him. He stars in this action-comedy flick as a realtor whose past as a hitman comes back to haunt him when his former partner-in-crime, Rose (Ariana DeBose), resurfaces to tell him he’s being hunted by his brother (Daniel Wu).
'Captain America: Brave New World'
Release date: February 14
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford
Why it’s worth seeing: You bet Marvel’s massive 2025 slate is already announced! The first of Phase Five’s 2025 releases is Captain America: Brave New World, which finds Anthony Mackie donning the red, white, and blue suit, after becoming the new Cap in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The movie is set when drama unfolds following an election, putting Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford) in charge of the nation.
'The Gorge'
Release date: February 14 on Apple TV+
Starring: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, and William Houston
Why it’s worth seeing: After her incredible turn as a bonafide action star in Furiosa, we’ll watch Anya Taylor-Joy lead any action-thriller movie. She and Miles Teller play guards holding posts on the opposite sides of a mysterious gorge, which houses a secret evil. Though they don’t know what they’re protecting, they work together when it comes under threat. The screenplay for The Gorge ended up on the 2020 Black List, or the list of the best-unproduced scripts, so you can bet it’ll be gripping.
'Old Guy'
Release date: February 21
Starring: Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu, Cooper Hoffman, Ryan McParland, Ann Akinjirin, and Jason Done
Why it’s worth seeing: Christoph Waltz and Cooper Hoffman play an unlikely pair of hitmen coworkers/mentor-and-mentee/pals in this action-comedy blockbuster. Waltz plays Danny, the titular "old guy" who’s fed up being on desk duty at his contract killer job until he’s made the mentor to a young, new hire (Hoffman). After realizing the senior employees are being phased out, the two set off on a mission to take down their employers, making for a wild buddy romp.
'Cleaner'
Release date: February 21
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Clive Owen, Taz Skylar, Flavia Watson, and Ray Fearon
Why it’s worth seeing: Martin Campbell, who directed multiple James Bond movies including 2006’s beloved Casino Royale, is behind this high-intensity action-thriller. It’s set at a political function that’s hijacked by a group of activists, some of which become violent and take hostages. Thankfully for the attendees, the building’s window cleaner (yes, that’s where the film gets its title) played by Daisy Ridley is present, doing her job, and actually a “dishonorably discharged but highly trained ex-soldier.”
'In the Lost Lands'
Release date: February 28
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, Arly Jover, and Amara Okereke
Why it’s worth watching: Fans of Game of Thrones may want to put this one on their radar. It’s based on a short story by GoT author George R. R. Martin. Longtime collaborators and husband-and-wife duo Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich helm the project, with Anderson directing/co-writing the fantasy-action joint and video-game-adaptation icon Jovovich starring as a sorceress sent to the “Lost Lands” by a queen to find a magical power that allows one to turn into a werewolf.
'Mickey 17'
Release date: March 7
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo
Why it’s worth seeing: Bong Joon-ho is finally back with his follow-up to the Oscar-winning Parasite. The Korean filmmaker's next is a highly anticipated adaptation of the sci-fi novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, about a man (Robert Pattinson) set on a mission in space who’s meant to die…and be brought back to life again and again. We can’t wait to see what madness Bong and star Robert Pattinson cooked up—which seems to be a lot, based on his goofy accent in the trailer.
'Black Bag'
Release date: March 14
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Burke
Why it’s worth watching: Cate Blanchett in a Steven Soderbergh movie? Let’s go, baby! The Oscar-winning filmmaker’s latest is about a loving married couple and spy duo (Blancett and Michael Fassbender) who start to face off when one of them (Blanchett) is suspected of treason.
'The Electric State'
Release date: March 14 on Netflix
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci
Why it’s worth watching: Could Millie Bobby Brown be our next great action star? For her latest blockbuster, the Stranger Things actress teams up with the popular genre filmmakers the Russo Brothers for an adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel. She plays a girl in an alternate version of the ‘90s who sets out on an epic cross-country journey when a robot comes to her, claiming to know where her missing brother is.
'Novocaine'
Relese date: March 14
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh
Why it’s worth watching: Anything with Jack Quaid as a romantic lead, we’re in. In Novocaine, he plays a man with congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), or a rare condition in which he cannot feel any pain. He uses his condition to his advantage to transform into the action hero he never thought he’d be when his girlfriend is stuck in a dangerous hostage situation.
'A Minecraft Movie'
Release date: April 4
Starring: Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, Emma Myers, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jemaine Clement
Why it’s worth seeing: Every kid’s favorite video game is the latest to traverse over to the big screen in an imaginative animated/live-action feature. The synopsis reads: “Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers), and Dawn (Danielle Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.”
'The Amateur'
Release Date: April 11
Starring: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani, and Laurence Fishburne
Why it’s worth seeing: This book-to-movie adaptation of Robert Littell’s mystery-thriller novel of the same name stars Rami Malek as a CIA cryptographer on a one-man vengeance mission. He sets out to get to the bottom of a terrorist attack in London, which resulted in his wife’s death, when his bosses won’t act.
'Thunderbolts'
Release date: May 2
Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Edward Pierce, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Why it’s worth seeing: Thunderbolts will officially mark the end of Marvel’s Phase Five—and you can bet it’s going out with a bang. The star-studded ensemble plays a ragtag team of antiheroes on government-contracted missions, with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) among their leaders.
'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning'
Release date: May 23
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, and Rolf Saxon
Why it’s worth seeing: Tom Cruise is back to save the movies! He’ll reprise his iconic, immortal role as Ethan Hunt in a direct follow-up to 2023’s Dead Reckoning, which saw him face off against an artificial intelligence program, “The Entity.” We can’t wait to see what death-defying stunts he does next.
'Karate Kid: Legends'
Release date: May 30
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, and Shaunette Renée Wilson
Why it’s worth seeing: If you’re bummed Cobra Kai is coming to an end, don’t worry: More in the Karate Kid franchise is coming soon. It serves as a follow-up to the original films and the 2010 one starring the legendary Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Here, a young kung fu prodigy (Ben Wang) moves from Beijing to N.Y.C. after experiencing a family tragedy. “When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition,” according to the synopsis, “but his skills alone aren’t enough. Li’s kung fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.”
'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina'
Release date: June 6
Starring: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, with Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves
Why it’s worth seeing: If you love the stylized John Wick films and wondered what they might look like with a female lead, look no further than Ballerina. This spinoff, set after the events of the third John Wick movie (yes, Keanu Reeves will make an appearance), is about a ballerina assassin (played by Ana De Armas) as she trains to seek revenge against her father’s death. Expect familiar faces and places, including the hotel-for-killers, the Continental Hotel in New York, to play into the plot.
'How to Train Your Dragon'
Release date: June 13
Starring: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz, and Murray McArthur, and Gerard Butler
Why it’s worth seeing: Get ready to return to the isle of Berk—this time more fantastical and life-like than ever. The hit animated DreamWorks series How to Train Your Dragon will be adapted into live-action (no real dragons, though, unfortunately) by Dean DeBlois, who helmed the original movies. New names will portray the Vikings/dragonriders, while Gerard Butler reprises his role as Stoick the Vast.
'F1'
Release date: June 27
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, Sarah Niles, Lewis Hamilton, Kim Bodnia, and Samson Kayo
Why it’s worth seeing: After Formula One’s popularity has blown up over the past decade, it was inevitable the sport would get the Hollywood treatment. This fictional action movie follows a former star driver (Brad Pitt), who quit racing due to an injury in the ‘90s, as he’s brought out of retirement to train a rookie (Damson Idris).
'Jurassic World Rebirth'
Release date: July 2
Starring: Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson, and Mahershala Ali
Why it’s worth seeing: If you weren’t convinced there needed to be another Jurassic World movie, first-look photos of Jonathan Bailey in tiny glasses may change your mind. The next movie in the franchise is set five years after the events of 2022’s Dominion when the world is no longer hospitable to dinosaurs, leading the few still remaining to live in “isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived,” according to the official description. “The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.”
'Superman'
Release date: July 11
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and Skyler Gisondo
Why it’s worth seeing: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s David Corenswet in his cute glasses and floppy hair, taking over from Henry Cavill as the next, charmer to play Clark Kent. James Gunn helms this D.C. blockbuster about the kryptonite super, which fans are already clamoring for. Rachel Brosnahan will star opposite Corenswet as Lois Lane, while Nicholas Hoult takes on supervillain Lex Luthor.
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'
Release date: July 25
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles
Why it’s worth seeing: While the plot of Marvel’s new take on The Fantastic Four has been kept secret, we can revel in the incredible casting. All of the internet’s boyfriends are there—Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Joseph Quinn will be Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will portray Ben Grimm (aka the Thing)—while forever scene-stealer and The Crown alum Vanessa Kirby is to be Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman).
'TRON: Ares'
Release date: October 10
Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson, Sarah Desjardins, and Jeff Bridges
Why it’s worth seeing: It’s taken a while, but we’re finally getting the third movie in Disney’s TRON series, coming 15 years after 2010’s TRON: Legacy. The cast is stacked, Nine Inch Nails is set to do the score, and it’s set to follow “a highly sophisticated program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings,” per the synopsis.
'Avatar: Fire and Ash'
Release date: December 19
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, David Thewlis, and Oona Chaplin
Why it’s worth seeing: Thankfully after Avatar: The Way of Water became a box-office sensation when it was released in 2022, we won’t have to wait much longer for the next Avatar film. Though details are scarce on the latest installment in James Cameron’s epic sci-fi/fantasy series, it’s set to return to Pandora and fans have speculated it will focus on the “Ash People.”
