With my top 10 movies of 2024 made official, I think it's time to look at the year ahead at what are going to be the 2025 new movies that I can't wait to see over the next 12 months.
There's plenty to get excited about for what's coming in 2025, but when I was looking at the movies that are catching my attention for this next year I was drawn to work from directors and stars that I love, a couple of franchises that I'm excited to see continue or something that just immediately grabs my attention. All but one of these movies has a release date, as I'm choosing to limit my picks to movies that are confirmed or all but certain to come out in 2025 (I'm excited for any potential surprises though when they pop up).
No need to make you wait any longer, here are the 10 new movies that I am most excited to see in 2025 (order based on US release date).
The Legend of Ochi (February 28)
I’m going totally on vibes for this one, as Isaiah Saxon is making his feature directing debut with The Legend of Ochi and I have not seen any of the other projects that he has created. Yet when I see The Legend of Ochi trailer I can’t help but get a feeling of E.T. That’s a high bar to set, but even if The Legend of Ochi doesn’t meet that lofty comparison, it could be the kind of movie that kids and adults can both enjoy, a true heartwarming adventure.
Mickey 17 (March 7)
It’s taken six years, but we are finally getting Bong Joon Ho’s follow up to his Best Picture-winning movie Parasite, and thank goodness he is staying weird with the sci-fi movie Mickey 17. Robert Pattison stars as a man who has volunteered to be an “expendable,” meaning he’s tasked with dangerous jobs, but if he dies on the job a clone of his is created to continue the work. Problems arise when a clone is created, but the previous version isn’t dead yet. Mickey 17 looks bonkers in the best ways that has me very hopeful it will be worth the wait.
Black Bag (March 14)
We’re getting not one but two new Steven Soderbergh movies in the first three months of 2025, but then one I’m most looking forward to is definitely Black Bag (Presence is the other, in case you were curious). Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender lead this spy drama about a married couple that are put at odds when one of them is suspected of betraying their country. Soderbergh has been exceptional with crime/spy thrillers in his career (Out of Sight and Haywire are two of his acclaimed genre entries), and with these two stars the possibilities are tantalizing.
Sinners (April 18)
When Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan get together, it often produces one hell of a movie. The two have previously worked together on Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, and now they reunite for another event picture, Sinners. The movie features Jordan in a dual role of twin brothers, who return to their hometown to try and start anew, only to discover a great evil that threatens the community at night. Coogler and Jordan in a horror/action blockbuster? Yes, I’m excited for it.
F1 (June 27)
I have friends who are really into F1 racing and have tried a bit to bring me into that world, but watching the sport on TV hasn’t done anything for me as of yet. Perhaps seeing it up close on an IMAX screen from the director of Top Gun: Maverick will help remedy that. Even if I don’t become a racing convert after seeing F1, I’m very excited about what Joseph Kosinski can do on the track after mastering the sky. Having a stellar cast of Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem and more doesn’t hurt either.
Superman (July 11)
My anticipation for superhero movies has gone down considerably since Avengers: Endgame, which is something that continues with Marvel’s 2025 slate (I expect I’ll see Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but my excitement is at a minimum). I thought that would be the case for the new Superman movie as well, but then I heard the new Superman theme and got my first look with the teaser trailer and I can’t help but be incredibly intrigued about what James Gunn has up his sleeves for the Man of Steel. Can it save me from my superhero fatigue?
The Bride (September 26)
Maggie Gyllenhaal caused a good bit of a stir with her directorial debut, 2021’s The Lost Daughter, and for her next trick she is putting her spin on some of the most iconic movie characters of all time in The Bride. The movie is a new take on The Bride of Frankenstein, with Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s Monster and Jessie Buckley as the Bride that he has created for himself. Jake Gyllenhaal, John Magaro, Penelope Cruz, Annette Bening and Peter Sarsgaard help make this one of the best looking casts of the year, who I can’t wait to see play around with Mary Shelley’s classic horror creations.
Bugonia (November 7)
Whatever Yorgos Lanthimas and Emma Stone want to do, I am here for it. The pair behind The Favourite and Poor Things reunite for Bugonia, which is described as a sci-fi comedy where two conspiracy theorists kidnap a CEO because they are convinced she is an alien whose mission is to destroy the Earth. Starring alongside Stone is Jesse Plemons and Alicia Silverstone. There’s no one like Lanthimos, and he’s found an incredible collaborator in Stone. I hope they keep making movies together forever.
Wicked: For Good (November 21)
After I named Wicked as my top movie of 2024, how could I not include the sequel that concludes the story in my most anticipated movies of 2025? Wicked: For Good is going to cover the second half of the Broadway musical, which continues to explore how Elphaba and Glinda became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good that we’ve come to know. Expectations are going to be sky high for this musical, but Jon M. Chu, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande showed they have the goods with Wicked, so I certainly won’t be doubting them doing it again.
Wake Up Dead Man (TBD)
Benoit Blanc is back on the case. Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig’s extraordinary detective has a new case, and plenty of new suspects. The third Knives Out mystery, Wake Up Dead Man, is going to see a list of suspects that include Josh Brolin, Thomas Haden Church, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Dylan McCormack, Josh O’Connor, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaey and Kerry Washington. No surprise that we know next to nothing about the actual case that’s going to be solved, but I want the mystery to be preserved as long as it can be, as I absolutely love these mystery movies. Please, please, please Netflix, give Wake Up Dead Man a good run in movie theaters.
