My Most Anticipated Films of 2025

Just like last year, I’m releasing my anticipated film list before my favorites list from last year since I still have plenty of films to watch for the Independent Spirit Awards. 2025 is looking to be a strong year in film, and as usual, I’m not planning to necessarily watch all of these films, but I am curious how they will turn out and will be received by critics and fans alike.

35) Saw XI - Before 2023, I wouldn’t have cared at all about the Saw series, and while I plan never to see any of the films, I do have a loose connection to the franchise, since I was an usher for the Saw X maze at Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest. Because of this, I’m just curious to see how this film will be received after the previous one did so well critically.

34) My Dear Friend Zoe - This film looks like it has an interesting premise and a strong Rotten Tomatoes score. I’ve been hearing about this film for a while so I’m glad that it’s finally being released.

33) From the World of John Wick: Ballerina - I’ve only seen the first John Wick film but I really need to watch the others. I’m a fan of Ana de Armas and I’m curious how this spin-off will turn out.

32) Death of a Unicorn - This seems like a very unique horror comedy that I’m not sure if I’ll watch, but I will definitely will be on the lookout for the critical reception after seeing the trailer. I also find it ironic that Will Poulter was in the Narnia franchise, which has a unicorn in its first film (though not in the installment he was in).

31) Karate Kid: Legends - I have not seen a single piece of Karate Kid media, but I’m just curious to see how this legacy sequel will turn out. Maybe this will motivate me to finally see the original film.

30) M3GAN 2.0 - I did not see M3GAN, but I’ve seen a lot about it and understand why it was a hit. Even though it did easily set up a sequel at the end of the first one, I’m really curious how the sequel will play out compared to the original. And if it does well, I really don’t know what they’re going to title the third one.

29) Michael - I’m one of those people who think that Michael Jackson is overrated and that the production of his music is a major reason why he was so famous. Nevertheless, since he is such a controversial figure, I’m curious to see if this biopic sticks the landing.

28) Companion - I did a survey in which I saw an extended trailer for this film and I’ve been interested ever since. I personally think the trailers released to the public are too short because what I saw seems like this film could be a great AI thriller.

27) Flight Risk - This sounds like an interesting premise that can make for a good thriller. I personally am not fully sure how it will be stretched to feature length, but the trailers make it seem like they might have found a way. Mark Wahlberg looks like he’s having a blast as the villain.

26) Avatar: Fire and Ash - I have yet to see Avatar: The Way of Water and I wasn’t much of a fan of the original. However, I am curious to see how this film does at the box office, especially since it seems to be releasing with a reasonable gap since its predecessor.

25) Magazine Dreams - I’m glad this film finally secured distribution after the controversy surrounding star Jonathan Majors. That isn’t the fault of the filmmakers, and their work should be seen. I’m interested to see how this film plays out once it’s released.

24) 28 Years Later - I’m not sure if I’ll ever see the 28 ... Later films just because I’m not the biggest zombie fan. I am curious to see how this is received, especially since they’re reuniting the same director and writer and they’re already planning a sequel. Because it’s so deep into the zombie apocalypse in this universe, it sounds like it will be similar to The Last of Us.

23) The Bride! - The fact that this adaptation of Bride of Frankenstein is a musical has me very curious about this film. It’s also directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and while I haven’t seen The Lost Daughter yet, I did get to see her in an online Master Class, so I might go see this depending on the trailers.

22) The Running Man - I have not seen The Running Man nor read the book, but I love dystopian movies and am becoming a fan of Edgar Wright, so I’m very interested in possibly checking this one out.

21) Wolf Man - I have yet to see The Invisible Man, as it’s one of the few horror films I actually want to see. I also have yet to see the original Wolf Man, but I’m really curious about this take on the classic monster and how the family element will add to the werewolf trope.

20) The Life of Chuck - Considering this won the People’s Choice Award at Toronto, usually an indicator of what might win Best Picture or at least get nominated, I was surprised that this film’s release was delayed until this year. I don’t know if it has any Oscar chances, but we’ll see how it does. The fact that it’s based on a Stephen King novel that isn’t horror also has me intrigued.

19) Lilo & Stitch - I know a little about it, but I’ve never actually sat down and watched the original film. I know I should, I just haven’t had the chance yet. I’m interested in seeing how this remake does compared to some of the previous Disney live-action remakes.

18) Frankenstein - It’s a film that Guillermo del Toro has wanted to make for years, so naturally, I’m curious to see how it’s received. It’s on Netflix, so unless I’m able to catch a screening, I don’t know if I’ll be able to see it next year, but I would like to check it out if possible.

17) How to Train Your Dragon - As farfetched as it might sound, I have never seen How to Train Your Dragon. I know, I need to and I had the opportunity recently at a double feature with The Wild Robot, but I wasn’t able to stay for it. Hopefully, this is the excuse for me to finally watch the original. Considering this is the first Dreamworks live-action remake, I’m really curious how the studio does in copying Disney’s recent trend.

16) The Electric State - This seems like an interesting dystopian premise similar to The Creator with a great cast. It looks fun and I hope it’s a successful post-Avengers film from the Russo Brothers.

15) A Minecraft Movie - I’ve never played Minecraft and know very little about it, but after several successful video game adaptations, let’s hope this doesn’t fall under the video game curse. Hopefully, it’s a fun fantasy adventure film with a good role for Jack Black.

14) Fantastic Four: First Steps - I haven’t seen any previous Fantastic Four movie, not counting The Incredibles, so I have little expectation when it comes to adapting Marvel’s first family. However, I hope that Marvel can do them justice after so many failed attempts. The fans deserve a good adaptation.

13) The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie - I like Looney Tunes, though the only one of their feature-length films I’ve seen is Space Jam. I love the title for this and I hope this does well, if only for the sake of Coyote vs. Acme, a movie I would have loved to see.

12) Animal Farm - I haven’t seen any of the previous adaptations of the fantastic George Orwell novel, which is just as relevant today as it was when it was written. The fact that Andy Serkis is directing it makes me all the more interested in possibly seeing this.

11) Jurassic World Rebirth - I enjoyed the Jurassic World films fine enough, possibly enjoying the first one more than the original Jurassic Park. What makes me very interested in this film is director Gareth Edwards who breathed new life into Star Wars with his Rogue One spin-off. Hopefully, he can do the same thing for the Jurassic franchise.

10) Mickey 17 - I’m really curious about Bong Joo Ho’s follow-up to Parasite and this film seems to have had test screenings for years now, so I’m glad it’s finally being released. It sounds like an interesting sci-fi concept with an interestingly comedic tone according to the trailer.

9) Wake Up Dead Man - Knives Out is one of my favorite films of the last decade, though I didn’t care for Glass Onion at all. I like the title for this and I hope this is more on par with the original than the sequel. Either way, I hope it’s a loose sequel that doesn’t tie too much to the previous two films.

8) Thunderbolts* - I seriously need to catch up on the MCU’s Disney+ television shows as I have yet to see any of them, but with this and my number 6 choice, it’s time that I finally catch up. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure if this film was happening for a while but with it finally coming out, I’m really curious about this team-up film. I’m especially looking forward to seeing Ghost again after her appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp. I also am not sure why there’s a “*” at the end of this title.

7) Snow White - I know this film received a lot of controversy before the trailer was even released. However, I’m a huge fan of fairy tale adaptations in general so despite everything, I have a strong curiosity for how this film will be different from the original. I don’t know if it’ll be enough for me to see this in theaters, but I will definitely be seeing this eventually.

6) Captain America: Brave New World - As mentioned previously, I really need to catch up on Marvel TV, in this case, Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It does look like an exciting political thriller similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What I’m most excited about for this film is that I have a friend who was an assistant to the director of this movie. Hopefully, this is a good addition to the MCU.

5) Superman - Like everyone else, I’m naturally stoked for this film and hope that James Gunn can deliver a great Superman movie, something we haven’t had in my lifetime. Hopefully, this is also a promising start to the new DC Universe that doesn’t try to cram too many different elements into one film. Also, Krypto is so cute!

4) Elio - As a Pixar superfan, this film is naturally high on my list. The new trailer seems different from the first teaser trailer, so hopefully this is a Pixar sci-fi film more on par with Wall-E than Lightyear. I just hope the humor lands better in the film than in the trailers.

3) The Bad Guys 2 - I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Bad Guys, so I was naturally stoked at the announcement of a sequel and the trailer looks interesting. I just hope that the Bad Guys don’t fully go back to being bad and find a way to stay good.

2) Zootopia 2 - I love the first Zootopia and wish I could have seen it in theaters when it was first released (I was busy working on my undergrad thesis, so I had a legit excuse), and I’ve been interested in seeing a sequel for a long time. It’s one of the few Disney sequels currently scheduled for release that I feel could actually work. Hopefully, it’s much better than Zootopia+.

1) Wicked: For Good - This was an easy first choice, especially since Part 1 was my most anticipated film of last year. Wicked is my favorite Broadway musical of all time and I really enjoyed the film. However, some of my parts of the musical are in Act Two, so it felt somewhat incomplete. I’m naturally curious how they adapt part two and hopefully like the musical, it will change me for good.