ED’s Top 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2025

From Mission Impossible to Jurassic World to Fantastic Four and many more

By now, you’ve hopefully read my list of Top 25 movies of the year and/or my year at the Metrograph, but now we’re into 2025, and it’s time to look ahead and hope that there are some nice surprises that no one sees coming, which usually happens as soon as movies begin to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later in the month.

I’m going to try my best not to turn this into a massive tome, as tends to be the case when I get to writing, but we’re into a year that won’t be plagued by coronaviruses or actor/writer strikes, so hopefully, the box office will continue as strongly as it has been the past few months.

Incidentally, I did one of these last year and only three of those movies ended up in Top 25, while two of the movies were delayed and are now in this year’s list.

Before you even ask, it’s WAY too early to get into box office talk for ANY of these movies, regardless of what others may think. Many of the movies below haven’t even released a first trailer.

1. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (Paramount) - May 23

Just like many of the movies on this list, I was all-in on however Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie decided to end this long-running action franchise, since the previous two movies were so good. I’m just bummed that we had to wait so long for this one, but hopefully, it has as many great set pieces as the last two films.’

2. Final Destination: Bloodlines (New Line/WB) - May 16

Anyone who knows me will know how much I love these movies, and 14 years is way too long to have to wait for a new installment, but it’s happening, and sight unseen of any trailer, I’m on board, regardless of story, cast or anything. I just love this premise and how clever and even funny the kills tend to be.

3. 28 Years Later (Sony) - June 20

While it’s exciting for Danny Boyle to return to this great apocalyptic horror film with writer Alex Garland – who has become a great filmmaker in his own right – I’m trying to stay a little more moderate on my excitement for this one, mainly because I still remember how disappointing T2 was to Boyle’s early hit, Trainspotting. The fact that Sony is giving this a summer release and the fact that it’s the beginning of a new trilogy does give me some hope, especially if Cillian Murphy ends up coming back for a larger role.

4. Jurassic World Rebirth (Universal) - July 2

Unlike many, I have loved every single Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movie, so in some ways, this could be my all-time favorite franchise, and I’m excited to meet a new bunch of characters (including one played by Scarlett Johansson) and to see where Gareth Edwards (Rogue One and The Creator) takes this installment, which takes place five years after Jurassic World Dominion.

5. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel/Disney) - July 25

One thing you should know about me is that I’ve been reading comics for nearly 50 years. During much of that time, my all-time favorite comic characters were the Fantastic Four – to be honest, I’m not crazy about the current run of the comics – but the thought of possibly getting a better movie made by Marvel Studios gets me excited that the FF will be back at the same level as the Avengers or X-Men after a number of weaker movies. Oh, and I’m very excited to see Ralph Ineson as Galactus, my all-time favorite comic book villain! (Okay, maybe tied with Dr. Doom…)

6. The Running Man (Paramount) - Nov. 7

Although I’m not that much of a fan of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie based on a book by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King), the idea of Edgar Wright taking on another adaptation, co-writing with Michael Bacall (who co-wrote Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe), and doing more action with a cast that includes Glenn Powell gets me pretty excited for how Wright handles the material. As someone just reminded me, the actual book takes place in 2025.

7. Wolf Man (Universal) - Jan. 17

Coming up so quickly is Leigh Whannell’s second take on a classic Universal Monster, this one starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, and I expect it to be just as interesting a take on the “Wolf Man” mythos as Whannell’s The Invisible Man was back in 2020. The trailer has been quite pervasive, and I’ll know next week if the movie delivers on the promise of the trailer.

8. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (Netflix) - Not dated

I’m pretty hopeful that del Toro’s passion project will come out sometime this year and be as popular as Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu in terms of re-envisioning the classic movie monster based on Mary Shelley’s book. In fact, new takes on the classic “Universal Monsters” is one of this year’s big trends, as you’ll see as you move down this list.

9. Wake Up Dead Man (Netflix) - Not dated

Similarly, I’m hopeful that Rian Johnson’s third and presumably final “Knives Out Mystery” will be released and hopefully get a similar theatrical release as “Glass Onion” a few years back. Not a lot has been revealed about this yet other than its insane cast that includes Kerry Washington, Cailee Spaeny, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Josh O’Connor, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, and of course, Daniel Craig.

10. Thunderbolts* (Marvel/Disney) - May 2

I’m definitely more of a fan of Marvel’s villains than many of its heroes (except for Spider-Man and X-Men), so watching a movie where some of the lesser baddies from the last few years of Marvel movies are brought together with Julia Louis Dreyfuss’ Contessa getting a more prominent role really excites me, even if I have no idea what that asterisk is about. (I’m sure it’ll get spoiled by someone.)

11. Superman (DC/Warner Bros.) - July 11

Some might be surprised to find James Gunn’s Superman movie lower than two of this year’s Marvel movies – Note: I haven’t even watched the trailer yet, since I hope to eventually watch it in theaters in front of something else. Even though my very first comic book ever were some Superman comics I found in a clubhouse when my family moved into a new house, I haven’t really kept him as one of my favorite heroes vs. many others, but I’m optimistic that Gunn will make another great movie, so hopefully I’ll like this more than Man of Steel and Superman Returns.

12. Mickey 17 (Warner Bros) - March 7

Although I wasn’t as bullish about Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite as others (including the Academy, apparently), I’ve been a fan going back to The Host, and I’ve seen the trailer for this so many times in front of other movies that I’m excited to finally see what Rob Pattinson does in this sort of Bong Joon-ho sci-fi comedy. I’m glad it finally has a stablerelease date after being moved so many times.

13. Captain America: Brave New World (Marvel/Disney) - Feb. 14

I still remember when I heard that Anthony Mackie was going to play the Falcon in Captain America: the Winter Soldier, and I was such a fan of Mackie and the character from comics, and this is the first of two Marvel films this year that follows up stuff from a Disney+ series with Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America and bringing on Harrison Ford as President Thunderbolt Ross and his alter-ego… Red Hulk!

14. The Monkey (Neon) - Feb. 21

I wasn’t a huge fan of Oz Perkins’ Longlegs, but his follow-up teams him with James Wan to adapt Stephen King into what looks like a horrifying kill-filled horror film that seems more my style, and we won’t have to wait too long to see if I’m right about this one.

15. The Black Phone 2 (Universal) - Oct. 17

Scott Derickson’s sequel to his horror film based on a Joe Hill should have some room to expand on the idea of a child serial killer known as “The Grabber” (played by Ethan Hawke), and I’m definitely curious to see where it goes.

16. Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century/Disney) - Dec. 19

It’s hard to believe that we’re only going to have three years between Avatar: The Way of the Water and its sequel, being that it was thirteen years before Avatar got a sequel. Can filmmaker James Cameron pull off the difficult threequel with plans for more movies down the line?

17. The Conjuring: Last Rites (New Line/WB) - Sept. 5

This has been a great horror franchise with a number of strong spin-offs and sequels, but this one follows Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who have played such a large role in making The Conjuring and its direct sequels so great. Director Michael Chavez from The Curse of La Llorona, The Nun II, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It returns to the franchise.

18. The Bride! (Warner Bros) - Sept. 26

We already have a Frankenstein movie hopefully coming out this year from Guillermo del Toro, so this alternate take on the Bride of Frankenstein set in ‘30s Chicago directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal should be a great companion piece. It stars Jessie Buckley (who received an Oscar nomination for Gylenhaal’s The Lost Daughter) as well as Christian Bale as the monster, Penelope Cruz, Annette Bening, and Peter Sarsgaard, and whether this premieres at TIFF or another September festival will be the key to whether this is an awards player or just genre fare.

19. One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) - Aug. 8 (for now)

There have been rumors that Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to Licorice Pizza might end up being moved to 2026, but until it does, I’m mostly looking forward to seeing him work with Leonardo DICaprio for the first time, which could automatically make this Anderson’s biggest theatrical hit ever. I’m definitely not as big a PTA fanboy as so many other cinephiles, but I’m optimistic for this one.

19. Now You See Me 3 (Lionsgate) - Nov. 15

I’m actually a pretty big fan of magic, and this heist action-comedy based around a group of magicians was something I really enjoyed, more the first movie than the Jon M. Chu-directed sequel. For this one, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg have borrowed their Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer and brought back much of the cast with new additions, Rosamund Pike, Ariana Greenblatt, and Justice Smith, and I’m totally there for this.

21. Him (Universal) - Sept. 19

I don’t know much about this psychological thriller other than the fact that it’s produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Justin Tipping, whose early film Kicks was one of the best directorial debuts I’ve seen in many years, though he’s mainly been directing television. This stars Marlon Wayans as a retiring athlete who takes a rookie, played by Tyriq Withers, under his wing, at an isolated training compound.

22. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (Lionsgate) - June 6

Even though I’ve been mixed on the John Wick movies, my favorites being the last two, I’m excited to see Ana de Armas taking on the role as a new female assassin in a role, with Underworld director Len Wiseman at the helm. I’m a little nervous about the delays and rumors about reshoots done by producer and main John Wick director Chad Stahelski, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

23. How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) - June 13

Sure, I’ve been a bit hesitant about all these live action remakes being made by Disney, but why shouldn’t DreamWorks be given a chance to do same with one of its more popular animated franchise? Of course, it might be a little weird the fact that the dragons will all be done using the same visual effects as the animated movies, but it’s great that they have original filmmaker Dean DeBlois at the helm.

24. Naked Gun (Paramount) - Aug. 1

I definitely did not see a modern version of the Liam Neeson comedy classic on my dance card for the year, but with Liam Neeson breaking away from his grim and gritty crime-thrlllers to have a bit more fun (joined by Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser), and Akiva Schaffer of the Lonely Island and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping at the helm, it should be a fun summer comedy.

25. The Anaconda (Sony) - Dec. 25

When I heard they were doing a remake of the 1997 Amazon horror movie featuring a giant killer snake, I was a little tentative until I realized that they were doing it as a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, and now, I’m totally excited to see where this goes with Tom Gormican at the helm. (Incidentally, did anyone know that there was a Chinese remake of the movie earlier in 2024? I wish I had known about it and seen it.) We’ll have to wait for Christmas Day for this one.

Three hopes for 2025:

1. I hope I can find a job, maybe even something outside of movies, but something steady that can help me have a better life than the one I’ve been living.

2. I hope I can keep my Weekend Warrior column going on a weekly basis, as hard as that’s gotten in recent months.

3. I hope to be able to see and spend more times with my friends, many who I did not see even once in 2024.

Anyway, that’s it for now, and back to the weekly grind of cranking out a Weekend Warrior column… and finding a job.