Top Must-Watch Movies Coming in 2025
2025 is full of exciting movies in various genres, including action, horror, superhero, family, musical, comedy, and more. Some of them are from long-running franchises, and some are new ideas from the brightest minds in the film industry. In this article, we’ll introduce the top must-watch upcoming movies from each month of 2025:
January Releases
Paddington in Peru
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Colman
Director: Dougal Wilson
The third installment in the Paddington film series is right around the corner. Like the two previous movies, Paddington in Peru is a live-action animated comedy film. In this movie, Paddington and his adopted family go back to Peru to visit his aunt Lucy. The story leads them to exciting locations such as the Peruvian mountains and the Amazon rainforest. It’s another blend of comedy and adventure, and this time, more stars have joined the cast, including Antonio Banderas and Emily Mortimer. Unlike the two previous films, Paul King isn’t directing this installment but he is heavily involved with the writing.
Mickey 17
Release Date: January 31, 2025
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun
Director: Bong Joon Ho
The Oscar-winning director of 2021’s Parasite is back with another exciting movie starring Robert Pattinson and Naomi Ackie. Mickey 17 is a science fiction black comedy written based on the 2022 novel by Edward Ashton. The story is about an expendable (a disposable employee) on a space mission. He is usually sent to dangerous missions because he can be renewed and gain back his memories after his physical body dies. However, as you can expect, things go wrong. Like the novel, the movie tries to combine science fiction with existential and identity dilemmas.
February Releases
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez
Director: Julius Onah
Now that the original Captain America trilogy starring Chris Evans is done, Anthony Mackie’s character, Steve Rogers became the new face of Captain America. Captain America: Brave New World is the continuation of the TV miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The movie announced on the same day the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered. After Thunderbolt Ross becomes the president of the United States, Sam Wilson gets caught up in an international incident and he tries to find out about the people behind the incident. It’s yet another Marvel Studio superhero film that mixes action and political drama.
The Smurfs Movie
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Cast: Hannah Waddingham, Rihanna, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Kurt Russell
Director: Chris Miller
A reboot of the Smurfs film series named The Smurfs Movie is in development. It’s a musical fantasy comedy film starring Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. Moreover, Rihanna is the co-producer and co-writer of the songs in the film. There is not much information about the storyline of the film but fans of the series know what to expect from the blue iconic creations of the comics artist, Peyo. The animation style of the movie is heavily influenced by the original comics of The Smurfs. This is going to be a family-friendly and delightful musical suited for every age group.
March Releases
Snow White
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Cast: Gal Gadot, Rachel Zegler, Andrew Burnap, Lorena Andrea
Director: Marc Webb
Walt Disney Pictures is preparing a live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale Snow White. Starring Gal Gadot as Evil Queen and Rachel Zegler as Snow White, 2025’s Snow White is a reimagining of the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s about a young princess whose beauty makes her stepmother, the Evil Queen jealous. So she tries to kill her but she has the help of seven dwarfs. The movie aims to modernize the timeless Disney story with different approaches to characters especially Snow White and the dwarfs.
April Releases
A Minecraft Movie
Release Date: April 4, 2025
Cast: Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge
Director: Jared Hess
A Minecraft Movie is a live-action adventure comedy film based on the wildly popular video game from 2011, Minecraft. The movie stars Emma Myers as Natalie, Jason Momoa as Garret “The Garage Man” Garrison, and Jack Black as Steve. A Minecraft Movie tells the story of four misfits who struggle with problems in their lives but suddenly find a mysterious portal into a bizarre cubic world that fans can recognize from the popular video game. They work together to find their way around this world and get back home.
May Releases
Thunderbolts
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Cast: Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen
Director: Jake Schreier
Thunderbolts is another Marvel Studios superhero film that is intended to be the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the last film of Phase Five. The movie stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. Thunderbolts tells the story of a group of anti-heroes and former villains coming together and going on missions for the government.
Untitled Mission: Impossible Film
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Nick Offerman, Venessa Kirby
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
The next entries in the spy action movie franchise Mission: Impossible will be out in 2025. The movie will continue the story of Ethan Hunt after the events of Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Originally the movie was titled Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two but later the plans changed and for now, it’s untitled. Like previous movies, the movie will star Tom Cruise and there will be returning and new characters such as Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Hayley Atwell as Grace, and Nick Offerman as Sydney. The movie will be the culmination of Tom Cruise’s role as Ethan Hunt.
June Releases
John Wick Presents: Ballerina
Release Date: June 6, 2025
Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick
Director: Len Wiseman
A spin-off of John Wick movies is in the works that stars Keanu Reeves as John Wick and Ana de Armas as Rooney. John Wick Presents: Ballerina takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. Interestingly the movie is not centered around John Wick this time and it tells the story of a ballerina assassin Rooney who seeks revenge from the people who murdered her family. The movie features the final role of Lance Reddick as Charon before his death.
Elio
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Cast: Yonas Kibreab, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil, Zoe Saldana
Director: Adrian Molina
Elio is the newest film from the talented Pixar Animation Studios that falls under the science fiction adventure genre. The animated film is about an 11-year-old boy Elio who struggles to fit in and is an underdog with an active imagination. Then suddenly he gets transported by aliens to an interplanetary organization and everyone identifies him as Earth’s ambassador. At the same time, his mother Olga tries to decode alien messages.
M3GAN 2.0
Release Date: June 27, 2025
Cast: Allison Williams, Amie Donald, Violet McGraw
Director: Gerard Johnstone
The story of the artificial intelligence doll continues in M3GAN 2.0. This is a science fiction horror film about the dangers and consequences of digital innovation and AI. In this movie which will be released two and a half years after the first film, M3GAN evolves into a more advanced AI and becomes more self-aware. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw return as Gemma and Cady. For now, there is not much more information about the plot and the characters, and considering the ending of the first film, fans have been speculating about the sequel’s likely events. First, it was going to be released on January 2025 but recently the movie was delayed to June 27.
July Releases
Jurassic World Rebirth
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Ed Skrein, Jonathan Bailey
Director: Gareth Edwards
The seventh film in the beloved Jurassic Park franchise is titled Jurassic World Rebirth. Gareth Edwards will direct this science fiction action movie which was the director of 2014’s Godzilla. He dropped everything he was doing to direct this movie. Jurassic World Rebirth takes place five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion. Scarlett Johansson plays the role of a skilled covert operations expert named Zora Bennett. Her mission is to gather genetic samples from 3 of the largest dinosaurs on the planet with the help of a skilled team.
Superman
Release Date: July 11, 2025
Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion
Director: James Gunn
Superman is the next DC Comics superhero film from DC Studios. This time, David Corenswet plays the role of Superman or Clark Kent. James Gunn, the fan-favorite creator of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies is directing and writing this project. Originally named Superman: Legacy, the movie is about Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage. Superman is going to be around 25 years old in this movie, so younger than Henry Cavill’s version and older than Superman in the Smallville series.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Natasha Lyonne
Director: Matt Shakman
After the failure of The Fantastic Four movie in 2015, the series is back with a new entry named The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pedro Pascal plays Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, Vanessa Kirby is the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn is the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays the Thing. There is not much known about the story of this entry but it’s considered the second reboot of the Fantastic Four series.
August Releases
The Battle of Baktan Cross
Release Date: August 8, 2025
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
The newest film of highly celebrated director, Paul Thomas Anderson named The Battle of Baktan Cross will premiere in 2025. It’s the first Paul Thomas Anderson movie to be released in IMAX. Superstars Leonardo Dicaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro are among the cast of the movie. No details about the story have been released yet. However, some rumors indicate that the film is inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Novel, Vineland. Reportedly the budget of the movie is $140 million.
September Releases
The Bride!
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Bride! is a science fiction monster film inspired by the 1935 movie “Bride of Frankenstein” which was adapted from the well-known novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. The story follows a lonely Frankenstein’s journey to find a companion for himself. With the help of Dr. Euphronius, a murdered young woman becomes the bride of Frankenstein. Jessie Buckley plays the role of Frankenstein’s bride and Christian Bale is Frankenstein’s monster.
October Releases
Mortal Kombat 2
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Cast: Lewis Tan, Karl Urban, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks
Director: Simon McQuoid
Mortal Kombat 2 is the sequel to the 2021 movie based on the popular video game franchise created by the legendary Ed Boon and John Tobias. In this movie, fans will get to see returning characters and new characters such as Johnny Cage who is played by Karl Urban. The story details are still unknown but it is said that the movie will be unpredictable and will embrace some of the weirdness of the Mortal Kombat game franchise. The budget of the movie was reported around $68 million.
November Releases
Blade
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Cast: Mahershala Ali, Mia Goth
Director: Yann Demange
After many years, Blade, the vampire hunter is back to protect humanity from supernatural threats. The movie is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Mahershala Ali stars in the movie as the main character. There are no details about the story but Mia Goth is going to play as the character named Lilith. Based on the previous movies, fans expect to see a blend of superhero action and horror. The casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade is going to create a fresh taste for the franchise.
Zootopia 2
Release Date: November 26, 2025
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan
Director: Jared Bush
A sequel to 2016’s successful animated comedy film Zootopia is in the works at Walt Disney Animation Studios. In Zootopia 2, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as two detectives will go undercover to solve a case but nothing goes as planned. Ginnifer Goodwin is the voice of Judy Hopps and the voice actor of Nick Wilde is Jason Bateman. Moreover, Ke Juy Quan plays a snake named Gary who Nick and Judy are pursuing.
December Releases
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Release Date: December 19, 2025
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
Director: James Cameron
Avatar: Fire and Ash is a direct sequel to 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. It’s another science fiction film directed and co-produced by James Cameron. The film’s been through nine delays and the new date is December 2025. Like the previous movie, Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana’s character is Jake’s wife, Neytiri. The plot of this third installment in the Avatar franchise is unknown right now. The budget of the movie will approximately be $250 million.
2025 is full of exciting movies in various genres, including action, horror, superhero, family, musical, comedy, and more. Some of them are from long-running franchises, and some are new ideas from the brightest minds in the film industry. In this article, we’ll introduce the top must-watch upcoming movies from each month of 2025: