Most Anticipated Movies of 2025

2024 was a strange year in cinema. As a horror fan, I was frequently thrilled by the genre’s many offerings throughout the year, to the point that I was almost blinded to the general public’s bubbling discontent with the state of affairs in Hollywood. Sure, there were some expected, conventional smash-hits (Deadpool & Wolverine), and some unexpected projects that carved out a space in movie discourse as cultural phenomena (The Substance), but overall, outside of horror, 2024 ultimately left a rather neutral, unspectacular taste in the average viewer’s mouth.

As January kicks off, we look forward to 2025, a year that I personally hope breathes a new life into some of the more dwindling sectors of the industry. In today’s article, we’re going to be listing our most anticipated movies of 2025. From the titles that we can only hope will revitalize the waning superhero genre, to horror sequels that we’re expecting to keep their franchise’s momentum going, we’ve strived to include something for everybody in this list with the hope that, regardless of your cinema preferences, you’ll be able to mark your calendars for a movie night featuring at least one of these new releases. With that being said, let’s get into the list!

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Superman

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Potentially the most talked about project to be featured on this list, it felt wrong to delay mention of 2025’s Superman any further past the first entry in this article. The superhero/comic book world can get messy, what with the constant, lingering importance of universe continuity underscoring every single project in the genre these days. Far too often are promising superhero experiences undercut by the bogging need to watch a multitude of other movies and shows before you can enjoy the one being advertised to you. With that frustration in mind, I’m incredibly excited for James Gunn’s Superman to wipe DC’s very dirty slate clean, so we can start fresh with one of the most iconic superheroes of all time (I’m choosing not to think about Creature Commandos for now – we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it).

After an explosive trailer for the film debuted in late 2024, fans’ expectations for Superman are higher than ever. Gunn has been fairly successful in the superhero genre to date. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies were under his direction and elevated one of Marvel Comics’ least relevant teams to stardom. Not to mention his work on the DC side of things, with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, has thrilled fans with all of its edgy, colourful wonder. With Gunn’s direction, a seemingly strong take on the ‘Man of Steel’ from David Corenswet, and the opportunity to take DC in any direction with this fresh, new chapter, Superman has real potential to revitalize a genre in decline – though I do absolutely hate this suit.

Superman releases in theatres on July 11, 2025.

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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Image by Lionsgate

I know, I know – after all my talk about how glad I was that Superman was the start of a clean slate, separate from franchise confinements, I then go on to name a spin-off film set between the third and fourth entries of a franchise as my next pick for this list. Hear me out though. Unlike the superhero cinematic universes of Marvel and DC, the John Wick franchise is a consistently thrilling, rarely-faltering rollercoaster ride, and from early looks, Ballerina looks like it’s going to continue that hot streak. All this is to say, if you haven’t caught up on the John Wick films, you absolutely should for when Ballerina hits the big screen this year.

If these movies have one thing going for them that they flaunt more than anything else, it’s incredible action. So, while the plot of Ballerina may not seem like anything groundbreaking, you can bet that this movie will pull its weight with compelling characters, beautiful set design, and of course, blood-pumping fight sequences. I must admit, I’m not completely sold on Ana de Armas as a cold-blooded, ballerina-assassin out for revenge just yet, but should this movie live up to expectations, I have hope she’ll be able to prove me wrong. If you’re looking for an action-packed blockbuster to watch this Summer, this John Wick: Chapter 4 prequel is the film for you.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina releases in theatres on June 6, 2025.

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How To Train Your Dragon

Image by Universal Pictures

Admittedly, I’m not much of a consumer of family cinema. It takes a real masterclass in child-friendly entertainment to catch my attention – however, a masterclass is exactly what the original 2010 How to Train Your Dragon can be described as. Easily one of the best outings from DreamWorks Animation, How to Train Your Dragon tells the incredibly endearing story of a Viking-dragon conflict, through the eyes of a meek young teenager named Hiccup who befriends a dragon named Toothless. Now you may think that a live-action remake of such a beloved original story is a complete waste of time – and time may just prove you right. However, if director Dean DeBlois can pull this off, he has the opportunity to not only adapt, but elevate an incredible source material to even greater heights.

Should this project be given enough love and care, then capturing the magic of the original How to Train Your Dragon in live-action form, would be a real delight. This is not to say that I think live-action projects are inherently superior to their animated counterparts. If anything, I often believe the opposite – after all, I mainly cover anime for this website. However, I do believe when well-executed, a live-action fantasy film on this scale could unlock a new, beautiful experience that can’t be replicated in animation. Is this film ultimately unnecessary? Sure. Does that mean we should blacklist it off the bat? Absolutely not. At the very least, the trailer showed that Toothless is looking as adorable as ever. A beloved animated character making a successful leap to live-action CGI? What a far cry from the dwarves in that Snow White trailer, a movie that is also set to release in 2025 but, unsurprisingly, did not make our list.

How to Train Your Dragon releases in theatres on June 13, 2025.

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Saw XI

Image by Lionsgate

There are ten movies in the Saw franchise to date, and only a handful of those are truly worthwhile experiences. In fact, after around SAW IV, watching these movies starts to feel a little like some form of torture in and of itself. That was the truth, at least, until the release of Saw X in 2023 – what a glorious return to form that film was! It’s really only because of how good Saw X was that Saw XI has made it onto my radar for 2025 – well, that and I just can’t help but include horror as often as I can in every article I write.

Details surrounding Saw XI are almost as ominously ambiguous as the directions of the crazed Jigsaw himself on one of his tapes. In December 2023, it was announced that Saw XI was in the works, with producer Oren Koules declaring that the film would ‘possibly’ be a direct sequel to Saw X. The release date was originally scheduled for September 2024, but production got hit with a year-long delay, with the bad news being broken back in April 2024. Now, in the early stages of 2025, we still have no more info on this upcoming horror sequel. There’s still time to go before the film is set to release, so here’s hoping we get some sort of sneak-peek in the upcoming months ahead. Saw X certainly set the bar high for future entries in this sadistic franchise.

Saw XI is set to release in theatres on September 26, 2025.

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Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

Image by MAPPA

As frustrating as the anime movie industry can be for Western audiences, you can’t deny the quality of the industry’s cinematic output – and, from watching the trailer released for the Chainsaw Man movie at Jump Festa a few weeks ago, it looks like MAPPA aren’t messing around with this one. Having confirmed that MAPPA are bringing their best on the animation front, and knowing how good this section of Chainsaw Man’s story is from reading the manga, my expectations for the Chainsaw Man movie are through the roof – and I have a feeling they’ll be satisfied.

If you haven’t heard anything about the events of this arc from a story perspective, I implore you to avoid spoilers as much as you can – it’s truly a thrill ride, and based on the manga, it moves at the perfect pace for a film adaptation. This arc, as is the case with most of the arcs in Chainsaw Man, is also pretty explicit, so hopefully the decision to make the arc into a movie will allow the creative team to avoid censorship as much as possible. If you haven’t checked out the trailer for this yet, be sure to watch it here. The level of quality is truly insane.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is set for theatrical release in Japan in 2025.

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Image by Marvel Studios

Under the direction of Walt Disney Studios, Marvel and the MCU have done an amazing job at convincing audiences that the Avengers are Marvel Comics’ premiere team – and in many ways, comic releases in the years since have bolstered this theory. However, it was the Fantastic Four that started it all. Their absence from the MCU, along with that of the X-Men, has really been felt over the years. However, this highly-anticipated 2025 release is set to change that, with the introduction of Marvel’s first family to the MCU at last.

While not the clean slate for Marvel that Superman promises to be for DC, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has captured my excitement for multiple reasons. First of all, I love these characters, and with Doctor Doom anticipated to make his MCU debut in the near-future, the stage is set for the Fantastic Four to take centre-stage. Secondly, the project is being directed by Matt Shakman, who has previously worked with the MCU on WandaVision, a project that I love. Finally, the movie is set to kick-off Phase Six of the MCU. Phase Four and Phase Five have been a little…rough so far, so I can’t wait to see what the Fantastic Four bring to Phase Six. I’m a little unsure of the casting decisions, but I’m hoping a trailer release will soon bring my anxieties to rest.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to release in theatres on July 25, 2025.

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Wicked: For Good

Image by Universal Pictures

In November 2024, Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the Broadway titan, Wicked, took the world by storm. Rarely has a movie committed so much to its musical origins and been received so universally well. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande quickly soared to awards consideration with their respective performances as Elphaba and Glinda, the Witches of Oz, while the movie also received acclaim for its soundtrack, visuals, and expansion on the source material. If the success of the film duology’s first part is anything to go by, then fans are in for a real treat with Wicked: For Good in late-2025.

While Wicked has come under some fire for splitting the story of the original Broadway musical into two separate films, I think that the added runtime is a great opportunity for the team behind the film to expand on the somewhat chaotic and messy second half of the musical – admittedly, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to win fans over the second time around than with Wicked: Part One. Chu has confirmed that Wicked: For Good will expand on the stories and relationships of the original musical, while also adding original songs to further strengthen the soundtrack. 

Wicked: For Good is set to release in theatres on November 21, 2025.

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28 Years Later

Image by Sony Pictures

The final entry on our list is my personal choice for my most anticipated movie of the year. 2002’s 28 Days Later is one of my favourite zombie movies of all time, as well as one of director Danny Boyle’s finest works – and this is the man that directed Trainspotting, so that’s saying a lot. 28 Weeks Later was also far from a disappointment, and while it wasn’t quite as bare-bones and gritty as the 2002 original, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo more than made up for this by making the film a step-up in terms of action and scale. Now, in 2025, Boyle is back to direct 28 Years Later, and he seems to have so much confidence in the project that a sequel for 2026 has already been announced – 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple directed by Nia DaCosta.

Upon the release of the trailer for 28 Years Later, the world was instantly on-board with this new-age take on the terrifying Rage Virus, revealed to have spread across the world in previous entries. If the original two movies are anything to go by, 28 Years Later will be a terrifying movie, with a compelling human storyline, and one of the scariest depictions of a zombie horde of all time. These zombies can run and they are fast. As all good trailers are, the trailer for 28 Years Later was fairly vague, but it looks like everything fans of the franchise would want, and I can’t wait until it hits theatres. Definitely my most anticipated movie of the year.

28 Years Later is set to release in theatres on 20 June, 2025.

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Conclusion

There’s plenty of other movies scheduled to hit our screens in 2025, and we’re sure there’s more announcements to come! However, these are the ones that caught our radar the quickest, and we can’t wait to catch them in theatres when they release. What movie are you patiently awaiting in 2025? Did we miss out on your pick for the most anticipated 2025 film? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

See also: The Best of 2024 – Nerdy Nook’s Picks

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