The 7 Most Highly Anticipated Movies We Can’t Wait To See In 2025

It’s hard to believe the end of 2024 is nearly here, bringing with it the joyful tidings of the holiday season, the festivities of long-awaited family reunions, and the mad-dash to catch up on movies and TV shows that have eluded us for the past year.

Of course, with the inevitable end of one year comes the expectations of the year set to follow, including the numerous buzz-worthy movies set to arrive in 2025. From action-packed superhero films to genre-bending sci-fi epics, here are seven movies we can’t wait to see in theaters next year.

Captain America: Brave New World

Kicking off the new year in characteristically bold fashion, the MCU will usher in the first half of 2025 with their long-awaited superhero film, Captain America: Brave New World. The first Captain America movie to feature Anthony Mackie in the title role, Brave New World is also set to introduce various fan-favorite Hulk characters into the MCU, none more so than Harrison Ford’s grizzled Red Hulk and Tim Blake Nelson’s brainy supervillain, The Leader. The thirty-fifth film in the MCU, we’re confident it’s going to be every bit as good – if not better – than the other films that make up Marvel’s Phase Five slate of releases.

Mickey 17

Five years after making a clean sweep at the Oscars with his renowned satirical drama Parasite, director Bong Joon-ho returns with his latest cinematic venture, Mickey 17. Based on a sci-fi novel from Edward Ashton, Mickey 17 casts Robert Pattinson as a continuously respawning clone working for an interstellar corporation. One part Moon, one part Groundhog Day, Mickey 17 promises to be yet another exceptional entry in Bong’s growing filmography, joining the elite ranks of The Host, Snowpiercer, and Bong’s vastly underrated Okja.

Thunderbolts

If Marvel fans weren’t excited enough for the winter release of Captain America: Brave New World, they can also look forward to the summer debut of the laugh-out-loud superhero film, Thunderbolts. The MCU’s answer to DC’s The Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts wraps up Phase Five of the MCU with a resonating bang, drawing the various story arcs first featured in Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Ant-Man and the Wasp to an inevitable close. 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Will Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning be the last time we see Tom Cruise step into the larger-than-life role of international super spy, Ethan Hunt? Only time will tell. But no matter what, audiences can look forward to another daring adventure film featuring Hunt with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’s immediate follow-up. The potential final film for Cruise’s charismatic I.M.F. agent, fans are waiting with bated breath to see whether The Final Reckoning will continue Mission: Impossible’s creative hot streak, with every subsequent installment of the series seeming to improve upon the film that came before it.

Ballerina

Alternatively known by its longer title From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Ballerina is a female-driven spin-off film set in the neo-noir universe of John Wick. Taking place in between the events of Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina casts Ana de Armas in the central role of Eve Macarro – a former ballerina-turned-assassin searching for revenge against her father’s killer. As fast-paced and dexterous as any of the John Wick movies before it, it’s a film that further builds upon the canonical universe of John Wick, favorably existing side-by-side with its fellow Peacock spin-off, The Continental.

Elio

It wouldn’t be a normal calendar year without a release from Disney and/or Pixar. Thankfully, the studio has no plans to let us down yet, with Pixar’s latest film, Elio, scheduled to debut in theaters this coming June. An adventurous sci-fi comedy fit for the whole family, Elio whisks viewers away to the farthest reaches of the known universe, introducing us to an endless lineup of alien lifeforms (each more visually striking than the last). As with all of Pixar’s recent films, it’s a child-friendly comedy film best seen in theaters – preferably in the biggest, loudest, and most comfortable theater you can find.

Superman

Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t only the mainstream superhero franchise set to release movies this coming year. Most obviously, the MCU’s foremost rivals at DC will oversee the release of James Gunn’s Superman halfway through 2025. The first film in Gunn’s rebooted DCU series, Superman also marks the canonical debut of numerous characters planned to play a central role in the DC Universe, including David Corenswet’s Clark Kent, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, and Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, among many others.