The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025

As movie theater prices continue to increase (let’s not even talk about those concessions), we know it can be tough to figure out which movies to spend your hard-earned money on. With that in mind, here’s a handy calendar of some of the most noteworthy titles coming in 2025 so you can budget and plan accordingly.

• Recommended: The Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
• Recommended: The Best Movies of 2024

JANUARY

Paddington in Peru (2024)
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Director: Dougal Wilson
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Julie Walters

The widely popular and lovable Paddington bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) returns to the big screen in his latest adventure. The third installment in the franchise, directed by Dougal Wilson, follows Paddington into the depths of the Amazonian rainforest after a mysterious force propels him there. Slated to release in the U.K. on November 8, 2024, Paddington in Peru will see a wide release in the U.S. in early January 2025.

Better Man (2024)
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Director: Micheal Gracey
Starring: Robbie Williams, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Alison Steadman

Micheal Gracey, director of The Greatest Showman, takes the reins in a biopic about UK musician Robbie Williams, who stars as himself. The film is an original musical based on the life and career experiences of Williams, exploring his ascent to stardom from boy-band beginnings to unprecedented success as a solo artist. Paramount secured rights to a North American release for the project off the heels of Gracey’s smash hit Showman, showing belief in the project’s story and box office legs.

In the Grey (2025)
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, Eiza Gonzalez, Rosamund Pike, Fisher Stevens

Jake Gyllenhaal, hot off Prime Video’s Road House, repurposes the tough-guy attitude in a new action thriller directed by Guy Ritchie. Gyllenhall previously starred in Ritchie’s war thriller, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, and will team up with Henry Cavill and Eiza Gonzalez, who reunite after Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Together, the three form a gang of badasses determined to rescue billions stolen from them.

Wolf Man (2025)
Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Starring: Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott
Opening on: January 17, 2025

It’s still a bit early to speculate too much about this film, but Universal’s next classic monster reboot comes courtesy of the director who brought us the surprise 2020 hit The Invisible Man, namely Leigh Whannell. We do know that Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott have signed on to star, but that’s about it. If Whannell can bring the same kind of flair that made The Invisible Man a runaway success, we can expect good things.

Mickey 17 (2025)
Release Date: January 31, 2025
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho follows up his Academy Award-winning film Parasite with this adaptation of the sci-fi novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. Robert Pattinson stars as a disposable employee — one whose body is regenerated with previous memories intact every time he dies — on a mission to colonize a distant world.

FEBRUARY

Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Director: Julius Onah
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford, Carl Lumbly, Danny Ramirez, and Shira Haas

Sam Wilson, the superhero formerly known as The Falcon, took on Cap’s mantle in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and now he’s ready for the big screen. Tim Blake Nelson, who played the character who becomes the Marvel villain known as The Leader, will reprise the role first teased in The Incredible Hulk and seemingly forgotten about until now. Harrison Ford will also star, stepping into the role of Thaddeus Ross following the death of William Hurt.

The Smurfs Movie (2025)
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Director: Chris Miller
Starring: Rihanna, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Dan Levy, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Kurt Russell, John Goodman

The Smurfs are returning to the big screen, this time in musical format. One of several Smurf-inspired feature films in development, this particular renewal of the blue creatures will star Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. Rihanna is also a producer on the film and announced at CinemaCon 2023 that she will write and perform new original songs for the project. In April of 2024, a vast ensemble cast was announced, including Nick Offerman, Octavia Spencer, Kurt Russell, and more.

MARCH

Untitled Ryan Coogler Movie (2025)
Release Date: March 7, 2025
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Micheal B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfield, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo

Ryan Coogler and Micheal B. Jordan have proven to be a winning duo in critically acclaimed films such as Fruitvale Station (2013) and big franchises like Creed and Black Panther – the latter of which has generated a record-shattering $2.1 billion at the box office with only two films. Despite the plot details being kept tightly under wraps, the pair will return for a feature that is being produced by two-time Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson with Rebecca Cho and Will Greenfield. Coogler is known for innovative storytelling that speaks to a diverse range of moviegoers, and his work is no stranger to big-ticket award nominations, so his newest project comes with understandably high expectations.

BLACK BAG (2025)
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, Pierce Brosnan

Suspense and mystery meet in an upcoming spy drama from Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh. In the absence of major plot details, Black Bag will star Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender with writing from David Koepp, who penned Jurassic Park (1993). The high-stakes film is being produced by Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs and will premiere in mid-March 2025.

Disney's Snow White (2025)
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap

Although critics haven’t been kind to most of Disney’s live-action remakes of their classic animated films, they’ve been a hit with moviegoers at the box office, which might explain why Snow White is getting the same treatment some 87 years after the original 1937 cartoon came out. West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler stars as Snow White, with Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot playing the Evil Queen, while The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb at the helm and a script co-written by Gerta Gerwig.

Alto Knights (2025)
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cosmo Jarvis, Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci

Robert De Niro plays a dual role in this Barry Levinson film as two notorious Italian American mob bosses: Vito Genovese and Frank Castello. The pair run two separate crime families that inevitably collide as the power-hungry crime bosses fight for dominance in mid-20th century New York. The film was the first project greenlit by Warner Bros.’ new film group chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.

APRIL

A Minecraft Movie (2025)
Release Date: April 4, 2025
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Matt Berry, Sebastian Eugene Hansen

The hit video game Minecraft is being transformed into a live-action movie. Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but since the world-building, survival-mode video game has never really been about the story, the possibilities for the film are endless. Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge will star in the film, though we’re not sure yet about the details of their characters. Characters we do know of include Steve (Jack Black), Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen).

Michael (2025)
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Laura Harrier, Larenz Tate

Take out your red leather jackets and sequin-covered gloves and prepare to moonwalk into theaters and witness Antoine Fuqua’s Michael. Detailing the life of the man, myth, and music legend Michael Jackson (Jaafar Jackson), this biopic invites viewers to witness the personal woes that came along with the global success of the late hitmaker. With performances from Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Laura Harrier, and Larenz Tate, the story of the King of Pop is slated to grace big screens in mid-April 2025.

MAY

(Photo by ©Marvel Studios)

Thunderbolts (2025)
Release Date: May 5, 2025
Director: Jake Schreier
Starring: David Harbour, Hannah John-Karmen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Florence Pugh, Harrison Ford

Marvel’s second offering of 2025 pulls from several previous MCU titles, as supervillains-turned-heroes story features Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylendko), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Harrison Ford, who will make his debut as the character in Captain America: Brave New World.

(Photo by Christian Black/©Paramount Pictures)

Mission: Impossible 8 (2025)
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Haley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales

Tom Cruise is back in action as Ethan Hunt in what was originally supposed to be Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part Two (the official title hasn’t yet been revealed). After Hunt retrieved both keys at the end of Dead Reckoning, the new film will focus on his mission to find the lost Sevastopol submarine while stopping the Entity, an AI program. Haley Atwell (Grace), Simon Pegg (Benji), Vanessa Kirby (Alanna), Ving Rhames (Luther), Pom Klementieff (Paris), and Esai Morales (Gabriel) are slated to return for the eighth installment in the franchise. New additions to the cast include Hannah Waddingham, Holt McCallany, Nick Offerman, Janet McTeer, and Lucy Tulugarjuk.

Untitled Karate Kid Movie (2025)
Release Date: May 30, 2025
Director: Jonathan Entwhistle
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ming-Na Wen, Joshua Jackson, Ralph Macchio

The popular Netflix series Cobra Kai has helped keep the iconic ‘80s martial arts franchise alive and kicking in the popular consciousness, and in 2024 Sony will head back to the IP dojo with a new installment. Originally thought to be unconnected to the original films or the Netflix show, a casting call announcement revealed that Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan would star alongside each other in the new film as their characters Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han. Few other details have been revealed, except that Ming-Na Wen and Joshua Jackson are among the co-stars.

JUNE

Ballerina (2025)
Release Date: June 6, 2025
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno

The first spin-off film of the John Wick universe stars Ana de Armas as one of the female assassins trained by the Ruska Roma, the criminal organization headed by Anjelica Huston’s “Director” and glimpsed in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Details are thin so far, but we know it will be another revenge tale, and we know that it will be set specifically between the events of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, so Keanu Reeves and his Continental cohort will also appear.

(Photo by ©Disney/Pixar)

Elio (2025)
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Director: Adrian Molina
Starring: America Ferrera, Yonas Kibreab, Jameela Jamil, Brad Garrett

Announced in 2022, Pixar’s 28th feature film (following 2023’s Elemental) will focus on an 11-year-old boy (named Elio, of course) who is inadvertently beamed up into space and is mistaken to be an ambassador for Earth on another planet. It will be the directorial debut for Adrian Molina, who previously worked on Pixar films like Coco, Toy Story 4, and Luca.

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Director: Dean DeBlois
Starring: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerad Butler, Ruth Codd

Dean DeBlois, creator of the animated How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, is bringing Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and friends to life in a live-action reimagining. The original film was a coming-of-age story that follows young Hiccup from childhood to adulthood, but the plot of the live-action adaptation will focus in on Hiccup’s first meeting with Toothless, a friendly dragon he can’t bear to kill, even if it means breaking tradition in his village of Berk, home of Vikings and dragon slayers.

28 Years Later (2025)
Release Date: June 20, 2025
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell

After releasing one of the zombie genre’s most iconic films in 28 Days Later and then handing the reins to Juan Carlos Fresnadillo for its sequel, 28 Weeks Later, Danny Boyle returns to the director’s chair to direct the third film in the series. Boyle also co-wrote 28 Years Later with original scribe Alex Garland — even more reason to get excited for this one — and has assembled a cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes.

M3GAN 2.0 (2025)
Release Date: June 27, 2025
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Allison Williams, Jenna Davis, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald

Director Gerard Johnstone of M3GAN is slated to return behind the camera for the sci-fi horror film’s sequel. Although plot details are still being kept under wraps, producer James Wan hinted that M3GAN 2.0 will pick up from the end of the first film and explore the consequences of what happens when AI robots connect to devices in people’s homes. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw are confirmed to star as Gemma and Cady again.

F1 (2025)
Release Date: June 27, 2025
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Shea Whigham

Warner Bros., Apple Original Films, and Dawn Apollo Entertainment, led by seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, are revving up their engines to transport audiences into the world of F1 racing. The upcoming film features an all-star, hardware-heavy ensemble with the likes of Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, and Tobias Menzies. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, known for blockbusters like Tron: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick, the picture follows Pitt as a former racer who is persuaded to come out of retirement to mentor a new driving prodigy (Idris). The film was shot during actual Grand Prix weekends and is being developed with input from the Formula 1 community and its race promoters.

JULY

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scarlett Johanson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo

The larger-than-life dinosaur phenomenon that is the Jurassic franchise is returning to screens with new life. Though uncovering any plot details has been about as difficult as unearthing dino fossils, the latest installment is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and it features an all-star ensemble that includes Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. Gareth Edwards of Godzilla (2014) directs, and David Koepp, who penned the original Jurassic Park, returns as a writer on the new film.

Superman (2025)
Release Date: July 11, 2025
Director: James Gunn
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nicholas Hoult

DC Studios CEO James Gunn is directing, writing, and producing the latest reboot of Superman, bringing it into the new generation of a connected DC Cinematic Universe. The film will not be an origin story, but will focus on Lois Lane and Clark Kent. To the dismay of many Superman fans, Henry Cavill will not be returning to play the superhero — instead, David Corenswet will take on the role, playing a younger, more optimistic Superman to counter Cavill’s grittier rendition.

(Photo by ©Marvel Studios)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Director: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn

The Fantastic Four are coming back for a third time, 20 years after the initial theatrical debut of Marvel’s First Family and 10 years after the ill-fated reboot. This iteration joins the MCU as part of the Multiverse Saga, skipping the team’s origin story and setting up future crossover events, potentially into the next Avengers movie. Not much else is known about the film, except the main cast: Pedro Pascal plays Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby plays Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn plays Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays Ben Grimm, while WandaVision and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters director Matt Shakman takes the helm.

AUGUST

The Bad Guys 2 (2025)
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Director: Pierre Perifel
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz

Considering The Bad Guys (2022) saw huge commercial success at the box office and on streaming, it’s no surprise that Dreamworks and Universal are doing a sequel. This time around, the Bad Guys grapple with crime-free life as Good Guys when they are confronted by an all-female squad of criminals who prompt them out of retirement for a final hurrah. Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) will all reprise their roles as the main cast with Pierre Perifel returning to direct and Damon Ramos producing.

Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Movie (2025)
Release Date: August 8, 2025
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Chase Infiniti

Directed, written, and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, this untitled film will be his 10th narrative feature and the first to be released in IMAX. Not much else is known besides its all-star cast. Since Anderson’s breakout feature Boogie Nights, he has collected 11 total Oscar nominations as a producer, writer, and director, but he’s never won, and who knows, perhaps this will be the title that brings home the hardware.

Animal Friends (2025)
Release Date: August 15, 2025
Director: Peter Atencio
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Momoa, Vince Vaughn, Dan Levy, Addison Rae

We don’t know much about the plot of this film, but we do know that it’s directed by Peter Atencio (Keanu, The Machine) and it’s a live-action/animated hybrid starring the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Aubrey Plaza, and Jason Momoa, among others. There are also presumably going to be animated animals involved, but we don’t yet know who will appear as themselves in the film, and who will be voicing animated characters.

Thread: An Insidious Tale (2025)
Release Date: August 29, 2025
Director: Jeremy Slater
Starring: Mandy Moore, Kumail Nanjiani

Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani are slated to star in the sixth installment of Blumhouse’s horror franchise Insidious. Garnering a collective $750 million in box office revenue worldwide, the Insidious movies center on otherworldly beings that seek to terrorize the world of the living, often resulting in gut-wrenching ramifications. Beginning in 2010, the film series has gained a cult-like following with the most recent installment, Insidious: The Red Door (2023), scoring $189M worldwide at the box office.

SEPTEMBER

Saw XI (2025)
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Director: Kevin Greutert
Starring: TBA

Not only did 2023’s Saw X bring Tobin Bell’s John Kramer back, the prequel also managed to earn the best reviews of the franchise by a wide margin. Originally scheduled for a September, 2024 release, Saw XI was rumored to pick up where Saw X left off, at least according to producer Oren Koules. We don’t know if that’s still the case, but we do know that Kevin Greutert will return to direct and try to achieve the same success he managed with the last film.

OCTOBER

The Bride! (2025)
Release Date: October 3, 2025
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Christian Bale, Jesse Buckley, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Penelope Cruz

A new Frankenstein film is being brought to life, this time through a female lens. In this remake by Maggie Gyllenhaal of 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, a murdered young woman in 1930s Chicago is reborn again at the hands of Frankenstein (Christian Bale) and Dr. Euphronius. The Bride becomes not only Frankenstein’s romantic companion, but the subject of police scrutiny and the leader of a radical social movement.

(Photo by Leah Gallo/©Disney Enterprises)

TRON: Ares (2025)
Release Date: October 10, 2025
Director: Joachim Rønning
Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Cameron Monaghan, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jodie-Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Hasan Minhaj, Jeff Bridges

What happens when the lines are blurred between the grid and the real world? In this new installment of the iconic sci-fi series, Ares (Jared Leto) plays a highly sophisticated A.I. computer program that crosses over into the human world on a dangerous mission. Though many plot details are still unknown, the setting seems to focus mostly on the real world rather than the grid that fans remember from Tron and Tron: Legacy. Though the cast is mostly comprised of new characters, it has been announced that Jeff Bridges will appear in the film, though we don’t know if he will be portraying Kevin Flynn or Clu.

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

The Black Phone 2 (2025)
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, Miguel Mora

The original cast of the hit 2022 horror thriller film The Black Phone will star again in the sequel. The plot is still under wraps, but the first movie tells the story of Finney Shaw (Mason Thames), a young boy abducted by the “Raggedy Man” (Ethan Hawke), a sinister serial killer. Locked in a soundproof basement, Finney discovers an old, disconnected telephone that allows him to communicate with the spirits of Raggedy Man’s previous victims. Finney must rely on their guidance to outsmart his captor and escape before becoming the next victim. The Black Phone 2 is the ninth feature collaboration between Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum, who is producing the film, and Hawke.

Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Director: Simon McQuoid
Starring: Hiroyuki Sanada, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Karl Urban, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks

The 2021 reboot of the video game adaptation Mortal Kombat wasn’t a huge hit with critics, but it earned enough of a following that it has now spawned a sequel. Lewis Tan (Cole Young), Jessica McNamee (Sonya), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), and Shogun co-stars Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion) and Tadanobu Asano (Raiden) all return to reprise their roles from the first film, while Karl Urban joins the cast as Johnny Cage.

NOVEMBER

Blade (2025)
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Director: TBA
Starring: Mahershala Ali

This Blade reboot wraps up the MCU’s 2025 theatrical slate, bringing the Daywalker back — without Wesley Snipes. Mahershala Ali will play the superhero in the new rendition, marking a total revamp (pun unintended) of the franchise. Ali’s voice as Eric Brooks has already made an appearance in the post-credits scene of 2021’s Eternals, hinting a possible connection between the two films. Unfortunately, the film has been stuck in development hell, already losing two directors, so we’ll have to wait for more details

Now You See Me 3 (2025)
Release Date: November 14, 2025
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, Rosamund Pike

Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco are set to reprise their roles as thieving illusionists in a third addition to the Now You See Me franchise, alongside Morgan Freeman. Not much is known about the plot of the newest film, but if past entries are any indication, audiences can expect a whole lot of magic, robbery, and making a run for it. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the Lionsgate film will see a mid-November 2025 release.

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Wicked: Part Two (2025)
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Keala Settle

Fans of the classic The Wizard of Oz and the hit Broadway musical spinoff Wicked won’t have to wait long for the conclusion of its film adaptation. Closely following the 2024 theatrical release of Wicked: Part One, Part Two wraps up the story that follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) as she navigates her identity as the “Wicked Witch of the West” while facing Glinda (Ariana Grande), the Good Witch of the North. According to producer Marc Platt, splitting the film into two parts allowed for the inclusion of the entire musical soundtrack.

Zootopia 2 (2025)
Release Date: November 26, 2025
Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore
Starring: Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Rolando Davila-Beltran

The sequel to Zootopia follows young rabbit and cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and con-artist fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) as they navigate a big city and take down Dawn Bellwether. The Disney animation is long-awaited, coming nearly a decade after the original film grossed more than $1 billion at the box office and won the 2016 Oscar for Best Animated Film.

DECEMBER

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)
Release Date: December 5, 2025
Director: Emma Tammi
Starring: Elizabeth Lail, Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard, Piper Rubio

Come one, come all: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza is reopening its doors for a Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel. Based on the titular superhit video game, and following the trend of video game movies, the hauntingly familiar animatronics are reawakening for their second round of frights. The first installment raked in upwards of $80 million in its box office run and saw record numbers on Peacock during its streaming release for Blumhouse — all despite poor reviews — making a second film a no-brainer for the studio.

(Photo by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
Release Date: December 19, 2025
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, David Thewlis, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Yeoh, Oona Chaplin

The third film of the Avatar franchise brings audiences back to Pandora and the Na’vi, this time with new biomes and new clans. The “Ash People” will represent fire and depict Na’vi who are not as kind as those we’ve seen before. New additions to the cast include Michelle Yeoh, playing human scientist Dr. Karina Mogue, and Oona Chaplin, playing the villain Na’vi Varang. Avatar 3 follows on the heels of the box office juggernaut Avatar: The Way of Water, and the first act of the fourth film has also already been shot.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Release Date: December 19, 2025
Director: Derek Drymon
Starring: Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Mr. Lawrence, Carolyn Lawrence

SpongeBob SquarePants and friends are coming back to the big screen. The fourth movie centers on SpongeBob’s adventures in the deep sea, facing the ghost of the Flying Dutchman. The original SpongeBob SquarePants TV series has been running since 1999 and is currently in its 14th season.

TBD

Dirty Dancing 2 (2025)
Release Date: Summer, 2025
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Jennifer Grey

After almost 40 years, Dirty Dancing is finally getting a sequel. Although details about the plot, title, and release date are still up in the air, we know Jennifer Grey is returning as Baby Houseman, and Lionsgate is working to include as many original cast members as possible. This film will honor the late Patrick Swayze, not by recasting his character Johnny Castle, but rather by incorporating Johnny into the story.

The Surfer (2024)
Release Date: TBA
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand

Premiering at Cannes in May of 2024, The Surfer chronicles the story of a father (Nicolas Cage) who returns to his hometown beach with his son, where they clash with a group of locals who now claim the beach as their territory. The film, which earned solid reviews after its premiere and co-stars Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, and Alexander Bertrand, was purchased by Lionsgate and is scheduled to release sometime in 2025.

Thumbnail images by ©Marvel Studios, Geoffrey Short/©Universal Pictures, @jamesgunn

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