
25 movies to know about in 2025
From a small independent movie about baseball in Massachusetts to the biggest theatrical blockbusters of the year, here are the films we’re excited about for 2025.

Thanks to streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ that often keep the release dates for their biggest movies up in the air until the last minute, writing a 2025 movie preview is a difficult task.
That said, we’ve still been able to pick out 25 movies that you’ll want to know about in 2025. From big-screen sequels like “Wicked: For Good” to streaming originals like Netflix’s graphic novel adaptation “The Electric State,” we’ve mapped out a watch guide for the full calendar year.
We’ve also added a TBA section for the movies that are widely expected to come out in 2025 but don’t have an exact release date yet, including the third entry in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” franchise. But don’t be surprised if a few more movies relevant to Bostonians not on this list — like the Chris Evans romcom “Materialists” — end up sneaking into theaters this year after all.
Here are 25 movies to be excited about in 2025, and how to watch them.
(Release dates are theatrical unless indicated otherwise)
2025 Movies: January-April
“Flight Risk” (Jan. 24)
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Cast: Michelle Dockery, Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace
A pilot transports an Air Marshal and his fugitive awaiting trial across the Alaskan wilderness, before the marshal (Wahlberg) reveals a shocking twist — he’s bald! And he’s a bad guy.
“Paddington in Peru” (Feb. 14)
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Cast: Ben Whishaw, Imelda Staunton, Oliver Maltman, Joel Fry
Paddington Bear (Ben Whishaw) feels distinctly British, but his real roots lie in Peru, where he returns in this third film. The marmalade-loving bear brings the whole Brown family to visit Aunt Lucy, who has now settled in a Home for Retired Bears.
“Captain America: Brave New World” (Feb. 14)
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Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Liv Tyler, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is officially the new Captain America following the retirement of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Picking up the shield, Sam finds himself embroiled in a global incident, because when has a Marvel movie featured an incident that wasn’t global?
“Mickey 17” (March 7)
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Cast: Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo
Bong Joon-Ho’s first film since 2019’s “Parasite” stars Robert Pattinson as an “expendable” man, whose employer has cloned him many times over in case he dies doing their bidding. The film finds the current edition of Mickey on a dangerous journey to colonize an icy planet.
“Black Bag” (March 14)
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Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Tom Burke, Pierce Brosnan
Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett play two married intelligence agents who work for different organizations. After years of seemingly keeping strong work-life boundaries, Blanchett’s agent is accused of betraying the country, and Fassbender must pursue her.
“The Electric State” (March 14 on Netflix)
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Cast: Chris Pratt, Millie Bobby Brown, Woody Harrelson
Based on a popular 2018 graphic novel of the same name, “The Electric State” follows an orphaned teenager (Mille Bobby Brown) on a journey across the American west in search of her missing brother with a friendly robot and a gruff drifter (Chris Pratt).
“Snow White” (March 21)
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Cast: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Patrick Page
Live-action Disney reboots have generally ranged from passable to unbearable, but have never come close to excellent. Will the remake of “Snow White” be the one to break the live-action curse? Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”) certainly hopes so.
“A Minecraft Movie” (April 4)
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Cast: Jack Black, Kate McKinnon, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa, Jemaine Clement
Not sure why this movie is a big deal? Ask your kids — or your grandkids. Almost nothing has been revealed about the plot of the film based on the best-selling video game of all time, beyond a trailer showing four humans pulled into Minecraft’s blocky universe. If even half of the game’s 170 million active players show up, “A Minecraft Movie” will be a success.
2025 Movies: May-August
“Thunderbolts*” (May 2)
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Cast: Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Olga Kurylenko, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
A couple of Scarlett Johansson’s Russian pals from “Black Widow” (including Florence Pugh and David Harbour) form the core of this villainous group, who along with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) are recruited to complete missions for the government.
“Lilo & Stitch” (May 23)
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Cast: Hannah Waddingham, Tia Carrere, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis
“Marcel the Shell” director Dean Fleischer Camp helms the live-action remake of this 2002 film, in which a Hawaiian family is visited by an adorable alien who crash-lands on the island.
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (May 23)
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By the title alone, you’d hazard a guess that “The Final Reckoning” would be 62-year-old Tom Cruise’s last “Mission: Impossible” film. But you should never bet against Ethan Hunt being pulled back into another mission, especially when his pals (Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) are battling a sentient AI bent on world domination.
“Ballerina” (June 6)
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Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus
The John Wick universe is growing, with Ana de Armas (“Knives Out”) getting her own spinoff. Many of the film franchise’s familiar faces, including star Keanu Reeves, will be making an appearance.
“Elio” (June 13)
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Cast: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil
Pixar’s most recent original film, “Elemental,” was a low point for the Disney-owned studio. They’ll look to bounce back with “Elio,” the story of an 11-year-old beamed into space becoming Earth’s de facto ambassador.
“28 Years Later” (June 20)
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Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes
The scale of time in Danny Boyle’s zombie series has grown from 28 days to 28 weeks to 28 years. This time around, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes play the longtime survivors. Despite the jokes you may have seen online, that especially gaunt zombie in the trailer is not Cillian Murphy.
“F1” (June 27)
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Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Shea Whigham
Apple TV+ is making a big bet on Brad Pitt and Formula 1, reportedly dropping $300 million on this racing drama about a former F1 champ (Pitt) who comes out of retirement to mentor a new talent (Idris)
“Superman” (July 11)
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Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Nicholas Hoult
Newly minted DC Studios CEO James Gunn is directing, writing, and producing this new chapter in the story of Superman, with the hope that it will usher in a new chapter in the DC Cinematic Universe. Expect a sunnier, more optimistic take on Clark Kent than Zach Snyder and Henry Cavill’s gritty take.
“The Fantastic Four: The First Steps” (July 25)
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn
For the third time in 20 years, Disney/20th Century Studios will try to make a “Fantastic Four” film series happen. This time it’s Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch.
2025 Movies: September-December
“Downton Abbey 3” (Sept. 12)

Cast: Joely Richardson, Paul Giamatti, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Dominic West, Alessandro Nivola
A direct sequel to 2022’s “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” the British historical drama features dozens of the characters made famous by the ITV television series, as well as new faces like Boston native Alessandro Nivola in an undisclosed role.
“TRON: Ares” (Oct. 10)
Cast: Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Evan Peters
Fifteen years after “TRON: Legacy,” and more than 40 years after the original “TRON,” Jeff Bridges is back in the digital world. This time, a highly sophisticated program called Ares is dispatched from the digital world to the real one on a dangerous mission.
“Wicked: For Good” (Nov. 21)

Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh
Following the success of “Wicked,” the followup will comprise the second act of the hit musical set in the land of Oz. Because the second act is significantly shorter than the first one, there will be new original songs and scenes added to John Chu’s sequel, which follows Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West.
2025 movies: Release Dates TBA
“Opus”

Cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder
This A24 horror film starring Dorchester native Ayo Edebiri and Cambridge resident John Malkovich has been reported to be coming out on March 7, but the only date confirmed by the studio as of now is its debut at the Sundance Film Festival later this month. A young journalist (Edebiri) hungry for a scoop travels to the remote compound of a reclusive pop star (Malkovich) who last appeared in public 30 years ago.
“The Accountant 2”

Cast: Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Daniella Pineda
The rumored release date for Ben Affleck’s followup to his 2016 action sequel is April 25, but that seems unlikely given that it was still in production late last year. For now, we’ll hold out hope that Affleck, reprising his role as neurodivergent accountant Christian Wolff, graces us with his presence sometime in 2025.
“Eeephus”
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Cast: Frederick Wiseman, Bill Lee, Keith William Richards, Wayne Diamond
If you were lucky enough to catch this film at IFFBoston’s Fall Focus festival featuring Red Sox great Bill Lee, you were treated to a film about what was once a common occurrence in the area — working men scrapping it out in competitive but nonprofessional baseball leagues. In this one, the game taking place is the final one before a field is torn down to make way for a development.
“The Life of Chuck”

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Harvey Guillén, Karen Gillan, Molly C. Quinn
The rumored release date for this new film from Salem native Mike Flanagan (“Midnight Mass”) is May 30, but that hasn’t been confirmed by Neon. Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, “The Life of Chuck” won the Audience Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which almost always results in a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”

Cast: Daniel Craig, Cailee Spaeny, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Josh O’Connor, Andrew Scott, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis
At this point, there are only three things we know about the newest “Knives Out” mystery from Rian Johnson: It has a gigantic cast, it completed filming in London, and it’s coming out in 2025. Based on Netflix’s release history, a brief theatrical run in November and a December streaming debut seems like a reasonable theory.
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