It is finally halfway through the 2020s, and it is time to analyze what movie you should consider watching at your local theatre. This is an important decision today as ticket prices hit an all-time high, almost $11 on average per ticket. 2024 featured commercial successes such as Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked, and Dune: Part Two. The year also was home to box office flops such as Borderlands, Joker: Folie à Deux, and The Crow. However, it’s time to look to the future at the possible successes and flops yet to come. Considering January is the first month of the year, this is a clear place to begin analyzing 2025 movie releases. What movies will start your year?
January Releases
Better Man
The movie Better Man, released on Jan. 10, is an original musical biopic about British pop star Robbie Williams. In the trailer Williams says in a voiceover, “…I don’t see myself how others see me…To be honest, I’ve always been a little less evolved.” Robbie Williams plays a CGI monkey who is meant to be himself in the movie.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Released on Jan. 10 as well is Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. This movie is a crime thriller featuring a band of thieves who intend to pull a large heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.
September 5
On Jan. 17, you’ll be able to experience a second biopic, September 5. At the 1972 Munich Olympics, sports broadcasters are faced with a hostage situation at the Olympic Village. The big question portrayed in the trailer is, “Can we show someone being shot on live television?”. This film dives into the ethics of journalism.
Flight Risk
Mark Wahlberg stars in Flight Risk, a thriller set on a small airplane. The film’s events occur as the transport of a fugitive goes south, not everything goes according to plan as not everyone on board is who they say they are. Flight Risk opens on Jan 24.
Dog Man
Releasing on Jan. 31, Dog Man is an animated adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s graphic novel series. This animated movie is set to continue Dreamworks’ current streak of box office successes. The exact plot of this movie remains under wraps even with its release date arriving soon and minimal information given in the trailer.
Wolf Man
Wolf Man also opened on Jan 17, a classic horrific tale retold in modern times. The tagline of this movie is “What if someone you loved became something else?” This tagline and advertisements seem to hint at the story being about domestic abuse.
Woodbridge High School creative writing teacher, Mr. Switek, shared his thoughts on this possible premise, “Leigh Whannell did that successfully with Invisible Man, where they took an old trope of the cackling mad scientist and he did look at domestic abuse survivors and the importance of believing people who are calling out for help,” Mr. Switek had the following to say, “If he kind of keeps that thread…I think that’s a really interesting take.”
Pop Culture
The superhero movie genre has been slowly dying in recent years, credited to a fatigue created by an overwhelming influx of releases.
Mr. Jago, the graphic novels teacher at Woodbridge High School explains Marvel’s decision to release less movies, “…superheroes are such a massive genre of things where you get TV shows, movies, you’ve obviously got the comics and stuff like that…I fully understand the superhero fatigue…I think it’s a great idea to kind of cut back on the number of things they’re doing this way we’re getting more quality things…”
Captain America: Brave New World
This fourth installment in the Captain America series, Captain America: Brave New World, releases Feb. 14. This movie follows Sam Wilson who has taken up the mantle of Captain America as he traverses the role in a politically tense world.
Thunderbolts*
Marvel Studios will be releasing its next team-up film on May 2. The Thunderbolts is a team comprised of superheroes and supervillains, essentially Marvel’s equivalent of DC’s Suicide Squad. Fans worry about the film’s success due to the majority of characters having minor roles in previous projects and being mostly unknown otherwise to non-enthusiasts.
Graphic novels teacher, Mr. Jago reiterates this point saying, “…trying to introduce new characters is so tough.”, however he also mentions that, “…the actors being more well known are going to play a part in terms of the success of it.”
Superman
The renewed DC cinematic universe will have its first movie, Superman, releasing July 11. This movie is set to restart the DC universe, now being managed by James Gunn who previously directed the trilogy for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The trailer teases new characters such as Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific, both never seen on the big screen before.
Mr. Jago gave his input on the action-packed trailer released and whether these new characters will be properly introduced or sideline, “I feel like they have to kind of start off with a bang…so they have to kind of include a lot of these characters. I don’t think you’re gonna get a ton of them…they’ll definitely be like side characters…”
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Also releasing in July, making itself a competitor to Superman as it releases on July 25. Not much is known about this movie so far other than the casting and it having a retro-futuristic vibe. Fans of the Fantastic Four mutually agree that this movie must do better than the previous attempt at putting the supers on the big screen.
Mortal Kombat 2
The gorefest PVP game Mortal Kombat is getting a sequel to its 2021 theatrical reiteration. This movie will be released on Oct. 24. With its plot under wraps, the only current hope for this movie is a gory R rating.
Blockbusters
Every year, major studios release large-scale films with gigantic budgets that are intended to bring in crowd upon crowd, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars. Typically, this holds, though sometimes these pictures end up underperforming.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to be the final film of the franchise, releasing on May 23. Tom Cruise reprises his role one last time as the daring Ethan Hunt. These movies are acclaimed for their daring real stunts and this film is no different, picturing Tom Cruise hanging off a plane in the most recent trailer.
Karate Kid: Legends
The Karate Kid franchise has existed since 1984. The newest installment releases May 30. This movie is currently riding off of the success of Netflix’s Cobra Kai series, which has been a hit for the service. Karate Kid: Legends will star Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio who will reprise their roles to mentor a new student and merge their styles of karate.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
The successful John Wick franchise continues with a spin-off featuring Ana de Armas. Ballerina, releasing June 6, canonically occurs around the same time as the third John Wick film. In this bloody film, Ana de Armas’ character seeks revenge against those who murdered her family. Time will tell if fans of the films will return to the theatre to watch the spin-off.
F1
On June 27, Brad Pitt will star in the movie F1. The plot of this movie is about a famous Formula One driver who, after a horrific crash years ago, comes out of retirement to mentor a younger driver. This movie is said to feature footage of actual F1 racing.
Jurassic World: Rebirth
On July 2, the newest entry in the Jurassic franchise is set to release. Five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, an expedition led by specialists must brave isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. The desire for a new movie from this franchise has been diminishing since 2015’s Jurassic World, with Jurassic World: Dominion being nearly the final nail in the coffin. However, fans are cautiously optimistic as David Koepp, the writer of the first two Jurassic Park films that are still acclaimed, returns to write this new chapter.
Nobody 2
The sequel to the 2021’s Nobody releases on Aug. 15. This film continues to follow the plot of a suburban father who has a past as a lethal assassin. Not much else is known about the plot of this movie.
Now You See Me 3
The third entry in the Now You See Me series is set to release on Nov. 14. These movies are crime thrillers following illusionists who execute bank heists, this third installment seems to follow this same plot thread.
Wicked: For Good
The second part of Universal’s cinematic retelling of the Wicked musical is releasing on Nov. 21. This movie will tell the story of the second act of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, even featuring new original songs.
Family Films
Paddington in Peru
The third Paddington movie is releasing on Feb. 14, Paddington in Peru. This movie will see Paddington the bear and his adopted human family go on an adventure to South America to visit Paddington’s aunt Lucy.
Lilo & Stitch
A live-action remake of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is releasing on May 23. Not much is known about the movie. Fans of the original animated movie are pleased by the design of the CGI alien.
Elio
Pixar’s next animated movie, Elio, is set for June 13. The plot of this movie revolves around a young boy being abducted by aliens and being mistaken for the ruler of Earth. This movie is said and rumored to push the boundaries of what a PG movie can be.
The Bad Guys 2
Dreamworks’ library of sequels will grow on Aug. 1 when the sequel to the animated movie The Bad Guys releases. This movie is said to feature The Bad Guys being forced to do “one last job”. There will be an all-female crew of villains, jeopardizing their image as rehabilitated villains.
Family Movies Underwraps
There is a list of Family movies released at the end of the year that have no plot details revealed. These pictures include Tron: Ares, Freakier Friday, Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. These movies are set to be a popular attraction for families. Another notable mention is the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, releasing June 13.
Niche Pictures
Every year, many low-budget, but good movies are released. The most popular distributor of these movies is A24. These niche movies, sometimes even created by major studios, fly under the radar. In this case, it’s good to support them and share the knowledge of their existence.
Love Hurts
Ke Huy Quan returns once again this year to prove his Oscar-worthy skills as realtor Marvin. In Love Hurts, releasing on Feb. 7, Marvin is dragged back into his past when his crime lord brother finds him and sends his men to get revenge after Marvin’s partner in crime resurfaces.
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Though the Looney Tunes are hardly unknown, this production may be too many. In this sci-fi comedy, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck must face an alien invasion in The Day the Earth Blew Up, releasing Feb. 28.
The Legend of Ochi
This A24 movie The Legend of Ochi, releasing Feb. 28, stars Finn Wolfhard and Willem Dafoe. The plot follows a young girl who encounters a monkey-like creature called an Ochi. She sets off to “uncover the mysteries of animal communication” as stated on IMDb.
Mickey 17
This new sci-fi movie Mickey 17, releasing Mar. 7, depicts Mickey who has signed on to be an expendable, a clone. However, trouble arises when a Mickey doesn’t die and more than one Mickey exists at one time.
Black Bag / Novocaine
Black Bag is a spy thriller in which a spy suspects his wife may be the culprit for betraying the nation. This conflict pushes their marriage to the test as he grapples with whether it is okay to spy on his wife.
Novocaine is an action movie where a man’s girlfriend is kidnapped in which she tries to rescue her. However, the twist is that he cannot feel pain, bringing a twist to the action-packed fight scenes. These movies release on Mar. 14.
The Amateur
This film, The Amateur, releases on April 11 is a thriller. The movie centers around a nerdy CIA agent who seeks to get revenge against the people who killed his wife. Instead of using blunt force, he resorts to using contraptions to do his bidding and get his revenge.
Expected Flops
Every year, there is a movie or two that moviegoers expect to flop. These can be for various reasons ranging from looking uninteresting or butchering its source material.
A Minecraft Movie
The Minecraft Movie has been criticized by fans for looking bad. The use of realistic CGI is one main issue of the production according to fans. Fans wish that the movie was animated. On top of this, older fans of the game are complaining online that the film looks too childish to be appreciated by its mostly older fan base.
Snow White
Disney has been slammed online for its live-action adaptations, Snow White being different. These adaptations are described online as lazy, only retelling the same story, the only difference being that it’s in live-action instead of animation. There was much opposition to casting and the decision to cast regular actors as the seven dwarves instead of allowing job positions to actual actors with dwarfism.
Horror Hits
Heart Eyes
Heart Eyes releases Feb. 7. This horror comedy centers around a serial killer who aims to kill couples on Valentine’s Day. This movie is a mix between slasher horror and a romantic comedy.
The Monkey
Riding off his success with Longlegs, Oz Perkins returns to the silver screen with The Monkey. Releasing on Feb. 21, The Monkey follows two brothers haunted by a demonic clapping monkey toy in which a series of gruesome deaths ensue.
Sinners
Michael B. Jordan gets two acting credits in the new vampire movie Sinners, releasing April 18. In this movie, twin brothers (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown only to find an unspeakable evil has washed over the town.
28 Years Later
Next, 28 Years Later is the sequel to 28 Weeks Later which came after 28 Days Later. This new zombie movie releases on June 20. Fans of these movies love the implementation of fast zombies. New fans might be intrigued by the trailer’s disturbing and unsettling atmosphere.
Dual Predator Releases
2025 will be home to two releases in the Predator movie franchise. Predator: Badlands will be released on Nov. 7. A second Predator project will be released sometime in 2025. Fans of the series are excited as 20th Century Studios finds potential in the franchise once more.
Horror Movie Sequels
There will be many horror movie sequels in 2025. These movies include Final Destination: Bloodlines, M3GAN 2.0, Thread: An Insidious Tale, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Saw XI, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
Creative Writing teacher Mr. Switek told The Barron Perspective what horror movie he wants to see a sequel to, “I very much enjoyed The Substance…I think that could easily have a sequel that could be done as effectively.”
Additionally, Mr. Switek also wished to mention one of his favorite horror movies that he feels deserves a sequel, “…one of my favorite horror movies is The Descent…they did do a sequel, but it was clearly done quickly without an appropriate budget. So, I think that should be revisited for a prequel or sequel.”
Sequels, a consensus
Movie sequels are usually seen as a cash grab by viewers, especially if the sequel flops. With more, Mr. Switek mentions the movie Black Phone saying, “…It had a definite ending, so I’m curious how the sequel goes on. You know, I’m a cynical moviegoer or oftentimes I think sequels are just cash grabs. My son often reminds me that I prefer Aliens to Alien. He said you got to give sequels a chance…and he’s right.”
