32 Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2025

2025 has just begun, and we’re scared already. The horror show of our impending political nightmare is casting a shadow over the New Year like another decrepit despot of suffering, the creeping bloodsucker of Nosferatu. If the movies this year fail to compete with the horror of real life, it won’t be for a lack of trying. A quick scan of the release calendar reveals a monster mash in waiting, with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, aliens, zombies, witches, and two separate takes on Frankenstein headed our way over the next 12 months. Halloween hasn’t just arrived early in 2025. It’s become a year-round event.

But fear isn’t the only emotion in the air. Film lovers might also find reason for a little optimism over the next few months. Beyond a gallery of terrors, real and cinematic, stand multiple reasons to be excited to go to the movies again. The follow-up to Parasite! The return of Superman! An Imax-scaled event movie from Paul Thomas Anderson! Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan, together again! Two new films from Steven Soderbergh! More Avatar, more Tron, more Mission: Impossible! It’s all on the docket for 2025. Don’t we deserve something to look forward to?

Just one caveat for the preview below: In mostly sticking to movies with confirmed release dates, however tentative and subject to change, we’ve disproportionately highlighted Hollywood productions, which tend to stake out their spot on the calendar very far in advance. Many of the most promising movies of 2025 haven’t yet circled a particular month or holiday. For a fuller sense of the year that might be, scroll to the bottom, where you’ll find the most anticipated movies of the year that might open this year. Those, too, could provide a little escape in dark times — or maybe even some help in processing our fears about the state of everything in the here and now. Yes, something wicked this way comes. But so does something Wicked.

January

Wolf Man

Who needs a Dark Universe? The failed attempt to fashion an Avengers-style franchise for the Universal Monsters gave rise, in 2020, to a suspenseful stand-alone: the Elisabeth Moss thriller The Invisible Man, which reinvented the translucent villain into a topical tech-bro stalker. Now that movie’s writer-director, Leigh Whannell, has returned to bring another classic fiend into the 21st century, with Poor Things scoundrel Christopher Abbott as a family man who starts feeling a little hairy after a full-moon encounter at his childhood home. The effects team is said to have studied a lot of lycanthropic landmarks in pursuit of the proper werewolf design, but it’s Whannell’s pre-release mentions of disturbing heartbreakers like Amour and The Fly that has us really howling for Wolf Man. (In theaters January 17.)

Presence

Ocean’s Eleven assembler Steven Soderbergh at last tries his hand at a horror movie. Reuniting with go-to Hollywood screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote his kicky techno-thriller Kimi, the director tells a familiar haunted-house story but from the haunter’s perspective — literally, as the entire movie unfolds from a spectral first-person POV! Presence arrives in theaters one year after its premiere at Sundance, where Vulture’s correspondent called it Soderbergh’s best in ages. But will that hold true for long? His next movie, the Koepp-scripted spy thriller Black Bag, opens just two months later, in March. (In theaters January 24.)

Also premiering in January

➼ The Damned (in theaters)
➼ The Last Republican (in theaters)
➼ The Monster Beneath Us (in theaters)
➼ Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (in theaters January 10)
➼ Diane Warren: Relentless (in theaters January 10)
➼ One of Them Days (in theaters January 17)
➼ Back in Action (on Netflix January 17)
➼ Alarum (in theaters and on VOD January 17)
➼ Both Eyes Open (in theaters January 17)
➼ I’m Still Here (in theaters January 17)
➼ Flight Risk (in theaters January 24)
➼ Inheritance (in theaters January 24)
➼ The Colors Within (in theaters January 24)
➼ Grafted (on Shudder January 24)
➼ Brave the Dark (in theaters January 24)
➼ Screamboat (in theaters January 24)
➼ You’re Cordially Invited (on Prime Video January 30)
➼ Companion (in theaters January 31)
➼ Dog Man (in theaters January 31)
➼ Love Me (in theaters January 31)
➼ Valiant One (in theaters January 31)
➼ Marcello Mio (in theaters January 31)
➼ Like Father, Like Son (in theaters January 31)

February

Captain America: Brave New World

The Captain America series is among the most satisfying of Marvel’s endless nesting doll of superhero stories. Will that winning streak continue now that Steve Rogers has passed the mantle (and shield) to a new Cap? Picking up where the Disney+ series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier left off, the first of this year’s three MCU blockbusters drops Anthony Mackie’s newly promoted Sam Wilson into another conspiracy thriller set against the backdrop of D.C. — our nation’s capital, not the rival comic-book company. Reports of extensive reshoots don’t bode so well, but let’s hold out hope for a movie where Harrison Ford assumes his truest form: a giant rage monster. His signature Hulkian grumpiness should be a hoot on the forthcoming press tour. (In theaters February 14.)

Paddington in Peru

Everyone’s favorite kind-hearted CGI bear with the insatiable appetite for marmalade returns to bring some warm-and-fuzzy civility to a very dark time. Directed by Dougal Wilson (taking over for series mastermind Paul King), this third adventure for Michael Bond’s button-cute storybook hero fulfills the wishes of raving anti-immigrant zealots and sends him back where he came from — that is, to the jungles of Peru. A little #NiceCore whimsy might be comforting come February, though be forewarned: Certified Paddington 2 superfan David Ehrlich has shaken his head and declared part three mid. (In theaters February 14.)

The Monkey

From the director of Longlegs, the author of The Shining, and the producer of the Conjuring series comes a reason to get rid of that box of stuffed animals in the attic. If the fright-flick pedigree alone doesn’t raise your neck hair, you might be dead — just like the victims of the Monkey, an antique toy that drops a new body every time it bangs together its cursed cymbals. The original short story is one of Stephen King’s scariest. Marrying it to the sensibilities of Oz Perkins could leave audiences as pale as Nic Cage looked in the filmmaker’s last Neon creep show. (In theaters February 21.)

Also premiering in February

➼ Kinda Pregnant (on Netflix February 5)
➼ Heart Eyes (in theaters February 7)
➼ Love Hurts (in theaters February 7)
➼ Bring Them Down (in theaters February 7)
➼ Becoming Led Zeppelin (in theaters February 7)
➼ No Other Land (in theaters February 7)
➼ Parthenope (in theaters February 7)
➼ Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (on Peacock February 13)
➼ Verona’s Romeo & Juliet (in theaters February 14)
➼ Universal Language (in theaters February 14)
➼ The Gorge (on Apple TV+ February 14)
➼ The Unbreakable Boy (in theaters February 21)
➼ The Quiet Ones (in theaters February 21)
➼ Cleaner (in theaters February 21)
➼ Gazer (in theaters February 21)
➼ The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (in theaters February 28)
➼ The Legend of Ochi (in theaters February 28)
➼ Last Breath (in theaters February 28)
➼ My Dead Friend Zoe (in theaters February 28)
➼ In the Lost Lands (in theaters February 28)

March

Mickey 17

Is 2024 the year of the dual role? Before Michael B. Jordan does double duty in Sinners and Elle Fanning adds twins to her filmography in a new Predator sequel, Robert Pattinson will play clashing clones in the new sci-fi dark comedy from Bong Joon Ho, writer and director of the global phenomenon Parasite. Bong being Bong — and judging from the colorfully zany trailer — this adaptation of an Edward Ashton novel will likely make class warfare a key theme. That’s probably one reason Warner Bros. has kicked it around the release calendar and tied it up in postproduction. Leave it to David Zaslav, the most visionless exec in Hollywood, to treat such a major cinematic event like a box-office liability. (In theaters March 7.)

The Woman in the Yard

When not guiding Liam Neeson through the tight corridors of trains, planes, and other transit systems, Spanish American director Jaume Collet-Serra has applied his B-movie chops to spookier entertainments, like fin flick The Shallows and the truly nutty yuppies-in-peril thriller Orphan. Not much is known about his new Blumhouse project, except that it reunites him with Danielle Deadwyler (who had a flavorful supporting role in his latest suspense contraption, Carry-On) and concerns a family haunted by a woman in black issuing ominous warnings from their front lawn. With Collet-Serra in charge — and Hereditary cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski crafting the images — taut thrills seem likely. (In theaters March 28.)

Also premiering in March

➼ Night of the Zoopocalypse (in theaters March 7)
➼ On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (in theaters March 7)
➼ Black Bag (in theaters March 14)
➼ Novocaine (in theaters March 14)
➼ Opus (in theaters March 14)
➼ The Electric State (on Netflix March 14)
➼ Snow White (in theaters March 21)
➼ Alto Knights (in theaters March 21)
➼ Ash (in theaters March 21)
➼ The Friend (in theaters March 21)
➼ Magazine Dreams (in theaters March 21)
➼ Grand Tour (in theaters March 28)
➼ A Working Man (in theaters March 28)

April

Sinners

Just about every time Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler get together, they revitalize a Hollywood franchise. Now the star and filmmaker are trading Wakanda and the boxing ring for an original vision: a Depression-era vampire movie about twin brothers (Jordan plays both) who return to their Deep South hometown, only to find something sinister waiting. Further details about the plot remain under wraps; are Jordan’s characters the bloodsuckers or are they fighting them tooth, nail, and tommy gun? Either way, the ominous teaser has all the stomping style and striking imagery we’ve come to expect from this essential blockbuster partnership. (In theaters April 18.)

The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection

He is risen. And by “he,” we of course mean Mel Gibson, disgraced Hollywood star and director, who has survived his habit of saying the worst shit you’ve ever heard to somehow continue making movies. Flight Risk, his delayed Mark Wahlberg vehicle, opens this month, but that is but an appetizer to the last supper: a long-awaited sequel to his 2004 evangelical superhit, with Jim Caviezel reprising his role as the crucified Messiah. Lord only knows what Resurrection will look like or even if it will meet its announced Easter release date (some reports insist it hasn’t even started filming yet). Regardless of when it opens, you don’t need to be a true believer to possess some morbid curiosity about how the Mel Gibson of 2025 will handle “the central mystery of the Christian faith.” Why can’t we shake the feeling that it’ll play like a revenge thriller starring Jesus? (In theaters April 18.)

Also premiering in April

➼ A Minecraft Movie (in theaters April 4)
➼ The Amateur (in theaters April 11)
➼ Drop (in theaters April 11)
➼ Sneaks (in theaters April 18)
➼ The Wedding Banquet (in theaters April 18)
➼ The Accountant 2 (in theaters April 25)
➼ Until Dawn (in theaters April 25)

May

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

When you’ve just headlined one of the biggest hits of all time, what do you do for an encore? Two years after Barbie, Margot Robbie returns with a starring role in what’s being described as a romantic fantasy about two strangers connected by an “unbelievable journey.” That’s not much to go on, but if Robbie’s involvement isn’t enticing enough, this question mark of a movie also pairs her off with Colin Farrell. And it’s been directed by Kogonada, the gifted onetime video essayist who made Columbus and the Farrell sci-fi tearjerker After Yang. Like Margot’s last character, the Mattel doll with a soul, consider us curious. (In theaters May 9.)

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning

Following the cliffhanger finale of Dead Reckoning — Part One (which slightly underperformed enough to inspire a slight rebranding for Part Two), Tom Cruise’s perpetually driven Ethan Hunt returns to defeat the apocalyptic algorithm with a mind of its own. Despite its ominously valedictory new subtitle, The Final Reckoning is unlikely to actually be the final Mission: Impossible. And thank God for that, because the espionage franchise remains an almost peerlessly reliable source of blockbuster thrills three decades into its lifespan. If nothing else, this eighth installment will offer yet another chance to see Cruise nearly obliterate his aging but somehow ageless physique performing some insanely dangerous new stunt — a morbid spectacle that, like his famous mug, never grows old. (In theaters May 23.)

The Life of Chuck

Worry not, scaredy-cats: Though adapted from a novella by Stephen King, this metaphysical festival darling comes from the gentler and more quizzical side of the author’s famed imagination; it’s more Green Mile than The Shining. Tom Hiddleston is the title character of a reality-bending triptych that touches on everything from the end of the known universe to the joy of dancing like no one’s watching. Written and directed by Mike Flanagan, adapting another “unfilmable” King story after Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, the film won the coveted Audience Award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Only those with a tolerance for fortune-cookie wisdom and Nick Offerman voice-over narration need apply. (In theaters May 30.)

Also premiering in May

➼ Thunderbolts* (in theaters May 2)
➼ Golden (in theaters May 9)
➼ Clown in a Cornfield (in theaters May 9)
➼ Final Destination: Bloodlines (in theaters May 16)
➼ Hurry Up Tomorrow (in theaters May 16)
➼ Lilo & Stitch (in theaters May 23)
➼ Karate Kid: Legends (in theaters May 30)

June

Elio

The golden age of Pixar may be long over, but the house Woody and Buzz built still turns out a gem from time to time. The studio’s latest boasts a promising premise, following a little boy who accidentally blasts off into space, stumbles into a Federation-like league of planets, and becomes official ambassador to Earth. It’s a good sign that the movie shares some creative talent with Coco and Turning Red, two of the better Pixar offerings of the past decade. Plus, it could be a minute before the Disney machine offers a genuine original again; Elio’s brand-new adventure, however modest, could shine brighter on the cusp of yet another Toy Story sequel, and in a year promising several live-action remakes of animated classics. (In theaters June 13.)

28 Years Later

When there’s no more room in development hell, dead franchises will walk the earth. Twenty-three years after 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland reunite for a second sequel to their seminal digital-video zombie movie. Best Actor winner Cillian Murphy reprises his role from the original, though the cast otherwise seems to be made up of newcomers to the English postapocalypse, including Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes. (In theaters June 20.)

F1

Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski trades the cockpit of a fighter jet for the passenger seat of a race car in a drama that sounds a lot like … Top Gun: Maverick. This time, the role of an aging legend is occupied by Tom Cruise’s fellow former heartthrob and Interview with the Vampire co-star Brad Pitt, who plays an F1 veteran who comes out of retirement to train a young hotshot (Damson Idris). Will F1 make Maverick money without an ’80s predecessor to echo? Pitt’s star power and Kosinski’s talent for filming metal machines in breakneck motion just might be enough, especially with a pit crew that includes Claudio Miranda and Hans Zimmer. (In theaters June 27.)

Also premiering in June

➼ From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (in theaters June 6)
➼ How to Train Your Dragon (in theaters June 13)
➼ M3gan 2.0 (in theaters June 27)

July

Superman

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Superman movie that looks … fun? Marvel defector James Gunn launches his new DC movie universe with a Man of Steel (newcomer David Corenswet) clearly less scowly and brooding than the one Henry Cavill played. In fact, this reboot — featuring Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and a CGI super dog named Krypto — appears to be aiming for the brightly hopeful antithesis of the Snyderverse. The use of that familiar John Williams score in the marketing implies a welcome return to the rousing spirit of the Christopher Reeve Superman films. Even better news for those seeking the rebirth of a traditionally heroic Big Blue Boy Scout: Gunn has cited Grant Morrison’s effervescent All-Star Superman as his chief inspiration for the movie. (In theaters July 11.)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Will the fourth time be the charm for the Fantastic Four? It’s been a long, bumpy ride for Marvel’s first family, which is finally joining the MCU after three prior misbegotten cinematic iterations of the team. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach have bravely agreed to relaunch these badly adapted superheroes for yet another generation. But there may be hope! The retro-futuristic setting of WandaVision director Matt Shakman’s movie — teased by some appealingly ’60s-inspired marketing artwork — could bring a gee-whiz spiffiness to this increasingly drab movie universe. And if nothing else, First Steps will boast a memorable villain: planet-eating space god Galactus. (In theaters July 25.)

Also premiering in July

➼ Jurassic World Rebirth (in theaters July 2)
➼ The Smurfs Movie (in theaters July 18)
➼ I Know What You Did Last Summer (in theaters July 18)

August

The Naked Gun

Now here’s a reboot we can get behind! The daft spoofery of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker gets a 21st-century makeover, with Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., possibly the son of the inept detective Leslie Nielsen played in the short-lived Police Squad! and its three big-screen spinoffs. It’s ingenious casting on paper — a chance for Neeson to poke fun at his own action-hero second act, while maybe reviving Nielsen’s priceless deadpan shtick in the face of mounting lunacy. (Plus, the two have similar names, which is a pretty good joke itself.) Let’s hope the creative team — one third of the Lonely Island plus the creator of Family Guy — aims for classic joke-a-second ZAZ silliness rather than the limp reference humor of Scary Movie, Date Movie, et al. (In theaters August 1.)

The Battle of Baktan Cross

A new film by Paul Thomas Anderson is always an event, but there’s something extra intriguing about one priced at $140 million — by far the biggest budget the writer-director of The Master, Phantom Thread, and Boogie Nights has ever secured. Rumors have circulated that the movie is an adaptation of Vineland, by Thomas Pynchon, whose Inherent Vice Anderson previously wrestled into cinematic form. What we do know is that there will be Imax-ready action scenes, and that the cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, and the filmmaker’s Licorice Pizza star Alana Haim. Just don’t get too attached to that title (knowing Anderson, it could change several times on the way to theaters) or to that release date; there are whispers that Warner Bros. might push the film to 2026. (In theaters August 8.)

Nobody 2

With Better Call Saul in the books, fans will have to get their fix of Bob Odenkirk from the return of Hutch Mansell, the ostensibly dweeby but secretly badass suburban commando he played in Nobody. That 2021 gloss on the queasy Death Wish power fantasy was brutish fun, thanks to Odenkirk’s devious performance and the full-contact action scenes. There’s no reason to think the sequel won’t provide more of the same — and maybe even top the original’s guilty pleasure, given that it also marks the English-language debut of Timo Tjahjanto, the Indonesian director behind the astonishingly violent thriller The Night Comes For Us. (In theaters August 15.)

Also premiering in August

➼ The Bad Guys 2 (in theaters August 1)
➼ Beneath the Storm (in theaters August 1)
➼ Freakier Friday (in theaters August 8)
➼ Mercy (in theaters August 15)

September

The Conjuring: Last Rites

Something strange in the neighborhood. Who you gonna call? Ed and Lorraine Warren! Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as the married paranormal investigators in the fourth chapter of the dubiously “fact-based” horror franchise. The last installment, The Devil Made Me Do It, was a major step down from the first two, so here’s hoping returning director Michael Chaves does a better job, ahem, conjuring the peekaboo, bump-in-the-dark spookiness of James Wan’s original. Last Rites is said to be the final Conjuring — though if you buy that, you’d also probably fall for the debunked flimflam of the real Warrens. (In theaters September 5.)

The Bride

Frankenstein fans, rejoice: While creature-loving Guillermo del Toro toils away at a lavish Netflix adaptation of The Modern Prometheus, actress turned director Maggie Gyllenhaal has chased her Lost Daughter with a musical remake of Bride of Frankenstein starring Jessie Buckley as the title character and Christian Bale as the Monster. Penélope Cruz, Annette Bening, John Magaro, and Gyllenhaal’s husband, Peter Sarsgaard, and her little brother, Jake, round out the all-star cast of this reportedly $100-million experiment. Oh, and Jonny Greenwood is doing the music; that alone is enough to have us lining up outside the laboratory. (In theaters September 26.)

Also premiering in September

➼ Downton Abbey 3 (in theaters September 12)
➼ Him (in theaters September 19)
➼ Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie (in theaters September 26)

October

Roofman

It’s good to have Channing Tatum back. Following his cameo as a fictional master thief in Deadpool & Wolverine, the star tackles the meatier role of a real master thief: Jeffrey Allen Manchester, a former Army Reserves soldier who, in the mid-2000s, robbed a string of McDonald’s that he broke into from the roof. Not hooked by true crime? Roofman also marks the belated return of The Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance, who’s assembled a stacked cast — including Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Peter Dinklage, Ben Mendelsohn, and Juno Temple — for his first movie in nine long years. (In theaters October 3.)

Tron: Ares

Tron: Legacy was one of Hollywood’s more successful attempts to get modern audiences hooked on a cult object from the 1980s. So it’s surprising that it took another 15 years — or more than half the time that separates the original Tron from the 2010 Legacy — to arrange another trip to Disney’s neon digital cyberspace. Directed by Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), this belated third installment plugs Jeff Bridges back into the mainframe, while otherwise uploading a new ensemble that includes Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, and Jodie Turner-Smith. The bad news is that Daft Punk did not do the music this time. The good news is that Nine Inch Nails is filling in for them. (In theaters October 10.)

Good Fortune

Aziz Ansari bounces back from the collapse of his feature directorial debut, Being Mortal — which went into limbo after star Bill Murray was accused of sexual harassment on set — with a high-concept new comedy. Unproblematic fave Keanu Reeves stars as a guardian angel who loses his wings after his plan to magically prove that money can’t buy happiness spectacularly backfires. Ansari, who wrote and directed the movie, is the down-on-the-luck dude who discovers that all his problems are miraculously solved after he swaps lives with his wealthy employer, played by Seth Rogen. It sounds like Trading Places meets It’s a Wonderful Life — a promising recipe for laughs from the Master of None mastermind. (In theaters October 17.)

Also premiering in October

➼ Michael (in theaters October 3)
➼ Animal Friends (in theaters October 10)
➼ The Black Phone 2 (in theaters October 17)
➼ Mortal Kombat 2 (in theaters October 24)

November

Predator: Badlands

The last time writer-director Dan Trachtenberg dipped his toes into the Predator series, it was with a nifty prequel that jumped back to the 1700s and pitted the intergalactic, technologically advanced sportsman against a Comanche hunter. Now Trachtenberg is chasing Prey with an even more radical subversion of the franchise formula: a Predator movie that makes the Predator the protagonist! But how will audiences ever relate? Puny humans seeking a little representation can take solace in the casting of Elle Fanning in a dual role as Earthling sisters. (In theaters November 7.)

The Running Man

The same day the new Predator hits theaters, another fresh take on an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle from 1987 beckons. Technically speaking, this isn’t a remake of that Arnold actioner but a new adaptation of its source material, the Stephen King novel about a futuristic game show where the contestants fight for their lives. Hunk of the moment Glen Powell, from nostalgia blockbusters Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, lends his cowboy swagger in the same role the Austrian muscleman occupied. The real draw, though, is the man behind the camera: Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver director Edgar Wright, whose smash-zoom style could be the perfect fit for an action movie about America’s obsession with violent, competitive TV. (In theaters November 7.)

Bugonia

Emma Stone has a good thing going with Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek provocateur who’s coaxed some glorious derangement from her several times over now — including in Poor Things, for which the star deservedly won an Oscar. The pair’s latest collaboration is a remake of a South Korean comedy about a conspiracy theorist (Jesse Plemons, reuniting with the director and actress after last year’s Kinds of Kindness) who kidnaps a wealthy CEO (Stone) he’s convinced is actually a space invader. Come for the wild premise, stay for one of the most rewarding creative partnerships since Martin Scorsese keyed into the versatility of Robert De Niro. (In theaters November 7.)

Wicked: For Good

Jon M. Chu’s glittering sensation Wicked, a musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz, has connected with audiences and awards voters alike. Not since Avengers: Endgame has a concluding installment of a two-part blockbuster felt better set up for success: Even those with mixed feelings on this extended origin story may itch to know how misunderstood Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) completes her tragic villain arc. Pity, though, that the show is so top heavy in the song department; there’s no “Popular” waiting in the (monkey) wings of Chu’s impending finale. (In theaters November 21.)

Also premiering in November

➼ Now You See Me 3 (in theaters November 14)
➼ Zootopia 2 (in theaters November 26)

December

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Any Avatar release date must be regarded with some skepticism. But whereas it was once unclear if James Cameron would ever complete his return trip to Pandora, the arrival (and immediate, meteoric success) of 2022’s The Way of Water has made the improbable dream of a whole Avatar franchise into a reality. Shot back-to-back with that second installment, the forthcoming Fire and Ash will continue the saga of the Sully clan — and, knowing Cameron, probably advance the art of visual effects in ways we can’t even yet imagine. Did Big Jim finally crack the code to realistic-looking CGI fire? Wonders surely await. (In theaters December 19.)

Marty Supreme

No, it’s not a Scorsese biopic. The Marty in this case is a fictionalized version of table-tennis champ Marty Reisman, played by Timothée Chalamet in a quasi-biopic co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bernhard, and Tyler, the Creator. Budgeted at $70 million (a new record for an A24 production), the film finds writer-director Josh Safdie breaking out into a solo career and working without his brother, Benny. Can he bring that Uncut Gems mojo alone? We can’t wait to find out. (In theaters December 25.)

Also premiering in December

➼ Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (in theaters December 5)
➼ The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (in theaters December 19)
➼ The Anaconda (in theaters December 25)
➼ The Housemaid (in theaters December 25)
➼ Sarah’s Oil (in theaters December 25)

More (undated) 2025 films to get excited about

Frankenstein

Having spent most of his career shocking movie monsters to life, Guillermo del Toro finally gets around to adapting the granddaddy of mad-scientist stories: Mary Shelley’s gothic sci-fi milestone The Modern Prometheus. Oscar Isaac, who played a Frankenstein-like figure in Ex-Machina, is the doctor with the god complex. And as the monster, Jacob Elordi lends all six feet and five inches of his lurching frame to the plum role Boris Karloff immortalized back in the 1930s. We’ve seen many, many Frankensteins since (and will get another this year, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride), but it’s hard to think of a filmmaker better suited to this timeless story than the romantic freak who made The Shape of Water and Crimson Peak. (On Netflix in 2025.)

Also premiering next year

➼ After the Hunt (directed by Luca Guadagnino)
➼ Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
➼ Architecton (Victor Kossakovsky)
➼ The Ballad of a Small Player (Edward Berger)
➼ Bring Her Back (Danny and Michael Phillippou)
➼ Caught Stealing (Darren Aronofsky)
➼ Death of a Unicorn (Alex Scharfman)
➼ Die, My Love (Lynne Ramsay)
➼ The Drama (Kristoffer Borgli)
➼ Eddington (Ari Aster)
➼ Faces of Death (Daniel Goldhaber)
➼ Father, Mother, Sister, Brother (Jim Jarmusch)
➼ Friendship (Andrew DeYoung)
➼ Growth (Armando Iannucci)
➼ Happy Gilmore 2 (Kyle Newacheck)
➼ Highest 2 Lowest (Spike Lee)
➼ Hope (Na Hong-jin)
➼ Honey Don’t! (Ethan Coen)
➼ Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2 (Kevin Costner)
➼ I Love Boosters (Boots Riley)
➼ I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki)
➼ The Land of Nod (Kyle Edward Ball)
➼ Magic Farm (Amalia Ulman)
➼ The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol (Sylvain Chomet)
➼ The Mastermind (Kelly Reichardt)
➼ Materialists (Celine Song)
➼ Miroirs No. 3 (Christian Petzold)
➼ Mother Mary (David Lowery)
➼ No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook)
➼ The Old Guard 2 (Victoria Mahoney)
➼ Pavements (Alex Ross Perry)
➼ The Phoenician Scheme (Wes Anderson)
➼ Play Dirty (Shane Black)
➼ Resurrection (Bi Gan)
➼ Rip (Joe Carnahan)
➼ Splitsville (Michael Covino)
➼ Sacrifice (Romain Gavras)
➼ The Smashing Machine (Benny Safdie)
➼ Sontag (Kirsten Johnson)
➼ Untitled Noah Baumbach Picture (Noah Baumbach)
➼ Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson)
➼ Warfare (Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland)
➼ Young Mothers (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)