The 25 Best Movies of 2025 So Far (And 50 More We Can't Wait For)

Epic action. Huge stars. Very funny comedy. There's a lot to be excited about this year on the big screen.

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By Evan RomanoPublished: Jul 03, 2025 12:54 PM EDT

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HERE'S THE THING about movies: they are awesome. Broadly. The good ones are rewarding, yes, but the wild thing is that sometimes melting into a seat and watching a horrible one can be a great time all the same (seriously—watching Madame Web last year was an utter delight). Seeing a great epic on the first day it comes out is a treat, but finding a hidden gem (or even a major hit) that you missed years ago feels like finding buried treasure. Finding something you love that came out before you were even born feels like uncovering something you were always meant to see. There's a DNA and a soul to movies—good and bad—that often times feels like destiny. If you're lucky, sometimes you'll find a movie that makes it hard to remember a list of favorites that didn't include it.

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It's been a weird start to the 2020s on the big screen, though. Just when movies seemed to be getting back in a groove after the Covid-related shutdowns that began the decade, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes caused delayed that deceptively resulted in a lower film output in 2024. You may not have noticed, but while last year still had a ton of good and enjoyable movies, it also had less of them overall.

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That seems to be swinging back the other direction in a big way in 2025. I've been making lists of my most anticipated (and, eventually, favorite) movies of the year for the entire decade so far, and this is by far the longest list I've ever made; there are tons of great movies set to release this year, with everything from romantic comedy, terrifying horror, big-budget spectacle, and auteur-driven mastery expected to hit the screens this year. In short? It should be pretty great.

Chances are, you won't be able to see everything good that comes out this year. But guess what? That's OK. The movie you miss in 2025 could become your new favorite in 2028; that's just the way this works sometimes. For now, though, we're here to help you get an idea of all that is coming—and, again, it's a lot. So sit back, get a drink, get some popcorn, and read through for our list of the movies set for release in 2025 that we're most excited for. It's gonna be a fun year.

Den of Thieves 2

den of thieves 2Lionsgate

The cult-favorite action heist frenzy from 2018 is back for round 2, but in a totally different (but still super fun) story led by street dancehall freestyle returning players Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. You're going to have a lot of fun with this one.

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Presence

presence 2025NEON

Director Steven Soderbergh's resume has proven that he can do quite literally anything (he was behind Ocean's Eleven, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Magic Mike, and Che, just to name a few), and he really puts that to the test with his spooky and inventive new film Presence. How inventive, you might ask? Well, the entire film is shot from the perspective of a ghost haunting a family in their new home—and it is both expertly-made and thrilling. But the characters are great too; Chris Sullivan is particularly strong as the family's father, while Lucy Liu plays a vapid mother with expertise and Callina Liang is a revelation as the daughter whom the story essentially revolves around.

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Companion

companionWarner Bros.

Companion is a fun thrill ride of a movie that comes from producer Zach Cregger (Barbarian) and is built on the genre strength of stars Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets, Heretic) and Jack Quaid (The Boys, Scream (2022)). One tip? Go into this one as blind as possible—there are thrills throughout that you will not see coming. Just know that it's a fun, violent, wild ride.

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The Monkey

the monkeyNEON

The Monkey marks an absolute horror dream team: director Oz Perkins (who last year did Longlegs), producer James Wan (who has done about a million great things, including Insidious, Saw, and Malignant), and based on a story by Stephen King. The Monkey, which stars Theo James as a pair of troubled twins, is more of a dark horror comedy than Longlegs, but don't be mistaken: you can expect a lot of scares and a lot of violence to go along with quite a lot of laughs as well. One of the more visceral films of the year so far.