These Are The Movies We’re Looking Forward To In 2025

The year is just beginning, but we already have an entertainment calendar chock full of exciting releases.

There are a bunch of highly anticipated sequels — including “Den of Thieves,” “Freakier Friday” and “Megan 2.0,” a handful of original comedies such as “One of Them Days,” and the box-office return of some of our fave directors including Bong Joon-ho (“Mickey 17”) and Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”).

HuffPost’s Culture team marks a handful of movie releases that we’re excited to see in 2025. Take a look.

Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. return in this “Den of Thieves” sequel that picks up sometime after the 2018 film. The action-heist continues with Los Angeles County Sheriff Nick (Butler) back on the hunt for Donnie (Jackson Jr.) after he escaped his clutches the first go-round. But this time, his investigation takes him overseas to Europe as Donnie plots a major robbery of the world’s largest diamond exchange. I actually got a chance to screen this film already, and it’s loaded with plenty of action and unexpected twists that make for an entertaining follow-up. — Njera

After surviving an animal attack in the woods, a father (Christopher Abbott) begins terrorizing his wife (Julia Garner) and child as he transforms into something feral. — Candice

Coming off of an extremely precarious year, we’re going to need all the laughs we can get in 2025, and Issa Rae is starting us off right with a buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA. Directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by “Rap Sh!t” showrunner Syreeta Singleton, “One Of Them Days” gives serious “Friday” vibes as two roommates are on the clock to come up with money for rent or face eviction. — Taryn

Ke Huy Quan plays a “has-been killer” who’s brought back into the assassin game when his past (in the form of a character played by Ariana DeBose) returns from oblivion. — Candice

Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler are uniting again for the much anticipated horror film, “Sinners.” The trailer is so haunting — a demon MBJ? — and I’ve never been so excited to be scared at the theaters. — Erin

Meghann Fahy plays a woman who returns to an apparently treacherous dating scene years after losing her partner — only to be harassed by a threatening caller who may or may not be her date. — Candice

Nearly five very long years ago, Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won Best Picture. His first film since then has been in the works for quite some time, and the release date keeps getting pushed. Hopefully that’s not an alarming sign for this potentially fascinating sci-fi thriller, which stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey, an “expendable” whose body keeps being regenerated into new versions called “multiples.” Also featuring Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo, “Mickey 17” could be one of the year’s first big blockbusters. — Marina

I love Ang Lee’s “The Wedding Banquet,” but released over 30 years ago, its premise of a queer man planning to marry his female friend to assuage his parents is a bit dated now. I’m intrigued to see how director Andrew Ahn reimagines the story, particularly after he and Joel Kim Booster put a modern and queer spin on Jane Austen in the delightful “Fire Island.” Ahn has assembled a great cast, including Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran, Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung, so I think we’re in good hands. — Marina

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes help rejuvenate writer-director Danny Boyle’s terrific apocalyptic saga. — Candice

AI is scary, and dolls are frightening, which makes M3gan a badder bitch than Chucky, if we’re being honest. There’s a reason (outside of her viral dance break) the original film attained such a cult following. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, the territorial doll is “crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious.” That’s everything you need for a successful slasher film about a murderous doll. And I have high hopes for its sequel. — Taryn

Brad Pitt and Damson Idris star in this Joseph Kosinski-directed sports drama about a racing legend who comes out of retirement to restore a struggling Formula 1 team — and mentor his hotshot teammate — back to glory. Pitt’s A-list rep will obviously draw audiences, but I’m more interested to see Idris return to film after his dynamic performance as drug kingpin Franklin Saint in FX’s “Snowfall.” — Njera

Look, we’re all tired of sequels and reboots that no one was asking for. But my nostalgic millennial soul is nevertheless looking forward to seeing Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reunite for this “Freaky Friday” sequel. Make good choices! — Marina

A legendary quarterback (Marlon Wayans) takes a rising young player (Tyriq Withers) under his wing to train at his isolated compound in this Jordan Peele-produced psychological horror flick. I’ve been waiting for this film ever since it was announced because Wayans is such a compelling dramatic actor — see his roles in “Bel-Air” and “Respect.” Decades after his turn in “Requiem For a Dream,” it’ll be interesting to see how the actor tackles another psychological feature. Withers is also one to watch following his breakout performance in Episode 9 of “Atlanta” Season 3 (“Rich Wigga Poor Wigga”). Other buzzy names part of the cast are Julia Fox, Tierra Whack and Guapdad 4000, the latter two of which will make their feature film debuts. — Njera

“Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua revisits the story of Michael Jackson with a cast that includes Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Miles Teller and Larenz Tate. — Candice

J. Alphonse Nicholson offers a stirring performance in the adaptation of Howard L. Craft’s stage play, “Freight: The Five Incarnations of Abel Green.” The one-man play, shot over a couple days at the Fountain Theater in Los Angeles, follows Nicholson as five versions of Abel Green throughout the 20th century. Nicholson is unflinching in his varied portrayals, proving once again that his talent cannot be denied. The film premiered at UrbanWorld Film Festival in November and doesn’t have a release date yet, but Hollywood bigwigs should be clamoring to get this extraordinary film in front of audiences. — Erin

Celine Song’s debut film “Past Lives” was my favorite film of 2023, so I’m excited to see what she cooks up next. Once again set in New York and being released by A24, “Materialists” stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, and involves a love triangle between a matchmaker, her ex and a wealthy businessman. That’s pretty much all we know so far, but that’s enough for me to be seated in the theater. — Marina

Anne Hathaway plays a fictional pop star in a relationship with an iconic fashion designer (Michaela Coel) in the upcoming pop music melodrama from David Lowery. “Euphoria” breakout Hunter Schafer reportedly stars as the assistant to Coel’s character, Hilda, alongside Kaia Gerber and Jessica Brown-Findlay. The ensemble cast sounds exciting enough, so hopefully, the film delivers, too. — Njera