It's not to say 2024 was a bad year for Hollywood, but with the after effects of the pandemic still at play and the delays caused by the writers and actors' strikes apparent, Hollywood is looking for a rebound year.
A handful of films expected to be released last year have found new homes in the 2025 slate, such as the Robert Pattinson-led Mickey 17 (now April 18) and the John Wick spinoff Ballerina starring Ana de Armas (now June 6). But, more importantly, a fresh new set of films look to make us laugh, cry and grip the armrest. From Tom Cruise to Pamela Anderson to Barry Keoghan and everyone in between, we can't wait to see what the new year has in store.
Here are Exclaim!'s most anticipated films of 2025.
The Last Showgirl
Directed by Gia Coppola
Release Date: January 17
After the 2022 miniseries Pam & Tommy and subsequent documentary Pamela, a love story brought about a reappraisal of '90s star Pamela Anderson, her starring role in The Last Showgirl solidifies the Pamaissance. The story of a Vegas showgirl searching for purpose amidst the end of her long-running show, it's a role that was seemingly tailor-made for Anderson — and her performance, full of wide-eyed innocence and raw-nerved pathos, reinforces the impression that audiences didn't take her seriously enough back in her heyday.
Universal Language
Directed by Matthew Rankin
Release Date: January 24
Shortlisted by the Academy for Best International Film ahead of the 2025 ceremony, Matthew Rankin's Universal Language finally makes its Canadian theatrical debut after a successful film festival run, including winning Best Canadian Discovery at the Toronto International Film Festival. An absurdist dramedy set in a Winnipeg and Montreal not quite as we know them but not quite dissimilar either, the film weaves together disparate tales and fables into a story that fits and doesn't at the same time. It's a truly unique movie, and one of Canada's best in recent years.
Bring Them Down
Directed by Christopher Andrews
Release Date: February 7
A rather depressing story coloured by a dry Irish sensibility, Bring Them Down stars Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott as neighbours who escalate a relatively minor conflict into a tense thriller. Bring Them Down is unrelenting in its darkness, which makes for a compelling and gripping watch that seeks to bring us down with it. Not a film for the faint of heart or those looking to spend a couple hours feeling good about the world; but for those who find a connection, it will be just the reprieve the doctor asked for.
The Monkey
Directed by Osgood Perkins
Release Date: February 21
Following up the hyped success of last year's Longlegs, director Osgood Perkins returns with an adaptation of Stephen King's short story The Monkey. Telling the tale of a cursed wind-up monkey, whose clanging cymbals seem to signal death and calamity, Perkins's film stars Theo James as Hal, the childhood owner of the toy, as well as Tatiana Maslany and Elijah Wood. King's stories provide directors with an incredible amount of material to work with and given Perkins's pedigree and filmography, he looks to be the perfect filmmaker to bring the author's horrors to cinematic life.
Sinners
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Release Date: March 7
Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and Ludwig Göransson have created some special films together as director, actor and composer, respectively. Beginning with 2013's incredible Fruitvale Station, the three-piece returns in Coogler's first genre film outing with the horror movie Sinners. The film, also written by Coogler, follows twin brothers (Jordan) who return to their hometown and encounter a great evil. Details are sparse, but the two-minute teaser promises a bone-chilling outing.
The Woman in the Yard
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Release Date: March 28
Photo: Vicky Carras
Jaume Collet-Serra's horror offerings have been a mixed bag so far (House of Wax, Orphan, The Shallows), but we're willing to bet on Danielle Deadwyler delivering a spine-tingling performance that will prevail above anything. Having proven herself and then some in The Harder They Fall, Till and last year's The Piano Lesson and 40 Acres, Deadwyler's inclusion in The Woman in the Yard, a film about the sudden and mysterious appearance of a woman in black delivering a warning to a family, instantly brings the film to our attention.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Release Date: May 23
The Mission Impossible movies are the source of some of the most mind-blowing stunts ever captured on film, and 62-year-old star Tom Cruise seems intent on pushing the envelope further with every subsequent instalment in the long-running series. While other franchises struggle to recapture their original magic, Mission Impossible somehow keeps getting better, and the eighth film is guaranteed to deliver eye-popping stunts best seen on the biggest screen possible.
28 Years Later
Directed by Danny Boyle
Release Date: June 20
Zombies have had a huge couple of decades in the zeitgeist since 28 Days Later came out in 2002, in which time they've gone from fearsome brain-eaters to cutiepie background characters in quirky comedies and even romances. (We probably have Shaun of the Dead to thank/blame for that.) Look for 28 Years Later to reacquaint these monsters with their bleak, bloody origins. While original director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland skipped the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, both are back on board here.
Nobody 2
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto
Release Date: August 15
Photo: Allen Fraser / Universal Pictures
Bob Odenkirk as a badass action star came out of absolutely nowhere and we're forever grateful for Mr. Show's violent turn. Nobody 2 welcomes back writer Derek Kolstad (creator of the John Wick franchise) and most of the cast of the first film, including Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Christopher Lloyd and Michael Ironside. Sharon Stone and Colin Hanks join the franchise, and most excitingly, Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto takes over the directing duties. Little information has been shared about the sequel, but all we know is the film was shot in Winnipeg and Tjahjanto can direct a gruesome action movie, as per The Shadow Strays.
Michael
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Release Date: October 3
Photo: Kevin Mazur / Lionsgate
Another year, another music biopic. Starring the son of Jermaine Jackson, Jaafar Jackson, as the King of Pop in his adult years and co-produced by John Branca, Michael's former manager and current co-executor of the singer's estate, the cradle-to-grave movie about Michael Jackson's life and career, Michael, looks to be a film with the Jackson family's seal of approval. Although co-producer Graham King (who also produced Bohemian Rhapsody in accordance to the surviving members of Queen's wishes) has maintained that his intention is to tell an "unbiased" story, Michael will undoubtedly be one of the more divisive films of 2025 — and we're here for the drama, tee-hee!