10 Blockbuster Franchise Movies We’re Getting Excited For In 2025
Hollywood’s throwing everything at the wall in 2025, with franchise films set to dominate the box office from January through December.
The slate looks absolutely stacked with sequels and spinoffs that’ll have fans counting down the days until release. Anyone who lives for opening weekends and midnight premieres is about to have their wallet seriously emptied. From superheroes to dinosaurs, nostalgia plays to fresh takes, here’s the rundown on ten blockbuster franchise films hitting theaters this year.
Thunderbolts* (May 2)
Marvel flips the script with this anti-hero team-up that puts the morally questionable characters front and center. Florence Pugh returns as the deadpan assassin Yelena Belova (last seen in Black Widow), while Sebastian Stan brings more depth to Bucky Barnes following his evolution in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series. David Harbour’s Red Guardian brings his boisterous Soviet charm to the mix, with Wyatt Russell’s morally compromised John Walker/U.S. Agent adding even more tension to the volatile team dynamic. Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues her deliciously manipulative turn as Val, the puppet master assembling this crew of misfits. Director Jake Schreier promises a grittier, espionage-heavy take on the MCU that’ll stand apart from the typical superhero fare. Catch these complicated “heroes” in action May 2, 2025.
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (May 23)
Tom Cruise dangles from yet another impossible height for what’s billed as Ethan Hunt’s final adventure. The 62-year-old action star still performs stunts that would make insurance companies have collective heart attacks. Picking up directly after the jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left Hunt and his team scattered across Europe at the end of Dead Reckoning, this finale promises to resolve the high-stakes conflict over the rogue AI that threatened global security. Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Hayley Atwell round out the returning cast, while Esai Morales continues his villainous arc from the previous film. Director Christopher McQuarrie promises the most spectacular set pieces of the entire franchise. The fuse ignites on May 23, 2025.
Karate Kid: Legends (May 30)
The Miyagi-verse expands with this ambitious martial arts epic, bringing together three generations of karate kids, kicking into theaters May 30th. The franchise began with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita in the beloved ’80s trilogy, continued with Hilary Swank’s often-forgotten The Next Karate Kid in 1994, and was reimagined in 2010 with Jackie Chan mentoring Jaden Smith. The legacy continued with the hugely successful Cobra Kai series that brought back original rivals Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. This new film unites Macchio and Chan alongside Smith and Cobra Kai standouts William Zabka and Xolo Maridueña. Director Jonathan Entwistle skillfully weaves together multiple timelines while honoring the legacy of Mr. Miyagi.
Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2)
Those dinosaurs just won’t stay extinct in this fourth entry in the rebooted Jurassic franchise. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard step back from leading roles to make room for fresh faces, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jonathan Bailey, as paleontologists who discover a remote island where dinosaurs have secretly thrived for decades. Director J.A. Bayona returns to the franchise with promises of more practical effects and genuine terror. The park reopens on July 2, 2025.
Superman (July 11)
The Man of Steel soars back onto the big screen in this highly anticipated reboot helmed by Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker director James Gunn. Despite fan campaigns for Henry Cavill to return to the role he played across multiple DCEU films, the franchise is doing a total reset with David Corenswet as Clark Kent. With a 6’4″ presence that matches Christopher Reeve’s stature, his version of the superhero explores the journey to reconcile Kryptonian heritage with a human upbringing in Smallville, Kansas. Rachel Brosnahan steps into the role of Lois Lane, while Nicholas Hoult transforms into the billionaire villain Lex Luthor. The star-studded cast also includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific. As the first film in DC’s rebooted cinematic universe, this mix of action, humor, and heart hopes to redefine the hero’s story for a new generation.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25)
Marvel’s first family joins the MCU after multiple previous cinematic attempts, including the 2005 and 2007 films starring Jessica Alba and Chris Evans, and the forgettable 2015 reboot. This fresh take casts Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby as Reed Richards and Sue Storm, with Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. Director Matt Shakman sets the adventure in the 1960s space race, giving the film a distinct period feel that separates it from previous iterations. Ralph Ineson takes on the role of the planet-devouring Galactus, a villain teased but never properly realized in the 2007 Rise of the Silver Surfer. This cosmic adventure begins July 25th.
Freakier Friday (August 8)
The body-swap comedy gets another generation in this threequel to the Disney franchise. The original 1976 film starred Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris, while the beloved 2003 remake featured Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as the mother-daughter duo experiencing life in each other’s shoes. This latest installment brings Curtis and Lohan back, but this time there’s a three-way switch involving Lohan’s teenage daughter (played by McKenna Grace), adding a fresh twist to the familiar formula. Director Nisha Ganatra keeps the laughs coming while adding genuine heart to the family dynamics. The switcheroo happens August 8, 2025.
Tron: Ares (October 10)
The neon-lit digital world returns after a 15-year absence with this long-awaited third installment. Jared Leto stars as Ares, a sentient program that finds its way into the real world, with Greta Lee and Evan Peters as programmers racing to contain the digital threat. Original star Jeff Bridges makes a brief but meaningful appearance. Director Joachim Rønning delivers stunning visuals that push digital effects to new heights. The grid reactivates on October 10th.
Wicked: For Good (November 21)
The second half of the Broadway adaptation arrives on November 21st, just one year after the first installment. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return as Elphaba and Glinda in this continuation that covers the latter half of the beloved musical. Taking its title from one of the show’s most emotional duets, the film follows Elphaba’s transformation into the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West while Glinda rises to become the beloved Good Witch of Oz. Director Jon M. Chu builds on the spectacle of Part One while delving deeper into the political allegory at the story’s heart.
Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19)
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic continues with the fourth installment in his planned five-film saga. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña return to Pandora as a new threat emerges from the planet’s core, forcing the Na’vi to venture into previously unseen fire-based ecosystems. The film introduces wholly new motion-capture technology that Cameron spent three years developing. The visual spectacle unfolds on December 19th.