2025 Blockbusters Yet to Release

 Amazingly, and whisper it quietly, we are almost half way through 2025…! 

We’ve had some really good popcorn movies this year already: Thunderbolts*, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Sinners to name a few.  

But as the saying goes, “The best is yet to come”. 

With that in mind, let’s count down from 10 to 1, the upcoming blockbusters from July to December in my predicted order of how much they’ll make. 

Honourable Mentions: 

1. The Naked Gun (01 August)

2. Smurfs (18 July)

I didn’t expect to be including a list that featured ‘The Naked Gun’ and ‘Smurfs’ in the same sentence but there we go - the magic of the movies!

Firstly, ‘Smurfs’ perhaps isn’t such an outlandish idea as I had thought. The first movie back in July 2011 grossed $563.7m worldwide - #9th highest of the year and in fact it was the 3rd highest grossing movie of the from when it was released until the end of the year. Unfortunately, the two films that followed in 2013 and 2017 made only $544.6m combined which goes to show why this is the first film in 8 years. 

However, this is a venture with a new studio - Paramount - and has a director with experience having directed two films in the ‘Shrek’ franchise. The cast as well is pretty stacked with plenty of recognisable voices such as Rihanna (who also is a producer on the film) and James Corden (voice of Peter Rabbit)

The only reasons I don’t have this film cracking the Top 10 are timing and longevity. This film is literally the filling in a superhero sandwich and might struggle to breathe and hold its own. As well, how much are parents willing to spend on these blue guys when no doubt it will drop on Paramount+ pretty quickly after the holidays. 

Second honourable mention goes to ‘The Naked Gun’. The original trilogy released between 1988 and 1994 did very good numbers for a comedy with the three grossing a combined $477m. Obviously, this film will not have the late great Leslie Nielsen who sadly passed in 2010. 

This fourth film, a legacy sequel, stars Liam Neeson as Lt Frank Drebin Jr and released its teaser trailer to a very positive reception and viewed over 12 million times on just the Paramount Pictures YouTube channel which is over double the views for ‘Freakier Friday’ on the Disney YouTube channel. Whether YouTube views convert to $ is always the big talking point. I hope so for this film because it would be good to get more comedies out on the big screen. 

10. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (05 December) ($275m)

So, despite having the film on my Top 10 list, I have to say that this is one that I’m worried about not making it. The first film released in 2023 and grossed $297m against a $20m budget. This is a very popular IP and could easily blow up in terms of numbers and be apart of a craze like ‘A Minecraft Movie’ earlier this year (to a less extreme) or fizzle out having had its moment already. 

Critics were less enthusiastic about this with a score of 32% but this did contrast to the fans giving it 86% and an ‘A-‘ CinemaScore. Another example of a film for the fans. 

The issue there is though it will struggle to attract those new fans to the franchise. 

This brand already has a merchandise market and will no doubt enjoy this again for this film. 

Im going to say that this film will make marginally less than its predecessor but still enough to crack the Top 10 on this list. 

9. Now You See Me Now You Don’t (14 November) $300m

Ahh this film is a gamble alright. And boy do Lionsgate need a couple of wins. A movie franchise about a group of magicians pulling off incredible tricks. The first is still a personal favourite of mine and watched it again this year in preparation for the third one. 

This is the 3rd film in the franchise but the first in 9 years and the issue here is whether or not this is a franchise people want to return to. 

The first two films made good money making $351.7m and $334.9m respectively. Both films also scored a strong ‘A-‘ CinemaScore. 

The cleverly titled, yet rather long for the social media plugs, film will release in November in a good slot but will struggle for air when two more successful films on this list come out later in the month. 

Again, I’m going to say this film will make less money than the second but will do respectable numbers and be the first on this list to (just) clear $300m. 

8. Freakier Friday (08 August) $325m

Another legacy sequel. I have to admit, I have not seen the original but I have seen plenty like it namely ‘13 Again’. The original starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan was released in 2003 and grossed $160.8m but has since gone on to become a very popular Disney film and no doubt internally has done well on Disney+. I have to say I am incredibly impressed that Disney are giving this a full blown theatrical release and not a ‘Straight to Disney+’ strategy. 

The original received good reviews from both critics (88% Rotten Tomatoes) along with (another) A- CinemaScore. 

It does feel potentially bold to say that this film will clear $300m given what it originally made in 2003. However, I think the anticipation here is high and I’m going with $325m. 

7. Tron: Ares (10 October) $350m

The third film in the Tron franchise. The first, released in 1982, was a breakthrough with its visual style. The sequel released in 2010 - which had Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick; F1) making his full theatrical debut - opened to less than enthusiastic reviews and a less than stellar CinemaScore of B+. However, the film still went to gross almost $410m. 

These films have inspired Disney to make a very good addition to its theme parks with one ride opening in Shanghai in 2016 and then the Magic Kingdom in 2023 - only increasing its audience and brand appeal. 

Since the pandemic, films have either been incredibly hit or miss and with the struggles that Disney has been having with some of its brands of late - looking at you, MCU - this has the potential to continue this trend. 

Where I think Freakier Friday will over perform, I think this will under but still net $350m. 

6. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (25 July) $650m

Okay - this is my personal favourite on this list and the one that I have secured tickets for already. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly excited for others on this list. But I am shameless MCU fanboy and I have been waiting years for the MCU to give Marvel’s First Family justice on the big screen. 

The first two Fantastic Four films, directed by Tim Story and produced by Fox, in 2005 and 2007 did solid if unspectacular numbers and have since grown a bit of a cult following. 

A reboot came in 2015 and was firmly condemned as one of the worst comic book movies of all time. And we shall never talk about it again (until the rewatch as part of my big Marvel rewatch). 

Between 2016-2019, Marvel could almost turn anything into a hit and hit the $1b+ mark 6 times including 3 in one year (2019). But times have changed. 

Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Thunderbolts* (2025) both failed to turn a profit for the studio despite the latter being a certified success critically and with the fans. 

Pressure on the shoulders of this Fab Four? You bet. But. A ray of hope. Fandango last week confirmed that initial pre-sales were the strongest one day ticket sales of 2025 so far. 

Is this going to hit $1b? No. Will it break-even? Yes. And right now, that’s what Marvel need. Momentum before the final push of this saga. This is the third film crammed into the most incredible month of popcorn movies in recent memory. Will audiences have the money left? 

In Feige we trust. But still not good enough to crack the Top 5 here - $650m

5. Wicked: For Good (21 November) $715m

Wow. When this duo of movies was announced, I certainly thought it wouldn’t work. I love the stage musical but thought 2 x 2 hour movies just wouldn’t work on the big screen. Then the first film clocked in at 160mins and I again doubted it. 

However, it blew me away. The finale of Wicked: Part One is one for the ages and audiences agreed. The musical grossed $756m and it’s only part one. 

Now this a film I don’t know how to measure - the majority of the ‘popular’ (sorry!) songs have already been and gone. In fact most of the songs have already gone. So, they are making two new musical numbers. Amazing. 

I see this being a huge success and everyone at Universal needs to pat themselves on the back. If this film lights up the screen again, a new portal at Universal’s Epic Universe?

Easy $700m and could go as high as $850m. I’m playing safe and going $715m. 

4. Superman (11 July) $850m

Oh how do Warner Bros need this to take off. Whilst The Fantastic Four might feel the pressure for Marvel, Superman and director, writer and producer James Gunn have not just the pressure of the newly created DCU on their shoulders, they have the weight of Warner Bros too. So who do you get to shoulder that burden? Superman of course. 

Everyone knows the history of Superman and the legacy this character has had on movies. Everyone can hum along to John Williams iconic score. 

This is the second time that Superman has launched a DC universe. The first was back in 2013 with the Zack Snyder directed, Christopher Nolan produced film. I was a fan of the film and in particular Hans Zimmer’s score. 

Where would the DCEU have been if they had stuck with Snyder? We will never know. But I’m sure there will be plenty of angry individuals if this film makes less than $668m which was what ‘Man of Steel’ made and then ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ in 2016 made $873m. 

I think the enthusiasm will be here for this film. Not only does it have a director with a popular franchise - ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy’ trilogy, Superman being one of the most iconic characters around, but because Warner Bros will do everything they can to get you to see it bar paying for your ticket. 

How will the DCU go after here? Anyone’s guess. But if it’s one thing the MCU is showing lately - the bigger they are, audiences will come. 

This is the filling to a Fantastic Jurassic sandwich and we are eating good. 

$850m feels too low and at the same time too high. So may be just right. 

3. Jurassic World Rebirth (02 July) $900m

What is it about dinosaurs? This franchise delivers financial hit after hit for Universal. The original is of course still the best, but the new trilogy (2015-2022) delivered 3 x $1bn releases. Now, we can debate the quality of Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Dominion (2022) until the end of time but Universal sees money. And a lot of it. 

Whilst many hoped the franchise would rest for a while and come back in the future, Universal have resurrected it again and fast. 

The trailers look amazing. The cast looks great. The director (Gareth Edwards) and team look like they are really taking this one back to its horror roots - great. Written by the original writer of Jurassic Park (1993), David Koepp, this has a winner all over it. 

Will audiences want to return? You bet. I’ll be there for one. 

The reason this one doesn’t quite hit the $1b for me is the same as above - this is a July for the ages. Sceptical members of the public waiting for word of mouth will have Superman and The Fantastic Four on the horizon. 

Watch me be hilariously wrong as it sales clear of the $1b mark. 

2. Zootopia 2 (26 November) $1.2bn

A huge breakout animated hit for Disney in 2016 and it’s taken a surprisingly long time for us to revisit this amazing world. Grossing over $1bn and to rave reviews, this film has sequel success written all over it. 

Coming out in the lucrative November time slot, Disney certainly expect this film to go big again. 

The first teaser trailer released for this recently and safe to say it didn’t exactly reveal much. If anything. In all honesty, it confused me with what they were trying to achieve. However. My kids found it funny. And that’s good enough for Disney to convince me to spend money on a trip to the cinema. 

I expect this to have the Frozen II, Moana 2, Inside Out 2 success and gross more than its predecessor. Easy $1bn. I’m going $1.2bn. 

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash (19 December) $2bn

Almost feels cheating to have this here. The only film on this list to have two films before it grossing over $2bn. And one of those was post pandemic in an era of Disney+. 

James Cameron must have the answer sheet to box office success - Titanic, Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water have all grossed huge and in fact two of those have been the highest grossing movie of all time. Technically, Avatar (2009) is the highest grossing currently through its rerelease knocking Endgame (2019) off its perch. Not bitter at all…! But a film with such creativity and talent deserved it. 

Do I think this new film will hit $2bn again? Surely not. But then again. Why not? It got good reviews and was liked by audiences too. This film franchise also cleans up overseas. 

This could be a film franchise where each film hits $2bn + and if that’s the case could the finale reach $3bn? Maybe. But that’s a question for 2031 not 2025! 

I’m going to give this the resounding commentator curse by saying that Fire and Ash can make $2bn.