Most of 2025’s best action movies are yet to come, with a mix of franchise blockbusters and intriguing new concepts. As always, many of the year’s most H๏τly anticipated action movies will be coming out in the summer months, so 2025 still has time to become a bumper year for fans of the genre.
There’s a healthy variety in the biggest new action movies of 2025. While Ballerina and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning promise classic, straight-up action thrills, there are other movies with different genres mixed in. Superman, Jurᴀssic World Rebirth and The Naked Gun demonstrate the wide array of movies which are still to come this year.
8
Fountain Of Youth
May 23
Apple TV+’s new action adventure movie looks like it fits in the same category as Indiana Jones, The Mummy and Tomb Raider. John Krasinski and Natalie Portman star as two siblings on a perilous quest to discover the secret to everlasting life. Audiences can expect a healthy mix of action and intrigue, with a splash of the supernatural too. This genre has always been a big crowdpleaser, so AppleTV+ will be hoping for more of the same.
Apple TV+’s new action adventure movie looks like it fits in the same category as Indiana Jones, The Mummy and Tomb Raider.
Guy Ritchie’s best movies include crime comedies, blockbuster hits and spy thrillers. Although he has covered many different genres, Fountain of Youth looks like uncharted territory for the British director. Based on his other movies, it’s likely that the action scenes will be top-notch. Ritchie’s dialogue is another one of his great strengths as a filmmakers, so it will be interesting to see if Krasinski and Portman can key into his idiosyncratic style.
7
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
May 23
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the culmination of one of the best action franchises of all time, which automatically makes it one of the most exciting movies of the year. If this really is the end of the line for the Mission: Impossible franchise, then it looks as though it will go out with a bang after almost 30 years of huge stunts and exciting thrills.
Since Mission: Impossible – ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning ended on a cliffhanger in 2023, fans have been waiting for the conclusion to the saga. For the uninitiated, it’s the perfect time to catch up on the franchise. The trailer promises the return of a few key figures from the previous seven movies, but it’s likely that audiences will only need to have seen ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning in order to enjoy the ride.
6
Karate Kid: Legends
May 30
Karate Kid: Legends is supposed to tie together the two sides of the martial arts franchise, with Ralph Macchio from the original and Jackie Chan from the reboot finally teaming up to share the screen. Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han will be working together to mentor a young student, played by franchise newcomer Ben Wang. After the success of Cobra Kai, Legends could represent a new beginning for the franchise in theaters.
The Karate Kid came out over 40 years ago, but in some ways it’s stronger than ever. It has a rich history to draw from, but Cobra Kai has introduced it to a new generation of fans. Legends must strike the right balance between honoring the history of the franchise and creating something new and exciting. It seems likely that it will pay tribute to Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi, and the trailer also primises some exciting action.
5
Ballerina
June 6
The John Wick franchise finds itself at a crossroads. Although each chapter has become bigger, more financially successful and more intricate, the ending of 2023’s Chapter 4 leaves a lot of uncertainty about the future. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina appears to take place a few years earlier, so it will avoid the one major problem plaguing the future of the franchise.
Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as a young ᴀssᴀssin learning the ropes, with Keanu Reeves set to reprise his role as John Wick. Fans have speculated that Ballerina could be an attempt to let Reeves hand the franchise over to new faces, especially with Donnie Yen set to direct his own Caine spinoff. Ballerina should provide answers to some of the questions hanging over the franchise, and the trailer promises more hard-hitting fight scenes in the meantime.
4
Jurᴀssic World Rebirth
July 2
The Jurᴀssic World franchise has consistently been one of Hollywood’s most profitable properties in the last decade, but critical opinion has slipped with each new entry. After Jurᴀssic World: Dominion suffered a barrage of terrible reviews, Jurᴀssic World Rebirth is under some pressure to prove that it can offer more than pyrotechnics. As the name suggests, it’s a whole new era for the franchise.
Even with an all-new cast, it’s likely that Jurᴀssic World Rebirth will be another financial success. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali will lead the newest chapter. The trailer suggests that Rebirth will be pushing the Jurᴀssic World trilogy’s genetic experimentation storyline to new limits, with the presence of a mysterious mutant hybrid alongside some familiar dinosaurs.
3
Superman
July 11
There are still plenty of exciting superhero movies coming in 2025. While the MCU has Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, James Gunn’s Superman has the potential to be the year’s biggest superhero movie. It’s been a while since DC’s iconic hero got a movie that lives up to his reputation. Even Henry Cavill’s popular performances couldn’t entirely save a controversial era for the hero.
Superman is such a popular character that every new movie and TV show that features the hero is bound to come under intense scrutiny. David Corenswet is the latest actor to take on the role, and he’ll be hoping to please DC fans while making the role his own. He has the experienced guidance of James Gunn in the director’s chair, which is one reason why this Superman seems to be gathering more hype than some previous movies.
2
The Naked Gun
August 1
The Naked Gun is one of the most unexpected reboots of recent years, since Leslie Nielsen’s performance as Frank Drebin seemed to be untouchable. With Liam Neeson in the lead role, the reboot of The Naked Gun may have found a ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan comedic actor who can match Nielsen’s dry wit and hilarious mannerisms, even if Neeson hasn’t often gotten the chance to show off his funny side.
One thing that immediately separates The Naked Gun from the original is the fact that it’s being touted as an action comedy. There are a few action scenes in the original Naked Gun trilogy, but they’re primarily detective comedies. This genre shift could help avoid too many direct comparisons to Nielsen’s movies, while playing off Neeson’s reputation as an action hero. Until the movie’s August release, it remains to be seen just how action-heavy it really is.
1
The Running Man
November 7
A lot of 2025’s most exciting action movies are being released in summer, but The Running Man ensures that there’s something to look forward to long after blockbuster season. Edgar Wright’s first movie since Last Night in Soho is an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, which was previously brought to the big screen in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the starring role.
The Running Man ensures that there’s something to look forward to long after blockbuster season.
Wright’s version of The Running Man has cast Glen Powell in the lead role. Naturally, this suggests it will take a different approach, and Wright has confirmed that his adaptation will be more faithful to King’s novel. King himself has stated that the 1987 version doesn’t have much in common with his novel, so it will be interesting to see what changes Wright decides to make.
