The summer movie season has come and gone, in a particularly underwhelming fashion, with the worst summer box office since 1981, when adjusted for inflation. While summer is typically the time when the biggest blockbusters are unveiled, there are plently of huge movies still left for the final months of 2025.
In fact, The Cinelytic Group is even predicting a 3% jump in the fourth quarter of 2025 from the same period of last year, fostering some optimism for the rest of this year and beyond at the box office. However, not all the biggest movies will be exclusively in theaters, with one sequel getting a limited theatrical release before streaming.
Now that it’s time to put away the swim trunks and break out the sweaters, it’s worth exploring some of the best offerings that are still yet to come as the year 2025 comes to a close, with hopes that the box office may recover soon.
10
Tron: Ares (October 10)
Fans will get to head back to the “grid” next weekend with the highly-anticipated Tron: Ares, which could be the start of a big fourth quarter for Hollywood. Not only are fans excited to see this high-tech world continue on the big screen, but many are equally as excited for the soundtrack, arranged by the iconic group Nine Inch Nails.
Many are already intrigued by the sheer presence of Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn, who was thought to have sacrificed himself in 2010’s Tron: Legacy, though he’s been featured prominently in the trailers. Director Joachim Ronning also confirmed that they will be eturning to the retro grid from the original Tron, which could explain Flynn’s presence.
It’s currently tracking on par with Tron: Legacy, though it could very well surpᴀss it if the buzz begins to grow.
9
Predator: Badlands (November 7)
The beloved Predator franchise was given a big boost with the release of 2022’s Prey, which expanded the lore and took the story back to 1719, while also introducing audiences to a star in the making: Amber Midthunder. Prey director Dan Trachtenberg returns with a new stand-alone story set in the future, with a prequel tie-in comic book also in the works.
The story centers on Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a Predator who was cast out of his tribe for his comparatively-diminutive stature. He teams up with Thia (Dakota Fanning), a synth from the Weyland-Yutani corporation, as they go on a journey together. Since Prey debuted on Hulu, fans will finally get a chance to revisit this franchise on the big screen with Badlands.
8
The Running Man (November 14)
There’s no doubt about it: Glenn Powell is the next big movie star, and his stock will likely rise a lot more when The Running Man hits theaters next month. He’s even solidified his stature even more by entering talks to star in a Miami Vice reboot alongside Michael B. Jordan.
Before he revives that franchise, he’ll attempt to update Stephen King’s iconic 1982 novel for a new social media generation, playing Ben Richards, a downtrodden father who’s given a sH๏τ to secure his future by starring on the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly TV series. All he has to do is stay alive for 30 days, with the entire nation hunting him down.
7
Wicked: For Good (November 21)
If last year’s Wicked was any indication, Wicked: For Good may very well be one of 2025’s biggest movies. The 2024 film — adapted from the first act of the two-act Broadway musical — took in $473.2 million domestic and $756.4 million worldwide from a reported budget of $145 million.
Now the second half of this adaptation will wrap up the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), and with a late November pre-Thanksgiving release date, this Wizard of Oz prequel will be a force to be reckoned with at the box office this holiday season.
6
Zootopia 2 (November 26)
Disney’s billion-dollar animated film returns after nearly a decade’s absence, bringing back Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) with Zootopia 2. The original Zootpia‘s success was impressive given it was an original property with a spring release, but it still took in $341.2 million domestic and $1.025 billion worldwide.
The sequel follows Nick and Judy, who have joined the Zootopia Police Department since the original movie, as they investigate the mysterious appearance of a pit viper named Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), since reptiles aren’t allowed in Zootopia. Much like the original, the sequel looks to explore many adult themes while packaged in a fun animated movie.
5
Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man: A Knives Out Mystery (November 26)
While it won’t get a wide theatrical release, Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man: A Knives Out Mystery is still easily one of the biggest movies of the year for the rest of 2025. The third installment in director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise, Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man brings back Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc, which earned strong reviews at TIFF.
This mystery centers on the death in the midst of a church congregation shepherded by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), as Blanc delves deep into the secrets simmering beneath the surface. The murder-mystery will get a limited theatrical release on November 26, before arriving on Netflix December 12, giving fans a chance to see it on the big screen.
4
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (December 5)
2023’s Five Night’s at Freddy’s was one of the year’s most profitable films, taking in $137.2 million domestic and $291.4 million worldwide, from just a $20 million production budget. The film was based on the popular video game series that debuted in 2014, and given the immense success, a sequel was imminent.
Josh Hutcherson returns as Mike Schmidt, a former security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, alongside Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa Shelly and Matthew Lillard as William Afton. With fairly little compeтιтion in an early December weekend, FNAF 2 could put together a strong, brief run before the real big hitters debut in theaters.
3
The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants (December 19)
This could sneak into the conversation for one of the biggest box office movies of the year. The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants is the fourth Spongebob movie, with the last to get a full theatrical release being 2015’s The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, which earned $325.1 million worldwide from a $74 million budget.
2020’s The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On the Run was cut down by the COVID pandemic, but a new kid-friendly movie hitting theaters in a family-friendly holiday season could reap big dividends at the box office, counter-programming against a new Avatar film. Plus, there is also the bonus of Mark Hamill as the villain as well.
2
The Housemaid (December 19)
Sydney Sweeney is quickly becoming one of the most bankable female stars at the box office, a status that will get a big test with The Housemaid, adapted from the immensely popular 2022 novel of the same name by Freida McFadden. The book spent 60 weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list, so it could very well drive the book’s fans, along with Sweeney’s fans, to theaters.
This buzzy thriller follows a young woman (Sweeney) with a troubled past that takes a job as a housemaid for a wealthy family (Amanda Seyfriend, Brandon Sklenar). The film could ignite a perfect storm of Sweeney’s fandom, plus the book’s mᴀssive following to make The Housemaid a surprise hit, even going up against some serious compeтιтion.
1
Avatar: Fire & Ash (December 19)
Avatar: Fire & Ash will quite simply be the biggest film of the year, even if it does fall off from 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($685.1 million domestic, $2.3 billion worldwide). Box office forecasters Cinelytic projected Avatar: Fire & Ash to take home north of $600 million domestic during its box office run, which certainly seems feasible.
While The Way of Water proved that the global success of Avatar was no fluke, Fire & Ash looks to expand the world of Pandora even more in what could be director James Cameron’s unprecedented third film to cross $2 billion globally.
