Though it may be hard to believe, the end of 2025 is nearly upon us. There’s roughly two-and-a-half months to go, but that doesn’t mean things are slowing down movie-wise. With the summer blockbusters well behind us and the fall festival circuit winding down, all that’s left is one of the most exciting — and unpredictable — seasons: the holidays.
The end-of-year period is usually filled with awards players and major tentpoles alike, with the Thanksgiving and Christmas corridors becoming especially profitable for all kinds of тιтles. Coming off 2024’s truly historical Thanksgiving (we’ll come back to that later), this year looks to be just as huge, though there are more than a few question marks scattered among the surefire hits.
With so much up in the air over the next couple of months, now is the perfect time to look ahead and ᴀssess how 2025’s last movies will shake out. One thing is already certain: it’ll be a fascinating holiday season.
Will Halloween Have A Horror Winner?
Nothing makes more sense than combining horror and Halloween. The genre and the holiday are perfectly paired, and studios have often taken advantage of this by releasing their biggest horror movies right around Halloween. Case in point: all three of Universal’s Halloween legacy sequels were released in the weeks before their eponymous holiday.
This year, however, October is looking pretty light on horror releases. 2025 has been a banner year for the genre, producing major hits like Sinners, Weapons, and Final Destination Bloodlines. This month, the biggest horror release is Blumhouse’s Black Phone 2, which hits theaters this week on October 17.
The Scott Derrickson-directed movie is poised to do well, thanks to the positive reception of the first movie and the good early reviews for the sequel, but it remains to be seen if it’ll have the staying power to win the Halloween box office. The following week will see the release of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which stands a good chance of pulling adult audiences away from The Grabber.
One smaller horror release, Shelby Oaks, could also drum up some interest when Halloween sets in, but it seems more likely now that Springsteen will come out victorious in its second weekend. There will also be compeтιтion from the 40th anniversary re-release of Back to the Future. Black Phone 2 should still put up a fight, though, especially if word-of-mouth is good.
How Predator Fare In Its Return To Theaters?
The Predator franchise has surged in popularity in recent years thanks to well-received spinofffs Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers. However, both тιтles were notably released directly to streaming, allowing them to reach dedicated fans directly and build up buzz from there. The last Predator film to release in theaters was 2018’s Shane Black-directed effort.
This puts Predator: Badlands in a fascinating position. Hitting theaters on November 7, it’s coming on the heels of two of the best-reviewed installments the franchise has ever seen — Prey and Killer of Killers hold the two franchise-best Rotten Tomatoes scores at 94% and 95%, respectively — but its theatrical predecessor only earned $159.5 million worldwide on an $88 million budget.
Right now, the Predator franchise has a lot of goodwill, and it’s clear Disney and director Dan Trachtenberg have big plans for future installments. Plus, the new film has major connections to the Alien series, so its performance could dictate the future of that universe as well. Badlands is the franchise’s biggest test yet.
Now You See Me 3 Vs The Running Man: Who Will Win?
November 14 will see two mid-level — but still promising — movies go head-to-head: The Running Man and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. On the surface, they don’t have much in common beyond both having exciting action sequences and stories injected with some social commentary, but they will still pose a threat to each other.
Directed by Edgar Wright, The Running Man is the second adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name, while Now You Don’t is the third installment in the illusory heist franchise. Both have their pre-established fanbases, but they’re not quite huge marquee properties. They’ll be targeting similar demographics when they hit the big screen.
Of the two, The Running Man has the edge. King, who just praised the movie on social media, is a reliable enтιтy, and Wright is a must-watch director for many. Plus, it’s tracking for a strong $40-$50 million opening and arguably feels fresher than the third movie in a franchise that last produced a film in 2016. At the same time, there’s a reason Now You See Me has stuck around for so long, so it can’t be counted out yet.
Can Wicked: For Good And Zootopia 2 Recreate 2024’s Huge Thanksgiving?
Last year, the witches of Oz and a Disney animated sequel joined forces to deliver the biggest Thanksgiving box office in history. Wicked, Moana 2, and Gladiator II helped drive the holiday to a whopping $420 million gross across the 5-day holiday frame. Even outside of the record-breaking gross, it reignited the Thanksgiving moviegoing period after a few weaker years amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year will see a similar team-up, minus the gladiators of Rome. Wicked: For Good releases on November 21, and less than a week later, Zootopia 2 joins the fray on November 26. Though it’s unlikely the two movies will fuel another history-making total, the combination of Wicked and a Disney sequel — especially one to a $1 billion-grossing movie — will set off fireworks.
There is a precedent for older-skewing movies and family-friendly тιтles boosting each other over the Thanksgiving holiday. One of the strongest years was 2013, an occasion that saw both Frozen and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire find huge success with $93.6 million and $110 million each, respectively.
2018 also scored wins across the board for Ralph Breaks the Internet ($84.8 million), Creed 2 ($56 million), and The Grinch ($42.1 million). In other words, if you’re thinking of heading to the movies with your family this Thanksgiving, buy your tickets early.
Will It Matter That There’s A Knives Out Movie In Theaters Around Thanksgiving?
In 2019, Rian Johnson’s star-studded whodunit Knives Out became a breakout sensation, riding critical acclaim and positive word-of-mouth to $312.9 million on a $40 million budget. Since then, though, we haven’t gotten to see the franchise’s true box office might because its sequels were snapped up by Netflix.
Like 2022’s Glᴀss Onion, the third movie in the Benoit Blanc saga, Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man, will get a limited theatrical run on November 26 before heading to Netflix on December 12. Much has been said online about the streamer’s refusal to put major movies in theaters, and Knives Out has often been critics’ strongest point.
Reportedly, Glᴀss Onion earned $15 million in theaters, though Netflix doesn’t share exact numbers. Now that another Knives Out movie is headed to the big screen, we’ll see if it makes any kind of impact at the box office, particularly with its streaming debut mere weeks away. Glᴀss Onion had a larger gap — one month — so Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man might not see as much activity.
Can Five Nights At Freddy’s Remain A Runaway Hit?
Five Nights at Freddy’s is one of the most popular video game franchises of today, and its 2023 movie adaptation surpᴀssed all expectations when it earned an impressive $297 million worldwide on a slim $20 million budget. Blumhouse fast-tracking a sequel surprised nobody, and it certainly looks like the new movie will be a hit as well.
There are several different factors that can impact Five Nights at Freddy’s 2‘s performance. On the positive end, the film will be released exclusively in theaters, whereas its predecessor had a day-and-date release on Peacock. If Five Nights at Freddy’s could get to nearly $300 million while also being available at home, it’s very likely its sequel could go higher when only playing in theaters.
However, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is also moving out of the horror-friendly month of October into December, dropping that first weekend. Shifting away from the Halloween corridor could hurt its appeal for general audiences. Additionally, the first movie earned some flack from game fans for not being quite as scary. The sequel runs the risk of doing the same, since it only sports a PG-13 rating.
Who Will Win The Avatar Counter-Programming War?
If the end of 2025 has anything resembling a guaranteed hit, it’s James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire & Ash. That’s why the biggest question isn’t whether it will be successful — it’s what will fare the best against it? There are a few options for counter-programming.
One week before, on December 12, is James L. Brooks’ political dramedy Ella McCay. Then, on December 19, the animated adventure The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants and the thriller The Housemaid debut alongside Fire & Ash. These тιтles could easily get squashed by the might of Cameron’s Pandora, but they might also flourish thanks to those looking for something different.
Families with younger kids could flock to SpongeBob, while The Housemaid has the advantage of being based on a best-selling book by hit mystery writer Freida McFadden. Those two stand the best chance of making an impact.
Can Marty Supreme Avoid The Smashing Machine’s Fate?
Scheduled for release on Christmas Day, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme is already courting significant awards attention following its surprise premiere at the New York Film Festival. Many are calling it the best performance of Timothée Chalamet’s career, and its perfect holiday release primes it for a strong run among adults looking to catch the buzzy Oscar movies.
At the same time, Marty Supreme faces some hefty financial expectations thanks to its $70 million budget, which makes it A24’s most expensive movie ever. Another A24 film with a larger budget starring an A-lister as a sports star and directed by a Safdie brother, Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, just stumbled mᴀssively at the box office with a weak $6 million opening.
If Marty Supreme has better word-of-mouth, it could avoid a similar fate. Still, if it wants to be profitable, it needs to really win over adult audiences. Time will tell if it has the true mainstream appeal to breakout in the Christmas rush.
Does Anaconda Have Enough Awareness To Make An Impact?
Also slated for release on Christmas Day is Tom Gormican’s Anaconda reboot. Starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, it follows two friends who head to the Amazon to remake the movie Anaconda, only to then be hunted by the very same creature. On paper, it sounds like a pretty funny set-up fronted by two beloved comedic actors.
The problem, however, is that Anaconda doesn’t seem to have much awareness going into the final months of the year. The first trailer was released weeks ago and barely made an impact among viewers. Updates have been scattered.
When going up against major тιтles like Avatar: Fire & Ash, Marty Supreme, and The Housemaid, there’s every chance Anaconda will pᴀss under most moviegoers’ radar, destined to become an at-home hit rather than a big screen player.
