The Academy Awards, or ‘Oscars’ are just a few short weeks away now, taking place on 3 March. The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) are happening even sooner on 16 February. These glittering award ceremonies celebrate the very best that the world of movies has produced over the past 12 months. However, movie-goers often enjoy looking forward as much as they do reflecting back, anticipating new releases for 2025 and looking forward to seeing brand-new upcoming movies in their favourite genres.
Here are some major film titles that are on their way, or are being newly released for 2025 that could well appear in an open air cinema event near you sometime soon. There is something for everyone in this exciting mix of genres and styles that encompasses romance, action-thriller, musical theatre, sci-fi and even zombie mayhem.
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
In time for Valentine’s Day, this much-anticipated sequel to the popular Bridget Jones series of films sees the hapless heroine discover love again – with a younger man who brings plenty of romance as well as laughs and complexities galore. It’s the ideal film for loved-up partners and groups of friends looking for a light romantic comedy this spring. Renée Zellweger and Leo Woodall star.
- Thunderbolts
In a change of mood, this latest blockbuster offering from the Marvel multiverse is due to be released in early May. The film sees a group of super-villains joining forces to take on a series of sketchy missions for the US government. The cast is as star-studded as a summer’s night sky, with Florence Pugh and David Harbour leading the way and several well-loved Marvel characters being brought back to the big screen.
- Mickey 17
Twilight’s Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes, a young and ‘expendable’ human employee who is sent on a mission to colonise a hostile ice planet. When he dies, a new body is generated with most of his memories still in place. This darkly comic science-fiction film comes from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho and looks set to be a thrilling adventure, scheduled to come out in mid-April.
- 28 Years Later
This is another long-awaited sequel to a cult classic film, this time the 2002 zombie flick, 28 Days Later. Set in a post-apocalyptic world of horror, the story is one of surviving against the odds and features Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Filmed entirely on adapted iPhones, this film from Danny Boyle pushes the boundaries of what modern smart technology is capable of achieving.
- F1
Scheduled to be released in late June, this ‘love letter to Formula 1’ and its leading-light drivers stars Brad Pitt as former driver Sonny Hayes, recovering after a serious crash that ended his Formula 1 racing career at its height. Years later, he is persuaded out of retirement to mentor and team with the best of the next driving generation. FI is a hugely promising sports action film that will be the perfect companion to a summer of adventure.
- Jurassic World: Rebirth
The Jurassic World franchise continues into summer 2025 with this new instalment starring Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali set five years after Jurassic World Dominion. An expedition to extract DNA from three huge prehistoric creatures for medical research inevitably goes wrong, with dramatic consequences and plenty of action.
- Michael
This musical biopic of one of the most mysterious, yet successful pop music icons of the age, Michael Jackson is set to drop in October. Starring Michael Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson (son of Jermaine), the film leads us from the early Jackson Five days, right through to the height of singer, dancer and songwriter, Michael Jackson’s Thriller fame and his untimely and controversial death in 2009.
- Wicked: For Good
Even though we still have Defying Gravity ringing in our ears from the first instalment of this stage-to screen blockbuster that gave us the origin stories of the witches of Oz, the second part of the story is hugely anticipated. Due to be released in November, the musical masterpiece will conclude the story of Elphaba and Glinda and tie up all the loose ends left by the first part – with plenty of glorious musical highlights along the way.