2025 was a year that asked big questions of cinema. Did original stories like Sinners prove they could still dominate the box office? Could James Gunn’s Superman save a franchise? Would Hamnet require a full box of tissues? And what, exactly, is a KPop Demon Hunter?
The answers are in the movies themselves. We’ve curated this list not for the snobby critic, but for the passionate moviegoer—the one who loves a thoughtful drama as much as a big-budget spectacle. So, whether you missed them in theaters or are ready for a rewatch, here are the top 25 films of 2025, where to stream them, and how to start your 2026 off right.
25. Eternity
Genre: Romantic Comedy – Supernatural – Fantasy
Stream on: HBO Max (March/April 2026)
About It: A breathtakingly original premise fuels this tearjerker. In a whimsical afterlife where souls get one week to choose their eternal destination, Joan is torn between the husband she built a life with and the first love who died young and has waited decades for her. It’s a profound, heart-wrenching exploration of love, loss, and the roads not taken.
24. Roofman
Genre: Crime – Dark Romance – Biography
Stream on: Paramount+
About It: Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, this tense thriller follows a charismatic criminal on the run who hides in the crawlspace of a toy store. Adopting a new identity, he begins a dangerous, magnetic romance with an employee. It’s a gritty, pulse-pounding game of cat-and-mouse where love might be the biggest risk of all.
23. Wicked: For Good
Genre: Fairy Tale – Musical – Family – Fantasy
Stream on: Peacock (Early 2026)
About It: The dazzling conclusion to the two-part adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon. This film completes Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, deepening their legendary friendship against a backdrop of political turmoil and destiny in Oz. The visuals are even more spectacular, the songs more powerful, and the emotional payoff is utterly satisfying.
22. Superman
Genre: Action – Adventure – Sci-fi – Superhero
Stream on: HBO Max
About It: James Gunn’s reboot is a triumphant return to form for the Man of Steel. Stripping away cynicism, it presents a Clark Kent who is genuinely kind, a Superman who embodies hope, and a Metropolis that needs both. It’s a bright, thrilling, and heartfelt adventure that proves superhero stories can still feel new.
21. Elio
Genre: Animation – Adventure – Sci-fi – Family
Stream on: Disney+
About It: Pixar’s latest is a cosmic joyride. When space-obsessed Elio is mistakenly identified as Earth’s planetary ambassador, he’s whisked across the galaxy. It’s a stunning, funny, and deeply moving coming-of-age story about finding your place in a vast, weird, and wonderful universe.
20. Avatar: Fire and Ash
Genre: Action – Sci-fi – Fantasy
Stream on: Disney+ (April/May 2026)
About It: James Cameron pushes the technical boundaries yet again in this third chapter. The Sully family saga deepens as they encounter the volcanic Ash People, led by the formidable Varang. This installment introduces compelling moral grays, asking if the Na’vi are always the “good guys,” all while delivering unimaginable visual spectacle.
19. Bugonia
Genre: Dark Comedy – Crime – Sci-fi
Stream on: Peacock
About It: A darkly hilarious and razor-sharp satire of internet culture and paranoia. Two basement-dwelling conspiracy theorists kidnap a tech CEO, convinced she’s an alien. The genius lies in its balance of cringe comedy, genuine tension, and a surprising thread of empathy for its deeply flawed characters.
18. Predator: Badlands
Genre: Sci-fi – Action – Adventure
Stream on: Disney+ (February 2026)
About It: This bold spin on the franchise takes a page from The Mandalorian, following a young, outcast Predator on a rite-of-passage journey across the American frontier. The dynamic with his unlikely human ally—a grizzled trapper—brings unexpected heart and a fresh perspective to the iconic hunter mythology.
17. Ballerina
Genre: Action – Thriller – Martial Arts
Stream on: STARZ
About It: Set in the John Wick universe, this is a revenge thriller executed with balletic grace and brutal precision. The action sequences are inventive, savage, and beautifully shot, offering exactly what fans crave while telling a compelling, standalone story of grief and vengeance.
16. Weapons
Genre: Body Horror – Dark Comedy – Drama
Stream on: HBO Max
About It: The year’s most disturbing and talked-about horror film. When nearly an entire class of children vanishes simultaneously from their homes, a town unravels. Director Zach Cregger crafts an atmosphere of pervasive dread that builds to a truly shocking, visceral finale you won’t be able to unsee.
15. The Bad Guys 2
Genre: Animation – Adventure – Action – Heist
Stream on: Peacock
About It: This sequel doubles down on everything that made the first film a hit: slick animation, hilarious banter, and thrilling caper sequences. Watching Mr. Wolf and his crew struggle with being “good” while being forced into “one last job” by a crew of formidable female criminals is a delight.
14. How to Train Your Dragon
Genre: Fantasy – Adventure – Comedy – Drama
Stream on: Peacock
About It: A stunning live-action adaptation that justifies its own existence. It captures the sweeping scale of Berk and the emotional core of Hiccup and Toothless’s bond. While it follows the original’s story, the tangible reality of the dragons and Viking life offers a new, awe-inspiring experience.
13. Ne Zha 2
Genre: Animation – Action – Epic – Fantasy
Stream on: HBO Max
About It: The follow-up to China’s animated blockbuster is a visual masterpiece turned the biggest global box office sensation of 2025. Using the mystical seven-colored lotus to rebuild their bodies, Nezha and Aobing embark on a fate-altering adventure. The animation is breathtaking, blending mythological grandeur with kinetic, superhero-level action.
12. Rental Family
Genre: Coming-of-age – Comedy – Drama – Tragedy
Stream on: Hulu (Expected February 2026)
About It: A beautiful, understated gem. An adrift American actor in Tokyo finds purpose playing fabricated roles—a son, a brother, a husband—for a rental family service. It’s a poignant meditation on performance, loneliness, and the authentic human connections we build in the most inauthentic of ways.
11. Frankenstein
Genre: Monster Horror – Supernatural Horror – Psychological Drama
Stream on: Netflix
About It: Guillermo del Toro’s passion project is a gothic tragedy of breathtaking scope. It fully embraces the novel’s themes of godlike ambition, parental abandonment, and societal rejection. The Creature is a marvel of practical effects and profound pathos, resulting in a horror film that is as emotionally devastating as it is frightening.
10. It Was Just an Accident
Genre: Dark Comedy – Drama – Crime
Stream on: VOD only (Prime Video, Apple TV+)
About It: A tightly wound Coen Brothers-esque thriller about a cover-up that spirals absurdly out of control. The dialogue crackles, the tension mounts with every bad decision, and the ensemble cast is pitch-perfect. It’s a masterclass in sustained, comedic anxiety.
9. Train Dreams
Genre: Period Drama
Stream on: Netflix
About It: A quiet, lyrical masterpiece. This adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella is a profoundly moving portrait of an ordinary life—that of a railroad worker in the early 20th century American West—lived with extraordinary depth. It’s a film about loss, solitude, and the quiet beauty of a disappearing world.
8. Marty Supreme
Genre: Action – Drama – Epic – Sport
Stream on: HBO Max (Expected April/May 2026)
About It: This isn’t just a sports movie; it’s a mythological odyssey about obsession. Charting Marty Mauser’s brutal, almost suicidal quest for racing glory, the film is shot with a hyper-stylized, visceral intensity. It’s exhausting, exhilarating, and unforgettable.
7. F1: The Movie
Genre: Action – Motorsport – Drama
Stream on: Apple TV+
About It: You’ve never felt the speed and danger of Formula 1 like this. Using revolutionary camera technology, you are in the cockpit. While the story of a veteran driver mentoring a rookie is solid, the real star is the sheer, immersive spectacle of the racing itself. Yes, that really is Brad Pitt driving.
6. Hamnet
Genre: Period Drama – Biography – Tragedy
Stream on: Peacock (Late Jan/Early Feb 2026)
About It: Bring the tissues—all of them. This adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel focuses on Agnes (Anne) Hathaway in the aftermath of losing her son. It’s a devastating, deeply felt exploration of parental grief, anchored by a career-defining performance. The connection to William Shakespeare is almost secondary to the raw human emotion.
5. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Genre: Whodunit – Mystery – Drama – Dark Comedy
Stream on: Netflix
About It: Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc return with their sharpest, most sinister mystery yet. Set in a secluded church with a wicked past, the locked-room puzzle is fiendishly clever, but the film’s true brilliance lies in its scathing, hilarious commentary on faith, hypocrisy, and community.
4. Sentimental Value
Genre: Drama – Family Drama
Stream on: VOD only (Apple TV+, Prime Video)
About It: A quiet powerhouse. This film explores how a family navigates the complicated legacy of their late father, a renowned artist. Through the process of preparing his final exhibition, old wounds are reopened and fragile bonds are tested. It’s an acting showcase that feels profoundly real and resonant.
3. Sinners
Genre: Supernatural Horror – Folk Horror – Period Drama
Stream on: Prime Video & HBO Max
About It: The horror hit of the year. This tale of twin brothers returning to a hometown steeped in pagan evil is relentlessly atmospheric and terrifying. It proves that original, adult-oriented horror can be both a critical darling and a massive box-office success, built on mood, mystery, and genuine dread rather than cheap jumpscares.
2. KPop Demon Hunters
Genre: Animation – Musical – Fantasy – Adventure
Stream on: Netflix
About It: The year’s most deliriously original surprise. This anime-style blast follows the world’s biggest K-Pop group, who secretly battle demons between rehearsals and world tours. The animation is vibrant, the original songs are bangers, and the blend of idol drama, comedy, and supernatural action is uniquely exhilarating.
1. One Battle After Another
Genre: Dark Comedy – Crime – Drama – Political Drama
Stream on: HBO Max
About It: Our number one film of 2025 is a triumphant, messy, and brilliant epic. Director Paul Thomas Anderson assembles a dream cast for this story of aging ex-revolutionaries forced back into the game. It’s a wildly ambitious film that swings between hilarious satire, tense heist action, and poignant drama about aging, idealism, and the family you choose. It’s the movie that best captured the chaotic, layered spirit of 2025—a year in cinema where anything felt possible.
What was your favorite movie of 2025? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear it! Be sure to follow @NoConCulture everywhere for more!
