It’s time for Marvel to take the new movies stage once more. The comic book giant’s second film of 2025, aka Thunderbolts*, is out now in theaters, so you can expect it to dominate the global box office for the next couple of weeks.
Fallen out of love with Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut? Fret not, because there are plenty of other top-tier entertainment offerings to watch in theaters now and in the months ahead.
On the latter front, this guide is home to all of the new films that’ll debut in a cinema near you between now and the end of August (NB: I’ll be adding more entries to this article soon). So, read on to learn more about the new movies you can catch this weekend and beyond.
New movies: May
Thunderbolts*
Release date: out now (UK); May 2 (UK and Australia)
In a year where a new Captain America movie came out and The Fantastic Four‘s highly-anticipated MCU debut is on the cards, you’d be forgiven for thinking Thunderbolts* would be the Marvel movie that nobody cares about. And yet, whisper it quietly, it’s really good – indeed, read my Thunderbolts* review to see why.
Starring Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes among others, this Marvel Phase 5 film sees a group of misfits and traumatized individuals team up to prevent another potentially world-ending event from occurring in the MCU. To learn more before you watch it, read my dedicated Thunderbolts* guide to get the lowdown on its confirmed cast, plot specifics, and trailers.
The Surfer
Release date: May 2 (US); May 9 (UK); May 15 (Australia)
What do you get when you cross gorgeous sandy beaches, clear blue ocean-water, wall-to-wall sunshine, Nicolas Cage, and the unsettling vibes of a Wicker Man-style story? The Surfer, that’s what.
Cage plays the unnamed titular board master, who returns to his childhood surfing stomping ground with his teenage son. However, when the pair are humiliated by some sinister-sounding locals, Cage’s protagonist is drawn into a conflict that’ll push him to the edge. Based on its trailer, fans of the iconic actor won’t want to miss yet another mesmerically overexaggerated performance.
Shadow Force
Release date: May 9 (worldwide)
Kerrie Washington and Omar Sy team up in this Lionsgate action espionage thriller that becomes the latest flick to tackle the cliched “what if two spies retired, had kids, and then had to return to their old lives when their enemies come after their family?” story.
One of May’s many new movies’ first trailer certainly suggests it’ll be pretty trope-ish, but maybe Shadow Force will surprise us all when it’s eventually released.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Release date: May 15 (Australia); May 16 (US and UK)
Everyone’s favorite supernatural horror film franchise from the early 2000s is back. Final Destination was the horror movie series of its time and it’ll hope to win a new army of fans with Bloodlines, the first entry in the series for over 14 years, when it arrives in mid-May.
Its first trailer, which you can watch above, doesn’t really tell us anything about its plot. So, here’s the official story synopsis from Warner Bros: “Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.”
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Release date: May 21 (UK); May 22 (Australia); May 23 (US)
This is it, people. Tom Cruise’s likely final outing as Ethan Hunt will explode into theaters in late May and, based on its two trailers, the Mission: Impossible film series will aim to go out with an almighty bang and plenty more seemingly impossible stunts from Cruise himself.
Picking up where Mission Impossible 7 left off, it’ll see Hunt race to destroy the AI known as The Entity and stop Esai Morales’ Gabriel from completing his quest to establish a new world order. It’ll be tough to say goodbye to Hunt after a new-two-decade-long run for this movie series, but all good things must come to an end.
Lilo & Stitch
Release date: May 22 (Australia); May 23 (US and UK)
Disney’s live-action remake push shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, following Snow White’s release in mid-March, this reimagining of a beloved 2002 animated classic will make its theatrical debut in late May. And, based on how its first trailer has stolen everyone’s hearts, it seems Lilo & Stitch (2025) will be another smash hit for the House of Mouse.
For the uninitiated: Lilo & Stitch tells the touching tale of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch in the original, reprises his role as the lovable maverick in its remake. One of May’s new movies that’ll be a sure-fire hit.
The Phoenician Scheme
Release date: May 23 (UK); May 29 (US and Australia)
At this point, we all know what we’re going to get from a Wes Anderson-directed film. Absurd and deadpan humor, diorama-style camerawork, and an all-star ensemble that’ll have you scratching your head over how Anderson can give each actor the screentime they deserve.
The Phoenician Scheme, then, looks like another winner when it comes to all of the above. Benecio del Toro takes the reigns of this one as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe who becomes embroiled in… something. The film’s trailer and synopsis give little to nothing away about its story. But, if it’s anything like the filmmaker’s other works, its plot won’t matter as much as its brilliant cast giving their all in yet another brilliantly-written yet bizarre caper.
Karate Kid: Legends
Release date: May 29 (Australia); May 30 (US and UK)
A continuation of the Karate Kid film franchise and Netflix‘s Cobra Kai TV spin-off, which is itself a spin-off of the aforementioned movies, Karate Kid: Legends will attempt to introduce newcomers to the franchise made famous by Mr Miyagi and his iconic “wax on, wax off” phrase.
Under the tutelage of Mr. Liu (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Ben Wong’s Li Fong will look to win a New York-based karate competition after he’s forced to leave Beijing due to a family tragedy. One that Cobra Kai fans should flock to see.
Bring Her Back
Release date: May 29 (Australia); May 30 (US and UK)
After their first feature film – A24’s Talk to Me – earned plenty of acclaim in 2022, Danny and Michael Phillipou, aka the duo known as RackaNacka, are back with another horror flick that’ll aim to spook us silly.
Bring Her Back stars Sally Hawkins and Billy Barratt among others, but that’s about as much as we know about this mystery-laced supernatural horror. Indeed, its trailers don’t give us much information on its story. Hopefully, we’ll learn more before it’s released.
New movies: June
Ballerina
Release date: June 6 (worldwide)
Get ready to return to The World of John Wick in June, everyone. Ballerina, the franchise’s second spin-off, one that’s set between John Wick‘s third and fourth films, will make its debut in mid-2025.
Ana de Armas stars as the titular assassin who, like Wick, embarks on a mission of revenge – one that seeks her seeking vengeance on those who killed her family and orphaned her years earlier.
The action thriller’s first trailer had everyone asking the same question about Keanu Reeves’ legendary hitman, while Ballerina‘s official trailer confirmed he’ll have a much bigger role in proceedings than we expected. I just hope it’s better than The Continental prequel TV spin-off…
Materialists
Release date: June 12 (Australia); June 13 (US and UK)
Celine Song’s directorial feature debut, Past Lives, was one of the best movies of 2023. Many of her fans will be hoping that the so-called ‘sophomore slump’ doesn’t hit her hard with her next flick, a romantic drama called Materialists.
Dakota Johnson inhabits the title role as Lucy, a New York-based matchmaker who learns the harsh lesson that love doesn’t come easy, even to those whose job it is to set up singletons. Indeed, Lucy will find herself torn between her imperfect ex John (Chris Evans) and seemingly perfect match Henry (Pedro Pascal) in this A24 movie that’ll certainly tug at the heartstrings.
Elio
Release date: June 19 (Australia); June 20 (US and UK)
Pixar will aim to keep the recent good times rolling with its latest feature. Indeed, after hits like Inside Out 2 and Win or Lose, the popular animation studio will attempt to make it three wins from three with sci-fi comedy-adventure Elio.
In it, the titular 11-year-old’s unusual wish to be abducted by aliens is granted when, well, he’s abducted by aliens. However, Elio soon realizes that he’s been plucked from relative obscurity because he’s accidentally been christened Earth’s mightiest hero (see what I did there?). Cue an intergalactic adventure where Elio will have to find his actual place in the big, wide universe.
28 Years Later
Release date: June 19 (Australia); June 20 (US and UK)
18 years have passed since 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed 28 Days Later, crashed into theaters globally. Now, the horror franchise’s third entry – and the first in a planned new trilogy – is ready to feast on our metaphorical brains.
28 Years Later is, well, set 28 years after the Rage virus decimated humanity. In it, two members of a pocket society (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams) will leave their island home to undertake a dangerous mission on the mainland. Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell are also among the hotly-anticipated flick’s cast.
Pencil this one on your new movies calendar, everyone, because we think it’s going to be a huge hit.
M3GAN 2.0
Release date: June 26 (Australia); June 27 (US and UK)
Everyone’s favorite dancing and murderous android is back. M3GAN 2.0 will reunite us with the titular killing machine as she’s revived and reprogrammed to hunt down another homicidal autobot, named Amelia, after the underlying tech that created M3GAN is stolen and repurposed for military means.
It’ll be interesting to see if one of June’s new movies can hold a candle to its breakout hit of a forebear. But, hey, none of us expected one of Universal’s newest horror originals to take the world by storm, so maybe its sequel will similarly surprise us.
F1
Release date: June 26 (Australia); June 27 (US and UK)
If campy horror flicks aren’t your thing, maybe this eagerly-awaited sports-based drama from Top Gun: Maverick director Joe Kosinski will appeal to you instead.
Brad Pitt stars as washed up Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the world’s most famous racetracks in a bid to win the crown that eluded him back in the 1990s. Driving alongside, not to mention having a rivalry with, star-in-the-making Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), Hayes will face numerous challenges on the road to sporting redemption.
Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson are among the film’s starry ensemble. F1‘s first trailer will get viewers as close to the grand prix-based action as possible, too, with Kosinski and company employing Maverick’s new-fangled tech to transport us from one cockpit (that of a jet fighter) to another (that of an F1 racecar).
New movies: July
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Release date: July 2 (US and UK); July 3 (Australia)
Jurassic World: Dominion might have been one of the worst-rated entries in Universal’s dinosaur-based film franchise, but the series as a whole is still immensely popular. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that it’s getting another soft reboot with Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali lead an all-star cast in the series’ seventh installment, which will see the pair infiltrate a forbidden island to secure three dinosaur DNA samples that will apparently prove key to creating a new vaccine for humanity.
Rebirth‘s first trailer teased some big ties to the original 1993 movie, so expect another dose of nostalgia when the highly-anticipated sci-fi action flick roars into theaters in early July.
Superman
Release date: July 11 (worldwide)
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe (DCU) may have began last December with the release of Creature Commandos‘ first season on Max, but Gunn’s Superman movie marks the true start of the comic giant’s latest attempts to create a shared live-action universe.
Little is known about Superman‘s latest big-screen adventure from a story standpoint, but it’s got an absolutely stacked cast and will act as the jumping off point for many other DCU Chapter One films and TV shows. Expect this one to easily be one of the biggest new movies of 2025 because, well, it’s Superman! It helps that he’ll be joined by his loyal tearaway canine companion Krypto, though, with merchandise sale for this fella alone likely to be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Release date: July 17 (Australia); July 18 (US and UK)
The fourth installment in the I Know What You Did… film franchise – one that has the same name as the original movie, for some reason… – and a direct sequel to 1998’s I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.
This flick, which sees Madelyn Cline lead its cast, introduces us to five new friends who inadvertently cause a fatal car accident and try to cover their crime. Unsurprisingly, one year later, someone who knows what they did last summer begins hunting them down. Cue Cline’s character seeking out two of the original film’s survivors – Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Julie and Freddy Prince Jr’s Ray – to help them.
Smurfs
Release date: July 18 (worldwide)
Looking for something more family friendly this summer (or winter, for those in the southern hemisphere)? Another Smurfs movie will not only grace our screens soon, but aim to be better received than the last bunch of the small, blue humanoids’ other recent silver screen adventures.
With an all-star cast including Rihanna, who voices Smurfette, Smurfs will likely appeal to those with young kids and/or Smurf devotees. Its plot, which sees Papa Smurf kidnapped by Gargamel and Smurfette lead her fellow humanoids on a mission to save him, though, sounds incredibly derivative. Its first trailer does little to suggest it won’t be unbelievably corny, too.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release date: July 25 (worldwide)
The first Marvel Phase 6 movie that’ll land in theaters, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is aiming to be an MCU film unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Indeed, not only is it a period piece that’s set in the 1960s, but it’s also a Marvel flick that exists in a universe separate to the MCU. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play Marvel’s First Family, while Ralph Ineson and Julia Garner are on villain-based duties as Galactus and his herald The Silver Surfer.
The first trailer for First Steps achieved lift-off in February and it looks as epic as I hoped it would, while a new CinemaCon 2025 teaser also confirmed a big fan theory about Kirby’s Sue Storm. Between this and Superman, comic book movie fans will be eating well this July.
New movies: August
The Naked Gun
Release date: August 1 (worldwide)
It was going to happen eventually. In an era where Hollywood’s biggest studios just love to remake classic films for no reasons whatsoever, Paramount Pictures is rebooting its Naked Gun franchise for… reasons.
In this big-screen revival, Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr, aka the son of Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin from the original films. Little else is known about its plot, but you can expect it to try and recapture the laugh-out-loud, spoof-comedy nature of the franchise’s first few installments. Based on the above teaser trailer, I’ve little hope that one of August’s new movies will be able to do so, though.
Freakier Friday
Release date: August 7 (Australia); August 8 (US and IK)
Another legacy sequel that, in some people’s eyes, is long overdue.
Freakier Friday will reunite us with mother-daughter duo Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan), who find themselves trading places with the other – that being, their consciousness being transferred into the other person’s body – during another freak accident. This time around, though, Anna’s daughter and soon-to-be-stepdaughter are also thrown into the mix, making for a four-way body swap that’ll create even more mayhem for those involved.
Weapons
Release date: August 8 (worldwide)
Zach Cregger, writer-director of criminally underseen horror film Barbarian and producer on one of this year’s early hits in sci-fi horror-thriller Companion, will look to continue making a name for himself with this forthcoming mystery horror film.
Weapons will tell the disquieting story of a bunch of kids, all of whom are in the same class at school, mysteriously vanish on the same night and at the same time. Cue its community and devastated parents asking what and why all but one of their children have suddenly gone missing.
With a starry cast including Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and Benedict Wong, and a deeply unsettling teaser that’s got film buffs talking, Weapons could be another big 2025 hit for Warner Bros.
Want more new movies recommendations? Our new Netflix movies, new Max movies, new Prime Video movies, and new Disney Plus movies lists are full of streaming-based suggestions for a night at home instead.
