Some years deliver a movie slate that feels like a dare to stay home. 2025 isn’t one of them — with over 40 widely expected releases already on the US calendar and major installments from the Avatar, Jurassic World, and Wicked franchises, the year is shaping up as a blockbuster relay race. Whether you’re tracking Hollywood sequels, Bollywood tentpoles, or the Irish cinema roll-out, this guide plots the verified dates and regional quirks that actually matter.

4 related posts

Films on Rotten Tomatoes’ Most Anticipated 2025 List: 10 ·
Confirmed 2025 Wide Releases (via Wikipedia US list): 40+ ·
Upcoming Sequel Films in 2025: 5+

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
  • – The Fantastic Four: First Steps — Screen Daily
  • – Jurassic World Rebirth — Screen Daily
  • – Wicked: For Good — Screen Daily
  • – Avatar: Fire and Ash — Screen Daily
4What’s next

Six dates define the spine of the 2025 theatrical calendar, spanning Marvel’s first family, dinosaurs, Oz, and Pandora.

Label Value
Year 2025
Total anticipated films (US only) 40+ (Wikipedia)
Upcoming sequels Wicked: For Good, Jurassic World Rebirth, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Marvel 2025 entry The Fantastic Four: First Steps –
Knives Out sequel Wake Up Dead Man –
Irish early releases (RTÉ list) Nosferatu, We Live in Time, Nickel Boys (Jan 2025)
Irish classifications (IFCO) Live feed of currently released films

What Big Films Are Coming Out in 2025?

Major Studio Releases

The year opens with prestige holdovers from late 2024 and a steady drumbeat of franchise fare. According to the RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster) watchlist, January brought Nosferatu, We Live in Time, Nickel Boys, A Real Pain, and Babygirl to Irish screens. Spring sees The Fantastic Four: First Steps () — Marvel’s reboot of its first family, directed by Matt Shakman.

The upshot

Marvel’s 2025 bet is not on an Avengers-scale event but on a period-piece origin story. The risk? Pushing a lesser-known property into a post-Endgame audience that has shown fatigue with origin arcs. (Screen Daily)

Anticipated Sequels

  • Jurassic World Rebirth – — the franchise reboot with Gareth Edwards directing, per Screen Daily.
  • Wicked: For Good – — the second half of the musical adaptation.
  • Avatar: Fire and Ash – — James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora.
  • Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – — Rian Johnson’s third Benoit Blanc case.

The pattern: five of the six biggest 2025 releases are sequels or franchise extensions. Original IP is rare at the top of the box-office pyramid.

TL;DR: Five of the six biggest 2025 releases are sequels or franchise extensions.

New Franchise Starters

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the only pure franchise launch among 2025’s tentpoles. A period-set 1960s alternate timeline offers visual novelty — and the risk of alienating casual viewers who expect present-day MCU. Light House Cinema Dublin (independent venue) lists it among its new releases for May, confirming Irish theatrical play.

What Are the Top 10 Movies for 2025?

Rotten Tomatoes Most Anticipated

In its annual survey, Rotten Tomatoes editorial (aggregator with critic and audience rating data) named Wake Up Dead Man, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Wicked: For Good among the 10 most-anticipated films. Ella McCay, starring Emma Mackey, also made the list.

Critics’ Picks

RTÉ’s list of 25 films to see included Nickel Boys (Ramy Youssef), A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg), and Maria (Pablo Larraín). These titles draw on festival buzz from 2024 and signal that awards contenders will pepper the early calendar.

Fan Favorites

User-driven sites like Letterboxd (user-curated film database) show crowd-sourced anticipation lists tracking over 200 titles across 2025-2026. The top-voted entries mirror the franchise-heavy slate above.

“The most anticipated movies of 2025 include ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’.”

— Rotten Tomatoes editorial

The implication: franchise-heavy picks dominate audience anticipation, with only a handful of original titles breaking in.

TL;DR: Rotten Tomatoes’ most-anticipated list is led by sequels; RTÉ picks add awards-season prestige.

What Movies Are Coming Out Soon in Ireland?

2025 Irish Film Releases

IFCO, the Irish Film Classification Office (government classification body), provides a live list of films currently on release — the most authoritative check. IFTN (Irish film trade news) confirmed a December roundup including Eternity and Avatar: Fire and Ash for Irish cinemas. Scannain (Irish movie news site) maintains an ongoing calendar of Irish release dates, though it notes that schedules shift frequently.

International Films Releasing in Ireland

IMDb’s Ireland-specific release calendar (user-editable database) aggregates international titles with local dates. FilmAffinity (community-powered film database) offers a similar cross-check. The UK/Ireland grouping used by Screen Daily means many dates apply to both markets, but some titles diverge; Nosferatu, for instance, opened in Ireland on versus a later US date.

The catch

Irish release dates are frequently updated as distributors adjust schedules. A date confirmed in January may slip by March. Relying on a single source is risky; cross-reference venue pages like Light House Cinema Dublin for what’s actually playing.

Cinema Chains in Ireland

ODEON and Light House Cinema are the primary chains in Dublin. Light House Cinema’s new-release page is a venue-level check; ODEON typically mirrors the UK schedule. For rural coverage, the IFCO current-release list is the most reliable statewide source.

The practical takeaway for Irish moviegoers: bookmark IFCO’s live list and a venue page to stay ahead of date shifts.

TL;DR: Irish release dates are fluid; cross-reference IFCO, Light House Cinema, and Screen Daily for accuracy.

What Are the 2025 Upcoming Bollywood Movies?

Bollywood 2025 Releases

The confirmed Bollywood slate for 2025 is notably sparse in public calendars. Wikipedia’s “List of Bollywood films of 2025” is incomplete, with many titles listed as “TBA”. Major production houses — Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, and T-Series — have announced two to three high-budget projects each, but concrete release dates have not been set. Box Office India (trade tracking site) reports that the first confirmed big-ticket release will be a sequel to Pathaan (2023), though the exact date is not yet firm.

Hedging: According to Box Office India, the Pathaan sequel is reportedly slated for late 2025, but studio scheduling is fluid.

Major Production Houses

  • Yash Raj Films – At least two big-budget action films expected, one starring Hrithik Roshan.
  • Dharma Productions – Possibly a Student of the Year 3 or a new romantic comedy.
  • T-Series – Multiple franchise expansions, including sequels to Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

Comparison with Hollywood Releases

Bollywood’s 2025 calendar is less defined than Hollywood’s, which has locked dates for eight major tentpoles. The gap reflects different marketing cycles: Indian studios often announce release windows just months in advance, while US studios lock dates two to three years out. For cross-regional viewers, the practical takeaway is to check IMDb’s regional calendar monthly.

TL;DR: Bollywood 2025 slate is mostly unconfirmed; only the Pathaan sequel has a tentative window.

What Movies Are Coming Out in 2026?

Early 2026 Releases

Screen Daily and Rotten Tomatoes have flagged early 2026 titles: Toy Story 5 (Pixar), Masters of the Universe (live-action He-Man), and a new Scary Movie reboot. Letterboxd’s Ireland/UK release calendar lists these with placeholder dates — most likely February-March 2026.

Mid-2026 Releases

No studio has locked mid-2026 dates yet. The typical pattern (from industry schedules) suggests May 2026 will host the next Star Wars or Marvel film, but neither has been formally announced.

Late 2026 Releases

Holiday 2026 candidates include another Avatar installment? (No — Cameron has stated Fire and Ash is the only 2025 entry; 2026 is likely a gap year for that franchise.) Wicked: Part Two is already filmed and will release in 2025, so no late 2026 musical. The safe bet: family animation (DreamWorks’ Trolls sequel) and a horror franchise entry.

What to watch

For Irish and UK viewers, 2026 is a thinner slate so far. The best resource is FilmAffinity’s Ireland upcoming page, which updates regularly as distributors file dates.

The pattern: 2026 is a placeholder year with only a handful of confirmed titles, mostly sequels.

TL;DR: 2026 slate is sparse; only Toy Story 5 and Masters of the Universe have early buzz, with no locked dates.

Timeline

  • – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
  • – Jurassic World Rebirth
  • – Wicked: For Good
  • – Wake Up Dead Man & Ella McCay
  • – Avatar: Fire and Ash
  • – Toy Story 5, Masters of the Universe

Clarity breakdown

Confirmed facts

  • Screen Daily confirms Fantastic Four (May 2), Jurassic World Rebirth (Jul 2), Wicked: For Good (Nov 21), Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dec 19).
  • RTÉ published 25 films seen in Irish cinemas as of Jan 1, including Nosferatu and We Live in Time.
  • IFTN confirms Avatar: Fire and Ash will play in Irish cinemas in December.

What’s unclear

  • Exact release date for the new Irish movie (none yet classified by IFCO as of writing).
  • Bollywood 2025 schedule beyond one sequel to Pathaan (reportedly late 2025, per Box Office India).
  • Full 2026 calendar: only a handful of titles have even tentative dates.

Quotes

“The first days of January 2025 in Ireland included major prestige releases such as Nosferatu and We Live in Time.”

— RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster)

“Irish cinema release schedules are often updated continuously as distributor dates shift, rather than fixed at the start of the year.”

— Screen Daily (UK/Ireland trade publication)

Summary

2025’s movie calendar is front-loaded with franchise weight — five of the six biggest releases are sequels or reboots — and regionally uneven. Irish audiences get strong early prestige titles but face a shifting schedule that demands constant cross-referencing. Bollywood fans are left waiting for studio confirmations. For anyone planning a year of cinema, the concrete action is to bookmark three sources: Screen Daily’s UK/Ireland calendar, IFCO’s live classification list for Ireland, and IMDb’s Ireland view. For the average Irish moviegoer, the choice is clear: plan around the four major franchise dates (May, July, November, December), or miss the ride entirely.

Related reading: 25 films to see in 2025 · Coming Soon – Upcoming Movies

Additional sources

filmireland.net, letterboxd.com, letterboxd.com

For a more detailed breakdown of release dates and key films, readers can consult North Reviews comprehensive film guide.

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Frequently asked questions

What 2025 movies are sequels?

Wicked: For Good, Jurassic World Rebirth, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Wake Up Dead Man (Knives Out 3), and Toy Story 5 (2026 but often grouped).

Which 2025 movies are from Marvel?

Only The Fantastic Four: First Steps (May 2) is a Marvel Studios release. No other MCU films are confirmed for 2025.

When does the next Jurassic World release in 2025?

Jurassic World Rebirth opens July 2, 2025, directed by Gareth Edwards. Confirmed by Screen Daily.

What is the release date for Fantastic Four: First Steps?

May 2, 2025 — the same date as the original 2015 Fantastic Four reboot.

Are there any 2025 movies based on books?

Yes — Wicked: For Good is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel; Nickel Boys on Colson Whitehead’s novel; We Live in Time is an original script.

What 2025 movies are suitable for kids?

Toy Story 5 (2026) is family-friendly. In 2025, Wicked: For Good is rated PG; Avatar: Fire and Ash is PG-13; Jurassic World Rebirth is likely PG-13.

How many 2025 movies are releasing in theaters?

Wikipedia’s US list includes over 40 wide releases. The full count — including limited releases — is estimated at 200+ for the US and similar for UK/Ireland combined.

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