Disney has 12 films releasing in 2025 across their various studios. That is roughly one film a month, but some of the release dates are stacked close together, and this might cause some films to cannibalize other ones.
It also seems like Disney is trying to flush out a couple of these by putting ones that have lower interest against one that has significantly more interest.
First up is “Captain America: Brave New World,”
The film is set to release on February 14, 2025 -Valentine’s Day.
The synopsis reads, “Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”
Currently, the interest does not seem to be high, and the early box office predictions have the film only bringing in $195-$280 million domestically for its full run.
Next up is the much-maligned “Snow White” live-action film,
This film will be released a few weeks later, on March 21, 2025.
If you haven’t heard about this one you have been living under a rock. This is the film that should have been canceled years ago and Disney chose to double down on. The budget is already reportedly at $270 million and this was as of last year. It’s going to take a huge box office to break even on this one.
I do not have high hopes for this film. The lead actress, Rachel Zegler, has caused a lot of damage with socio-political commentary. Many are also angry about the subpar CGI of the dwarfs as well.
Just weeks later Disney will release “The Amateur.”
“The Amateur” is a film from 20th Century Studios that will release on April 11, 2025.
Starring Rami Malek, this film synopsis reads, “After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.”
I’m not sure how this one will do, but it’s really close to “Snow White.” If Disney wanted to hide a possible failure with “Snow White,” they should have put it closer to one they thought would perform very well so they could blame the loss on another win.
“The Thunderbolts*” will come more than a month later.
The second Marvel film, releasing in 2025, is another film that has been in limbo for quite a while “The Thunderbolts*.” It’s release date is May 2, 2025.
Starring the “B-team” characters from other Marvel shows and films (except Bucky, who is on the A-list to me), this film seems like the MCU version of “Suicide Squad.” The cast features characters like Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, Ghost, Taskmaster, and Sentry.
The synopsis reads, “A group of supervillains are recruited to go on missions for the government.”
It’s unclear how well this one will do. I think interest in the Marvel films is low except for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which we will discuss later.
Next up will be “Lilo and Stitch.”
Now we start seeing the films stack up on top of each other. “Lilo and Stitch” has a release date of May 23, 2025.
While yet another live-action remake, this one could do well as many are excited for it. So far, we have not got a good look at it via a longer trailer, but unless they seriously ruin something (always a possibility), they will likely get a good turnout from this one.
This leads us into the next film, “Elio”
“Elio” is right after “Lilo and Stitch” with a release date of June 13, 2025. Just about three weeks later.
This one may go the way of “Strange World.” It has a story that has been reworked and it was shifted from March 1, 2024 to this summer. Reportedly they brought in new cast members and changed the story.
The synopsis reads, “Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, he starts to form new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he’s truly meant to be.”
Not much has been seen about this, but what I have seen does feel akin to “Strange World.”
I’m not sure how this one will do, but they are putting it very close to “Lilo and Stitch” and I think it’s to have an excuse if it fails. “Lilo and Stitch did so well it took the box office from Elio.”
From here, we go to the final Marvel offering, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”
The last Marvel film slated for 2025 is the one most people seem to be looking forward to: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which will be released on July 25, 2025.
Unlike the other two Marvel films releasing this year, this one came together quickly and doesn’t feel like it was drug out for years. Plus, Robert Downey Jr. is set to return to the MCU for this one.
Honestly, I think Marvel’s best chance for a big hit this year is this film.
The synopsis reads, “On a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic Earth, the Fantastic Four must protect their home from being devoured by the cosmic being Galactus and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer.”
“Freakier Friday”
Following right up on “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is “Freakier Friday.” It releases on August 8, 2025.
This film is the sequel to “Freaky Friday” and will star Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan. A synopsis reads, “Tess and Anna discover that lightning may indeed strike twice as they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge.”
We haven’t seen a trailer for this one yet, but I wonder if Disney is worried about it’s performance which is why it is so close to “The Fantastic Four” release.
I think this might have been one to put on Disney+, and I am saying this as a fan of the first one with this duo.
Next we have”Tron: Ares”
“Tron: Ares” will hit theaters over a month later on October 10, 2025, starring Jared Leto as the lead.
Right off the bat, Jared Leto as the lead character could be a bad move.
The synopsis reads, “A program named Ares who is sent from the digital world into the real world.”
Not really sure how this one will go and the same goes for the next one.
“Predator: Badlands”
The next Predator film will be released on November 7, 2025.
“Predator: Badlands” will have the same director as the Disney+ film “Prey.” “Prey” did very well and Disney wants to try taking the next one to the big screen.
Honestly, depending on the trailers, this one could do well. However, as much as I hate to say it, the female leads might put off the predominately male audience.
Here is the synopsis,
In the future, “A Predator traverses on an alien wasteland, while two sisters discover their horrifying past.”
We shall see how this plays out.
Number 11 is “Zootopia 2”
“Zootopia 2” is releasing on November 11, 2024.
This is a little farther out from Thanksgiving. Normally, the releases tend to move closer, but the next “Wicked” film is releasing on November 21. So, they likely put it out farther to give themselves a bigger lead. It’s also really close to the “Predator: Badlands” release, but they have very different audiences.
“Zootopia 2” could do well. The first one was very popular, and we saw “Inside Out 2” destroy the box office. Depending on how the film and story look, I could see this film doing very well and holding up against “Wicked.”
Time will tell.
Finally, “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
The final film released in 2025 will be the third “Avatar” film, “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” It will be released on December 19, 2025.
Not much is known about this film except that it was filmed at the same time as “Avatar: Way of Water,” which did extremely well in 2022-2023.
This one will likely do well, as the other films have been huge blockbusters globally.
Overall, the list has some definite winners and likely losers for 2025. It will be interesting to observe.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
