Screen Rant’s 15 Most Anticipated Summer 2025 Movies

2025 has delivered some excellent movies and a few major box office hits already, but we’re now entering the biggest time of the year: the summer movie season. Hollywood has tried to kick off the summer season early over the years with major blockbusters coming in March and April, and that’s no different in 2025 with A Minecraft Movie and Sinners dominating the box office. But the true summer movie season runs from the first weekend of May through Labor Day, the last weekend in August.

These summer months are traditionally when Hollywood likes to release many of the biggest films of the year, as kids are out of school and cinemas can provide some relief from hot temperatures. It’s no surprise, then, that some of 2025’s most anticipated movies are coming out this summer. Of the previous 25 movies featured on Screen Rant’s overall most anticipated list for the year, ten are releasing between May and August.

What movies each person is looking forward to is subjective, so one list can differ significantly from another. That’s why I called upon the Screen Rant team to share which movies they can’t wait to see. 17 editors, including myself, participated in this challenge, creating the following list of the most anticipated 2025 summer movies according to members of the Screen Rant editing team. Each editor submitted their top 10 list, with 10 points awarded for the number 1 movie, 9 points for the number 2 movie, and so on. 37 movies were featured, but here’s our collective top 15.

Who Voted For Screen Rant’s Most Anticipated Summer Movies

Cooper Hood

Theatrical Movies Editor

Alisha Grauso

Features Editor

Fariba Rezwan

News Editor

Kara Hedash

Jr. Lead Editor

Matthew Rudoy

News Editor

Jordan Williams

Streaming Movies/TV Features Editor

Brandon Zachary

Weekend Features Editor

Rachel LaBonte

News Editor

Stephen Rosenberg

Senior Editor

Marcelo Leite

Features Editor

James Hunt

Senior Editor – Movie & TV Features

Abigail Stevens

Features Editor

Alex Harrison

Senior Movie News Editor

Nicholas Raymond

Features Editor

Tom Bacon

Senior Editor – Star Wars

Molly Brizzell

Star Wars Editor

Molly Freeman

Senior Editor – Superheroes

15

Eddington

15 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

Eddington official poster

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Eddington

Comedy

Drama

Horror

Western

Release Date

July 18, 2025

Director

Ari Aster

Cast

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  • Headshot of Joaquin Phoenix

    Joaquin Phoenix

  • Headshot Of Pedro Pascal In The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

    Pedro Pascal

  • Headshot Of Emma Stone In The Premiere of 'Kinds of Kindness'

    Emma Stone

  • Headshot Of Austin Butler In The Premiere Of The Bikeriders

    Austin Butler

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It’s always exciting to get a new movie from the mind of Ari Aster. Hereditary and Midsommar helped him become one of the great new voices in horror. While Beau Is Afraid didn’t quite land with audiences, the promise of Eddington is undeniable. Aster bringing his sensibilities to a pandemic-era dramedy makes this a big swing, but with Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, Emma Stone, and others featured, this will hopefully be a fulfilling ride for audiences and a break away from the usual big-budget, action-heavy blockbusters of the summer.

Eddington earned its spot on this list on the back of two reasonably high placements: second from Alex Harrison and fifth from Molly Brizzell. It’s the only movie featured in our Most Anticipated 2025 Summer Movies that was not included on at least three lists. This one is for the Ari Aster supporters and horror movie lovers.

14

The Phoenician Scheme

17 Points – Highest Finish: 3rd Place

The Phoenician Scheme official poster

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The Phoenician Scheme

Action

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Release Date

May 30, 2025

Director

Wes Anderson

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Tom Hanks In The Los Angeles World Premiere Of Apple TV+ Series 'Masters Of The Air'

    Tom Hanks

    Leland

  • Headshot Of Scarlett Johansson In The ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ Premiere

    Scarlett Johansson

    Cousin

  • Headshot Of Benedict Cumberbatch In The Doctor Strange Premiere

    Benedict Cumberbatch

    Uncle Nubar

  • Headshot Of Rupert Friend IN the Meisterstuck 100th Anniversary Gallery

    Rupert Friend

    Excaliber

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Wes Anderson’s busy schedule brings us another movie from his brilliant mind this summer. It’s been two years since his last feature film, but he won his first Oscar last year with the short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. He returns to the big screen with The Phoenician Scheme, an espionage comedy headlined by Benicio Del Toro. Some of Anderson’s frequent collaborators are back, including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and Benedict Cumberbatch, while Michael Cera is working with the director for the first time in what looks like pitch-perfect casting.

Wes Anderson and his fans have three editors to thank for The Phoenician Scheme earning its spot. Alex Harrison, Jordan Williams, and Stephen Rosenberg all included the film in their top 10, with Alex and Stephen placing it in their top fives. They’re all more ready for the next symmetrical, colorful, and quirky Wes Anderson movie than the rest.

13

Karate Kid: Legends

21 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

Karate Kid: Legends Official Poster

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Karate Kid: Legends

Not Yet Rated

Action

Drama

Release Date

May 30, 2025

Runtime

118 Minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Jackie Chan

    Jackie Chan

    Li Fong

  • Headshot Of Ralph Macchio

    Ralph Macchio

    Mr. Han

  • Headshot Of Joshua Jackson

    Joshua Jackson

    Daniel LaRusso

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Joshua Jackson

    Victor

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As great as its been having Cobra Kai the last several years, 2025 is finally our chance to see the Karate Kid franchise return to the big screen. Karate Kid: Legends returns Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han. It’s a continuation of the franchise that has recently revitalized interest in itself. It’s also a step in a new direction, focusing the story on a young kid played by Ben Wang. It might not come from Cobra Kai‘s creators, but Karate Kid: Legends offers the first theatrical experience with the series in 15 years.

Karate Kid: Legends received this placement after four of our editors included it on their lists. Marcelo Leite and Nicholas Raymond are highest on the movie after placing it in their top threes. Abigail Stevens and Fariba Rezwan also included it, albeit with lower rankings. In any case, these are the editors at Screen Rant who are most excited to see how the film brings Daniel and Mr. Han together, whether there are any major Cobra Kai connections, and experience the cinematic fights.

12

Materialists

28 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

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Materialists

Not Yet Rated

Romance

Comedy

Release Date

June 25, 2025

Director

Celine Song

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Dakota Johnson iN The Premiere of 'Daddio' during the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival

    Dakota Johnson

    Lucy

  • Headshot Of Chris Evans

    Chris Evans

    John

  • Headshot Of Pedro Pascal In The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

    Pedro Pascal

    Randy

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Zoe Winters

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Two years after breaking hearts with Past Lives, Celine Song delivers her follow-up feature with Materialists. Utilizing the star power of Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, the movie explores a love triangle between the three as Johnson’s character must decide between a new romantic interest, Pascal, and her ex, Evans. Hollywood doesn’t often deliver romantic comedies with this level of stardom and prestige attached anymore, which makes Materialists all the more exciting. It’s sure to bring some romance and strong feelings to theaters this summer.

Materialists found itself on four lists from our editing team. Molly Freeman and Rachel LaBonte both put it in their top three, while Molly Brizzell and Alex Harrison also had it in their top 10. This one is for all the Past Lives/Celine Song crowd and the Dakota Johnson truthers, as well as anyone who enjoys Pedro Pascal’s charisma and Chris Evans’ romantic side. Hopefully, this one becomes a commercial hit, and audiences love it as much as Song does love triangles.

11

Lilo & Stitch

31 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

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Lilo & Stitch

PG

Family

Science Fiction

Comedy

Release Date

May 21, 2025

Runtime

108 Minutes

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Maia Kealoha

    Lilo

  • hEADSHOT of Chris Sanders

    Chris Sanders

    Stitch (voice)

  • Headshot Of Billy Magnussen

    Billy Magnussen

    Nani

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Billy Magnussen

    Pleakley (voice)

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Stitch is one of Disney’s most iconic animated creatures and a beloved character for the Gen Z crowd. Disney’s live-action remake of the 2002 animated hit aims to capitalize on its success by bringing the blue alien’s hysterical antics and big heart back to theaters. Lilo & Stitch doesn’t have the traditional star power of the studio’s previous animated remakes, as it’s instead accurately cast actors for the Hawaiian characters. That’s great and a chance for some star-making turns, but the real excitement here is re-experiencing Lilo and Stitch’s relationship in a new way.

Lilo & Stitch marks the beginning of a greater consensus forming among the editors about which movies are among the most anticipated of the summer. Seven different editors included it on their lists, including me. The others are Brandon Zachary, Fariba Rezwan, Jordan Williams, Kara Hedash, Matthew Rudoy, and Molly Brizzell. Even as Disney’s live-action remake strategy has started to bring diminishing returns, we all still have faith that Lilo & Stitch could be the best one they’ve made in a long time, if not ever.

10

Ballerina

36 Points – Highest Finish: 1st Place

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina official poster

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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

R

Action

Thriller

Crime

Release Date

June 6, 2025

Runtime

109 Minutes

Cast

See All

  • Headshot aOf Ana De Armas In The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

    Ana De Armas

    Eve

  • Headshot Of Anjelica Huston

    Anjelica Huston

    The Director

  • Headshot Of Gabriel Byrne

    Gabriel Byrne

    The Chancellor

  • Headshot Of Lance Reddick

    Lance Reddick

    Charon

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The John Wick franchise has become one of the most reliably entertaining action series in recent years. While we’re all waiting for John Wick 5 now, Lionsgate is expanding the world in a fascinating way. Ana de Armas headlines the first movie spinoff, Ballerina, after making an impression on audiences with her scene-stealing action role in No Time To Die a few years ago. Keanu Reeves will be back as the Baba Yaga too, with franchise director Chad Stahelski ensuring the action won’t disappoint, even if he didn’t oversee the entire production.

This one has been a longer wait than anticipated following a few delays, but even the reshoot reports haven’t deterred our excitement. Eight different editors included Ballerina on their lists, which is enough support to make it the start of the top 10. The most enthusiastic of us all is Abigail Stevens, who had Ballerina as her most anticipated movie of the summer. Fariba Rezwan included it in her top five too. Otherwise, Jordan Williams, Kara Hedash, Nicholas Raymond, Rachel LaBonte, and I had it in our top 10s.

9

Jurassic World Rebirth

37 Points – Highest Finish: 4th Place

Jurassic World Rebirth poster

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Jurassic World Rebirth

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Release Date

July 2, 2025

Director

Gareth Edwards

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Scarlett Johansson In The ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ Premiere

    Scarlett Johansson

    Zora Bennett

  • Headshot Of Mahershala Ali In The 96th Annual Oscars

    Mahershala Ali

    Duncan Kincaid

  • Headshot Of Jonathan Bailey In The 29th Annual Critics' Choice Awards

    Jonathan Bailey

    Dr. Henry Loomis

  • Headshot Of Rupert Friend IN the Meisterstuck 100th Anniversary Gallery

    Rupert Friend

    Martin Krebs

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It feels like it was just yesterday that Jurassic World Dominion was supposed to end the franchise, and yet, here we are two years later with another installment. There might be some level of exhaustion with the series at this point, but Jurassic World Rebirth has the makings of an exciting, fresh step forward. The cast, led by Scarlett Johansson, is entirely disconnected from the previous six films, despite the story building upon the decades of world-building already established. Add in the promise of Gareth Edwards directing, and this could be the first great Jurassic movie since the original.

Interest in Jurassic World Rebirth is collectively high among the editors, even if it does lack some of the top-end excitement. It’s featured on 10 different editors’ lists, but it didn’t receive a single vote in the top three from any of them. Nicholas Raymond and Tom Bacon are the only ones who had it in their top five. Abigail Stevens, Kara Hedash, Marcelo Leite, Matthew Rudoy, Molly Freeman, Molly Brizzell, Rachel LaBonte, and I all had it in our top 10s still.

8

Predator: Killer of Killers

45 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

Predator: Killer of Killers official poster

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Predator: Killer of Killers

Release Date

June 6, 2025

Director

Dan Trachtenberg, Josh Wassung

Writers

Micho Robert Rutare, Dan Trachtenberg

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Predator: Killer of Killers is the new anthology film from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg, chronicling three different eras of fighters encountering the Yautja hunters. It arrives on Hulu this summer to provide a few new adventures in the Predator franchise and help make the wait for Predator: Badlands easier to accept.

This is a unique entry on the list for a few reasons. For starters, it is the only animated movie to be featured, with Pixar’s Elio, Paramount’s Smurfs, and others missing the cut. Predator: Killer of Killers is also the only streaming movie to earn a spot on the list. While the summer season is typically about seeing major movies in theaters, this is one example of a film that’s already mounting excitement for people to watch at home.

Predator: Killer of Killers received a smaller amount of recognition from our editors, as it was only on five lists. But, their enthusiasm for the film pushed it into our top 10. Alisha Grauso, Brandon Zachary, Kara Hedash, Marcelo Leite, and Tom Bacon all had in their top three, with James Hunt also including it in his top 10. It’s definitely one to keep an eye out for on Hulu, especially if you loved Prey.

7

How To Train Your Dragon

50 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

How To Train Your Dragon (2025) Official Poster

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How to Train Your Dragon

PG

Action

Adventure

Family

Release Date

June 13, 2025

Runtime

116 Minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Nico Parker In The 2024 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises

    Nico Parker

    Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

  • Headshot Of Gerard Butler

    Gerard Butler

    Astrid Hofferson

  • Headshot Of Nick Frost

    Nick Frost

    Stoick the Vast

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Nick Frost

    Gobber the Belch

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Disney may be the studio that has had the most success with live-action remakes, but 2025 brings DreamWorks and Universal into the mix with How To Train Your Dragon. The trailer has raised concerns that the film will be a shot-for-shot remake of the 2010 animated movie. While it does indeed look similar, surely the original director, Dean DeBlois, would only return to help expand and improve Hiccup and Toothless’ story. So far, the visuals look promising, and the early reception has been quite positive. Universal is clearly confident in it, with How To Train Your Dragon 2 already announced.

Anticipation for the live-action remake is evident with Screen Rant’s editors. There are 10 of us who included it in our lists, with Kara Hedash and Molly Brizzell the most excited for it with top three placements. Brandon Zachary, Nicholas Raymond, Tom Bacon, and I all had it in our top fives, while Alisha Grauso, Fariba Rezwan, Matthew Rudoy, and Molly Freeman kept it in their top 10s. As someone who loves the original three animated movies, I’ve got a lot of faith that the live-action How To Train Your Dragon remake will deliver.

6

28 Years Later

54 Points – Highest Finish: 2nd Place

28 Years Later - Poster

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28 Years Later

Not Rated

Horror

Sci-Fi

Release Date

June 20, 2025

Director

Danny Boyle

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Jodie Comer In The Premiere Of The Bikeriders

    Jodie Comer

  • Headshot Of Aaron Taylor-Johnson In The World Premiere of

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson

  • Headshot Of Jack O'Connell

    Jack O’Connell

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Alfie Williams

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Just missing out on a top five placement, 28 Years Later still holds the crown as the most anticipated horror movie of the summer for us. The long-awaited third installment in Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic zombie franchise boasts his return as a director and Alex Garland writing the script, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Jack O’Connell headline an impressive cast list. Sony has absolutely nailed the marketing campaign for 28 Years Later, making it look incredibly thrilling and a can’t-miss cinematic experience.

Anticipation is incredibly high within the Screen Rant editing team for this one. Abigail Stevens, Alisha Grauso, Brandon Zachary, and Jordan Williams all had it as their second-most anticipated film of the summer. Alex Harrison, Fariba Rezwan, Stephen Rosenberg, and I also had it in our top 10s. If you’re looking forward to it as much as we are, hopefully you have one of the rare 28 Days Later or 28 Weeks Later physical media options to rewatch them ahead of time.

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