We have hit April, folks, which means the season of blockbuster movies is just around the corner! Hollywood’s biggest film releases happen every summer; the most expensive, most anticipated films of the year hit theaters to “wow” viewers. The blockbuster season typically runs from May through August, with the biggest releases crammed into three packed months. This is not an extensive list of these movies to be released this summer of 2025, but I am going to name and break down the ten most anticipated blockbusters according to yours truly.
Sit back, relax and let me walk you through the biggest films dropping into theaters in 2025!
The 10 Most Anticipated Blockbuster Movies of Summer 2025
10. “The Toxic Avenger”
Release Date: August 29
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood
Directed By: Macon Blair
Those who understand the magnitude of this film finally getting released will appreciate it making my list. “The Toxic Avenger” has been a roller coaster of emotions for those who made this film and the fans of the lore. The film was made in 2023 and debuted at Fantastic Fest, where it received a mixed bag of reviews. After that, it was shelved with the threat of never getting a release. But now, Cineverse stepped up to the plate and will give it a wide release in August.
For those unfamiliar with full “The Toxic Avenger” backstory, this is a reboot of the 1984 film. It’s a story about a janitor named Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), who suffers an unfortunate toxic accident that transforms him into a hero. From there, he must face a power-hungry tyrant (Elijah Wood) to save his son and stop the tyrant from strengthening his empire. Sounds like a run-of-the-mill superhero film, right? Wrong. This is getting an Unrated release, which never happens, and this film will not be for the faint of heart. It’s bold, bloody, disgusting and not afraid to push boundaries. It’s been a long road for our small, ugly avenger but it finally leads to a release at the end of the summer.
9. “Nobody 2”
Release Date: August 14
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Sharon Stone, Christopher Lloyd, Colin Hanks
Directed By: Timo Tjahjanto
Mid-August brings us back into the life of former assassin Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk). Most of the plot is unknown, and we haven’t received a trailer yet. However, it sounds like we will explore more of Hutch’s past and how it affects his family life today.
What is more exciting about this film is that they are bringing in Timo Tjahjanto as the director. Tjahjanto has many filmmaking credits, including horror films “The ABCs of Death” and “V/H/S/2,” but he’s best known for his films “The Shadow Strays” and “The Night Comes For Us.” Both are extremely violent, beautifully crafted hand-to-hand combat-themed action flicks. If you’ve never seen them, I highly suggest doing so. Both are available to stream on Netflix. If “Nobody 2” takes even a sliver of the fighting sequences from those two flicks, this might end up being a lot better than its predecessor. That’s not saying I don’t like the first film, this just has a decent chance to be even better.
8. “Thunderbolts*”
Release Date: May 2
Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Lewis Pullman, Ava Starr
Directed By: Jake Schreier
There’s not a heck of a lot to discuss with this one. It’s the MCU and it’s here to help partially set up next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” In the trailers, we find Yelena, Bucky, John Walker, Red Guardian, Ghost and Taskmaster fighting amongst themselves. This will also be the introduction to Sentry, a big bad in the Marvel Universe who is a being that is more powerful than most of the Avengers combined. So how are a bunch of assassins going to square up against this God-like villain? I don’t know what to expect and my expectations are low, but I’m hoping it just might turn out to be a big surprise this summer.
7. “Ballerina”
Release Date: June 6
Starring: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves
Directed By: Len Wiseman
Taking place smack dab in the middle of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” we get a new story in that movie’s timeframe surrounding Eve Macarro, portrayed by Ana de Armas. Releasing in the summer of 2025, not much of the plot is known yet, but we do know when it takes place in the timeline and that we will see Armas’ character in training in the same traditions of the Ruska Roma. If the trailer is an indication, this is 100% in the same vein as the other “John Wick” universe films. It’s going to be gun fights and hand-to-hand combat galore. Everything that makes the “John Wick” films great.
Bringing in director Len Wiseman is an interesting choice, but one that I approve of, given his track record. Wiseman is no stranger to female-led badass films. Two of his four releases starred Kate Beckinsale in the early 2000s action/horror films “Underworld” and “Underworld: Evolution.” I’m intrigued to see how he does here with an action flick where the sequences will have high expectations.
6. “F1”
Release Date: June 27
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon
Directed By: Joseph Kosinski
Full transparency here: I know little to nothing about Formula 1 racing. Never watched a race in my life and don’t plan to. However, I do fully plan on seeing this in IMAX the night it is released. There is something incredibly intriguing and exciting about loud, fast cars zooming on the big screen. Then they went ahead and threw in one of my all-time favorite actors (Brad Pitt) and I was sold.
The plot is what you expect. Pitt’s character is a retired racer who never got his glory, but a young driver comes around and needs a mentor badly. Pitt gets coaxed out of retirement and sees it as one last chance to go out on top. Nothing unusual on the surface, but the trailer looks awesome, and the kicker is that they brought in director Joseph Kosinski, who might have single-handedly saved movie theaters in 2022 with “Top Gun: Maverick.” Take the action from that film, and now put it on the ground with cars cruising at 220 mph. Yeah, I’m in.
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5. “Jurassic Park: Rebirth”
Release Date: July 2
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend
Directed By: Gareth Edwards
Five years after the events of “Jurassic World: Dominion,” we are headed back to the island (and the movies) once again in the summer of 2025. Scarlett Johansson’s character leads an expedition to gather genetics from the three largest dinosaurs of Hammond’s experiments. But (wouldn’t you know it?), an accident happens and the group is stuck on the island with a bunch of dinosaurs that were “too scary” for Hammond’s original “Jurassic Park” destination. Those dinosaurs were left on this island to fend for themselves, and lo and behold they did.
It’s a little like beating a dead horse with this franchise, right? But if one thing is for certain, the footage we have received looks great. It even appears they may go back to the sci-fi/horror roots that made the original film the best of the bunch. It’s going to be a flock of dinosaurs old and new chasing down and eating humans and to be quite honest, that’s all I care about. Not to mention, this “D-Rex” Hammond created looks absolutely terrifying.
4. “28 Years Later”
Release Date: June 20
Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Ralph Fiennes
Directed By: Danny Boyle
This might be the most anticipation I have ever had for a horror film. The original installment, “28 Days Later,” is an absolutely brilliant film and is quite arguably the best zombie movie ever made. To be clear, “28 Weeks Later” wasn’t quite as good, but it was hard to live up to the hype of the original.
Now, Danny Boyle is back to direct the third film in the franchise after stepping away from the second. “28 Years Later” takes place, well, nearly 30 years after the events of the original. Many have found solace and a way to live amongst the infected. One group in particular is living in a town on an island that is heavily guarded. But when a group decides to leave the island on a mission, they discover something terrible is happening with the infected. Somehow, they’re mutating, and so are the humans living nearby.
3. “Superman”
Release Date: July 11
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion
Directed By: James Gunn
Here we go, folks! “Superman” is the first feature film in James Gunn’s “DC Universe,” and the start of a new era. The anticipation has been growing since Gunn took over the characters, but the release of the trailer this winter sent comic book fans into a tizzy. This film is going to be a pinnacle moment for Gunn’s new slate of DC hero movies and will be the beginning of a massive storyboard.
The film isn’t labeled an origin story, but we most definitely find a young Clark Kent (David Corenswet) working at The Daily Planet. We also know that “Lex Luthor” (Nicholas Hoult) is going to be heavily involved, and we catch glimpses of Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion). This past week at Las Vegas’ CinemaCon, Gunn was on stage and said that this version of “Superman” will have many similarities to “Superman: The Animated Series.” He also talked about how it will be more fantastical than we’ve seen lately. So don’t expect it to be a grounded storyline. You’re going to want to think and expect “Guardians of the Galaxy” style from Gunn, and I think it might work out just fine for the debut of a new era.
2. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”
Release Date: July 25
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Directed By: Matt Shakman
Marvel’s first family is finally making its MCU debut this summer. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will act as their origin story in a sense, but will also throw us into their epic battle against Galactus and his herald, The Silver Surfer. From initial reactions, the hype train is rolling full steam ahead for this film and it should be; people who love the MCU have long awaited the arrival of The Fantastic Four. The film will also help lead us into next summer’s biggest blockbuster, “Avengers: Doomsday.” This makes a ton of sense, knowing how attached The Fantastic Four characters are to Doctor Doom.
The film itself looks great. It’s set in the backdrop of the 1960’s and has a serious “Jetsons” vibe to it. The color palette, set pieces and design of The Thing are all exactly what I was hoping for. Now, hopefully our director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) can also deliver the goods. It’s going to be a pivotal film for the MCU, which has caught a ton of flak the past two or three years with the quality of their releases. Why not redeem themselves in 2025 with one of the most anticipated movies ever from Marvel Studios this summer?
1. “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
Release Date: May 23
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby
Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie
It all comes down to this! Well, we think so anyway. Nearly 30 years of “Mission: Impossible” films and death-defying stunts from Tom Cruise have led to what is thought to be the final film of the franchise. It’s something that I honestly didn’t think would ever happen. If you know me, you know I love Cruise quite a bit and have been a fan of his since I was a kid. This is primarily because he is one of the few actors left in Hollywood who does every last one of his stunts. If you’ve ever watched any “M: I” film, you know that is absolutely wild. The fact that he chooses to do these stunts makes him the last true action star.
The film picks up right where “M: I – Dead Reckoning” left off, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is headed on another globe-trotting mission to snatch The Entity before it falls into the wrong hands. It looks to be another action-packed entry into the franchise, and Cruise has a stunt up his sleeve unlike any other involving being underwater for an extended period. I’m ready for it, and I’m ready for Tom Cruise to rule the box office this summer once again.
Thanks for reading my “Most Anticipated Blockbuster Movies of Summer 2025” preview! Don’t forget to follow me on “Letterboxd,” the movie lovers’ social media platform to review films, create lists, save a watch list, and communicate with other movie lovers.
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