10 Great 2025 Movies That Took Everyone by Surprise
2025 has seen the release of many great movies, including several record-breaking titles from around the world. But more so than usual, this year has seen the release of a number of truly surprising films that have broken all expectations… in a good way, of course. In fact, some of the biggest movies of 2025 have been films that nobody saw coming, and yet, we’re all the better for them.
From mold-breaking franchise films to smaller indie breakouts, these are the films that subverted and exceeded the hopes of critics and audiences to deliver original and entertaining stories that have become instant pop culture landmarks. And more than any other films, these are the movies that have truly defined the year in cinema. So, without further ado, here’s our selection of the 10 greatest 2025 movies that took everyone by surprise.
10
‘Superman’ (2025)
Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman is the first film of Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. Starring David Corenswet as the iconic hero and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, the film follows Clark Kent / Superman as he faces off against his archenemy, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is plotting to destroy the hero and orchestrate a major international conflict. Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and more star in supporting roles.
As the first film of the new DC reboot, expectations were high ahead of Superman’s premiere in July 2025, but nobody could have anticipated just how wholesome, warm, and true to the character the movie would turn out to be. The film is a perfect comic book movie, dropping viewers directly into a well-developed world full of interesting characters and then taking us on a journey that’s hopeful, inspiring, and timely without being naive or condescending. The eighth-highest-grossing film of the year and one of the best-received superhero movies of recent years, the film is a must-watch for Superman fans and movie lovers in general. A sequel, Man of Tomorrow, is currently scheduled to arrive in 2027.
9
‘Splitsville’ (2025)
Michael Angelo Covino directed, co-wrote, and stars in Splitsville, a comedy that follows two couples whose lives explode into unexpected territory when one of them decides to get a divorce. When his wife, Ashley (Adria Arjona), asks to separate, Carey (Kyle Marvin) runs to his friends, Paul (Covino) and Julie (Dakota Johnson), only to learn that the secret to their marriage is an open relationship. Chaos ensues as lines are crossed, friends become lovers, and lovers become enemies. Nicholas Braun, David Castañeda, O-T Fagbenle, and more appear in supporting roles.
Splitsville was a pretty under-the-radar film before its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, but it earned positive reviews on the festival circuit, winning Johnson the Zurich Film Festival’s Golden Eye Award. Released in select theaters in August, the movie grossed over $3 million and has generated favorable buzz online for its well-balanced story and situational comedy. Powered by the excellent performances of its ensemble, the film is a hilarious exploration of love and relationships in the modern age, with a classical screwball narrative.
8
‘Thunderbolts*’ (2025)
Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is a Marvel Cinematic Universe film that introduces the titular group of unlikely superheroes. Betrayed and targeted by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), covert agents Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker / U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr / The Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) team up with Yelena’s adoptive father, Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Congressman Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) on a dangerous mission against Valentina and her new superpowered champion, Bob (Lewis Pullman). Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, and more appear in supporting roles.
Everyone knows the MCU has been in decline for a while, and as a result, expectations were not particularly high for Thunderbolts*. However, the film, retroactively rebranded as The New Avengers, turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining film with genuinely engaging characters, something that’s been a rarity in the powerhouse superhero franchise’s recent offerings. Though the film was a box office disappointment, it still grossed over $382 million and earned better reviews than most Marvel movies of Phase Five.
7
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ (2025)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Predator: Killer of Killers is an adult animated science fiction action anthology that follows four tales from across Earth’s history of human warriors who face off against Yautja hunters. The first three stories follow a Viking shieldmaiden, a disgraced ninja, and a World War II fighter pilot, respectively, with the fourth one tying them all together for a final showdown. Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa Changchien, and Rick Gonzalez lead the voice cast, which also includes Michael Biehn, Doug Cockle, Damien Haas, Lauren Holt, and more.
With the success of his 2022 film Prey and 2025 hit Predator: Badlands, Dan Trachtenberg has established himself as the new voice of the Predator franchise, but his surprise animated anthology may just be his best work in the series so far. Produced in secret and released directly to streaming just a few months before the premiere of Predator: Badlands, the animated film has earned critical and audience acclaim for its animation, direction, action, writing, and music. The movie is a stellar watch for franchise fans that repeats Prey’s formula of historical human warriors going up against Predators, but does so in a way that genuinely adds to the world of the series.
6
‘The Naked Gun’ (2025)
Directed and co-written by Akiva Schaffer, The Naked Gun is the fourth film in the titular franchise and essentially a legacy sequel to the original action comedy trilogy. Liam Neeson stars as Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s Lt. Frank Drebin, who must follow in his father’s footsteps and save Police Squad from being shut down, while investigating the death of a software engineer. The movie also stars Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston in supporting roles.
A sequel/reboot that spent nearly 20 years in development limbo, The Naked Gun became an unexpected success when it premiered in the summer of 2025, earning positive reviews from critics and grossing over $102 million worldwide against a $42 million budget. Powered by Neeson’s ultra-serious deadpan comedy, the film brilliantly captures the sheer absurdity of the original trilogy while delivering a story that’s genuinely one of the funniest of the year. Nobody really expected the new Naked Gun to be so very enjoyable, but it is, and with reports of a sequel in the works, fans can hope to get a lot more of its nostalgic buffoonery in the years to come.
5
‘Companion’ (2025)
Written and directed by Drew Hancock in his directorial debut, Companion is a science fiction thriller starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. The film revolves around a group of friends spending a weekend at a remote lakehouse, where it’s revealed that one of the guests is an AI-powered companion robot, setting off a bloody series of events full of unexpected twists and turns. Besides Thatcher and Quaid, the film also stars Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend, and more in significant roles.
Companion’s trailer and promotional material revealed the fact that Thatcher’s character is a robot, which is the sort of spoiler you’d think would ruin a movie. But the film proved to have far bigger surprises in store than the identity of its protagonist, exciting critics and audiences (and Stephen King) with its fresh twist on the killer robot subgenre. Widely hailed as one of the best sci-fi movies of the year, the movie is a critical and commercial success that has earned praise for its stylish production, suspenseful narrative, well-written story, and the stellar performance by Thatcher, which earned the actor a Critics’ Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie.
4
‘Good Boy’ (2025)
Directed by Ben Leonberg in his feature directorial debut, Good Boy is a truly original haunted house horror film that stars Leonberg’s own Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever dog, Indy, as the main character. The movie follows Indy and his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), as they move into Todd’s late grandfather’s rural house, where Indy senses an evil power that threatens his human’s life. The film also stars Arielle Friedman and Larry Fessenden in supporting roles.
Produced on a budget of just $70,000, Good Boy has proven itself to be the surprise indie darling of the year, grossing over $8.5 million worldwide. The film earned favorable reviews after its premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Festival and has been praised by critics and horror fans alike for its unique concept, visual style, emotionally resonant narrative, and the leading performance by its four-legged star. The movie has also received several accolades, including an Astra Film Award nomination for Best First Feature and another for Indy in the Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller category.
3
‘Weapons’ (2025)
A mystery horror film directed, written, produced, and co-scored by Zach Cregger, Weapons revolves around a strange incident in which 17 schoolchildren from the same class mysteriously run away on the same night at the exact same time. Only one student remains in the class, and their teacher, who immediately comes under suspicion, becomes concerned about his welfare and unexpectedly discovers the horrific truth behind the incident. The movie’s ensemble cast includes Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.
Cregger’s second horror directorial after 2022’s Barbarian, Weapons was quite hotly anticipated by horror fans ahead of its release, but once it premiered in August 2025, the movie proved to be an even bigger success than its predecessor. Near universally acclaimed by critics for its writing, direction, and performances, the film has grossed over $268 million against a $38 million budget. It’s an intelligent, tightly woven tale of terror that has been widely hailed as one of the best horror films of the year, and while nothing’s been confirmed yet, there is talk of a potential sequel or prequel film to expand on the movie’s story.
2
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (2025)
Directed and co-written by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, KPop Demon Hunters is an animated musical fantasy film that follows a K-pop girl group who fight demons, primarily their demonic rival boy band, the Saja Boys. Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo star as the voices of HUNTR/X, the titular K-pop group, with Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, Lee Byung-hun, and more in key voice roles. The movie also features musicians Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and more as the singing voices of the characters.
An animated musical inspired by Korean mythology, K-pop, and anime, KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s most-watched title of all time and easily one of the biggest hits of the year. The movie has earned widespread acclaim and become quite the cultural phenomenon, attracting a massive all-ages fan base with its entertaining narrative, striking visuals, and high-energy music. The movie’s soundtrack has also been quite successful in its own right, earning five Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year.
1
‘Ne Zha 2’ (2025)
Written and directed by Jiaozi, Ne Zha 2 is a Chinese animated fantasy film that’s a direct sequel to the 2019 film Ne Zha. Inspired by Chinese mythology, the film series is adapted from Xu Zhonglin‘s 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods, and the movie follows heroes Ne Zha and Ao Bing, whose bodies are destroyed by divine lightning, sparking the ire of Ao Bing’s father, a powerful Dragon King. Incompletely resurrected, the two friends are forced to share a body and go through a series of trials to regain their bodies. The original voice cast stars Joseph Cao, Han Mo, Lü Qi, and more, and the English dub stars Michelle Yeoh, Griffin Puatu, and Aleks Le, among others.
The Ne Zha series and its source materials may be unfamiliar to most American audiences, but that’s sure to change now. Released in theaters across China on the first day of the Chinese New Year, Ne Zha 2 is the highest-grossing film of the year and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time (also the highest-grossing animated film and the first animated movie to gross more than $2 billion). Distributed in the US by A24, the film has been praised by critics worldwide for its writing, concept, and visuals, and a sequel is currently in development.
- Release Date
-
January 29, 2025
- Runtime
-
144 minutes
- Director
-
Yang Yu
- Writers
-
Yang Yu, Zhonglin Xu, Xixing Lu
- Producers
-
Wenzhang Liu
-
Lü Yanting
Young Nezha (voice)
-
Joseph
Youth Nezha/Jie Jie Shou Zuo (voice)
