10 Most Anticipated Netflix Movies of 2025, Ranked

2025 is just getting started, but Netflix already has a lot in store for the new year. The streaming service is known for putting out original content on a rolling basis, with a few upcoming titles already getting subscribers’ attention ahead of their release. From Cameron Diaz‘s long-awaited return to film in Back in Action to Guillermo del Toro‘s decade-long effort to adapt Frankenstein, there is lots to add to the watch list.

Given that three Netflix originals broke records in 2024, it will be interesting to see which of the films arriving on the platform this year will pique viewers’ interest the most, reaching the streamer’s Top 10 of all time. From what has already been announced to come out this year, there are the most buzz-worthy Netflix movies you won’t want to miss in 2025, ranked by just how much anticipation they have behind them.

10

‘Havoc’

Directed by Gareth Evans

Action enthusiasts are already looking forward to Tom Hardy‘s next gritty project. Known for playing criminals and villains, the actor will now be on the right side of the law in Havoc. The Netflix film will have Hardy play a bruised detective determined to rescue a politician’s estranged son from the criminal underworld after a drug deal goes south. While on this mission, the protagonist begins to see through the corrupt system driving the city.

Gangs of London director Gareth Evans will helm this thrilling action flick, which will come out sometime this year. Havoc has been a long time in the making, with filming dating back to 2021. When the film’s first look images were released, they came as a sign that the production was still on the table despite the multiple setbacks that it faced. Aside from Hardy, names like Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, and Forest Whitaker will also be part of the project’s ensemble.

9

‘The Life List’

Directed by Adam Brooks

Sofia Carson has become a Netflix regular, having starred in four movies for the streaming platform so far, the latest being the hugely successful Carry-On. The partnership between the actress and Netflix is far from over, with her leading the book-to-screen adaptation of The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman. She is expected to star as Alex Rose, a young woman seeking to cross off all the items from her childhood bucket list. Encouraged by her mother to go on this life-altering quest, the main character uncovers family secrets and falls in love.

Written and directed by Adam Brooks, this anticipated romantic comedy has yet to get an official release date. However, its stacked cast is enough of a reason to keep this title on your 2025 to-watch list. Carson will act opposite Kyle Allen, Sebastian de Souza, and Connie Britton in a project that will likely drive viewers to laugh and cry in equal measure.

8

‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’

Directed by Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park

Netflix subscribers are ringing in 2025 in good company, with the latest installment of the Wallace & Gromit franchise, which is already available on the platform. In the brand-new entry to the award-winning animated film series, entitled Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, the beloved duo are forced to deal with an enemy from their past. Feathers McGraw, the famed antagonist from the 1993 short film The Wrong Trousers, comes back to haunt them after the smart gnome that Wallace created gets a mind of its own. Once again, Gromit must save his master from the sinister forces preventing him from inventing ever again.

The lead characters have proven their loyalty to one another throughout the many entries in the franchise, and their partnership is what leads viewers to also remain faithful to the inventor and his pooch over time. Wallace and Gromit’s first onscreen appearance was in 1989’s A Grand Day Out, which was nominated for an Oscar. Since then, they’ve resurfaced for six other films before the recently released Netflix movie. Having them back more than 20 years later is a welcome surprise and the perfect way to kick off the streaming service’s lengthy 2025 release list.

7

‘The Thursday Murder Club’

Directed by Chris Columbus

Staying at a retirement home has never been so filled with twists and turns as in the upcoming Netflix original, The Thursday Murder Club. Based on the best-selling whodunnit novel of the same name, the film will follow a group of seniors who solve murder mysteries for fun until they are warped up into a real case. The talented thespians at the core of this adaptation are ex-spy Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), ex-union activist Ron (Pierce Brosnan), and ex-nurse Joyce (Celia Imrie).

This star-studded crew is bound to bring Netflix subscribers along on an entertaining ride. With Chris Columbus taking on the director’s chair, the film will keep viewers on edge as the main characters pile up the clues as to who the killer might be. Although there is no news about The Thursday Murder Club‘s release window, production wrapped last September. The movie will likely focus on the events told in the first novel of Richard Osman‘s book series, leaving the door open for a follow-up in case the reception is as positive as we hope it is.

6

‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’

Directed by Matt Palmer

After the overwhelming success of the Fear Street trilogy, we will be invited back to Shadyside for another bone-chilling venture. After each installment that came out in 2021 dove deeper into the town’s bloody history, Fear Street: Prom Queen will continue the story by focusing on a 1988 high school dance that takes a horrifying turn. Based on R.L. Stine’s 1992 novel, the upcoming film will look into the ruthless dispute for the crown at the local senior prom, which results in a brutal murder.

Given the popularity of the franchise’s previous entries, with each one receiving more than 80% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, the excitement for this new horror flick is undeniable. Adding a killer twist to the school dance tradition—a classic setting for multiple of the all-time best slashers—Prom Queen is bound to be the go-to pick for this Halloween season.

5

‘The Electric State’

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Before Millie Bobby Brown bids farewell to Eleven in Stranger Things Season 5, the actress will embark on a robot-filled alternate reality in the Russo Brothers’ latest directorial effort. In this reimagining of the ’90s, robotic artificial intelligence takes over the world, posing a threat to humanity. Years later, after peace is established between man and machine, a young woman accompanied by a toy robot and a smuggler uncovers a mechanical conspiracy affecting the nation.

This retro-futuristic production is inspired by Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name. It similarly focuses on a young girl and a mysterious robot who go on a cross-country trip through a high-tech wasteland in search of her younger brother. With Brown and Chris Pratt as the leads, this dystopian epic coming to Netflix in March will pique the interest of sci-fi and fantasy fans.

4

‘Back in Action’

Directed by Seth Gordon

Cameron Diaz has been out of the spotlight for over ten years, so her comeback to the screen is nothing short of eventful. The actress will reunite with Oscar winner Jamie Foxx in Back in Action, with the duo playing seemingly normal parents who hide a big secret. In reality, the couple used to work as spies but had let go of their double life to start a family. When their cover is blown, the duo are forced to reenter the CIA for another risky mission.

Diaz has starred in several action-packed productions throughout her career, her most notorious being Charlie’s Angels. Her return to the genre as a secret agent, literally kicking ass alongside her former Annie co-star, should not go unnoticed when the film comes out on January 17. Back in Action has the potential to be Netflix’s first hit of 2025, and audiences will surely stream the heck out of it in a little under a week.

3

‘Happy Gilmore 2’

Directed by Kyle Newacheck

In this day and age, you can never say never to a sequel, even if the first installment was released 30 years ago. Happy Gilmore 2 serves as proof that it is never too late to revisit characters from a nostalgic title and see where they ended up since we last saw them. Adam Sandler‘s Happy Gilmore won the Tour Championship in 1996, and now viewers get to catch up with the protagonist as he continues to reach new heights on the golf course.

The long-awaited follow-up to the ’90s comedy will arrive on Netflix in 2025, featuring original stars Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald as Virginia Venit and Shooter McGavin. In addition to the characters we already know and love, Happy Gilmore 2 will welcome new faces, including NFL player Travis Kelce, Bad Bunny, and Margaret Qualley.

2

‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’

Directed by Rian Johnson

Two films in and the Knives Out franchise has already gained must-see status. After all, with every installment comes an elaborate murder mystery and a wide array of suspects to consider. As Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) uses his investigative expertise to close a case, audiences are encouraged to keep an eye out for any possible clues as to who the killer might be. Although the premise for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has yet to be disclosed, the first two installments of the whodunnit film series already proved that audiences can trust Rian Johnson’s masterful direction and storytelling prowess.

Soon after the sequel was announced, the casting updates just kept on coming, resulting in an impressive ensemble. The main cast will feature Glenn Close, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny​​​​​​, Daryl McCormack​​​​​​, and Thomas Haden Church. These hand-picked stars are all playing characters we have yet to learn more about, which only contributes to the excitement of watching the film upon release.

1

‘Frankenstein’

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Out of all the Netflix productions featured in the 2025 film slate, Frankenstein has got to be the most anticipated one. After all, it’s directed by Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro and aims to breathe new life into Mary Shelley‘s classic tale. According to the director in an interview with Collider’s own Christina Radish, this film was a decade in the making, meaning that a lot of thought went into every creative decision that he made.

From the script to the cast, the filmmaker had a keen eye for detail, and, given his track record, he will present an elaborate look at Victor Frankenstein’s (Oscar Isaac) monstrous creature (Jacob Elordi) unlike anything that we’ve seen before. Del Toro and Maggie Gyllenhaal are both presenting their takes on the gothic novel through their respective films, one focusing on sticking to the source material and the other adapting the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Given that the two movies will come out in 2025, horror fans have a lot to look forward to.

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