The 10 biggest films of 2025 — and where to watch them
It's been a bumper year...
2025 brought many odd things – Katy Perry in space, the Coldplay kiss cam, Jess Glyne becoming popular again thanks to, erm, Jet2. Needless to say, it was a year of ups and downs, and nowhere did that ring truer than at the box office, with major franchises having unexpected flops, and animated faves giving a surprise performance to dominate the charts.
Amongst the Snow Whites, Tron: Ares, and Caught Stealings that flopped harder than a middle-aged British man jumping into the hotel pool on the Costa-del-Sol after six midday pints, there were some pretty impressive releases which have dominated the cinemas and streamers this year. These are the 10 biggest films of 2025, and where you can watch them.
10. Superman
Probably one of the most anticipated releases of the year, DC Studios’ Superman heralded a new era for the superhero, setting up a decade of storylines to come. After rave reviews, Superman earned $616 at the global box office, making it a certified success, even if that total was lower than its predecessor, Man of Steel. Roll on 2027’s new Supergirl film.
- Buy it on Prime Video for £4.99
9. F1: The Movie
Brad really lived up to his name with this Pitt Stop (yes, I’ve been making that joke all year). Most of the top 10 from this year’s box office are reboots, sequels, or part of a franchise, and F1 is, in fact, the only entry on the list that’s a stand-alone flick. The film was a partnership between Apple Studios and Warner Bros, starring Damson Idris alongside Pitt, taking the world’s Formula One hype to the big screen. Oh, and it grossed a casual $630 million worldwide.
- Stream on Apple TV and Prime Video
8. How to Train Your Dragon
In an action remake people may have seen coming but definitely looked away when they did, How to Train Your Dragon followed on from the success of its animated 2010 predecessor. True, they did a bit of a nip and tuck here and there on some parts, but the film stayed true to the beloved original. The adaptation starred new-ish-comers Mason Thames and Nico Parker, starring $636.4 million globally.
- Buy on Apple TV and Sky Studios
7. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, apart from being a mouthful, is the first in a planned trilogy, and follows a boy named Tanjiro who tries to transform his sister back into a human after she becomes a demon. The anime film surpassed over $714 million, making it one of the most profitable and successful Japanese films of all time.
- Streaming in 2026
6. Avatar: Fire and Ash
Would it be a highest-grossing-films list without an Avatar entry? Only launching on 19th December, James Cameron’s third Avatar instalment rocketed to the top 10, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2025, generating $760.4 million already. Will it cross that $1 billion threshold before New Year's? Probably not, but a fourth film is definitely getting the green light before you get kissed at midnight.
- In cinemas
5. Jurassic World Rebirth
It’s a toss-up for what the best gift of 2025 was, between Jonathan Bailey’s slutty little glasses and Jonathan Bailey himself, and we have Jurassic World Rebirth to thank for the former. Actually, it’s no surprise that it was high-grossing, as Bailey’s beloved glasses could have funded at least half of its $869 million box office haul.
Whilst the seventh movie in the dino franchise received mixed reviews and a low critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, being part of the famed franchise alone definitely helped it secure its spot on the list – and a cast of Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali definitely cemented its spot in the top five.
- Buy it now on Amazon Prime and Apple TV
4. A Minecraft Movie
All hail the rise of live-action gaming adaptations. Actually, that rise might have been kick-started by The Minecraft Movie, based on none other than the hugely popular Minecraft video game, and had industry big boys Jack Black and Jason Momoa leading the fun. The film amassed $1 billion globally, being a certified huge hit, with a sequel already in the works for July 2027.
- Stream on NOW
3. Lilo & Stitch
Another big-hitting remake this year was Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch, which was the first film of 2025 to not only hit but surpass the $1 billion milestone. The family-friendly flick starred Maia Kealoha as Lilo and followed the beloved, if unlikely friendship between her and the furry fugitive Stitch, voiced by Chris Sanders.
- Stream on Disney+
2. Zootopia 2
Another latecomer, Zootopia 2, climbed up the box office charts, racking up $1.4 billion in mere weeks, making it one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, let alone 2025. The sequel to the fellow billion-dollar-film, which was released in 2016, Zootopia 2 sees the return of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, respectively.
- In cinemas
1. Ne Zha 2
The fourth sequel on the list, Ne Zha 2 based on Chinese mythological characters centred around a rebellious young boy with powers. The film was released in China on the first day of the Chinese New Year, and amassed $2.15 billion worldwide, officially usurping Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, and clinching the number one spot for 2025.
- Stream now on Prime Video
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