The new year will be here soon, so let’s look at some of the films it has on offer and discuss 10 anticipated movies to watch in January 2025!
Ah, good ol’ January. When the holiday high is gone, you’re sick of winter even though it just began, and Hollywood dumps many of the respective year’s worst movies … until recently, it seems. In the past few years, January has seen some pretty solid films hit theaters and streaming. So, with a new year not too far away, it’s natural to look ahead at the releases January 2025 will have in store. There’s a decent mix of films to pick: horror, action, comedy, potential early gems, anticipated prestige films, and more. In the spirit of people preparing for holidays and events way too far in advance (seriously, I’m writing this in October and I already see Christmas decorations on sale), let’s go through 10 anticipated movies to watch in January 2025!
1. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
January 10, 2025
Christian Gudegast’s 2018 action hit is getting a follow-up with Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. Gerard Butler (of Copshop) returns as Sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien, who is tracking down ex-marine and robber Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr., of Cocaine Bear) after the latter escapes for another heist. Butler may not have the most consistent track record of good movies, but he had a solid hit two Januaries ago with the surprisingly enjoyable Plane. With Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey having been taken off the January slate – along with what feels like half the month’s initial lineup – Den of Thieves 2 may be one of your best bets for some high-octane action this month.
2. Hard Truths
January 10, 2025
And now for a complete 180 from the big action thriller, Hard Truths is an independent drama with easily the most prestige on this list, having won and been nominated for many awards since its TIFF 2024 premiere. Marianne Jean-Baptiste (The Book of Clarence) plays a middle-aged wife and mother who’s battling anger and depression, which have caused her to lash out at her loved ones. In particular, she clashes with her much happier younger sister (Michele Austin, of Secrets & Lies). Directed by 81-year-old Mike Leigh, Hard Truths has been especially hyped up for Jean-Baptiste’s performance, which I imagine will be loaded with a raging firestorm of emotions as she and her family cling to their connections. If you want a look at one of the late hopefuls for this year’s Oscars, Hard Truths may be hard to skip.
3. Wolf Man
January 17, 2025
Wolf Man is my personal most anticipated film of January 2025, largely because it’s the second reimagining of an iconic horror name from writer/director Leigh Whannel. After his excellent work on The Invisible Man, I’m so curious to see what he does with a remake of The Wolf Man. We’re set to watch a troubled family man (Christopher Abbott, Poor Things) who brings his family to their newly inherited rural home, only to then be attacked by a strange creature that has even stranger effects on him … my prediction is that it’s a werewolf transformation. Werewolf stories aren’t new by now, but having the victim be with his wife (Julia Garner, The Royal Hotel) and child (Matilda Firth, Disenchanted) is sure to bring more personal, devastating stakes to the affair. Let’s hope this horror revival is more Invisible Man and less … well, most other horror revivals.
4. Back in Action
January 17, 2025
There’s a new Cameron Diaz movie coming out. To quote Ben Kenobi, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. But indeed, she’s coming out of retirement for Back in Action, an action comedy about two former spies whose cover is blown. Jamie Foxx (Baby Driver) costars alongside Diaz (Shrek), supported by Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler, and Andrew Scott. The film is set to be released on Netflix, so anyone who just wants a lighthearted watch without going to the theater may find this worth their while. If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see what these big names wind up doing together.
5. Flight Risk
January 24, 2025
This is probably a more anticipated January action film compared to Den of Thieves 2, given its more prominent marketing. Not to mention the star power of Mark Wahlberg (Arthur the King), who plays a pilot transporting a government witness to trial. Unfortunately for everyone on the plane, he is also secretly a hitman sent to eliminate the witness, but soon he’s caught up in an even bigger web of targets. Say what you will about the director of Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge – the trailer is too ashamed to say his name, so I won’t either – but when he wants to get across the intensity of a situation, he can pull it off. So maybe that will work just as well with the claustrophobia of the airplane setting.
6. Presence
January 24, 2025
It seems like Steven Soderbergh is always trying to push the art of filmmaking in some way, and his latest film looks to be no exception. Presence is about a family whose house is haunted by a spirit … and the entire movie is apparently in this spirit’s first-person point of view. It’s like the In a Violent Nature of ghost stories, I suppose. The film has already received acclaim from its Sundance premiere this past January, so it’s already anticipated by many. But even with that aside, it’s such a juicy, daring way to approach a movie like this that I can’t see myself passing it up. Hopefully enough potential audience members will feel the same way.
7. Brave The Dark
January 24, 2025
Brave the Dark is a drama directed by Damian Harris, the son of veteran actor Jared Harris (of The Sea Beast). The latter has the starring role as Stan Deen, a drama teacher in 1980s Pennsylvania who bails one of his students, Nate (of It: Chapter 2), out of jail. Nate is haunted by his past and going down a dark road, but Deen remains determined to help him … well, brave the dark within him even when nearly everyone else has given up on the kid. The setup and trailer give me major Good Will Hunting vibes, so there’s potential for the film to capture at least some of that tear-jerking magic in its own right.
8. Companion
January 31, 2025
Companion is a big question mark of a movie, but it’s one I want to see become an … exclamation point. Sure. Sophie Thatcher (MaXXXine) plays a woman in a relationship with what looks like a man (Jack Quaid, Oppenheimer) who can do literally anything he wants to her, smile “lovingly” the whole time, and know he can get away with it. The teaser shows these actions include burning her on their dinner candlelight … suggesting his “girlfriend” may not be entirely human. This looks like a gnarly, nasty time at the movies, with a leading duo of actors who are ready to throw their all into it. If the film as a whole is worth that effort, it could be your own cinematic companion to watch when it comes out.
9. Love Me
January 31, 2025
Love Me is a science fiction film written and directed by Sam and Andy Zuchero, with by far the most head-scratching premise on this list: a buoy named Me (Kristen Stewart, Love Lies Bleeding) and a satellite named Iam (Steven Yeun, Nope) fall in love in the distant future after humankind has gone extinct. I don’t know how a whole movie is going to make that work, but it’s so uncannily strange that I feel like it has to draw in at least some people. I find stories about the line between humanity and AI fascinating. Whether they’re uplifting, terrifying, or just plain uncanny, there’s so much you can do with them even today. There’s probably nowhere to hide that line as it’s eviscerated in Love Me, so I’m really curious to see it fully exposed.
10. Dog Man
January 31, 2025
Speaking of robots with feelings, DreamWorks made the beautiful powerhouse known as The Wild Robot. They’re following it up with a movie where a dog’s head is put on a human police officer’s body. In other words, it’s just another day in the office for them. In Dog Man, said procedure happens to an officer and his dog after they’re both critically injured. Going by its trailer, the movie looks totally passable for kids and at the very least not annoying for parents or other adults. I even chuckled a couple times, dare I say. The film is a spinoff of DreamWorks’s Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, which was generally well received by critics and fans. Maybe it can have the same fate. And maybe Dog Man and Wolf Man will even be part of a male-canine-themed double feature.
So, as you can see, January 2025 is looking to have an interesting, varied lineup of films to choose from. Like I said, the past few Januaries have been surprisingly decent, so I have solid hopes that at least some of these 10 anticipated movies will deliver on their potential. Who knows; some of these may end up being among the whole year’s best in film. What are you most excited to see?
