The unofficial start of the summer movie season is coming soon. Here’s a list of 12 of the most anticipated movies in May 2025!
May is usually the time of year when movie studios really start bringing out their heavy-hitters, kicking off what some may consider the unofficial start of the summer movie season. And looking at the lineup of these 12 most anticipated movies for May 2025, this year is no different. We’ve got our traditional early-May Marvel release, other new installments in popular franchises, a few relative unknowns vying for theatergoers’ attention, and of course a few horror films for those of us who want to spend nice, sunny evenings shriveling in fear.
Let’s go over these 12 most anticipated movies in May 2025, including a few small, under-the-radar picks to watch out for, listed by release date!
1. Another Simple Favor (May 1, 2025)
Where to watch: Prime Video
Another Simple Favor is a new film with Blake Lively, who’s probably needed a lot of favors from her PR team lately. It’s also a sequel to the 2018 hit A Simple Favor, taking place years after single mother Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick, of Woman of the Hour) crossed blades with her rich, deceptive friend Emily Nelson (Lively, of It Ends with Us). Now, coming out of prison, Emily invites Stephanie to her elegant wedding in Capri, Italy, only for things to go crazy when murder comes knocking. The original film, helmed by returning director Paul Feig, created tangled web after tangled web that won favor – no pun intended – with audiences and critics alike. It’s stylish, darkly funny, and extremely unpredictable. Will Another Simple Favor get lightning to strike twice? Or will it be seen as just another Simple Favor?
2. Thunderbolts* (May 2, 2025)
January 10, 2025
Where to watch: In theaters
The Marvel Cinematic Universe tries to make their triumphant comeback – again – with Thunderbolts*. No, the asterisk is not a typo. When the Avengers are away, a ragtag group of C-list MCU characters come out to play, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, of Oppenheimer), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan, of A Different Man), Red Guardian (David Harbour, of Violent Night), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell, of Overlord). The group is caught in a death trap that sets them on a mission of possible redemption from their pasts. But really, it’s the MCU that needs redemption in many viewers’ eyes, which puts a lot of weight on this movie’s shoulders to deliver something special. The cast is certainly stacked; they just need a movie that lives up to their talents.
3. Shadow Force (May 2, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’re looking for a non-IP popcorn flick, Shadow Force may be the movie for you. Kyrah (Kerry Washington, of Little Fires Everywhere) and Isaac (Omar Sy, of The Book of Clarence) were once the leaders of Shadow Force, a multinational special forces group. But by falling in love and having a son, they broke the organization’s rules, forcing them on the run in a war against Shadow Force itself. While I’m not particularly impressed with the film’s trailer, the cast and crew show signs of promise. Mark Strong and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph also star, and director Joe Carnahan has proven himself very capable with films like The Grey and Copshop, the latter of which was a pleasant surprise for many. Shadow Force may be a total dud, or it could be the latest unexpected success in his filmography.
4. Pavements (May 2, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Pavements will not be on most people’s radars. But if you’re a lover of 90s music, I’d look out for it. This is a documentary/fiction hybrid about Pavement, one of the most influential indie rock bands of their time. According to sources and reviews, it fuses forms in a highly experimental way, combining raw footage, satirical biopic-style recreations, and even elements from the Pavement jukebox musical Slanted! Enchanted! I only started listening to Pavement properly when doing research for this list, and I’ve already picked up on the humorous tinges and esoteric lyrics coating their music. If there’s any band I can see taking such a bizarre, almost in-joke approach to their own documentary, it’s these guys.
If you’re already a fan, this looks like the definitive Pavement experience. If you’re a newcomer like me, then Pavements still looks like a wild experience that puts you in the front seat of a band’s stealthily legendary run. Its release officially starts on May 2 in New York City exclusively, then May 9 in Los Angeles, and then finally wide on June 9.
5. Final Destination: Bloodlines (May 16, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
It’s been over 13 years since the last Final Destination movie, which means it’s time to plop it onto the pile of revived franchises. The series is about people being killed by convoluted “accidents” and the survivors attempting to cheat Death itself. In Final Destination: Bloodlines, college student Stefanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana, of The Friendship Game) is suffering a recurring nightmare depicting her family’s death, so she returns home to find the one person who can potentially save them all. These movies have never been critical darlings, but they’ve clearly left their mark for the creative premise and over-the-top kills. The Bloodlines trailer shows that the zaniness is still coming, and the setup hints at further expansion of series lore. So, if these movies are up your alley, you’ll hopefully have another one to enjoy.
6. Hurry Up Tomorrow (May 16, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Abel Tesfaye, better known as singer-songwriter The Weeknd, is starring in a companion piece film to his album of the same name. He plays a musician plagued by insomnia, suffering a mental breakdown, and pulled into an existential odyssey that dives into the core of his identity. That sounds like a cheap vanity project to promote his music, and it very well could be. But the trailer makes it look like a legitimate cinematic production, and it’s got the involvement of two very notable actors: Jenna Ortega (of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) and Barry Keoghan (of Saltburn). It’s also directed and co-written by Trey Edward Shults, who’s gotten considerable critical praise for every film he’s done so far (those being Krisha, It Comes at Night, and Waves). There is serious potential for Hurry Up Tomorrow to stand out as one of the great album-based films. We’ll just have to wait for it to hurry up and get here.
7. Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning (May 23, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Whether or not you consider Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning the biggest May release in terms of hype, it’s very likely the biggest in terms of spectacle and scale. The eighth Mission: Impossible film, and the immediate follow-up to 2023’s Dead Reckoning, sees Tom Cruise (of Top Gun: Maverick) once again play IMF agent Ethan Hunt as he searches for the source code of a dangerous AI known as The Entity. Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell return among other familiar faces in what’s being billed as the grand finale to this saga of Mission: Impossible. It’s incredibly rare for an action franchise to get a run this deep and keep its quality so consistently high, and that good will has given me faith that this project can deliver, at the absolute minimum, an entertaining, impressive work of action. And clearly Paramount had enough faith to allow it a budget of $400 million. Holy hell, this thing better get asses in seats.
8. Lilo & Stitch (May 23, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Disney’s live-action remake trend is not seeing the best of times. But the upcoming Lilo & Stitch, which remakes the 2002 animated original, could have some fun to offer, especially from a charming cast. Like in the original, Lilo (Maia Kealoha) is a Hawaiian girl who wishes for a friend, finding one when a dog-like alien fugitive (voiced by Chris Sanders) lands on Earth. Going off the trailer, there are successful laughs and a clear effort to replicate the animated film’s childlike joy. And the director, Dean Fleischer Camp, is coming off the animation/live-action hybrid Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, one of the best, most heartwarming movies of the 2020s so far. I have little doubt Lilo & Stitch will be a financial hit. The question is whether or not its quality backs up that success.
9. Friendship (May 23, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
I don’t know what the hell this movie’s going to be like, and that’s a big part of why I’m looking forward to it. Friendship is a new comedy from A24… a dark comedy, it seems, because of course it is. Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) plays Craig, a suburban dad whose new neighbor (Paul Rudd, of Ant-Man and the Wasp) invites him into his friend group, only for what looks like obsession on Craig’s part to send things spiraling. When two of the critic quotes in the trailer are, “An absolute nightmare…” and “The funniest thing I’ve seen in my entire life,” you know you’re in for something that can’t quite fit into one box. Robinson and Rudd can obviously generate comedic gold as actors, and they’re backed up by other great talent like Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Josh Segarra. Friendship is the biggest question mark on this list, but unlike a lot of other moviegoers, that uncertainty draws me in more.
10. Karate Kid: Legends (May 30, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Worlds collide in Karate Kid: Legends, which merges the worlds of the original Karate Kid film slate, the 2010 remake (or I guess “requel” now), and presumably Cobra Kai. When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang, of Mean Girls) is forced to move to New York City after a family tragedy, he enters a karate competition under the instruction of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, from 2010’s Karate Kid), who in turn enlists the help of the now-adult Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio, from the original Karate Kid). With the success of Cobra Kai, I guess it was inevitable that we’d get a cinematic gathering of the entire Karate Kid “universe,” or at least most of it. (Sorry, Hilary Swank.) I won’t lie though: the first trailer makes this movie look totally badass, like the grand, epic culmination you didn’t realize you needed. Maybe it just has a top-tier marketing team, or maybe this is a sign of the greatness to come.
11. Bring Her Back (May 30, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Michael and Danny Philippou, the breakout directors of 2023’s Talk to Me, are back with what looks like another, even more disturbing horror film. Sally Hawkins (of The Shape of Water) plays a foster mother who, from the looks of things, bears witness to a horrifying ritual to bring a dead loved one back to life. Or she may take an active role in the ritual. The first trailer is extremely vague, but the way it’s cut together with spine-tingling imagery and acting makes it clear the Philippous are only seeking to up their game. They nailed their first horror outing with a great blend of scares and substance, and I’m ready to be appalled by whatever they’ve got now.
12. The Phoenician Scheme (May 30, 2025)
Where to watch: In theaters
Wes Anderson’s got a new movie coming out, although we still know very little about it. It’s supposedly a 1940s espionage thriller about a wealthy European man (Benicio Del Toro, of The French Dispatch) and his strained relationship with his daughter (Mia Threapleton, of Scoop). Michael Cera (of Barbie) plays the daughter’s tutor, and the rest of the ensemble cast includes Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The film will be in limited release starting May 30, then go into wide release one week later on June 6.
