Well, welcome back to reviewing to me! That’s right! After a year long hiatus, I am back baby! To celebrate, let’s review a new movie that absolutely NO ONE is talking about!
We Bury The Dead is a new zombie survival horror flick that is written and directed by Zak Hilditch and stars the INCREDIBLY lovable Daisy Ridley! Here we follow a woman named Ava (Daisy Ridley) as she goes on a journey to find her missing husband while being forced to confront grief, loss, and the undead that keeps haunting her throughout! She meets a couple of folks along the way who help guide her but soon Ava discovers that the more she tries to discover the truth about her husband’s disappearance and the land of zombies, the more heartbreaking the truth might actually be.
Admittedly, there’s not a ton that can be said about We Bury The Dead other than what you would expect to be based on the cover and premise of the film. It offers a fresh take on the zombie subgenre, that unlocks a very unique vision from the perspective of Hilditich of the land of the undead, while being able to dive into the kind of themes mentioned before in ways that wasn’t done in from similar films such as World War Z, The Walking Dead, and The Last of Us. It certainly does take it’s sweet ass time to get from Point A to Point B and does occasionally slip into those plot conveniences and coincidences that tend to be a staple for these kind of flicks but for the most part, We Bury The Dead is solid and engaging enough that it won’t have you thinking too much about them before the credits roll.
Daisy Ridley is the main driving force of the film and manage to keeps that same engaging presence she always gives no matter what film she is in. She contains great chemistry with the limited cast she is able to interact in, particularly Brenton Thwaites. So much so that most of the film’s momentum comes to a screech halt every time Thwaites is NOT onscreen and only regains that momentum again once another zombie gets thrown into the mix.
However, for a film that is clearly prioritizing atmosphere over action, it does it job about as remarkably as it can. The cinematography is breathtaking, the tone is as grim as the way the zombies look, the visuals is able to assist in the film’s telling of a story about seeking closure in the wake of absolute tragedy, and the haunting score by Clark is able to give off more of that tension, cluster phobic vibe than all the Resident Evil films combined (Don’t let me down this time, Zach Cregger!). While you still get your occasional zombie kill beat here and there, it’s the film’s overall approach to it’s atmosphere and scary vibes that are the main driving force here.
It’s definitely not a perfect movie by any means but the flaws aren’t enough to squander this picture. Like I said, this is a rather slow moving motion picture, which is a warning to those that are going into this purely for the zombie kills and blood gore fest. And the way it resolves certain plotlines, while makes perfect sense thematically, might make one feel empty emotionally and as part of the whole picture. Then again, I feel like if ANY of us become a part of a zombie apolaypse, we would have very little to actually be happy about afterwards.
Regardless, We Bury The Dead is a damn good time for what it’s going for. It’s an engaging another horror flick that checks all the boxes you want out of these post-apocalyptic films while also finding enough of a new voice of it’s own that makes it go well with the shelf of other recent zombie horror flicks. It’ll likely not be on your mind too much just days after you watch it, but hey as a way of kick starting of what will likely be ANOTHER chaotic year, it does it’s job perfectly well.
Other comments:
Sorry if this is a rather short review but I figured I needed to flex my muscles a bit because it’s been over a year since I last done a full review for this blog! I do expect to go more in depth with future reviews but also, I wouldn’t mind doing mini-reviews for films once I become incredibly busy in my personal life.
Also, have a very happy new year! Whatever your New Years resolutions are, I really hope you stick with them because they are important!
Hello, everybody! I hope you are having a very happy new year thus far! I just wanted to give you all a quick update on my plans for 2026 on this blog and what to look forward to in the future!
To be honest, I don’t have much to say that is entirely new that I didn’t mention in my last blog update. But since I deleted that a few days ago to save some space for this year, I figure I would go over again what I want to do for this blog for 2026!
As many who follow me through this blog probably know, 2025 was a very up and down year for me! I couldn’t upload as much as I wanted to because there was just too many personal life distractions for me. Because of that, most of the pieces throughout 2025 involved top 10 lists or rankings of certain franchises or directors. Those are usually very easy for me to do, which is why I was able to crank them out throughout the year.
However, I am looking to turn over a new leaf for next year. By that I mean that I am looking to be much more productive throughout 2026! Not only through my personal life but on here as well! I am looking to be much more active and make more pieces on here per week!
2026 is shaping up to be a MASSIVE year in terms of films, entertainment, and pop culture! I want to capitalize on that as much as I can, being able to keep up to date with the latest news surrounding entertainment and even sports! Because of that, I want to go back to making reviews on the latest movies and video games that I am interested in. I even have a plan to do one on the first movie I plan to see this weekend, We Buy The Dead! I will also have a list of my most anticipated films of 2026 that should be out tomorrow!
And that’s about it! I am very much looking forward to 2026 and what pure chaos awaits me! Thanks to everyone out there in the world that takes the time out of their day to read up on what I have to say on here! I owe you all my life!
Look forward to more content on here and cheers for a merry 2026!
Another year of entertainment has come and gone so it’s time to look back at some of the very best that it had to offer in terms of films. It’s been a wild and chaotic year and 2026 is looking to be even more wild and chaotic! That’s why it’s now time to share my picks for the top ten best films of 2026 (that I actually saw)!
I did not see EVERY film I wanted to see by the end of the year. These include films that have gotten rave reviews from critics and audiences such as Bugonia, Drop, Good Boy, and The Long Walk. I’ll see them whenever I can but I couldn’t see them on time for this list. Perhaps in the future, I’ll make an updated list of the best films of 2025 and I might include them once I see them. But for now, just know that I couldn’t see every critically darling to come out in 2024.
Before we get started with the list, I decided to bring back something I entirely skipped out on last year but decided to bring it back this year. That being a special mention AND an unqualifiable mention!
The special mention refers to a specific film that I couldn’t find room to put into my best-of lists but I do think it’s at least worth a shoutout. Whether it’s from a personal bias or a film that has been overlooked/undiscovered, this category is reserved specifically for those kind of films.
The unqualifiable mention refers to a specific film that could be destined to be an all-time classic or even a game changer for the genre or medium it’s a part of but it’s quality is strongly dependent on how it will stand the test of time in either the current moment of the franchise it’s a part of or the current moment of pop culture or even just events in general.
Special Mention:
There was a brand new 2D animated Looney Tunes adventure that came out this year and nobody went to see it. The Day The Earth Blew Up felt like being transported back in time, a time to where you would see fresh and exciting 2D animated adventures on the big screen with no reservations whatsoever! This is a loving throwback to the early Looney Tunes animation, it moves at a brisk pace with physical comedy left and right, and it felt nice that films like this are still able to sneak their way into theaters and make for a very enjoyable theatrical experience. If you have been someone that has been STARVING for brand new 2D animated flicks, make sure to check out The Day The Earth Blew Up!
Unqualifiable Mention:
I don’t think there has been a film that captures this exact moment we are living it in terms of current events and encapsulates how absolutely f**ked up the 2020s has been to our insanity! I’m not the biggest Paul Thomas Anderson fan but he absolutely brought his A-game here! It’s about as perfectly shot, acted, and directed as a film can get! The main thing on my mind about One Battle After Another is how will history look back upon this picture as the political landscape changes in the next several years, ESPECIALLY in a post-Donald Trump world! Will history look back on it as Democrats making a point about how illegal immigration should be treated with much proper care and that I.C.E. was NEVER the answer to it?! Will history look back on it as Republicans being in the right and shows how insane the left has gotten since 2016?! And the biggest one of them all: will film studios allows more films like this to be made as not just political landscapes changes but also more and more studios start to emerge with one another, with billionaire corporations taken over and jeopardizing the entire idea around creative filmmaking? Regardless, One Battle After Another has developed quite the reputation since it’s release and will continue to do so as the years go boy. As we enter to what many are considered the “post-woke” era of America, I imagine this film could be seen as Hollywood’s one last bold statement about these uncertain and troubling times we are living in!
Now here are a handful of films that just BARELY missed this list
The Naked Gun (2025)
Ne Zha 2
Demon Slayer: Infinite Castle
The Housemaid
Now onto the main top ten!
10.) Companion
Remember when these kind of films where mocked and ridiculed because the idea of men wanting to have sex with robots was considered too unrealistic?! (*laughs* 2013’s Her *laughs*) In all seriousness (or at least as serious as I can make it be), this about as tight (and scarily realistic) exploration of humanity engaging with A.I. in more ways than one! It’s certainly pulpy but it knows that and is proudly so. The entire cast is great (with Sophie Thatcher being PURE robot mother), the direction is sublime, and it’s able to have a good sense of humor that doesn’t take you out of the experience! Although this might become a film that will get harder to watch for me as these sexbots could possibly become more common (Finger crossed it doesn’t!), Companion does make for one very engaging sci-fi thriller that should not be missed!
9.) Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return once again to deliver a mystery thriller that’s not only just an excuse to show off an expansive cast that Mr. Johnson was able to get during their free time but also has delicious commentary on religion and Christianity. It’s a good showcase as to how one’s religious faith can be corrupted if they refuse to see through any other lenses and how Christian nationalism can turn people away if they go too far in injecting their beliefs onto others. As someone that grew up as a Christian, that message and it’s overall examination of my religion really hit home with me. Throw in perhaps the most compelling mystery in any one of these films to date with an intriguing setting and a cast that always looks like they are having fun in these movies, Wake Up Dead Man shows that the mystery/thriller genre is really where Rian Johnson hits home at. Even though this is the third Knives Out adventure to date, I can see this working to those that either loved or hated the previous two films.
8.) Superman (2025)
James Gunn arrived to save the day with his own take on the man of tomorrow while also aiming to give DC a second leash on live with a rebooted cinematic universe. Superman (2025) presents us with a Clark Kent we can all get behind and root for, acting as the perfect counter-culture hero who values kindness in a world that no longer calls for that. And after over a decade of Superman portrayals that have ranged from him being moody and depressed to being flat out evil, it’s more than refreshing to see Superman here being someone that represents hope, optimism, and has absolutely NO agenda other than wanting to be a good person that saves people. The cast is all near perfect (the main trio of David Corneswet’s Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane & Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor could not have played off each other better), the tone feels right at home with classic Superman, the spectacle is cool, and it even has those traditional superhero elements from earlier superhero films such as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man that I have missed in these kinds of movies for so long. I don’t know how the future of Mr. Gunn’s DC Universe will hold after the inevitable WB merger with either Netflix or Paramount but I’m still glad we are able to still get superhero flicks that reminds us all why we love superheroes!
7.) F1
Coming off the highs of the box office juggernaut that was 2022’s Top Gun Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski follows that up with yet another incredibly well made and genuine crowd pleaser that was just made to be seen on the big screen! Brad Pitt proves he still has a bit of star power in him as he enters his 60s and Damson Idris is a young movie star just waiting to burst out onto the scenes (Marvel Studios better have him casted as King T’Challa whenever the timing is right!) The incredible racing sequences and off-the-chart sound designs made the experience worth the extra few dollars for IMAX, there’s a solid pace and momentum throughout despite the 150+ minute long runtime, the character drama works, the themes surrounding tough love, mentorship, teamwork, and redemption are all executed to near perfection, and even the standard cliches you would expect for these kind of racing movies have their special place here. While I’m not entirely sure this is an experience that will be as satisfying to watch at home as opposed to the big screen, F1 are the kind of old-school summer blockbusters films that we need more of now than possibly ever before!
6.) Weapons
After delivering an instant horror classic with 2022’s Barbarian, Zach Cregger is able to deliver a masterful follow-up in Weapons that is better in just about every way! This is like if you take Prisoners, Pulp Fiction, Insidious, Barbarian, and Evil Dead, put them all in a blender, and you get this absolute delightful treat as an result! It’s intense, perfectly paced, engaging as hell, will get under your skin in the best way possible, and will have you put together the pieces in very satisfying ways as soon as the credits roll. Plus, it might just have probably the most satisfying payoff of a climax that I have seen in a movie in 2025! Between this and one other possible mention on this list, it’s nice to know that not only excellent original horror films are still getting made but they are able to be solid crowd pleasers that even the mainstream audience can get behind! I can only hope that this is a sign to come that Hollywood is willing to take more chances with not just horror movies but original films in general.
5.) K-Pop: Demon Hunters
I never would’ve guessed that an animated film made by Sony would end up having the biggest impact among pop culture of all film released in 2025 but nevertheless, the animated Netflix exclusive, K-Pop Demon Hunters is worth all the hype and then some! I don’t think we have seen an animated musical being this hyped up and celebrated since Frozen! We follow a group of young female K-Pop superstars as they must juggle their work/personal life balance of being beloved rockstars while also during their part-time duty with slaying demons. Once they clash with a boy band, who happen to be rockstars but also demons at the same time, the girls are put to the test with trying to accomplish the best versions of themselves as singers and demon slayers. The animation is breathtaking, the characters are endearing, it moves at such a fast clip that it’s hard to not be entertained by anything happening, and the songs will be living rent free in your area for quite some time. K-Pop Demon Hunters represents a miracle for original animation, proving that there might indeed be some creative spark left for original animated properites!
4.) Warfare
Based on the real-life experiences of Ray Mendoza during his service in the Iraq war as a U.S. Navy SEAL, Warfare act as an re-enactment of an encounter he and his platoon experienced on November 19, 2006, in the wake of the Battle of Ramadi. Warfare is a war film that has no goal other than showcasing the life-changing events that shattered the life and mental stability of a group of hard fighting soldiers that were sent to a war that they had ZERO business being part of (Thanks, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney (R.I.P. Bozo!)). There’s no traditional Hollywood war tropes, no forms of military or American propaganda, and never tries to waste your time with filler of any kind. It’s 90 minutes of horror, intensity, and filling you in the shoes of being an everyday soldier in the army. The cast shines, every action sequence will have you on the edge of your seat, and it’s so refreshing to see a film where the filmmakers try to be 100% as accurate to the true events it’s based on as possible. If Garland wants to continue making films with real-life and important subject matter, hopefully he takes the rights notes from this film and NOT with say Men (*insert PTSD*) and he might just get even better in the future.
3.) Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein
If you want to talk about a filmmaking match made in heaven, look no further than with Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein! Monster flicks like this are ALWAYS a passion project for Guillermo and man that is absolutely NOT an exception here! It’s beautifully crafted, masterfully directed, perfectly performed by the cast (Oscar Isaac being a main standout as the lead), and it’s able to dig into themes surrounding narcissism, humanity, and identity that are in the novel that the film is based on about as faithfully as it can be. It’s able to take a familiar story but tell it in a new and exciting way that it more than justifies it’s existence. Oh, and big props to Jacob Elordi for making me eat my words and deliver an excellent performance as the Creature! I think everyone knew that Gilluermo Del Toro would always be the perfect fit to helm a modern Frankenstein movie and he’s able to fully deliver on all of those expectations! I only wish I could’ve seen this in theaters!
At least we are supposedly getting a physical media copy for this film! I guess there may still be a God after all!
2.) Marty Supreme
If you thought the Safdies couldn’t get more intense than Uncut Gems, Marty Supreme makes that film look like child’s play in comparison! Here we have a film that is (partially) based on true events of Marty Mauser, a man who had to go through hell and back to become the best table-tennis player on the planet! Once again, Safdie leaves no stone unturned in crafting a film that will make for the most batsh*t crazy experience imaginable but one you can NEVER look away from. I can’t recall a film in recent memory where it just left me GLUED to the seat and left me wondering after every scene, “WTF IS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?!” It’s sharply directed, moves as about as good as a pace as one can in a film that’s over two hours and it cleverly subverts your expectations from expecting a basic biopic of a typical table tennis player to showing a young man rushing his way into adulthood and facing all kinds of consequences for it. And yes, Timothée Chalamet is an absolute movie star in the making, the kind we absolutely do NOT get anymore! While there will be plenty of people barking at the historical accuracy of this motion picture, that doesn’t change the fact that Marty Supreme will still go down as one of the most exhilarating films of 2025!
1.) Sinners
In a time where Hollywood desperately needs more creative voices than ever, Ryan Coogler comes on in to craft what is perhaps the most original and unique blockbuster in recent memory! Sinners is more than just an expertly well done horror period flick but it’s a genuine glimmer of light of the creatively bankrupted nature in Hollywood. It’s prove that there are still distinct, creative voices in Hollywood and directors that are looking to push boundaries of what filmmaking can be in the year of our lord and savior in 2025! The cast is top tier from top to bottom (especially with Michael B Jordan and Mrs. Josh Allen), it has the right mix of blood, gore, scares, and glorious amounts of sexiness that you don’t get from most films nowadays, the production values are top notch, and nearly every single plot point and thematic arc gets a payoff of some sort by the end. It’s even impressive to have post-credits scenes that don’t just exist to give a tease for the sequel or a cheap gag but to actually expand upon the complete ending of the full complete picture. The fact that this film was able to make more domestically than ANY Marvel Studios film released this year just goes to show that there is indeed a desire for original stories, studios just need to bother putting the effort into it! As the future of the film industry remains dire and uncertain with more studios and corporations taking over and merging with one another, Sinners is a reminder of what modern films can be when you let the titled director cook and take a chance on a new idea! Because of that and more, Sinners is my absolute favorite film of 2025!
We are about to enter 2026 and because of that, I thought it would be fun to make some predictions on how I will think certain movies will do at the box office next year!
As we head into the second half of the 2020s, there is a LOT of uncertainty surrounding movie theaters and the film industry in general. From the emergence of A.I. to yet another massive company merger between Netflix (or Paramount), Hollywood is changing in ways that could dangerously affect filmmaking and entertainment in the immediate future.
However, there have been many analysts that predict that 2026 will be the biggest year at the box office since Covid happened. Because of that, many still believe that there could be a possibility that movie theaters will be seeing a MASSIVE comeback next year, proving to studios that there is still a large audience out there that do love going to movie theaters. While I can certainly understand the optimism, I do think certain people NEED to come back to reality in regards to their box office predictions for next year.
Yes, I do believe that there will be plenty of heavy hitters next year that will find its fair share of box office success but it’s simply not 2019 anymore! A market that consists of six to eight billion dollar grossers is just not sustainable in today’s economy. (And the less said about the inevitable A.I. bubble burst that could affect the already shitty economy in massive ways, the better!) Because of that, I still don’t see the box office in 2026 being on the same level as it was in a pre-covid world and I don’t think we ever will see that ever again!
Keep in mind, I DO hope there are many hits at the box office this year! I DO hope that we get as many billion dollar grossers as possible! I want the theater experience to continue being alive and well! I’ve been going to movie theaters for over the past two decades and I still make very fond memories of the theatrical experience every single year that I go! But since we are now entering the sixth year in a post-covid timeline, I have to be as realistic as possible with my predictions of how the movie will do in theaters for 2026 and for the foreseeable future! And I have to make those predictions based on the box office results that we have gotten for the past four to five years!
I decided I will give my predictions on 20 films that are currently set to be released in 2026! Ten of those movies will be what I believe will be the top 10 highest grossing films of 2026 worldwide! The other ten will be ranked based on release date and will contain films that I think will either surprise people in the best way or absolutely disappoint them in the worst ways at the box office!
And I promise I am NOT making these box office predictions for movies in any personal biased way. I am making the predictions strictly based on how I personally think these movies will do at the box office. So if you get mad at me, I’m sorry but I gotta go with what my gut feeling is on how I think each individual film will do in theaters next year!
Let’s not waste any more time and dive straight into what I believe will be the #1 highest grossing film of 2026!
1.) The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Release Date: April 3rd
Box Office Prediction: $1.5+ Billion
That’s right! I have Mario winning in 2026! After the past few years and seeing what has ended up being the most successful films of the decade thus far, I think it might be time we stop UNDERESTIMATING animated family films and video game adaptations while stop OVERESTIMATING superhero flicks. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was able to gross over $1.3+ billion worldwide in 2023 and I expect this sequel to gross even more than that.
With the inclusion of fan favorite characters such as Yoshi, Rosalina, and Bowser Jr. to adapting what is widely considered to be two of the best Mario games (if not the best video games) of all time in the Super Mario Galaxy series, I have little doubt that our beloved Italia….I’m sorry BROOKLYN plumbers will be able to make lightning strike twice once again! From what we’ve seen in the trailers, it looks like it will give the audiences what they enjoyed about the first movie and perhaps even more. Some might consider $1.5+ Billion to be a somewhat unrealistic number for a Mario movie sequel but then again, I’m pretty sure the same thing was said for the likes of Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2.
With how animated family films and video game adaptations have been dominating at the box office in the 2020s just as superhero films dominated the box office in the 2010s, I have very little doubt that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will take the crown as the highest grossing film of 2026!
2.) Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date: December 18th
Box Office Prediction: $1.4+ Billion
Marvel is not the juggernaut it once was! It’s very unlikely they will ever be able to recapture that same consistent lightning in the bottle they were able to from 2012 to 2019! However, films like Deadpool & Wolverine have proven that audiences will still show up to these movies if it includes characters that they are deeply invested in and/or at least STRONGLY familiar with! And with the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Ma…….I mean Doctor Doom, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and the original X-Men from the Fox Marvel universe, Marvel will certainly be looking to capitalize on the familiarly and nostalgia of their past to make this the gigantic hit it will need to be!
The main question though is how much longer can they lean into that before audiences are sick and tired of it all together?! Will there be enough easter eggs, callbacks, and fan service cameos to overcome it’s messy and rushed development cycle and make back on what certainly be an INCREDIBLY bloated budget?! Can they end this film in a way that will get audiences excited for Secret Wars in 2027 and whatever comes next for the MCU? The Russo Brothers have had a remarkable level of success with Marvel in the past but they might just have their work cut out for them here!
Still, if it does end up somehow sticking the landing on what has been an uneven as hell multiverse saga, I can see Doomsday doing Age of Ultron-level numbers (Remember when THAT was considered a box office disappointment for Marvel?). If not, then I can see this being another Rise of Skywalker situation, in just BARELY making it past the billion dollar mark and putting this franchise on hold for several years so they could rethink their strategy for the future. While this will still do more than enough to be qualified as one of the highest grossing films of the year, whether or not this will change the “post-Endgame MCU bad” narrative remains to be seen!
3.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Release Date: July 31st
Box Office Prediction: $1.2+ Billion
Even in an era where superhero fatigue is at an all-time high, Spider-Man will ALWAYS be a box office draw no matter what! Him and Batman have proven themselves constantly to be perhaps the lone superhero IPs that can still draw box office hits in the most uncertain times of the genre based on their names alone, at least if the success of No Way Home ($1.9+ billion), The Batman ($772+ million), and Across the Spider-Verse ($690+ million) is anything to go by.
And NO, this will NOT be a No Way Home box office juggernaut but that should be expected considering this will (likely) not have the nostalgia of the good old days with William Dafoe and Tobey Maguire to fall back on. A more reasonable comparison should be that of Far From Home, which was able to successfully ride the cocktails of Avengers: Endgame with $1.1+ billion. I expect similar numbers to that, if not a bit more.
Between the additions of fan favorite Marvel characters such as The Punisher, Hulk, and whoever the heck Sadie Sink is suppose to be playing along with there being a decent amount of time since the last Spider-Man movie came out to generate hype, Brand New Day will act like the golden era of Marvel never left and should very easily be a success for Sony and Marvel.
4.) Toy Story 5
Release Date: June 19th
Box Office Prediction: $950+ Million
Toy Story is back…….again! For the supposed final (?) time……again! Yeah, as much as we all love to complain about Disney and Pixar making nonstop sequels, we all know why they get made! Because they are basically the only thing that makes Mickey Mouse and Woody a butt load of money nowadays! Just look at the box office numbers of Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 compared to Wish and Elio! However, I do think it will fall short of the billion dollars that Disney and Pixar expect this to make!
To compare the box office numbers of the last two Toy Story movies, Toy Story 4 made $1.073+ billion about nine years after Toy Story 3, which made around $1.066+ billion. That’s less than a seven million dollar increase between these two films despite being nearly a decade apart! Thrown in the negative scrutiny that has hit Toy Story 4 (At least online!) since its release in 2019 and the overall fatigue of this franchise (Remember the spectacular bomb that was Lightyear?!) and I can see this missing the billion dollar mark this time around!
There will still be plenty of kids and families that will go see this film in drones to make it at least flirt with the billion dollar mark but I do expect Toy Story 5 to take a bit of a nosedive from previous films when it comes to box office numbers! It should still do strong but just not the best!
5.) Minions 3
Release Date: July 1st
Box Office Prediction: $850+ Million
I may not understand the appeal of these films but there’s no denying that this is a very consistent franchise at the box office! Since 2010, Illumination Animation has been able to crack the code on how to make crowd pleasing animated flicks for young kids, forcing their parents to take them to the movie theaters every other summer to see the newest Despicable Me and Minions movie that comes out.
In regards to the installments that have come from this franchise post-covid, Minions: The Rise of Guru was able to make $940+ million in 2022 and Despicable Me 4 made $971+ million in 2024! Due to a much more crowded summer than in 2022 and 2024, having to compete with other family flicks such as Toy Story 5 and Moana (2026), I do expect this one to take a tad decline as well, in a similar way to Jurassic World: Rebirth was with Universal’s other money making franchise. Much like the latest installment last summer in the dino-verse, this will do strong but just not as strong as before!
Between Minions 3 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Illumination Animation will definitely be eating GOOD for 2026! Somewhere, Disney must be sweating!
6.) The Odyssey
Release Date: July 17th
Box Office Projection: $800+ Million
I feel like I need to defend myself here when I really shouldn’t! To be sure, a film like this making at least 800 million dollar signs in this day and age should be seen as a MAJOR accomplishment! There is no other filmmaker working today other than Christopher Nolan that could generate this level of excitement with a project such as The Odyssey! When you have people pre-ordering their tickets for a film that won’t even be out in a year, you know you have a big hit on your hand!
However, I don’t see this being on the same level as Oppenheimer (which made $975+ million) as it won’t have the “Barbenheimer” hype attached to it and will have to compete against much stronger films throughout the summer compared to what Nolan had to compete against in 2023. Not to mention, the potential loss of its IMAX screens after it’s first two weeks due to Spider-Man: Brand New Day could greatly affect repeated viewings for its theatrical release!
This will still certainly be in the top 10 highest grossing films of the year! Christopher Nolan is perhaps the one director working today to where his name attached to a film alone will guarantee box office success (Every film that Nolan has directed since 2008 has been able to achieve this mark, even Tenet during the covid year!). However, the road to doing Oppenheimer level numbers will be much tougher for Mr. Nolan this time around!
7.) Michael
Release Date: April 24th
Box Office Prediction: $750+ Million
Now, THIS is one that I can see doing even better than my current prediction. Michael Jackson is no doubt the most popular musician of all time. With the high trailer numbers and the multiple generations of fans that MJ has gained throughout the course of several decades, there should be no reason to doubt his annual biopic will be a huge theatrical success. Except for one thing: his controversial backstory.
And I’m not just talking about the supposed made-up rumors of his past that have been debunked numerous times! I’m talking more of what’s come out recently with his connections to a certain someone that shall not be named because I don’t want to get banned from this website! Although MJ still has yet to be proven guilty of any particular involvement, I do wonder if more info comes out of of that before the film’s release, could that possibly affect the box office numbers for this movie?
If not, then I could easily see Michael sliding up even higher on the list and possibly even topping Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest grossing musical biopic of all time. This seems like the kind of film that will get people who don’t go to theaters anymore off their couch, similar to the likes of Top Gun: Maverick and Oppenheimer. However, just to play it safe, I’m still going with a solid 750+ million. Even though this film will be released in April, this should be seen as the true kick-off to the summer movie season of 2026!
8.) Moana (2026)
Release Date: July 10th
Box Office Prediction: $700+ Million
This is the one that I’m probably gonna get the most hate for but I have my reasons to NOT put this among the potential billion dollar grossers of the year! Moana is undoubtedly one of the most popular Disney brands right now, with the original animated film being the most streamed movie ever on Disney Plus and its sequel making a billion dollars just a year ago! What will likely hold this film back other than the crowded family summer movie season is its lack of nostalgia factor!
Live-action remakes like The Lion King (2019) and Lilo & Stitch (2025) were able to be the billion dollar grossers they did BECAUSE of the nostalgia attached to those films which gave kids enough time to grow up, become nostalgic for the original animated Disney classics, and have raised kids of their own to share the theatrical experience with! Moana (2026) will be coming out at a time where the original animated film won’t even be fully 10 years old yet and just a year and a half after its animated sequel came out! Nostalgia only works when you give the kids enough time to actually grow up and become nostalgic for something.
It will still be a solid success since the Moana brand is still strong and has grown even stronger in recent years but I’m just not sure there will be enough support from kids and families this time around to watch a (likely) inferior live-action version of an original animated film they already love to guarantee a billion dollars!
9.) Dune: Part Three
Release Date: December 18th
Box Office Prediction: $650+ Million
To make some clarifications, this prediction is NOT because I actually think Warner Bros is gonna stick with that December release date alongside Avengers: Doomsday! Despite what it’s been reported, I’m more than confident that the release date will be pushed up to October, switching with one of the other films that WB has planned for the fall, probably with either Tom Cruise’s Digger or M. Night Shyamalan’s Remain. Mr. Villeneuve likely wants to move on from this film ASAP so he can focus on the James Bond film he is currently attached to that’s set for release in 2028. And also NO, this is NOT based on the Netflix and Warner Bros merger because a.) I don’t even think the merger will be 100% complete by then and b.) WB still has films contracted to be in theater screens through 2029, which Netflix MUST respect if they want to avoid lawsuits. This prediction alone is based on the book which this third chapter is based on, Dune Messiah.
Not to give too many spoilers but Messiah was a rather divisive story that has been constantly debated among fans since the book was published back in 1969. It follows up the story of Paul Atreides in rather unexpected and subversive ways, which many people deemed to be very unsatisfying and unfulfilling to his story. And following the negative reactions to a film like Joker Folie A Deux, a whole “pull the rug from underneath” approach to storytelling can be quite alienating to common moviegoers!
I still do trust Denis Villeneuve to find some way to make the conclusion to Paul’s story satisfying in ways that will leave most audiences satisfied! But at its worst, I wouldn’t be surprised for Dune: Part Three to fall short of its predecessor in the same way that Wicked: For Good did (which is currently set to make at least 200 million dollars LESS than it’s predecessor). I guess there can be a price to pay for sticking too closely to the source material! Just ask Edgar Wright!
10.) Jumanji 4
Release Date: December 11th
Box Office Prediction: $625+ Million
Did you know that a new Jumanji movie is coming out next December? You don’t?! Well, there is! After a seven-year absence (that seems to be quite a trend), Sony is bringing back the Jumanji crew once again with a 4th installment that has still yet to be officially titled!
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was able to gross nearly a billion dollars worldwide back in 2017 at a total finish of $962.5 million! The Next Level took a dip in 2019 but still grossed a strong $800+ million! Considering how much time has passed between the last installment and how much the theatrical landscape has changed since then, I do expect the next installment to make less than the last two but (if the budget is in check) it should be considered a modest hit that should satisfy the higher ups at Sony.
The only question is here is whether or not Avengers: Doomsday and (at least at that moment) Dune: Part Three will kill any sort of legs and momentum this film could contain, just like how Barbenheimer was able to successfully bury Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning during the summer of 2023! Time will tell but considering how well-received the last two installments were, this should do just fine!
And now here are predictions for ten other films that are currently set to be released in 2026! This is not in order of box office success but by the current release dates.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Release Date: January 16th
Box Office Prediction- $125+ Million
28 Years Later was able to gross $150+ million during the summer but its divisive reception could sink this one a bit down. If The Bone Temple is able to finish what its predecessor started in a satisfying way, it might push a bit higher. If not, then I expected quite a decrease from it.
Scream 7
Release Date: February 27th
Box Office Prediction-$150+ Million
It’s nice to see Neve Campbell return after her brief hiatus in Scream VI along with all the members of the cast from the original Scream but Paramount’s firing of Melissa Barrera and the absence of Jenna Ortega has put quite a rain cloud above this installment. It should still do fine but the controversy surrounding Scream 7 among the fanbase will likely cause it to make less than the previous film.
Hoppers
Release Date: March 6th
Box Office Prediction-$375+ Million
I’m higher on this one than most people as I do think the fact this latest Pixar film will involve a talking furry animal of some sort will attract international markets this time around (Just askZootopia 2!). Plus, it will have the benefit of acting as the sole theatrically released animated kids film until Mario comes out the next month. That being said, original animated films are a TOUGH sell nowadays. Between Hoppers, Disney’s Hexed, DreamWorks’s Forgotten Island, and Sony’s Goat, western animation studios will have to work hard to get their latest original animated films to be a success.
Project Hail Mary
Release Date: March 27th
Box Office Prediction-$575+ Million
I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about this being a modest box office hit! The Martian was able to gross $630+ million in 2015 and I can see this doing similar numbers. It’s got a likable lead in Ryan Gosling, an extremely talented directing duo in Phil Lord & Chris Miller (Their first film they’ve directed since 2014’s22 Jump Street!) and is based off a very popular book from the same author as The Martian. If the cast and crew are able to work their magic, I can see Project Hail Mary fighting for a spot in the top 10 highest grossing films both domestically AND worldwide!
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Release Date: May 1st
Box Office Prediction- $450+ Million
Here’s another box office hit that I think will be a delightful surprise. The original Devil Wears Prada has certainly earned a cult following since its release in 2006 and I truly believe fans of the original will show up to support Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway once again 20 years later. Between this, Barbie, and Wicked, it seems like Hollywood has finally got the memo that women will show up to movies if you actually make movies that cater to them!
Mortal Kombat II
Release Date: May 15th
Box Office Prediction-$275+ Million
The first Mortal Kombat film was a flop when it came out in 2021 but that was during a time when there was so much uncertainty surrounding covid and Warner Bros were releasing their films on streaming on the same day as theaters. With the sequel getting a more proper theatrical release and the trailers indicating this will deliver the goods that fans wanted from the first film, I can see this doing quite well this time around, at least around on par with the Five Nights At Freddy’s movies.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
Release Date: May 22nd
Box Office Prediction- $400+ Million
Whoever at Lucasfilm thought that the first Star Wars movie released in seven years should be an extension of a Disney Plus show that ended three years ago deserves to be banned from Hollywood! The recognition of Mando & Baby Yoda will (hopefully) get this one to cross the 400 million dollar mark but that’s it! Whatever momentum that Star Wars gained last year with the theatrical re-release of Revenge of the Sith and the second season of Andor will be GREATLY swiped away here!
Supergirl
Release Date: June 26th
Box Office Prediction- $350+ Million
I will definitely get tomatoes thrown at me for this one but there are PLENTY of reasons for concern here. While Superman (2025) did fine overall and just enough to land in the top 10 of the year, its international numbers have shown that audiences overseas are just not into (most) superhero movies the way they were a decade ago. Also, being sandwiched in between Toy Story 5 and Minions 3 along with being followed up by Moana (2026), The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day certainly doesn’t help either. Perhaps good reviews and word-of-mouth might get this over $400+ million but I can’t help but feel like Supergirl will be 2026’s Furiosa/Ballerina, a well-received female-led film in a mostly male dominated genre that general audiences couldn’t be bothered to go see in theaters. Just like what Supergirl said in the trailer, Superman might see the good in everything but I see the truth!
Clayface
Release Date: September 11th
Box Office Prediction- $175+ Million
Just like with Supergirl, positive reviews and good word of mouth MIGHT help push this to $200 million! But, like who is asking for a Clayface movie?!?!
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Release Date: November 26th
Box Office Prediction- $500+ Million
Here’s a sequel that I can see doing much better than the last film! With a much more expansive cast (including the return of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson) and being based on a critically acclaimed book, there’s little doubt in my mind that this Hunger Games prequel will top the previous film in just about every way! May the odds be forever in MY favor!
Avatar: Fire & Ash is now out in theaters and it is absolutely CRUSHING it at the box office, just passing over one billion dollars worldwide. With that, there are now a total of 61 movies to have made a billion dollars at the box office. Regardless if inflation or re-releases also helps with that (which they both do), a movie has made a total of over seven bills at least 61 times throughout cinema history. Because of that, I decided to go ahead and do a ranking of every single one of these since I’ve actually seen all of these movies at least one time.
This will make for a rather complicated list, even more so than other lists I make on here. This will be a fine mix between what I believe is the best movie from an objective standpoint, what I believe is the best from a subjective standpoint, and the impact each one has had on pop culture for better and worse. I’ve thought about this for quite awhile now so it’s time for me to rank them.
If you disagree with this list, then by all means disagree but please don’t be a jerk about it. We have enough of those on the internet. I really don’t take much pride in these lists and rankings other than to have some fun. Opinions change everyday and this ranking is just how I feel at the exact moment that I’m publishing this list.
Also, since it’s going to be 61 movies, I’m not gonna go into detail on any one of those and just show the number I have ranked for each movie. I’ll just say which movie is ranked where and show off a trailer for it because why not? I might even update the list once another movie comes around that makes a billion dollars and see how much of my opinion on this list has changed since then.
Let’s not waste anymore time and get right down to it.
Disney’s next feature film, Zootopia 2, is expected to hit theaters this upcoming week! And if early box office projections are anything to go by, this film is about to become the MASSIVE hit that both Disney and movie theaters desperately need for the Thanksgiving weekend and for the remainder of 2025! In China alone, the hype to the sequel of Disney Animation’s 2016 billion dollar grosser is UNMATCHED, the kind of hype that Hollywood hasn’t seen from them with one of their own movies since before the Covid-19 pandemic happened. It is currently tracking to make at least $200+ million in it’s opening weekend in China ALONE. Combined that with the $150+ million domestically and perhaps another $150+ million in other international areas, Zootopia 2 could make up over half a billion dollars in it’s opening weekend alone, which would make it the best opening weekend for an animated film of all time! If that is true, Disney will most certainly be able to end what has been quite an uneven year for them on the highest note possible with Zootopia 2 and Avatar: The Way of Water later next month, making up for their financial losses this year with films such as Snow White (2025), Thunderbolts*, Elio, and Tron: Ares. Right before we see Zootopia 2 come out in theaters, I want to turn our attention to the main behind the camera for Disney’s highly anticipated animated sequel, that man being Jared Bush.
For those who don’t know, Jared Bush has been a highly respected animator and artist who has worked for the Walt Disney Company since 2014. Since he’s been there, he has been responsible for some of the most beloved Disney films released for over the past decade. He wrote and co-directed the original Zootopia, he wrote the screenplay for the original Moana and it’s sequel, Moana 2, and wrote and directed Encanto. Even those that have been very critically of Disney for the past decade would admit that at least three of the four films I’ve mentioned are among Disney’s very best films in recent memory, some of which that stands proudly among Disney’s all-time best work in animation!
However, he now has a bit more power this time around with the company! Last year, it was confirmed that he was promoted to being the chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios after the previous CCO Jennifer Lee stepped down in order to put her focus on upcoming Frozen sequels, one of which is currently due for a release date in November 2027. This was a move clearly done to course corrected after the absolute mess that Disney has become since the brief era with former CEO Bob Chapek began.
Outside of the instant modern classic Encanto (which again was written and directed by Jared Bush himself) and the record-breaking smash hit that was Frozen II (which was co-written and co-directed by Jennifer Lee herself), the last five years have not been too kind to Mickey Mouse and friends whatsoever. That’s not to say the likes of Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World, and even Wish don’t have their fans but those films were either completely forgotten about entirely from the general public by the time they came out or straight up IMPLODED at the box office in laughable fashion, resulting in over hundreds of million dollars lost for the higher ups at Disney! Because of that, they needed to make major chances with their main animation division and that starts with putting the man who has been largely responsible for the company’s most successful work in animated form that did not come for Pixar since 2014, that man again being Jared Bush!
And his tender has gotten off to a pretty good start, at least if box office numbers are anything to go by. While garnering mixed reviews at the time of release, Moana 2 ended up being a smash hit when it came out last November, grossing over a billion dollars in 2024, become the third highest grossing film that year and Disney Animation’s first billion dollar hit since Frozen II. Originally envisioned as a miniseries for Disney Plus, the follow-up to 2016’s Moana was reworked into being a feature length film, as a response to the multiple financial bombs and hundreds of million dollars lost that put a large dent in the company’s stock in 2023, the 100th year anniversary for Walt Disney, an anniversary that I’m sure everyone and their mother would love to forget about!
The next big film we have in Bush’s tenure is Zootopia 2, the film that I imagine he put the majority of the work in while he was the the current CCO for Disney Animation Studios and was given complete control over with little to no interference from the higher ups due to his solid track record. Because of that, I fully trust him to deliver an exceptional sequel that builds upon the original Zootopia in ways that are organic and respectful. Considering Zootopia 2 was always plan to be a feature film from the start, I imagine Jared had a much more creative vision for what he wanted a follow-up to Zootopia to be like, more so than he likely would have for a Moana follow-up before that got turned into a movie.
With both sequels to Moana and Zootopia being potential billion dollar grossers and then some, I don’t think Iger and company could not ask more from Jared Bush to start off his run as the main man in charge of Disney Animation Studios if they tried. He’ll be able to deliver the financial results that the company desperately wants and needs alone with continuing to expand some of the most beloved Disney brands throughout the past decade that will pave ways for future sequels and merchandise. Oh, and also keeping the movie theater going experience alive also helps too!
That really begs the question that I put on the title of this piece: Will Jared Bush save Disney? Is he the man that Disney has been looking for? Is he the creative consultant that the company needs to present themselves much more positively among the general public? Is he the one that can kickstart a brand new golden area for Disney, the era that matches the Renaissance era of the late 1980s to 1990s or even their box office juggernaut era of the previous decade? While I do think personally that Jared Bush is a very talented animator that can help guide the next generation of animators in ways that Disney legend Ron Clements is currently trying to do with the company, I still need to see more consistency and a greater look of his overall vision for me to make such a claim.
While Moana 2 was a big hit and I’m sure Zootopia 2 and future Frozen sequels will follow suit, I need to see more how he will help guide more original Disney projects for the future, being able to successfully launch brand new IPs instead of just banking on what has already worked and milking it until the cow is completely dry. While Bush has been successful in that regard in helping Zootopia and Moana becoming the successful IPs they have been since the 2010s along with making the lone 2020s Disney modern classic in Encanto, I need to see how other folks will fair in that regard under his supervision. While he was able to create new original Disney classics by himself, let’s see how he will fare in guiding others to do the same thing.
For me, the first big test with Mr. Bush will be with Hexed, Disney Animation’s next feature animated film that is expected to arrive for the holiday season in 2026. The premise we have gotten thus far for the film involves an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom discovering that what makes him unusual, might just be his magical powers that will turn their lives and a secret world of magic, upside down. This is set to be directed by Josie Trinidad (writer for Zootopia and Ralph Breaks The Internet) and Jason Hand (director of Moana 2). While the premise itself sounds like an interesting departure from recent Disney films, particularly with a strong emphasis on a relationship between a mother and son being the potential driving force, I will need to see more info on that to be fully convinced.
And as much as certain folks claim that original animated films don’t sell anymore and that’s why Disney has to constant rely on animated sequels and live-action remakes to keep themselves afloat, the success of K-Pop Demon Hunters this year proved otherwise. It showed that people will indeed watch original animated films if it’s done exceptionally well. Despite having only a handful of theatrical screenings, that Korean animated flick was able to set the whole on FIRE when it hit streaming during the summer this year, breaking viewings records for Netflix and selling out merchandise left and right in ways that no one saw coming. That animated musical left such an impact on pop culture throughout 2025, with it being beloved by both girls AND boys all around the world, selling out Halloween costumes with boys and girls all around the world dressing up as their favorite member of the Huntrix or the Saja Boys. I can’t recall seeing an original animated film musical that left such a massive impact on pop culture since Frozen in 2013. K-Pop Demon Hunters was the kind of original animated films that Disney used to be able to do in their SLEEP but haven’t been able to wide AWAKE in recent memory.
The reason that films like Strange World, Wish, and Elio were massive bombs had nothing to do with the fact that they were original animated films, it was because they weren’t particularly good original animated films or ones that Disney themselves had any faith in. Those three films put such a stain on the company’s reputation and left such a sour taste in many people’s mouths, making them look at Disney in a completely different way than they have prior. It also didn’t help that the behind the scenes drama for these films were so disastrous and the marketing was so lackluster that you have to wonder if Disney was purposely trying to sabotaged them in order to justify their recent creative and business decisions. Those original animated films failed because Disney had no faith in them, not because they were original animated films.
However, if Disney actually has full faith in Hexed and other future original animated films going forward and Jared Bush is giving full reign to deliver in high quality films and stellar box office results like he’s done so far, then I will be happy to claim that the man did in fact save Disney and should be deserving of the majority of the credit for the company’s resurrection. All they have to do is find the right people for the job and not allow studio executives to butt in and mess their whole film up and they might be successful in launching original animated films and kickstart brand new franchises with fully original IPs.
To answer the question for this piece, while I do think we need to see how Jared Bush does settling into his new role as CCO and seeing how his overall vision for the company plays out in the next few years, I do believe he is the right man to lead the charge to get Disney back on top for the foreseeable future. The man has been solely responsible for the company’s greatest work since he joined them in 2014 and I fully expect him to continue delivering great work as both director and CCO. He may have some stumbles along the way but I think if everything comes together in the next 3-5 years once he’s comfortable in the full driving seat, Jared Bush might just put his name out there as being not just an exceptionally animator but as the man that saved Disney.
Let’s hope he puts just as much focus on creating new stories as much as the company will be demanding him to put focus on upcoming sequels and remakes. Let’s hope that he allows Jennifer Lee to take her time on Frozen III and IV so it doesn’t become a rushed mess like Frozen II was (I already have a whole piece about the history of that film). Let’s hope he’s able to usher in the next generation of animators that he will be able to pass the baton to successfully once he retires. More importantly, let’s just hope he is able to lead Disney to become the animation company that we all remember them being from our childhoods. As much as I can’t guarantee that any of this will happen, given his recent track record, Jared Bush does at least give me some faith that he will be one day be referred to as the man that saved Disney.
Now, if only he could stop that live-action Moana remake from happening (which he is writing btw).
Yeah, Disney is screwed!
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(FYI, did you know that the original Moana won’t be even 10 years old by the time this remake comes out?!)
(No joke! The live-action remake is coming out in July 2026 next year whereas the original animated film came out in November 2016!)
(Not even 10 full years and they are ALREADY making a live-action remake of Moana! Even before they get around to doing a live-action Tangled with Sabrina Carpenter as Rapunzel or a live-action Frozen with Anya-Taylor Joy as Elsa!)
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(I guess this is our punishment for not showing up to the theaters for Black Adam!)
(Curse you Dwyane Johnson and your “hierarchy of power”!)
(Bro actually thought he was cooking there?!?!?!)
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(I surely can’t wait until he finally gives up on acting and wrestling and becomes our president in 10 years!)
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(That’s actually gonna happen, isn’t it?!)
(Just like Sonic predicted!)
(And that will be our punishment for not showing up to theaters for The Smashing Machine!)
Edgar Wright is perhaps one of the more “under the radar” type of directors working in Hollywood today. He’s not really so much well known by mainstream audiences with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino but more of someone that’s mostly beloved by hardcore film buffs. There’s a reason why Baby Driver, a film which made only $227 million at the time of it’s release (which is still good btw), is his most successful film at the box office and the only hit which you can call a genuine crowd pleaser.
Even so, he still has a very dedicated fanbase and cult following and I was say I qualify on both ends. Although some of his recent films haven’t “wowed” me the way his earlier films did, he is still a director that I always await his next big feature film because he’s one of the few directors left that knows how to leave his own personal stamp on a film. Because of that, it’s time for me to rank (most) of his films from worst to best!
And the reason why I say most is because there is two main film exceptions I am leaving off the list: A Fistful of Fingers and The Sparks Brothers. That is strictly because I haven’t seen any one of those films and I have yet to find anywhere which gives me full access to both films. So to anyone that is actually a die hard fan of either one of those movies and actually viewed them as being the absolute best of Edgar Wright, then I deeply apologize for that!
For everyone else, let’s get to rank Edgar Wright’s other seven films, the ones that the majority of the human population acknowledge, from worst to best!
7.) The Running Man (2025)
Wright’s weakest film to date is unfortunately the one that just got released in (mostly) empty theaters. There were plenty of ingredients for a 2025 incarnation of The Running Man to be a success. You got a director that’s skilled with blending action, drama, humor, and chaos in Edgar Wright, you got an up and coming A-list actor in Glen Powell, and updating the 1987 film in a way where we are now basically on the doorstep of living in the kind of future that Stephen King tried to warns us all about nearly 40 years ago seems like this should be an instant classic that’s relevant to our times. While there’s some fun set pieces scattered throughout, Glen Powell is as awesome as he always is, and the first 2/3rds work well enough as a mildly entertaining action flick, The Running Man (2025) gets bogged down by the end of it’s own messaging, not knowing how to properly convey it without shouting it directly to the audience and not knowing which of the three or four endings they wanted to stick with. It’s ironic how the film goes on about how bad monopoly corporations are when they have all the wealth and power in entertainment to manipulate it’s audience when this film is literally made by Paramount of all companies. This also can’t help but feel like the least felt Edgar Wright film to date, with his style and attention to aesthetics feeling distractingly absent here. Is there entertainment to be had in The Running Man (2025)? Sure! But, this 2025 Stephen King adaption is one of the rare cases where a film being too closed to it’s source material can actually be a bad thing!
6.) Last Night In Soho
This is easily Edgar Wright’s most polarizing film to date. Many felt that Wright was too in love with his own style and that let it get in the way of the substance of the story. Last Night in Soho made for a rather unique, mesmerizing, and at times very uneven experience. This psychological thriller sees a young woman out on her own for the first time ever and having to experience the toxic and stressful nature of being out of your own bird’s nest along with the pressure of becoming the person that you are just not. Edgar Wright always brings his A-game behind the camera but he goes all out this time around with his beautiful cinematography, stellar costume designs, chilling score, and haunting imagery and performances that will stick with you even after the credits roll. Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are terrific here showing the two sides of the same coin of a woman’s poignant experience of being out on her own in a world full of troubled men. I just wish this film sticked with me on repeat viewings and didn’t have me asking more questions than it answers by the end, especially when all the big reveals come into play. Last Night in Soho is not an experience I guarantee you’ll love but if you are willing to take a chance, it’s worth watching to see if it works for you or not.
5.) The World’s End
While there are people out there that call this the weakest of the Cornetto trilogy, this is still a very satisfying end to these successful trio o films. Maybe it has to do with the fact that this one is looser and more ambitious while not relying as much on the humor as his previous work but I do think The World’s End stands strongly as it’s own unique thing. It’s still constantly funny the whole through, filled with an incredible amount of energy and manages to be as layered as the previous Cornetto films, if not more so here, the action sequences are still great fun to watch, and the cast arguably hit their new level of peak here (Simon Pegg is just a national treasure!) Also, the best cut to black credits of all time period! Maybe it’s because I admire the way that Edgar Wright continues to try and top himself with every single new film that he makes but I just believe The World’s End deserves a tiny bit more credit than it actually gets. It may not be quite the very best of the Cornetto trilogy or Edgar Wright as a whole but man is it ALWAYS bun to watch Edgar Wright try to top himself!
4.) Baby Driver
Yes, I know the casting for this movie has aged worse than sour milk that has lasted for as long as the development of GTA 6 but man, I still can’t help but have an absolute blast with Baby Driver every time that I watch it. Making a heist movie that is based around the concept of a young man motivated by his love for music and being able to one day ride into the sunset with his girlfriend is a concept that fits perfectly in Edgar Wright’s wheelhouse. The action scenes are thrilling, the pacing is breakneck, the cast (their offscreen behavior aside) is a lot of fun, and I don’t think there’s been any recent big movie that’s NOT Guardians of the Galaxy where a director was able to perfectly showcase just how good of taste they have in music. It definitely plays out more conventional than most of Edgar Wrights films and I most CERTAINLY could’ve used some more Jon Bernthal here (Although, his final line is pretty funny!) but even with some minor grips, Baby Driver is an absolute thrill ride that might just be the most “fun” and crowd pleasing film that Edgar Wright has made to date.
3.) Scott Pilgrim vs The World
While it was certainly unfortunate that Edgar Wright was not able to make the Ant-Man movie that he wanted with Marvel Studios, we should all be grateful he was able to make magnum opus of his own within the comic book movie genre with Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. This was quite simply a comic book movie that Edgar Wright was born to make! His directing style and visuals fit masterfully in the world of Scott Pilgrim himself, the whole cast is perfect and fit their roles like a glove, the soundtrack is incredible, the aesthetics are off the charts, it’s perfectly respectful towards the source material it’s based on, and don’t get me started on those kick-ass and creative as hell fight sequences, the kind that you usual don’t get with these kind of movies! Even if we are living in a time of superhero fatigue and the best that the subgenre as had to offer for the past 25 years is easy to forget about now Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is one of the comic book movie standouts that is not Marvel or DC related that is absolutely worth your time!
2.) Hot Fuzz
Edgar Wright was looking to make lightning strike twice following the major success of Shaun of the Dead and he was able to do exactly just that. Wright is somehow able to perfectly translate from the zombie horror genre to the buddy cop genre in a very smooth way here with Hot Fuzz, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost just having as much good chemistry as a duo that on paper seems unlikely but in reality is a stroke of genius. The plot delivers plenty of twists and turns that will have you thinking even with repeat viewings, this is easily the FUNNIEST film of the trilogy and that Edgar Wright has made, and the ensemble cast all around is able to flawlessly fit in the intriguing world that Edgar Wright has created. The only thing that prevents this from being at #1 is a slightly drawn out climax and there being a couple of moments that feels more forced and only there because it’s what everyone loved about Shaun of the Dead! Aside from those mild nitpicks, Hot Fuzz is still excellent and more than worthy middle chapter to the Cornetto trilogy!
1.) Shaun of the Dead
But yeah, I still don’t think that any Edgar Wright film has been as good as the film that put his name in Hollywood than with Shaun of the Dead! Regardless of what way you look at it, Shaun of the Dead works in every way that it possibly can! It works as a straight-up horror movie, it works as a screw-ball comedy, it works as an incredibly meta and social commentary of the genres it is delighted to be a part off, it works as a family drama, it works as a coming-of-age tale, and it even works as a straight up zombie slasher flick. There is very few films I can think that is able to masterfully combine action, drama, horror, and comedy all at the exact same time but Edgar Wright is able to perfectly control himself behind the camera the whole way through, being able to masterfully execute every single element of the genres that he is paying great respect too. Perfectly paced, perfectly written, perfectly acted, perfectly directed, and having the perfect amount of rewatch value, Shaun of the Dead is simply a masterwork and the best thing to come out of Edgar Wright to this day! Maybe it’s time to bring back Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for the next film!
Well, here we go! There’s a new Predator movie out and it’s time to refresh this list! Let’s get right into it!
9.) Alien vs Predator: Requiem
The second Alien vs Predator showdown is not only the worst of anything related to the Predator franchise, it’s one of the worst franchise entries in the 21st century thus far. What should be a simple premise of just taking these two well known and iconic monsters and have them punch each other for an hour and a half is bogged down by some of the worst lighting and editing choices ever put in a theatrical released film. It also doesn’t help that it has writing, acting, and directing that wouldn’t even be passable for a Patron funded fan film. Alien vs Predator: Requiem is not only just as bad as franchise movies can get, it’s just as lazy as they come. It literally brings a new definition of unwatchable because well…….you literally can’t watch it because you can’t see jacks*it that’s happening on screen. It’s not strictly a film that is infamous for certain story choices it makes or contradicting previously established lore in any way but because of how objectively poor the filmmaking is on display. That in of itself makes this more than worthy of being the worst Predator related film ever made!
8.) The Predator
I can’t recall a big franchise film that has disappointed me more in recent memory than 2018’s The Predator. Bringing in Shane Black, the godfather of action comedies and buddy cop flicks (while even staring in the original Predator film himself), to helm a Predator director seems like a perfect recipe to return the Predator franchise back to it’s traditional roots. Unfortunately, about all of that potential is squandering from both a directing and writing standpoint here. The plot is a disjointed mess, so many characters and subplots are introduced that go nowhere, the pacing is too breakneck and non-existent, the editing is some of the worst put to any major studio released film in the past decade, and the dialogue and banter, which Mr. Black has constantly nailed in the past, fall flat in every sense of the word here. I don’t know if it’s Shane Black having to deal with studio meddling or him just not being a right fit for the franchise but The Predator is a perfect example of how everything can go wrong for a major blockbuster in a long-running franchise. And don’t get me started on the unconvincing gore and the god AWFUL action scenes that gives you a headache! What an absolute dumpster fire!
7.) Alien vs Predator
On paper, an Alien vs Predator movie should amount for the perfect amount of shlock blockbuster popcorn entertainment anyone would expect. And the moments that it does just that, AVP makes for a pretty good time that gives you exactly what you want and expect out of this fun premise. Just a shame that the film puts way too much focus on the human characters, only for to become a complete footnote the moment the two titled monsters jump on the screen. It also doesn’t help that it tries to set up lore and world building that it has little interest in actually exploring. Still, the effects and production design is top notch and when the alien and predator actually show up and start fighting, it’s entertaining enough. Back in the day, you would have to slug through Alien vs Predator to get to the good stuff, similar to how folks had to slug through The Phantom Menace to get to anything involving a lightsaber, but because we have the internet now, you can just look up the fight scenes for this movie on YouTube and be satisfied all the same.
6.) Predator 2
Predator 2 has seen it’s fair share of reappraisal over the years and it’s easy to see why. Danny Glover makes for a fine action star that helps carry the picture along with the rest of the cast, it’s got a campy and weirdness vibe to it that’s easy to get into, and it’s able to end on a strong note that makes the bumpy ride worth trip. However, problems lie in the tone being completely all over the map, the new setting not carrying that same weight as the jungle from the original, and the backdrop of the LA heat wave/drug wars being completely unexplained and utterly baffling. This is a sequel that seems to want to have it’s cake and eat it too with hitting the same beats as the original while also trying to do it’s own thing at the same time. I can commend the effort but the end results could have certainly been much stronger here.
5.) Predators
Predators is a sequel that is clearly trying to recapture the same spark as the original. You have a jungle setting, the mystery of the predators, and the characters who have no motivation other than desperate need for survival. What makes things stand out different here is that the main characters themselves are treated just as antagonistic as the predators they are fighting and have become prey for these hunters. It may not deliver on the bizarre premise of playing the hunting game but on an alien planet but it does have a right sense of tension and dread throughout with it’s own stand out action sequences and intense atmosphere. For as thin as the script and characters can get, the actors are clearly having a good time here and make them standout through their performances, even if the writing can’t match up to the level of their acting. Still no where near up to par with the original but 2010’s Predators does have enough entertainment value to warrant a watch if you are a fan of the franchise.
4.) Predator: Killer of Killers
After successfully reviving the Predator IP in 2022 with Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg is able to make lighting strike twice in the form of animation with Predator: Killer of Killers! We see three new characters with their unique stories of their own, forced to come together and take on the monstrous predator as swiftly as they can! Each of the three stories carries wonder of their own, the animation is creative and stunning, the action is fast paced and fun, and who knew after so many installments, we are still able to find new and exciting ways to see human characters kill a bunch of predators! Perhaps if the resolution had not been a tad rushed with obvious sequel set up bait and the narrative didn’t at times come off as three episodes of a mini series, this might’ve been even higher! Killer of Killers proves that not only Predator still works in live-action but it can even work in animation too!
3.) Predator: Badlands
I don’t know how the man keeps doing it but Dan Trachtenberg is now 3 or 3 when it comes to making Predator movies! On paper, Predator: Badlands sounds like the dumbest thing ever and exactly what you would expect with a Predator movie giving the Mickey Mouse treatment! An installment which puts the focus on the Predator as the main character but goes on an adventure where he teams up with a quirky cyborg sidekick and cutesy animals, has to resolve daddy issues, and learn the power of friendship along the way! And yet somehow, someway…..none of that is a negative for the film! In fact, it’s an absolute positive! With a perfectly balanced tone, well crafted action, clever expansion of the Predator lore, and a shockingly well done emotional core throughout, Dan Trachtenberg is able to take the ideas that have bogged down previous Predator installments but manages to makes it work here! I could’ve done with less quips and a few more surprises to the story but there’s nothing big that breaks this movie down! Please go see this one in theaters if you are a fan of the series so we can see a continuation of this story!
2.) Prey
After a handful of inconsistent installments, the Predator franchise was at long last able to find a return true to form with Prey, the first Predator film released under the Disney/Fox umbrella. This is a sequel that understands the appeal of Predator and what made the original stand out for as long as it has. It’s not the contrived lore to the predators themselves nor the need to makes us all feel sympathetic for these monsters (even if Dan Trachtenberg was able to make that all *surprisingly* work three years later). It’s the action, it’s the tension, it’s the suspense, it’s the subversive genre, it’s the haunting atmosphere, and it’s just the plain badassery from the main characters that are likable, fun to watch, and easy to care about. Amber Midthunder is a revelation as Naru and the whole “back-to-basics” approach is exactly what the franchise needed after a handful of sequels that couldn’t quite reach the mark as well as this did. Prey is exactly what you wan out of a Predator movie and was able breath new life into the franchise. My only regret is that this could not get a wide release in theaters.
1.) Predator
For as awesome and badass as Amber Midthunder was in Prey, nothing can top the pure awesome and badassery as Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original Predator itself, able to make yet another iconic action role stand apart from playing an evil A.I. cyborg. This is yet another classic that was able to get it right on it’s first try and able to use it’s simplistic yet effective premise to it’s fullest effect. This is a film about survival, performing break-neck maneuvers at the most crucial time, and the difference between those who thrive on the battleground and those who die trying. Most important of all, it’s about one of the most famous monsters in cinema history and our main characters during everything in there power to stop it. There might be some effects that don’t hold up to modern day standards, but no doubt, for it’s time and even now, no other Predator was able to capture that special lightning in a bottle the way the original with Arnold did. Even for how good the last several installments have been, the original is still the best Predator film ever made and likely always will be.
Movie theaters are in trouble! That’s at least what I’ve been hearing ever since Covid! Ever since that disastrous turn of events that shut down the whole world for a year or two, movie theaters all around the world has seen a significant decline in ticket and concessions sales. That hasn’t stopped Hollywood from doing everything in their power to keep the movie theater going experience alive. Even in the age of streaming, pirating, and Tik Tok, this is a battle that the movie making folks in southern California are willing to fight until they suddenly can’t.
And I don’t think there has been a period of time that has determined just how “well” movie theaters are going throughout the 2020s than this year’s lineup of summer blockbusters. Five years removed of movie theaters being shutdown and two years of infamous strikes, this is probably the most “back to normal” feeling that Hollywood has felt since pre-Covid. If this summer saw yet another underperforming two to three months, then there must come serious questions as to how long movie theaters have before they go extinct.
However, now that summer has come and gone, it’s time to see the results of how all the main feature films did in movie theaters everywhere. And the results are…….complicated.
In case you are wondering how I am judging it, I am gonna look at each major wide release that came out at the start of May to the middle of August. I’m gonna list the film’s budget, how much the film made at the box office, what the projected break even point likely was, how much the film gain in profit, and whether or not it should been seen as a success, flop, or break even point for the studios.
I’m only gonna use math that most tend to use when judging how a film does at the box office. Mostly by taking the budget, times that by 2.5X to cover the whole budget surrounding production and marketing, and seeing how much money it made or lose as a result.
Again, that is not the case for EVERY single one of these movies and this is NOT a direct result as to how the studios view each film from a financial standpoint. This is just my personal guess and opinion as to how each one of these films should be viewed as.
Plus, it’s also worth mentioning that ever since Covid, the definition of “success” is now quite different in the eyes of many producers in Hollywood. Who’s to say that just because a film didn’t do so great in it’s opening two weeks in theaters that the studios sees it as a failure when it became a big hit on digital and streaming? That alone could make it a “success” in the minds of studios.
It is worth remembering that a film’s overall success isn’t just determined based on how it did in theaters but also how it fared in terms of digital, streaming, and physical media sales. Just because not enough people showed up in theaters to give the film profit doesn’t mean people didn’t show it’s support when said film became accessible to all of our home media.
Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this analysis and gives you a good indication of how films are still thriving/struggling in movie theaters!
Thunderbolts*
Budget: $180 Million
Box Office: $382.4 Million
Break Even Point: $450+ Million
Gain/Lose: -$67.6+ Million
Verdict: Flop
Despite the mostly positive reception from fans and critics alike, this could not have been a bigger disappointment at the box office if it tried. Regardless if it has to do with the film starring around D- list MCU characters that most people aren’t familiar or superhero/Marvel fatigue in general, Thunderbolts* most certainly had to pay the price for previous sins surrounding these kind of films. It may have done solid ratings on Disney Plus and did at least kick of the summer movie season better than say…..The Fall Guy last year, but it did follow the tread that most MCU films post-Endgame have suffered from in underperforming box office returns. Between this, Brave New World, and another film to be mentioned later, 2025 has not been so kind to the Marvel Cinematic Universe from a box office standpoint.
Final Destination Bloodlines
Budget: $50 Million
Box Office: $313.9 Million
Break Even Point: $125+ Million
Gain/Loss: +$188.9+ Million
Verdict: Success
The first installment from this long-running franchise since 2011 more than certainly succeeded expectations. Final Destination Bloodlines acted as a nice love letter to the franchise while also acting as a bittersweet epilogue to the amazing career of the late great Tony Todd. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up getting a sequel 2-3 years time (although hopefully no A.I. Tony Todd is needed). If there is one thing that 2025 has taught theatrically released films, it’s that if you have a low enough budget and give plenty of breathing time in the theaters before dumping it to digital and streaming, you will indeed see some promising theatrical profit in return.
Lilo & Stitch (2025)
Budget: $100 Million
Box Office: $1.037+ Billion
Break Even Point: $250+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$787+ Million
Verdict: Success
Despite all the discourse online about this one and what the true meaning of “ohana” is, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the 2025 live-action incarnation of Lilo & Stitch was able to be the most successful film of the summer along with Hollywood’s only billion dollar grosser thus far. There was an entire generation of millennials that grew up with the original animated classic and they all most certainly showed up during Memorial Day weekend to take their kids to experience the inferior version of one of Disney’s very best films in their history. At least it’s not……whatever the hell Snow White was. It’s because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney changes their mind on bringing Rapunzel and Elsa to the live-action screens in the near future.
Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning
Budget: $300-400 Million
Box Office: $598.8+ Million
Break Even Point: $750+ Million to $1+ Billion
Gain/Loss: -$151.2-$401.2+ Million
Verdict: Flop
There was a lot going against Tom Cruise’s last hurrah with his nearly three decade long action franchise and unfortunately, The Final Reckoning was no match for it. Suffering from a bloated budgeted, going head-to-head with Lilo & friends on Memorial Day weekend, and being part of a franchise that arguably peak seven years ago with Mission: Impossible- Fallout, it’s clear that audiences are ready to move on from Tom Cruise damn near killing himself for our amusement. I guess we’ll have to see if Top Gun 3 will be able to replicate the success of Maverick. If not, then we might have to accept that Tom Cruise is not the “Hollywood Jesus” that his ego claims himself to be and that the G.O.A.T. may indeed be washed.
Karate Kid Legends
Budget: $45 Million
Box Office: $115.8+ Million
Break Even Point: $112.5+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$3.3+ Million
Verdict: Broke Even
You all COMPLETELY forgot this movie came out, didn’t you? As a matter of fact, most of you probably didn’t even know this movie existed. This odd culmination of the Karate Kid franchise up to this point clearly failed to set the world on fire but thanks to it’s shocking low budget, it might’ve done just enough to not be a complete failure. And it most certainly probably was able to pick up any remaining losses with it’s digital release. I don’t know what this means for the future for this franchise but at least Karate Kid: Legends can rest easily knowing it’s far from the biggest failure to come out this summer, even if it’s easily among the most forgettable movies of the year.
Ballerina
Budget: $90+ Million
Box Office: $137.2+ Million
Break Even Point: $225+ Million
Gain/Loss:-$87.8+ Million
Verdict: Flop
2025 has not been so kind to Lionsgate and Ballerina was certainly no exception. Despite the presence of Keanu Reeves himself and the positive response from critics and fans, this John Wick spin-off failed to impress at the box office. Perhaps had the budget remain closer to the original John Wick than John Wick: Chapter 4, this could’ve managed to squeeze a profit (similar to a similar female-lead action flick in Atomic Blonde) but not with it’s 90+ million dollar budget (which a good chunk of it most certainly stemmed from reshoots). Whether it’s due to the franchise finally running on fumes or audience suffering from “girl boss” fatigue, Ballerina fell way below expectations, to the point where future John Wick spin-offs and perhaps even a John Wick 5 itself might just be up in the air.
How To Train Your Dragon (2025)
Budget: $150 Million
Box Office: $635.5+ Million
Break Even Point: $375+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$260.5+ Million
Verdict: Success
DreamWorks has finally threw their hat in the ring with live-action remakes and just like with Disney themselves, while the quality may not talk the talk, the box office results can certainly walk the walk. How To Train Your Dragon (2025) was able to capture the hearts of families and mainstream audiences in similar ways that the original animated version did back in 2010 along with the better live-action remakes from Disney (or at least the ones that were able to make a billion dollars). With the success of this film and a sequel in the works, I wouldn’t be surprised to see our favorite ogre and kung panda warrior getting their live-action treatment in the near future. But hey, if it helps cover for any potential loss that The Bad Guys 2 might have, then it might certainly be worth it!
Materialists
Budget: $20 Million
Box Office: $103.5+ Million
Break Even Point: $50+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$53.5+ Million
Verdict: Success
And who says original rom-coms are dead?! Despite the rather mixed audience response, Materialists was able to act as the most successful rom-com in recent memory that does NOT start Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. And as much as everyone and their mother claim to be sick and tired of seeing Pedro Pascal everywhere, he can certainly help carry an original project such as this, along with Chris Evans and Dakota Johnson of course. Not much to say here than yeah, this did quite well at the theaters for this kind movie and A24 should most certainly see this as a success.
28 Years Later
Budget: $60 Million
Box Office: $151.2+ Million
Break Even Point: $150+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$1.2+ Million
Verdict: Broke Even
This divisive sequel/part one of a two-part story did just enough to break even at the box office but not much else. Perhaps had 28 Years Later been more positively received from mainstream audiences and/or it wasn’t relying on the two-part gimmick, this could’ve done much better. But nevertheless, it did at least enough to justify a Part Two getting made, which can hopefully pick up any sort of financial slack that this film might’ve left behind.
Elio
Budget: $150-200+ Million
Box Office: $154+ Million
Break Even Point: $375 to $500+ Million
Gain/Loss: -$221 to $346 Million
Verdict: Flop
Just a summer after Inside Out 2 gave Pixar the smash box office hit they desperately needed, Elio took any sort of momentum that Pixar might’ve possibly gained and COMPLETELY tripped over itself. From a combination of lackluster marketing, trouble from behind-the-scenes/development, a bloated budget, and Disney doing everything in their power to erase this movie from existence, is it any surprised this film ended up being perhaps the biggest flop of the the summer and possibly the year? Maybe I should’ve known better after doing my summer box office movie predictions but I thought after Inside Out 2, people were ready to hop back on board with Pixar with seeing their film in theaters. Looks like I was dead wrong in that regard and man…….I wish I wasn’t!
F1
Budget: $200-300+ Million
Box Office: $626+ Million
Break Even Point: $500-750 Million
Gain/Loss:+$126+ to -$124 Million
Verdict: Success
There are probably many folks out there that are shocked to see this as being labeled as a success due to the film’s massive budget but F1‘s “success” or “failure” is much more complicated than most. First off, this is a partnership between Apple+ and Warner Bros. Apple was the one that funded the movie and would take credit for the success when the film arrives on digital and streaming, while Warner Bros was able to gain the profit from theater showings. Plus, this wasn’t so much about helping out theaters than it was about promoting the sport of F1 racing all across the world! Take all those factors in mind along with the fact that a movie in 2025 was able to make $600+ million that is NOT a superhero film, live-action remake, video game adaption, or an anime, F1 was most certainly a breakout success that helped add to a terrific year that Warner Bros has had in theaters!
M3GAN 2.0
Budget: $15-25+ Million
Box Office: $39.1+ Million
Break Even Point: $37.5-62.5 Million
Gain/Loss:+$1.6 to -25 Million
Verdict: Flop
This has to be the most BAFFLING failure of this summer! Not because it’s a shock that it bombed because the movie itself lacking quality compared to the first but because some of the most baffling decisions made from a business standpoint. From dumping the movie in the middle of summer when the original did just swell in January 2023 to advertising it as a sci-fi comedy instead of sci-fi horror, it’s like Blumhouse was doing everything in their power to ensure this would be a failure. If that was the case, then they MORE than certainly succeeded.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Budget: $180-225+ Million
Box Office: $867+ Million
Break Even Point: $450-562.5+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$305-418+ Million
Verdict: Success
Here is what was wildly considered the most surprising box office success story of Summer 2025 and…..I don’t necessarily know why. While the Jurassic Park franchise might’ve no longer be the billion dollar juggernaut that previous installments were, Rebirth did prove that people still love seeing dinosaurs on the big screen. And this time around they got to see dinosaurs AND Scarlett Johansson on the big screen! What better winning combo than that! Even if this franchise should’ve ended by now, don’t be surprised if Universal wants to keep the Jurassic ball rolling after the monster smash hit of the summer. Again, this might’ve not been a billion dollar gross but it did more than enough to be considered a success!
Superman (2025)
Budget: $225+ Million
Box Office: $615.7+ Million
Break Even Point: $562.5+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$53.2+ Million
Verdict: Success
Welp, here’s the most hotly debated success/failure story of the summer! Even though Superman (2025) has gained at least $53+ million based on traditional projections (or more according to Variety), there has been a serious argument that James Gunn’s take on Superman actually underperformed and even a failure. If we look at it through the mindset of Warner Bros back in 2013, you might have an argument. But in 2025, if we take the words from CEO David Zaslav and crew, it seems like they have much more manageable expectations and just needed to do enough to make a profit and do well in digital and physical sales to be considered a success. They know they can’t turn everything around in one movie like they thought they could a decade ago and are willing to be more patient in regaining the mainstream audience trust. Looking it that way, Superman (2025) was indeed a success. Sorry Snyder cult!
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
Budget: $18+ Million
Box Office: $64.7+ Million
Break Even Point: $45+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$19.7+ Million
Verdict: Success
This might’ve been controversial among die-hard fans and mainstream audiences but thanks to a super low budget of just 18 million dollars, I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) did good enough to at least guarantee it to be a success. Once again, the lower the budget, the easier it is for your film to be a profit in theaters. More studios should take notes on that, especially with what has come from the horror genre this year!
Smurfs (2025)
Budget: $58+ Million
Box Office: $120+ Million
Break Even Point: $145+ Million
Gain/Loss:-$15+ Million
Verdict: Flop
No one was asking for a new iteration of the Smurfs in 2025! Not kids! Not families! Not anyone! And they were ESPECIALLY not asking for a new iteration with Rihanna, James Corden, or Jimmy Kimmel (Although, PRO-FREEDOM OF SPEECH!)! Literally no one but Paramount should be shocked at the fact that this bombed! And even then, I think deep down they aren’t shocked at all either!
The Fantastic Four- First Steps
Budget: $200+ Million
Box Office: $521.5+ Million
Break Even Point: $500+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$21.5 Million
Verdict: Broke Even
This might’ve been the highest grossing MCU film of the year but it still disappointed greatly, compared to the highest grossing MCU films of prior years. This will likely mark the first year that an MCU film does NOT make it to the top 10 highest grossing overall films of the year since 2011. The Fantastic Four has certainly been more appealing to die-hard Marvel and comic fans than it did the mainstream audience but you can’t help but wonder how much better this would’ve done pre-2019. If adjusted projections are to go by, The Fantastic Four-First Steps will likely be the one MCU film to break even in 2025…..but that’s it. And for Marvel Studios standards, that’s quite underwhelming!
The Naked Gun (2025)
Budget: $42+ Million
Box Office: $102+ Million
Break Even Point: $105+ Million
Gain/Loss: -$3+ Million
Verdict: Broke Even
If we are talking about how much the 2025 incarnation of the The Naked Gun did in theaters, it might’ve fell just short of reaching it’s break even point. However, with making up any potential revenue loss with it’s release to digital and soon streaming, I would believe Paramount was more satisfied with how this one did than say……Mission: Impossible. I don’t think this did enough to “save” comedies or resurrected a genre of films that Hollywood has been quite picky to tackle for the better part of a decade but for what it’s worth, I believe this did just fine.
The Bad Guys 2
Budget: $80+ Million
Box Office: $225+ Million
Break Even Point: $200+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$25+ Million
Verdict: Broke Even
This one is quite a tongue twister. Largely impacted by a slew of summer movie competition along with pulling the trigger to the digital release so quicky, The Bad Guys 2 is more likely unable to match the success that the original did. However, due to working at a sizable budget and having solid digital sales thus far, it seems like it did just enough to match it’s break even point. While we might still get a third movie sometime in the future, I don’t think The Bad Guys franchise has become the success story that DreamWorks had envisioned it being, especially compared to the likes of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How To Train Your Dragon. In that regards, it’s quite a same because this has been a damn good animated series of films thus far! Fingers crossed that a third movie gets made!
Freakier Friday
Budget: $42-45+ Million
Box Office: $152.3+ Million
Break Even Point: $105-112.5+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$39.8-47.3+ Million
Verdict: Success
I still don’t know why this was even made but thanks to it’s lower budget and modest box office projections, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan’s Disney team-up that was 22 years in the making was able to exceed expectations without breaking any new ground. I guess it helps to have a sizeable budget and leaving plenty of breathing room between theater showings and digital/physical releases. If only Disney can get that same memo with everything else they do in the way they did with Freakier Friday.
Weapons
Budget: $38+ Million
Box Office: $266.4+ Million
Break Even Point: $95+ Million
Gain/Loss:+$170+ Million
Verdict: Success
Similar to Sinners and Final Destination: Bloodlines, Weapons was able to prove once again that you can win big in horror by playing small. This genuinely scary crowd pleaser was able to make the best with it’s modest budget to craft a smash hit, standing alongside with plenty of original horror films in recent memory. Even with what was a rather crowded area of theatrically released films at the time it came out, this was able to stand out swiftly to be a nice success story. Now let’s just see if director Zach Cregger can say the same for Resident Evil next year!
Nobody 2
Budget: $25+ Million
Box Office: $39.4+ Million
Break Even Point: $62.5+ Million
Gain/Loss:-$23.1+ Million
Verdict: Flop
Here’s a movie that did so poorly in it’s time in theaters that the studios pulled it completely from the big screens after five weeks and just dumped it to digital. To be fair, this is a rare case that I actually can’t blame the studio for making that movie so quickly. Whether it’s because too much time has passed since the original or it just flew under the radar for a lot of people, the sequel to Bob Odenkirk’s action franchise just did not get the same love and support that the original did (and even then, that didn’t really set the world of fire either). Between Nobody 2, The Final Reckoning, and last year’s flops of Monkey Man, Boy Kills World, and The Fall Guy, perhaps there isn’t as much of a crave for “masculine” action heroes that conservatives and alt-right online influencers would have you believe.
When you take all the box office results into account with the ways that most film analysts use to determine if the movie is a success or failure, this summer has had a total of nine movies that were successes, seven movies that were failures, and about five movies that did enough to break even.
What that tells me is that movie theaters are still not in a great spot but they are NOT ready to die out quite yet. While it’s a shame that certain films like The Fantastic Four- First Steps and Mission: Impossible– The Final Reckoning didn’t become the smash hits that were expected and that other films like Thunderbolts* and Elio ended up being massive bombs, this summer did show that there is at least a want and need for plenty of variety within theatrically released films.
You have live-action remakes, you have dinosaur action, you have horror thrills, you have action-comedies, you have rom-coms, and you have sports films! All of which were able to gain an audience in theaters and many of which were able to take some of the spotlight away from the kind of films that have dominated theaters in recent memory, particularly superheroes and video game adaptions.
That’s why I’m not too worried about the fact that a superhero film might not crack the top 10 of the year or that anime and re-releases might be taken more theater screenings! It doesn’t mean one genre is dying, it means more genres are EMERGING! The more genres of films that is resurrected and emerged, the more demographics are eager to see film in theaters, and the more money studios and theaters make! If Hollywood wants to keep theaters alive, THIS is the way to do it!
Because of that and more, I still believe there is still hope for movie theaters! There are still plenty of changes that need to be made (lower ticket prices/concessions, longer theatrical windows, longer time waiting for films to come to digital/streaming, more movie subscriptions/clubs….etc.) but if studios keep going with this direction while being able to contain a sustainable budget with most big movies they released, there might still be hope for movie theaters yet!
We have reached the midpoint of August, which pretty much gives the indication that summer is coming to a close! Sure, it’s still hot as balls outside and pools don’t close until around Labor Day weekend but the kids are going back to school, the parents are heading back to work without worrying about their children making a mess at home, and movies are about to become boring for the next few months. As summer movie season begins to simmer down with the very last of the big Hollywood blockbusters releasing, let’s look back at the very best that the summer of 2025 had to offer in movie form.
Even if this was a summer with plenty of notable box office office disappointments (Thunderbolts*, Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning,Ballerina, M3GAN 2.0, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and certain films doing better than anyone could expect (F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Weapons), there were at least ten gems that was able to satisfy me that came out between the start of May until now.
These were ten films that I felt was worth paying full price to see in the cinemas or giving a watch on streaming the weekend it arrived. If you happen to be one of the poor, unlucky souls that weren’t able to catch it when it was in theaters or jump aboard the social media bandwagon when it arrived on streaming, I would strongly recommend checking these out whenever you can!
Let’s not waste anymore time and jump straight into my ten films of the summer!
FYI, this is NOT a numbered list or ranking but is only listed in the release date which each film came out!
Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts* pits the most unlikely scrappy anti-heroes of Marvel together, in a tale about the power of friendship and the dealings of mental health and depression. It’s easy to mistake this film as being a meta commentary of itself, where it’s about a team of unlikely super folks coming together in a time where superheroes have become a thing of the past and the world has moved on from them. However, what makes this stand out as well as it has is the chemistry and the development of the main cast that is front and center. Florence Pugh as Yelena remains one of the most engaging MCU leads post-Avengers:Endgame, Wyatt Russell still has the charm and charisma as dollar store Captain America, it’s always awesome to see Sebastian Stan as Bucky, and Lewis Pullman as Bob has one of the most compelling arcs in recent MCU history. It’s not quite an instant classic and some characters are giving rather harsh treatment (*cough* Ghost), but Thunderbolts* is a solid reminder as to what made the MCU work in the first place, putting the characters first and story, lore, and world building second.
Bring Her Back
Horror movie fans have been absolutely spoiled throughout the past several years and 2025 has been no exception! After Sinners became an instant vampire classic when it came out in April, Bring Her Back was able to follow suit with that once it came out around Memorial Day. After making a stellar first impression with Talk To Me, the Philippou brothers was able to follow suit by making a cautionary tale on dealing with loss and the eternal damnation of evil. This is a bold and sick horror flick, that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat and gross them up in the best of way (Please do NOT watch this film on an empty stomach!). There are some bold choices at the end that won’t work for anyone and I still believe Talk To Me is the best of the two films made by the Philippou brothers but Bring Her Back is still a must-watch for any fans of horror.
Predator: Killer of Killers
After successfully reviving the Predator IP with 2022’s Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg is able to make lighting strike twice in the form of animation with Predator: Killer of Killers! We see three different characters with new and unique stories of their own, forced to come together and take on the monstrous predator as swiftly as they can! Each of the three stories carries so hard on their own with much thematic weight to it, the animation is creative and stunning, the action is fast paced and fun, and who knew after so many installments, we are still able to find new and exciting ways to see human characters kill a bunch of predators! I do wish the resolution hadn’t been so rushed with an obvious sequel set up bait! Regardless, Killer of Killers proves that not only Predator still works in live-action but it can even work in animation too! Just like with Prey, my main regret is not being able to watch this film in the theaters! At least with we have Predator: Badlands coming out in November to scratch that itch!
F1
Coming off the highs of the box office juggernaut that was 2022’s Top Gun Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski follows that up with yet another incredibly well made and genuine crowd pleaser that was just made to be seen on the big screen! Brad Pitt is able to show off his star power as he enters his 60s and Damson Idris is a young movie star just waiting to burst out onto the scenes. The incredible racing sequences are worth the extra few dollars for IMAX, there’s a solid pace and momentum throughout despite the 150+ minute long runtime, the character drama works, the themes surrounding tough love, mentorship, teamwork, and redemption are all executed to near perfection, and even the standard cliches you would expect for these kind of racing movies have their special place here. If you can find an IMAX theater screening in your area that is playing this film, then go check this out as you will NOT want to miss the experience!
Superman (2025)
At long last, James Gunn has arrived to save the day with his own take on Superman while also aiming to give DC a second leash on live with a rebooted cinematic universe, formerly known as the DC Universe. The cast is all near perfect (the main trio of David Corneswet’s Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane & Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor could not have played off each other better), the tone feels right at home with classic Superman, the spectacle is cool, and it even has those traditional superhero elements from earlier superhero films such as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (Lighthearted feel, comic book-like features, colorful superheroes, and an engaging romance) that I have missed in these kinds of movies for so long. The plot itself does have many different elements in it, with many ideas and subject matter it wants to tackle all at once while incorporating social/political commentary of real world struggles that feels a bit ham-fisted. Even so, Superman (2025) still presents us a Superman we can get behind and absolutely root for, acting as the perfect counter-culture hero who values kindness in a world that no longer calls for that. And after over a decade of Superman portrayals that have ranged from him being moody and depressed to being flat out evil, it’s more than refreshing to see Superman here being someone that represents hope, optimism, and has absolutely NO agenda other than wanting to be a good person that saves people. If that’s not how Superman should be, then I don’t know what is.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
I never would’ve guessed that an animated film made by Sony would end up having the biggest impact among pop culture of all film releases this summer but nevertheless, the animated Netflix exclusive, K-Pop Demon Hunters is worth all the hype and then some! We follow a group of young female K-Pop superstars as they must juggle their work/personal life balance of being beloved rockstars while also during their part-time duty with slaying demons. Once they clash with a boy band, who happen to be rockstars but also demons at the same time, the girls are put to the test with trying to accomplish the best versions of themselves as singers and demon slayers. The animation is breathtaking, the characters are endearing, it moves at such a fast clip that it’s hard to not be entertained by anything happening, and the songs will be living rent free in your area for quite some time. If you have Netflix, there is no excuse for you to not give this one a watch!
The Fantastic Four- First Steps
It may have taken literally four tries (*in Emperor Palpatine’s voice* Ironic!) but Marvel Studios was FINALLY able to get their first family right on the big screen with their MCU debut in First Steps. What makes First Steps so unique is how it’s able to exist in it’s own little bubble outside of the main MCU, allowing for a visual style, cosmic-like feel, worldbuilding, and a refreshing sense of optimism we have had yet to see in the MCU for quite some time. All four members of the team get their own moments to shine (Even if I would’ve liked a bit more of The Thing) and even the humor gets toned down this time around, allowing for more dramatic and emotional beats to play out better than most recent MCU movies. It does feel a bit too fast paced at times, given the indication that an extra 10-15 minutes might’ve been trimmed down due to possible concerning test screenings, and there are certain characters I would’ve liked to see get more screen time but if your biggest complaint with a movie is that you want more, then that MUST mean it’s a good thing. Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is quite simply (I promise no pun intended!) FANTASTIC and a promising new reset to a bright future for Marvel!
The Naked Gun
Comedy is sooooooooooo back! That’s all I gotta say! Just go watch this in theaters with a pack crowd and you will be saying the EXACT same thing! This will be the kind of movie that in 20 years, idiots/AI spam bots will be shouting, “THIS IS WHAT THEY TOOK FROM US!!!!!!!!!”
The Bad Guys 2
The Bad Guys 2 is able to continue the story of our beloved misfit animals, as they try to take their next step into society to be better people, even if society itself just won’t let them do that. When they see themselves getting into action when an all-female squad known as The Bad Girls, the crew comes out of retirement to doing what they are good at, just being plain bad. Everything you love about the original from an animated, comedic, and dramatic standpoint is still present throughout The Bad Guys 2, being able to capture the charm of the original while also able to blaze it’s own path from a narrative standpoint, setting the table for a very interesting Part Three. It may not feel as “fresh” as the original but The Bad Guys 2 is still able to deliver the Part Two goods that you expect from DreamWorks Animation. Please do support this one in theaters, I want The Bad Guys 3 in 2027/2028!
Weapons
Has if things couldn’t get any better than Sinners or Bring Her Back? Coming off of 2022’s Barbarian, Zach Cregger is able to deliver a horror follow-up in Weapons that is better in just about every way! This is like if you take Prisoners, Pulp Fiction, Insidious, Barbarian, and Evil Dead, put them all in a blender, and you get this absolute delightful treat as of result! It’s intense, perfectly paced, engaging as hell, will get under your skin in the best way possible, and will have you put together the pieces in very satisfying ways as soon as the credits roll. Plus, it might just have probably the most satisfying payoff of a climax that I have seen in a movie in 2025! Between this and Sinners, it’s nice to know that not only excellent original horror films are still getting made but they are able to be solid crowd pleasers that even the mainstream audience can get behind! I can only hope that this is a sign to come that Hollywood is willing to take more chances with not just horror but original films in general.
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