SUPERMAN (July 11th)

Batman notwithstanding, I’ve never really been a DC guy. The biggest reason has always been because I’ve never felt much connection with the number two hero on their roster. The good Superman movies are okay, but with his OP (overpowered) capabilities, I couldn’t feel the stakes or find anything overly interesting about his stories. However, if there is one person who can take a comic book storyline you’d never expect to be interesting, and inject life, humanity, and humor into it with heartbreaking honesty, it’s James Gunn. I’ve been intrigued by all of his choices as the new head of DC Studios, and what solidified this newfound fervor was the opening “discussion” between Clark (David Corenswet) and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) in the first official Superman trailer. Since then, I have been hyped to see what exciting energy Gunn is going to bring to turn arguably the stiffest superhero into a fully layered character. If he pulls it off, Gunn may go down as one of the most important figures in comic-book movie history. At least in my book. - Amarú

THE NAKED GUN (August 1st)

If there's one genre that has suffered the most in recent years, it's laugh-out-loud comedies. Sure there've been a couple memorable ones (Joy Ride, Palm Springs), but the success stories have been rare. Even rarer is the subgenre of spoof comedy, and there's nothing better than The Naked Gun. Sadly, Leslie Neilsen is no longer with us, but we've got Liam Neeson taking over the mantle as Frank Drebin Jr. If you have any hesitation about this casting, you clearly haven't seen Neeson in Life's Too Short or Atlanta. The man is capable of comedy gold. No doubt it's going to be difficult to reach the heights of the Nielsen films, but if the trailer is any sign, the return to silly comedy and visual gags shows director Akiva Schaffer is certainly aiming for just that. - Nick

WEAPONS (August 8th)

It’s always bold to put a full paragraph of voiceover from the trailer onto the poster, but for Weapons, it just adds to the tantalizing mystery. I enjoyed Barbarian thoroughly, so this follow-up for director Zach Cregger has to be considered a must-see. With Josh Brolin headlining alongside actress-of-the-moment Julia Garner and a more than solid supporting cast that includes Benedict Wong and Alden Ehrenreich, it doesn’t need more hype. Anytime you can make a group of children, who are already scary to begin with, even creepier, you have to know you are in for something that will chill you to the bone, and what better time for chills than in the dog days of summer. - Robert

THE TOXIC AVENGER (August 29th)

I have no connection to the 1980s cult original, but I have been told its weirdness is something to behold. Due to its extreme nature as an unrated, violent film, this reboot has been in limbo for two years after premiering at Fantastic Fest in 2023. Those R-rated descriptors are but a tractor beam for me, sucking me in without remorse. I am aware Brothers wasn’t for everyone, but anything Peter Dinklage wants to headline I will support, and director Macon Blair helmed the vastly underrated I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore with Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood. With Wood finding his way as a creep alongside Dinklage in this project, all I have to say is “rise up for the mutant janitors!” - Robert

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES (September 5th)

The second half of 2025 is a great time for horror movie sequels, but I’m most excited for The Conjuring: Last Rites. I love The Conjuring films. Some are better than others, and they've never quite reached the heights of the incredible first installment, but each film is distinct, compelling, full of jump scares, and driven by horror genre favourites Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s fantastic performances as the infamous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Wilson and Farmiga will return for the last time, embarking on their final case together in The Conjuring Universe: the Smurl haunting. The trailer leads me to suspect this could be the scariest, most unsettling film in the franchise for some time, and although I’m reluctant to say goodbye to Ed and Lorraine Warren, I’m excited to see what Last Rites has in store for me. - Katie  

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE (September 12th)

I said I wasn’t a DC guy. Marvel, on the other hand… all day, every day! If you are like me, you know exactly where I’m going with this. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). 2013. Iron Man 3. When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) lay next to Happy in his hospital bed and told the nurse to put on Downton Abbey because Happy thinks “it’s elegant”, I felt seen. Now, it’s definitely going to be hard to watch the third entry in my favorite not-so-guilty pleasure without the best there ever was, Dame Maggie Smith. But there is still so much cattiness, drama, elegance, and characters to love in this ever growing world of British royalty. The most interesting part of continuing this story has always been watching how the Crawleys navigate the advances of modernity over time, and with new times come new challenges, new marriages, new love triangles, and new characters (to the films at least). I’m geeked as hell to see how the upstairs and downstairs leads Downton into the “future.” - Amarú

HIM (September 19th)

What are you willing to sacrifice in the quest for greatness? This is a question that’s been at the forefront of many films. There Will Be Blood, Whiplash, and Black Swan, happen to be three examples which are considered some of the greatest films to come out of the 21st century (as reinforced by the recent New York Times list). It’s probably way too soon to say if Him, produced by Jordan Peele, and directed by Justin Tipping in his first studio effort, will be as capital-G great as those aforementioned films, but after that trailer took me by surprise, I’m certainly excited to find out. It’s already one thing to put a psychological twist on this question (like Black Swan did), but to intertwine it with the world of football (one of America’s favourite pastimes) makes things more intriguing, as sports feel like relatively untapped territory in the horror genre. Add in Marlon Wayans giving what looks like his most electrifying dramatic performance since Requiem for a Dream, and I couldn’t be more fascinated to see the end result. - Bode

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (September 26th)

Truth be told, I’m a little conflicted about One Battle After Another. On one hand, Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor whose movies I will watch sight unseen. I don’t care what it’s about, I’m there. My level of anticipation mostly rests on that fact alone. I’m also a huge Benicio del Toro fan. Once you sprinkle those two with some of Sean Penn’s surly gravitas and Regina Hall’s sassy magic, you’ve got real potential for something great, at least on the performance side. On the other hand, I haven’t truly enjoyed a Paul Thomas Anderson movie since 2002’s Punch Drunk Love. Hell, I haven’t full-on loved one since Magnolia. So, what wins out? The boring pretentiousness that has turned me off so many of the director’s recent efforts, or the fact that DiCaprio never misses. I’m hoping for the latter, and the fact that Battle is being advertised as a black comedy action movie — a rare genre for Leo — I’m anticipating something special from him, and thus, a return to form for PTA. - Quentin

FRANKENSTEIN (November)

I've been lucky enough to work on a couple Guillermo del Toro films, including Frankenstein, and the one constant with the director is the thought and care that go into his projects. He is like no one else I've seen on set with the way his passion pours out of him. Considering he's been angling for Frankenstein for nearly 20 years, this may be his most impassioned creation to date. This world was made for him, and as Robert Eggers' Nosferatu showed, there's an audience for these gothic retellings. With his spellbinding visuals and a killer cast headlined by Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and newly christened scream queen Mia Goth, there's a genuine chance this could become the auteur's greatest film to date. - Nick

THE RUNNING MAN (November 7th)

Edgar Wright is, without question, one of my absolute favourite filmmakers. I've deeply loved everything he's made. Hell, I'm probably the biggest defender of Last Night in Soho on this planet. Just him making another film at all is enough to get me hyped, but with The Running Man, I find myself counting down the minutes until this comes out. Yes, there is the action adaptation from the 80s with Arnold Schwarzenegger, but instead of directly rebooting that (which would be enough for me honestly), Edgar Wright seems to be adapting Stephen King's novel with his own signature stylized genre approach, starring none other than Glen Powell in the lead role amongst a killer ensemble, including Michael Cera, Katy O'Brian, Josh Brolin, Jayme Lawson, Emilia Jones, and Colman Domingo. I'm such a sucker for anything Edgar Wright does, but the subject matter he's approaching is so fascinating that I need to know what his stamp on it will look like. - Adriano

SISU 2 (November 21st)

In 2023, I attended the Toronto International Film Festival, my first festival as accredited press. On the second evening, still riding high on the experience of it all, I saw Sisu, a Finnish action thriller that had no poster, no trailer, and no known actors. My only connection was that I kinda-sorta knew director Jalmari Helander because of Rare Exports. It was a total dart throw, especially for a midnight showing after a long day of movie-going, but hot damn! It was an out of nowhere bullseye! Marrying the sensibilities of John Wick, Captain America, and Quentin Tarantino, it was a fresh, violent, and most importantly, fun take on “kill the Nazis” movies. A few months ago, Helander casually announced, out of nowhere (at least for me), that Sisu 2 would drop this fall. If it’s anything like the original (which I gave 4.5 reels), especially considering it’s being driven by double the budget (still only $13 million) and new cast additions Stephen Lang and Richard Brake, I already know this will be one of the most fun action experiences of the year. - Quentin

WICKED: FOR GOOD (November 21st)

I’m not a fan of the Wicked stage show, so going into the first part of Wicked, my expectations were not high, especially amongst all of the negative press the film seemed to be receiving at the time. However, these alleged issues did not impact my enjoyment, as I tried and failed to resist Wicked’s intoxicating charm. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are amazing performers who shine as bright as each other, and their compelling dynamic is a big contributor to my excitement for Wicked: For Good. The first one established their past and the world they live in, and I can't wait to see their relationship explored further amongst the difficult circumstances they’ve been plunged into, alongside what I am sure will be incredible musical set pieces. - Katie

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH (December 19th)

“Never bet against James Cameron” has been a general saying for as long as he’s been putting out movies, but it felt especially prophetic after Avatar’s long-awaited follow-up, The Way of Water. The film went on to be one of 2022’s biggest films after over a decade of folks declaring that the moment for this series has passed. Anyone who saw the last film would know that Cameron hasn’t lost his touch in terms of delivering the gargantuan spectacle and sweeping emotionality that audiences expect from his blockbusters. These films are accentuated by his willingness to further push the boundaries of what’s possible with the moving image. From his utilization of 3D, which remains game-changing, to capturing the action (under and above water) at a higher frame rate (60FPS in this case, a feature which bugged some viewers, but which I found absolutely transcendent). All of this makes me excited to see how he expands the world of Pandora with Fire and Ash, especially since Cameron has previously teased that it’ll be darker than the previous two entries. As long as Payakan survives whatever chaos is planned, I’m perfectly okay with that. - Bode

MARTY SUPREME (December 25th)

After Uncut Gems frankly blew me away in 2019, I've been waiting to see what the Safdie Brothers will give us next. The two directors have decided to work separately for their next projects, with Benny Safdie releasing The Smashing Machine later this year. While that film does excite me, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme sounds like I'm about to have the time of my life. Starring Timothée Chalamet, the movie is said to center around a ping-pong player named Marty Mauser as he is in “pursuit of greatness.” The film reteams Josh Safdie with editor/co-writer Ronald Bronstein and cinematographer Darius Khondji from Uncut Gems, which is exciting in and of itself, so I’m expecting similar mayhem. But, with the film being described as a cross-country comedy, and possibly a mix of Catch Me If You Can and The Wolf of Wall Street, I'm beyond excited to see what insanity Josh Safdie has cooked up for us. - Adriano