All cinematic releases listed are UK specific.
With the recent release of last year’s Oscar nominations, and the quickly
approaching ceremony, it’s time to look at what film in 2025 has to offer.
January
Saturday Night is a biopic following the original cast of the New York based sketch
show Saturday Night Live. It focuses on the first broadcast of SNL on October 11
1975, its preparation and behind the scenes. The cast includes Ella Hunt as the late
comedian Gilda Radner, Dylan O’Brien as comedic giant Dan Akroyd and Gabriel
LaBelle as SNL producer Lorne Michaels. Released in the US in 2024, the picture
has received mixed reviews – with Mark Asch referring to it as an “unappealing nepo
baby triumphalism”, while Hilary White describes the picture as “tremendous fun” in
The Irish Independent. The much-awaited release is a must-watch, if only to witness
Rachel Sennot’s acting.
February
Our friends across the Atlantic have – like Saturday Night – had the privilege of
watching this already, but Memoir of a Snail is set to be released in the UK on 14 th
February 2025. With voice acting from Succession’s Sarah Snook, the stop-motion
tragicomedy follows the life of an isolated orphan, separated from her only remaining
family, as she makes her way through life, meeting heartbreak and eccentric friends.
Peter Debruge refers to the film as a “stop-motion heart-tugger” in his Variety article.
If at a loss for this Valentine’s Day (and in need for a tear-jerker), a Broadway
screening for the Australian tragicomedy could be the way to go.
March
March will see the release of Disney’s live-action Snow White. Rachel Zegler will
play the classic princess, and Gal Gadot the Evil Queen. With a screenplay co-
written by Greta Gerwig and a leading actress who has stated that “One of the core
points in our film for any woman or young person is remembering how strong you
actually are.”, the picture – released 21 st March 2025 – is set to be a positive re-
imagination of a classic fairytale.
April
Based on Raynor Winn’s memoir The Salt Path, the film of the same title will see
Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as a couple faced with terminal illness and
homelessness as they connect to nature on a year long coastal trek. The upcoming
film – set to release 25 th April 2025 – offers a perspective unlike others on this list,
exploring the natural landscape of the UK and healing that can be achieved through
connection with it.
May
The second Disney live action will be released on 25 th May 2025 – a re-imagination
of the beloved animated classic, Lilo & Stitch, set and filmed in Hawaii. Chris
Sanders is set to voice Stitch, with Maia Kealoha set to star as the head-strong six-
year-old Lilo. The live action should be suitably nostalgic for those graduating this
May.
June
June will see the third-instalment of the 28 Days Later franchise, 28 Years Later.
Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Cillian Murphy – returned after his role in the
first film – and Jack O’Connell, the horror imagines the implications of the rage virus
almost three decades after its initial inception. If the official trailer’s use of Rudyard
Kipling’s Boots is anything to go by, the picture is set to be a disturbing chapter to an
already unsettling franchise.
Release date: 20 th June 2025
July
In the newest addition to the DC Universe, James Gunn’s Superman is set to release
on 11 th July 2025. Starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult as Lex
Luthor, the addition follows Superman’s journey to reunite with his heritage after
growing up on Earth. The instalment is the first to include Superman’s dog, Krypto,
and if trailers are anything to go by should be much more comedic than its
predecessors (super serious Man of Steel comes to mind).
August
Starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, The Naked Gun reboot is set to be
released in the UK on 8 th August 2025, released by Paramount. Liam Neeson will be
entering the world of comedy, supposedly starring as Frank Drebin Jr. – the son of
Leslie Nielson’s iconic character. Very little has been disclosed regarding the
storyline of the reboot, but hopes are high that it will hold its own against the original
(avoiding the disappointment of previous sequels.)
September
September 2025 will bring a new addition to Jordan Peele’s ever-growing portfolio,
as he has been involved in the sports-horror Him as a producer. The film stars
Marlon Wayans and Julia Fox, and will follow a young footballer training in an
isolated compound. While exact plot details are limited at this stage, a film involving
Peele is set to be suitably creepy.
Release date: 19 th September 2025
October
Following the 2021 release of The Black Phone, its sequel – The Black Phone 2 – is
set to be released on 17 th October 2025. Mason Thames will return as Finney and,
interestingly, Ethan Hawke is listed in the cast as The Grabber, despite his brutal
death in the first film. What this means, however, is uncertain given the fact that the
film fits firmly in the category of supernatural. The horror is sure to be a must-watch
for spooky season.
November
At long last, the second part of Jon M. Chu’s cinematic adaptation of the beloved
musical Wicked is set to be released almost a year after the first instalment – 21 st
November 2025. The film will follow Cynthia Elviro’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s
Glinda after their separation, and Elphaba’s situation once she is exiled. Anyone who
has previously seen the musical will know what is to come – and is surely excited to
see Chu’s interpretations – and anyone who hasn’t is set to be pleasantly surprised.
December
Boxing day 2025 will see Sydney Sweeney return to the creepy genre, alongside
Amanda Seyfried. The film is still in production and very little is known about the plot,
bar the fact that Sweeney is set to play a struggling woman turned housemaid.
Following the relative success of Immaculate, it should be interesting to see how
Sweeney approaches the role.