Spring at the movies is a curious beast.
This is the stretch when theatres juggle the last of the recent award winners with studio cast offs, before pivoting to summer’s would-be blockbusters.
In short, it鈥檚 a time of extremes, a cinematic yin and yang. I鈥檝e therefore听split this preview of the season’s most-anticipated films into multiplex and arthouse offerings, but take these definitions with a pinch of popcorn salt. (Release dates are subject to change.)
Multiplex
The Alto Knights听
Barry Levinson鈥檚 film sees screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi (鈥淕oodfellas,鈥 鈥淐asino鈥)听back in familiar territory: organized crime and Robert De Niro. The latter plays both Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, real-life mobsters who, in the 1950s, seared a Grade AAA steak of Mafia beef.听(March 21)
Snow White听
Disney鈥檚 relentless campaign to update their animated classics with live-action remakes has thus far proven both bizarre and uncanny, so it鈥檚 anyone鈥檚 guess how this story, a masterpiece of animation when Walt first released it in 1937, will fare in 2025. How might audiences feel? Happy? Grumpy? Sleepy? Rachel Zegler stars. (March 21)
Death of a Unicorn听
If unicorns were to exist outside the realm of myth, they鈥檇 be extremely valuable and highly protected. Yet if one were to be killed, even accidentally, would it be worth anything? A question to ponder in this horror-comedy from executive producer Ari Aster. It stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a dad and daughter who make a monstrously bad mistake. (March 28)听
A Minecraft Movie听
Director Jared Hess (鈥淣apoleon Dynamite鈥) teams up once again with his “Nacho Libre” star Jack Black for this adaptation of the bestselling block-busting game. The cast also includes Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Jemaine Clement and Kate McKinnon. (April 4)
Warfare听
These days, it鈥檚 more than a little chaotic out there 鈥 and those with a cynical imagination saw Alex Garland鈥檚 鈥淐ivil War鈥 (2024) as a dark portent of things to come. His 2025 follow-up is based on the true story of Navy SEALs fighting in Iraq.听(April 11)听
Sinners听
What was the last horror film you watched in IMAX? The answer may soon be 鈥淪inners,鈥 what looks to be an undead rip-snorter of an oater. Naturally, director Ryan Coogler has not strayed from casting his 鈥淔ruitvale Station,鈥 鈥淐reed鈥 and 鈥淏lack Panther鈥 star Michael B. Jordan, who plays twin brothers named Smoke and Stack.听(April 18)
The Legend of Ochi听
Director Isaiah Saxon has dreamt big with his feature film debut, a whimsical and wholly original fantasy adventure. In telling the story of forest-dwelling creatures who lose one of their own, Saxon combines live action, puppetry and computer animation. (April 25)
Thunderbolts*听
Not up on MCU: Phase Five? Think of the Thunderbolts as the anti-Avengers 鈥 reluctant rebels led by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and including Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)听鈥 who are assembled for a dangerous escape mission.听(May 2)
Final Destination: Bloodlines听
It鈥檚 been 25 years of 鈥淔inal Destination,鈥 and the end is not at all in sight. With 鈥淏loodlines,鈥 a premonition of mine suggests the sixth installment will stick to the tried-and-true formula 鈥 grisly accidents with Rube Goldberg levels of contrivance 鈥 with directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein (2018’s 鈥淔reaks”) bringing fresh blood to the franchise.听(May 16)
Lilo & Stitch听
Here’s Disney鈥檚 other big live-action remake for 2025. Director Dean Fleischer Camp, known for his (and Jenny Slate鈥檚) 鈥淢arcel the Shell With Shoes On,” looks to be a wise choice for the job; Maia Kealoha debuts as Lilo, while Chris Sanders reprises his role as Stitch.听(May 23)
Mission: Impossible 鈥 The Final Reckoning听
Is this really the grand farewell for Tom Cruise鈥檚 super spy Ethan Hunt? The 鈥淔inal Reckoning鈥 subtitle hints at retirement, as does the tagline 鈥淓very choice has led to this.鈥 Yet Cruise鈥檚 passion for stunts and spectacle, showcased even at last summer鈥檚 Paris Olympics, suggests we shouldn鈥檛 count him out just yet.听(May 23)
Karate Kid: Legends听
It鈥檒l help if you鈥檝e kept up with Netflix鈥檚 鈥淐obra Kai鈥 (which ended in February), as Jonathan Entwistle鈥檚 鈥淜arate Kid: Legends鈥 reportedly ties that series to this latest franchise entry. For those interested in some good ol鈥 fashioned fists of fury, Jackie Chan stars alongside Ben Wang and series stalwart Ralph Macchio.听(May 30)
Ballerina听
Ana de Armas stars as the premi猫re danseuse听turned assassin of this “John Wick” spinoff. The events of this thriller, directed by Len Wiseman (“Underworld”), reportedly occur between the third and fourth Wick films, and suffice to say: the body count will be high. (June 6)听听
How to Train Your Dragon听
In this live-action remake of the 2010 animated hit, Mason Thames and Nico Parker ignite a mythical Norse realm where dragons and humans collide. Director Dean DeBlois, who directed the original and its sequels, seeks to rekindle the magic. (June 13)
28 Years Later
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return to their post-apocalyptic horror saga with this third chapter, set three decades after the zombie-making Rage virus outbreak. A group of survivors on a remote island face new threats. The promising cast includes Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes. (June 20)听
Arthouse Attractions
Santosh听
Sandhya Suri’s听Cannes 2024 stunner, set in rural North India, follows Santosh Saini (Shahana Goswami), a recent widow who inherits her late husband鈥檚 police constable job and investigates a 13-year-old girl鈥檚 murder. (March 21)
Misericordia听
Alain Guiraudie, best known for 2013鈥檚 鈥淪tranger by the Lake,鈥 returns with a thriller that was named best film of 2024 by French magazine Cahiers du Cin茅ma. It follows a sequence of mysterious deaths in rural France.听(March 28)
Freaky Tales听
鈥淚n 1987, Oakland was hella freaky.鈥 So says the poster for this latest joint from filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The pair already struck a box-office billion with 鈥淐aptain Marvel,鈥 so听this action-comedy (starring Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis and Ben Mendelsohn), a decidedly smaller affair, looks to be less studio and more picture. (April 4)
Grand Tour听
Miguel Gomes, winner of the best director prize at Cannes 2024, enchants and challenges with this magical history tour, which begins in Rangoon, Burma, in 1917. Cowardly British civil servant Edward (Gon莽alo Waddington) abandons his fianc茅e Molly (Crista Alfaiate) at the altar, sparking a merry chase across time and Asia. (April 4)听
The Wedding Banquet听
Ang Lee鈥檚 original 1993 rom-com about the perils of a green card marriage remains a fun and thoughtful classic, but leave it to 鈥淔ire Island鈥 filmmaker Andrew Ahn to give the story modern zing with two queer couples. Bowen Yang (鈥淲icked鈥), Lily Gladstone (鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥) help walk this update down the aisle.听(April 18)听
The Shrouds听
How far would you go to stay connected to a departed loved one? David Cronenberg鈥檚 most personal film explores grief through a chilling lens, as a widower (Vincent Cassel) invents a device to watch bodies decay in real time. Deeply poignant and hauntingly human, it may be Cronenberg鈥檚 most profound work yet. (April 25)听
Caught by the Tides听
In a 鈥済reatest hits鈥 film of sorts, China’s Jia Zhang-Ke revisits scenes from 20 years of his movies to mesmerizing effect, starring his wife-muse Zhao Tao as a questing lover. The film weaves an evocative tapestry of love and transformation against the backdrop of China鈥檚 social ferment. (May 9)听
The Life of Chuck听
In 2020, Stephen King published four previously unreleased novellas in the collection 鈥淚f It Bleeds.鈥 One of them, 鈥淭he Life of Chuck,鈥 caught the eye of Netflix horror maestro Mike Flanagan, and here we are 鈥 with Tom Hiddleston as an ordinary dude facing a crumbling world. (May 30)
The Phoenician Scheme听
Some of Wes Anderson鈥檚 most interesting projects have been co-written by Roman Coppola (鈥淭he Darjeeling Limited,鈥 鈥淢oonrise Kingdom,鈥 鈥淭he French Dispatch鈥), so I鈥檓 keen to see this latest film from the doyen of deadpan and his merry band of collaborators. Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks star. (June 6)
Materialists听
Canadian filmmaker Celine Song earned two Oscar nominations for her 2023 feature debut, 鈥淧ast Lives,鈥 an ode to love, memory and city life, with Seoul and New York City appearing as evocative backdrops. The latter metropolis is the stage in her new rom-com, which sees Dakota Johnson playing matchmaker to the very affluent. Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal co-star.听(June 13)
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