I’m still trying to make sense of 2025. The year in general, and the year in film. After the pandemic shut down and the Hollywood strikes, the mantra for many in the exhibition business was to, “survive to ’25,” with the feeling that this was the year we would get past the hangover of those twin impacts. But sadly, the year ended up being marked by a number of Hollywood films that provided more hype than actual entertainment. On top of that, a number of indie and art films – in my opinion – suffered from filmmaker overreach. I’m hoping that in 2026, producers (and editors) will feel empowered to rein in some of this, so that audiences can get more films that are both enjoyable and illuminating.
As for overall trends, the North American box office is going to come in just shy of $9 billion. It would have been nice to cross that number, but we did get close, and we did have a slight increase over 2024. Numbers are still down about 20% (plus or minus) on pre-pandemic levels, but showing some strength. People still want to see movies in movie theatres. There just needs to be a more consistent supply of diverse genres to engage different audiences. Maybe we can get there in 2026. Or maybe we will see a further decline in production as we see one of our legacy studios get folded into another company.
- Frankenstein
I still love seeing movies in a movie theatre. I believe there are others like me out there. As I type this, people are buying tickets to see Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN and the latest Knives Out installment, WAKE UP DEAD MAN even though these pictures have been out on platforms for weeks. Why? Because the best way to see a movie is in a movie theatre. You’re not escaping into another world when you sit on your couch. That’s more like hiding from reality. Getting out of the house. Sharing space with strangers. Fully turning yourself over the storyteller. That’s what happens when you see a movie the way it is meant to be seen. So thank you to those who are back regularly. And to those who haven’t fully returned, this is a good time to resolve to try something different in the new year.
For me (and in alphabetical order), here were the Top 10 movies of 2025.
ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU – Filmmaker Cherien Dabis has every reason to be angry about how her family was displaced during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. And to be sure, there is pain and anguish in her multi-generational tale that spans 70 years in a family story. But there is also more understanding and empathy than I can recall in any other film on the same subject. And with three members of the Bakri family in key roles, including the amazing Mohammad Bakri who recently passed away, the film provides a master class in acting. Shortlisted for the Best International Feature Oscar, this one is, in my opinion, the finest foreign language film of the year.
BLACK BAG – There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing a master filmmaker craft a well-oiled genre picture. And in BLACK BAG, Steven Soderbergh is at the top of his game. This tightly paced spy thriller may not have a lot to say about world affairs and such. But at just a hair over 90 minutes, the film is tightly constructed, well acted, and a fun watch.
- Blue Sun Palace
BLUE SUN PALACE – A beautiful film about the loneliness and displacement of the immigrant experience. The film features a trio of amazing performances, led by veteran actor Lee Kang-sheng, and marks first time director Constance Tsang as someone to watch.
DEAD MAN’S WIRE – Where many veteran directors delivered interesting but bloated films this year, director Gus van Sant, working from a terrific script by Austin Kolodney, reminds us with DEAD MAN’S WIRE what a terrific filmmaker he is. Based on a true story of an armed kidnapping, the film is packed with great acting, led by Bill Skarsgard in the lead role. So far, this one hasn’t gotten a lot of Oscar buzz. But it deserves it, so I encourage you to search it out as it goes wider in January.
DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT – Veteran actress Embeth Davidtz worked both behind and in front of the camera with this story of white farmers in post-colonial Rhodesia. Based on a popular memoir by Alexandra Fuller, the film features perhaps the year’s best performances by a child actor.
- Ghost Trail
GHOST TRAIL – One of the year’s moviegoing highlights for me was catching this film in March at a Rendezvous With French Cinema screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Director Jonathan Millet, a documentarian making his first feature, delivers a Hitchcockian thriller with this story of a Syrian refugee in France trying to track down their former torturers from the Assad regime. Ignored by major critics, this one truly deserves another look.
THE PLAGUE – Charlie Polinger’s debut feature really floored me. Working with a cast of unknown young actors, Polinger tells a story of pre-adolescent bullying that is deeply resonant of his experiences as a kid, but also with much to say about our current political and cultural moment. With great cinematography, some of the year’s best sound design, and other technical achievements, this may be the one of the best debut features of the year.
PREDATORS – My favorite documentary of the year. Since it didn’t make the Academy’s short list, I guess I didn’t see enough docs this year. Or maybe this film was just hit some viewers in an uncomfortable way. While the film does not spare from scrutiny the folks who created the To Catch a Predator TV-series, it also confronts us as audience members with our role in turning the pursuit of justice into entertainment.
- A Private Life
A PRIVATE LIFE – A curious blend of romance, mystery and comedy, Rebecca Zlotowski’s French-language picture may not be the tightest film of the year story-wise. But I still found enough to enjoy that I saw it twice, and am ready to go back for a third helping. Stars Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil have perhaps the best on-screen chemistry of any screen couple this year, delivering a totally believable portrayal of a divorced couple rekindling the spark.
SORRY, BABY – Distributor A24 is ending the year on a high note with the box office success of MARTY SUPREME. But for me, this is the best film they had on their schedule in 2025, and I just wish they had been able to get more people to see when it came out in the summer. Eva Victor writes, directs and stars in this comedy, which deftly combines humor with a dark and difficult storyline.
- Song Sung Blue
Honorable Mentions – RENTAL FAMILY and SONG SUNG BLUE . Telling a sentimental story on screen may seem like something easy. But it isn’t. The Hallmark Channel may have a monopoly on telling formulaic stories, but these two films delight in appealing to our emotions without being manipulative or insulting. I encourage you to see them both. And it’s OK if you get a little misty eyed. We all need a good cry every now and then.
–Greg Laemmle.