As awards season is kicking off, there has been a lot of chatter about which films from 2025 will win big, with Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and Hamnet shaping to be the frontrunners. However, movies that are critically acclaimed and have fleeting popularity are not guaranteed to be popular in years to come.
Many movies that are now incredibly popular, such as Donnie Darko, Fight Club, and The Shawshank Redemption, were far from the main box-office hits of their respective eras. Dubbed "cult classics", these films have since garnered a strong fanbase and have cemented their place in popular culture. Hence, without further ado, here are my top ten predictions of 2025 movies that will become cult classics in the future...
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Sleek, stylish, and fast-paced, Joseph Kosinski's F1: The Movie follows Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) coming out of retirement to drive alongside hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).
I must admit, I was slightly skeptical going into F1: The Movie. It sounded like a stereotypical underdog story with little substance but some fun stunts. However, I was sorely mistaken—with its deep characters, engaging composition, and incredible soundtrack, it was a truly entertaining movie that I'm sure future audiences will enjoy. Not to mention, it has one of the best opening credit sequences of recent times.
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9. Bring Her Back
With all the incredible movies of 2025, it can be easy to forget that Bring Her Back also came out this year. The supernatural horror centres around siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) who face terrifying mysteries after being adopted by a new foster mother.
I anticipated that it would be difficult for the Philippou brothers to follow their incredible debut film, Talk To Me. But in the end, Bring Her Back far exceeded my expectations by blending themes of intergenerational trauma with truly disturbing horror sequences. It is a movie that I am certain will scare and entertain horror enthusiasts even years from now!
8. Weapons
Zach Cregger's newest movie, Weapons, has an intriguing premise. All but one child from the same third grade class mysteriously vanish at the same day and time, sending shockwaves through the small community of Maybrook.
If there is one genre that has really changed in the 21st century, it would undoubtedly be horror, with the rise of contemporary or psychological horror films such as Get Out and Hereditary. Weapons is set to be the next major movie of this genre as it expertly combines dark humour with slow-burn horror, building up to an explosive climax. It was a movie where I could never really predict what was going to happen next, making it the ultimate cult classic horror.
7. Eddington
2020 was an eventful year to say the least with the start of the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and other societal issues causing social unrest and online misinformation. Eddington transports us back to this period, following a mayoral race between conspiracy theorist Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and the current mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).
Director Ari Aster's fourth feature film was met with mixed reviews, but I personally found that it handled issues that are still contentious today with an intelligent, thrilling perspective. It is the kind of movie that will surely serve as satire of that early 2020s period for years to come, blending true events with Aster's signature surrealism. Not to mention, the powerhouse ensemble cast featuring the likes of Emma Stone and Austin Butler engage the audience from the very first frame.
6. Jay Kelly
Fame, popularity, and likeability are things many people strive for, but Jay Kelly goes a step further by asking, "What is the cost of this fame?". This film follows Hollywood star Jay Kelly (George Clooney) embarking on a journey across Europe with his devoted manager, Ron (Adam Sandler).
Jay Kelly has an Odyssey-esque feel to it, as the titular character physically travels to new places while mentally reliving past memories. Above all, it is a timeless character study driven by powerful performances, a beautiful script, and a star-studded cast. Its themes about family and self-discovery hold up under many contexts—I would go as far as to say that this may be director Noah Baumbach's best film yet.
5. Bugonia
A new adaptation of the Korean film Save the Green Planet, Bugonia sees two conspiracy theorists (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) kidnap a rich CEO (Emma Stone), thinking she is an alien out to destroy the Earth.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos has long been known for his wacky movies, but this one might just be the strangest of them all. Darkly comical but also confronting at times, Bugonia is arguably Lanthimos' most relevant movie, with its subtle themes of climate change, capitalism, and online misinformation.
Such issues will be prominent in our society for years to come, making Bugonia a thought-provoking film for even future audiences. I also found that this film conveys its perspectives on key issues through subtext and symbolism rather than making it explicit, avoiding that feeling of the viewer being preached at.
4. Eternity
If you had to choose one person to spend eternity with, who would it be? This question is the subject of Eternity, the new A25 rom-com that follows Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) in the afterlife. She is forced to choose between her ex-husband who died young and waited for her in the afterlife (Callum Turner) and the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller), causing romantic chaos to ensue.
Rom-coms were a popular genre in the early 2000s, but these past few years have signalled a resurgence of the genre. Eternity, in particular, shows how modern audiences love this romantic comedy tropes, but with a fresh twist. This was a movie that brought tears to me eyes in some parts and had me laughing out loud in others; it really does have something for everyone!
3. Warfare
War movies are far from a new genre, but Alex Garland's Warfare certainly reinvents the wheel. Set during the Gulf War and told in real time, this film centres around a platoon of Navy SEALs fighting for survival after a recon mission goes horribly wrong.
Written in conjunction with Ray Mendoza, a Navy SEAL who actually survived the ordeal in Iraq, Warfare is confronting and visceral. I personally found it hard to watch at times, but that is precisely what makes it the ideal anti-war movie: rather than focusing on political ramifications and the "bigger picture", it transports the audience to the heart of the conflict. The horrors of war and importance of brotherhood will always resonate with viewers.
2. Sinners
2025 was certainly a big year for horror, thanks in large part to the release of Ryan Coogler's Sinners. The story follows the Smokestack twins (Michael B. Jordan) returning to their hometown and opening a juke joint, only to find that a horrifying presence is lurking.
On paper, a vampire movie about the uniting power of music and cultural assimilation shouldn't work. It sounds exactly like the type of film that would be confusing, convoluted, and rushed. However, Sinners is incredibly entertaining because it trusts the audience to understand the deeper symbolism of vampirism.
It took me a little while to fully understand what the vampires symbolised, but even without that knowledge, it was an entertaining action-horror. Working on two levels, as a deep social critique and as a fun vampire movie, is why Sinners will surely appeal to future audiences.
1. Caught Stealing
If there was one movie from this year that strikes me as a future cult classic, it would be Caught Stealing. The plot follows Hank (Austin Butler) who, after offering to take care of his neighbour's cat, is caught in the middle of various gangsters and criminal plots.
Caught Stealing is a far cry from director Darren Aronofsky's previous, darkly disturbing films such as Mother! and Black Swan. Where those movies stumble is in their need to possess great social commentary.
However, with its 90s comedy-crime thriller vibe reminiscent of Pulp Fiction and Baby Driver, this film is able to provide audiences with 107 minutes of pure entertainment. Caught Stealing was honestly the most fun I have had while watching a new film in a long time, and I truly believe this will hold true for future viewers as well.
Image Credit: Krists Luhaers from Unsplash
2025 has certainly been a major year in the realm of cinema, with many auteurs such as Paul Thomas Anderson and Luca Guadagnino releasing films, and genres such as horror and rom-coms making a comeback.
With such a vast array of movies having been released, it will certainly be interesting to see which ones last the test of time and attain true "cult classic" status!
