The New York Times' Most Notable Films of 2025

Notable Films of 2025

• 🎬 The New York Times polled 16 film experts to identify the most notable movies of 2025.
• 🌟 The list includes films like Bugonia (starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemens), Hamnit, K-pop Demon Hunters, Sinners (starring Michael B. Jordan), Marty Supreme (with Timothy Shalamé), and Paul Thomas Anderson's one battle after another (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Benio Del Toro).

Standout Original Stories

• 💡 Reggie Ugwu highlighted a strong year for original stories for adults, moving away from superhero sequels.
• 🎯 Films such as one battle after another, Sinners (described as a Jim Crow vampire movie), and Weapons (a horror thriller from Zack Krüger) performed well with both audiences and critics.

Shift Towards International and Independent Cinema

• 🌍 There's a growing fatigue with the intellectual property (IP) machine, leading studios to take more risks on original films.
• 🏆 Awards season has become more international, with a significant portion of Golden Globe best picture nominees being international films, reflecting a more global voting body.
• 📈 The box office is also becoming increasingly international, with films like Sentimental Value (by Joachim Trier) gaining recognition.

Future Trends

• 🚀 Ugwu expressed excitement for the continuation of this trend of original films in the coming years.
• 🌟 He hopes to be surprised by new cinematic offerings and for Hollywood to continue betting on unique stories.