From a big-budget Marvel flick to tiny festival darlings, 2025 has turned out some instant classics. A Netflix movie about Italian grandmas opening a restaurant? Check. An action film about a plane full of assassins trying to murder a man in a Hawaiian shirt? Accounted for. An entire documentary filmed within the world of Grand Theft Auto? Well, yes. 2025 has a little something for everyone, and more than likely you've missed a few hidden gems because this year has been busy.
Luckily, Parade has got you covered. We've pulled together a list of the best films of 2025, including streaming hits, big-budget action movies and international fare. This list is currently updated through the end of May, but check back later as more movies premiere.
Without further ado, the best movies of 2025 so far:
Best movies of 2025
The Ballad of Wallis IslandFocus Features
1. The Ballad of Wallis Island
It's hard to find a film more charming than this quirky British dramedy about a superfan of the fictional folk duo McGwyer Mortimer who lures both musicians back to a private island concert years after the pairing separated. Tim Key co-wrote and stars in the film as the sometimes derpy fan while Tom Basden (who also co-wrote the script) and Carey Mulligan play the folk duo/former lovers. The awkward comedy in the movie's first half makes way for a poignant and heart-warming ending, with Fleabag's Sian Clifford also popping up in a fun turn.
Bring Them DownTIFF
2. Bring Them Down
Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott both turn in excellent performances in this hell-bent thriller about two warring sheepherders sharing a mountain grazing pasture. We first see a sequence of events through the eyes of Abbott's Michael before the movie resets, and we see the movie's escalating violence from Keoghan's Jack. The screenplay from Christopher Andrews (who also directed the movie) is extremely tight, leading to one of the year's most propulsive films.
Sophie Thatcher in CompanionWarner Bros. Pictures
3. Companion
2025 has delivered some incredibly smart films, and perhaps none is as sharp as Drew Hancock's sci-fi thriller about "companion robots" (aka glorified sexbots in a lot of cases). What starts as a scenic getaway weekend for Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher), his companion, quickly unravels into a bloody mess. The twists and turns are each wittier than the last, and a supporting cast that includes Lukas Gage, Harvey Guillén and Rupert Friend really land some of the film's best comedic moments.
Fight or FlightVertical Entertainment
4. Fight or Flight
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Grand Theft HamletMubi
5. Grand Theft Hamlet
During COVID, a pair of out-of-work British actors decided if they couldn't stage a production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet in real life, they would stage it within the world of Grand Theft Auto. What follows is a WILD journey full of bizarre twists and a lot of unexpected heart. The documentary uses exclusively recorded video game footage to tell the story of Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen as they attempt to find gamers to join their theater troupe (all while not being murdered inside the game).
Nonnas. (L-R) Lorraine Bracco as Roberta, Brenda Vaccaro as Antonella, Susan Sarandon as Gia and Talia Shire as Teresa in 'Nonnas.' (Jeong Park/Netflix © 2025)6. Nonnas
Related: 'Nonnas' Star Lorraine Bracco Initially Felt Insecure About Starring in a Comedy After a Career in Dramas (Exclusive)
On Becoming a Guinea FowlNYFF
7. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Easily one of the most cleverly scripted films of 2025 is Rungano Nyoni's On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. The Zambian/British movie follows Shula (Susan Chardy), who stumbles upon the dead body of her uncle on a dirt road late at night in Zambia. As the very traditional funeral proceedings begin, Shula slowly pieces together family secrets leading to one of the year's most satisfying finales. I've never seen anything quite like On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, and if Zambia selects it as its entry for Best International Feature, it will be the year's coolest Oscar nominee.
Sony Pictures Releasing
8. One of Them Days
Keke Palmer is a national treasure and perhaps the most charismatic person to ever live. She puts the full force of that likability into One of Them Days, which follows two best friends around Los Angeles while they try to earn enough money to make rent. SZA proves she's got acting chops as well, and an all-star supporting lineup of scene stealers includes Maude Apatow, Janelle James, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Dewayne Perkins and Lil Rel Howery. One of Them Days is highly quotable, and I do need a sequel yesterday.
SinnersWarner Bros.
9. Sinners
This is the year of Sinners, and every other movie is fighting for second place (at least as of now). Ryan Coogler's first truly original outing, which stars Michael B. Jordan as twins fighting against a host of vampires, is completely unique and superb on every level. From the acting and cinematography to the costumes and score, every aspect of Sinners is Grade A. One particular musical sequence at the heart of the film will go down in cinematic history. If you're only going to see one movie this year in theaters, it should be Sinners.
ThunderboltsMarvel/Disney
10. Thunderbolts*
Related: 'Thunderbolts*' Is the First Great Marvel Movie in Years (Review)
You're Cordially InvitedAmazon Prime Video
11. You're Cordially Invited
The 47 percent Rotten Tomatoes score may beg to differ, but You're Cordially Invited made me laugh more than any other movie this year. The whole thing is utterly ridiculous. Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon somehow both book the same wedding venue and don't realize it until the actual weekend of the wedding when the entire hoard of guests has arrived? Preposterous. Nothing about this is very realistic, but everyone here seems in on the joke, and if you can get on the necessary wavelength, this is a ROMP. You'll never think of "Islands in the Stream" the same way again.
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