As the entertainment industry looks ahead to what might be an exhilarating year, 2025 could hold a lot of promise as a cinematic season, as we have anticipated some film releases that could pave the way for success. There will be sequels we've been waiting for, reboots with significant budgets, and original works that'll raise the roof on our enjoyment of going to the movies. We've been hearing buzz on these films for months - in some cases years - and you can feel the excitement as audiences mark important dates on their calendars to see the movie open. While we live in a media landscape where storytelling has always changed, the film industry will marry innovation and nostalgia as we cultivate the experience of going to the movies. Franchises like Avatar, The Batman, and Mission: Impossible will probably arrive with sequels that attempt to elevate the experience; and Christophore Nolan, Denis Villeneuve and Greta Gerwig will present us bold futures possibly revealing what cinema can become. Meanwhile, streaming and theatrical will remain at odds while ensuring audiences have access to different stories, forms, and genres. As for 2025, the year will also be noteworthy for superhero films, fantasy epics, and meaningful stories that speak to the evolving tastes of a global audience. No matter if you are excited for action, emotional drama, or category-defying thrillers, there is a release coming for everybody. In this article, we rank the Top 10 Most Awaited Movies of 2025, based on industry hype, star power, teasers, and early fan enthusiasm. These aren't releases, they're events. Read on to find out which films are likely to dominate the conversation, and box office, and perhaps early awards season in the year ahead!
10. Coolie:
Coolie is an upcoming pan-Indian action thriller from Lokesh Kanagaraj featuring Tamil superstar Rajinikanth as a powerful gangster. The film boasts a magnificent cast: Shruti Haasan, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir (his Tamil debut), Aamir Khan (cameo), Upendra, Sathyaraj, and Reba Monica John. The score is done by Anirudh Ravichander, who had fans buzzing with his recent BTS track, "Coolie Powerhouse." Filming ended in mid March 2025, with locations in Chennai, Jaipur, Thailand, and Bangkok. The film is set to be in theatres on August 14, 2025—a big showdown with War 2 for Independence Day—and is poised to dominate the pan-Indian box office, as producers will keep a distinct focus on Telugu-speaking audiences while also working on a ₹120 cr OTT deal.
9. Welcome to the Jungle:
Welcome to the Jungle is the forthcoming third film in the popular Welcome franchise, directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwala with Jio Studios and Base Industries Group. The star cast features Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Johnny Lever and many more—more than 30 times! After finishing principal photography in Mumbai and Kashmir (around 70% was filmed), the international schedule began on October 2024. Originally slated for Christmas 2024, the release date was moved to December 26, 2025. Although fans are cynical—some called the idea “a disgusting mess” and that it’s “clickbait” with Ahmed Khan in the director’s chair—the producers assure that the project is full steam ahead .
8. The Delhi Files:
The Delhi Files is the last installment of Vivek Agnihotri’s “Files” trilogy of modern history (after The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files). The film is divided into two parts; Part 1 - The Bengal Files: Right to Life details the communal happenings in Bengal in the 1940’s, like the Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots. The film has an ensemble cast, including Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi (who also appears to be the co-producer), Puneet Issar, Govind Namdev, Babbu Maan, and Palomi Ghosh. The film was announced in 2025, with production commencing after a casting call in mid-2024. The film is scheduled for theatrical release on August 15, 2025. The film will celebrate an Independence Day event. The teaser, which featured Chakraborty, was premiered on Republic Day 2025.
7. Metro In Dino:
Metro...In Dino is a forthcoming Hindi urban anthology from Anurag Basu that's a spiritual sequel to Life in a...Metro (2007). The film stars an ensemble of talent, lead by Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher, all intertwining four love stories in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. Principal photography completed in February 2024, when the director and crew were in various cities. The trailer dropped on June 4, exploring romantic complications across different generations, from Gen-Z commitment phobia, to elderly rediscovering love. Pritam packaged the music again, and in homage, some fans felt the contemporary music fell short of the original film peaks.
6. Aashiqui 3:
Aashiqui 3, the supposed third part to the iconic romance series, has now been postponed indefinitely post Triptii Dimri departure and the unsolved title-right issues. The film, directed by Anurag Basu, was first announced in 2022 with Kartik Aaryan attached and was meant to start filming in early 2025 and a third-part story of romance. But even though a larger production has been delayed, Basu and Aaryan are still working together on a new musical love story (featuring debutante Sreeleela as of now) that highly reflects the themes of Aashiqui. The "Aashiqui" title still has unresolved legal issues and there is no set release previous date, fans of the franchise are waiting to hear a confirmed casting, title and launch plans. Let me know if you would like more details or some trailer reactions!
5. Jolly LLB 3:
Jolly LLB 3 is the third film in the Hindi-language courtroom comedy-drama series and is directed and written by Subhash Kapoor, produced by Star Studios, Cape of Good Films, and Kangra Talkies. The film features Arshad Warsi and Akshay Kumar, reprising their roles as different “Jolly” advocates (Tyagi and Mishra), along with Huma Qureshi, Amrita Rao, Saurabh Shukla, and Annu Kapoor. Principal photography began in late April 2024 in Rajasthan (Ajmer), and the crew completed filming in May. Although the film was slated for release on April 10, 2025, it was pushed back at the request of Karan Johar's team and is now scheduled to release on September 19, 2025. On June 9, the Rajasthan High Court dismissed a petition that sought to halt shooting and the film continued to be produced uninterrupted.
4. Lahore 1947:
Lahore 1947 is a new Hindi-language historical drama directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan under Aamir Khan Productions. Set against the backdrop of Partition, it tells the story of a Muslim family from Lucknow, who are all considered refugees, anti-heroically dislocated and disaffected by what they experience, and unfamiliar interactions on an India-Pakistan train, including one very huge scene in the middle. The ensemble cast consists of Sunny Deol; Preity Zinta (coming back); Shabana Azmi; Ali Fazal; Abhimanyu Singh; and cameo of Aamir Khan. The film is lensed by Santosh Sivan; music by A.R. Rahman; and lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Filming wrapped mid-2024 and though originally intended for a Republic Day 2025 release, it was broadly corrected to June 2025. The player in this is likely post-production. Let me know if you wanted a dive into this!
3. Baaghi 4:
Baaghi 4 is a significant, bold new chapter in the action franchise, and is helmed by South filmmaker A. Harsha (his Bollywood Debut) and is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, via Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment . Tiger Shroff returns to reprise his role as Ronnie, while Sanjay Dutt plays the antagonist role, along with Samon Bajwa and Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu. The teaser and first-look posters suggest a darker, “bloodier mission”, that features extreme action sequences while Ronnie takes on an international conspiracy . Principal photography commenced in late 2024, and filmed in a variety of locations in India and abroad. The release date is set for September 5, 2025, and aligns with Teacher’s Day in India.
2. Dhadak 2:
Dhadak 2 is an upcoming Hindi romantic drama film directed by Shazia Iqbal, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, in association with Zee Studios and Cloud 9 Pictures, and stars Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi - a new lead pairing continuing the legacy of Dhadak (2018) addressing inter‑caste love. It is an adaptation of the acclaimed Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal (2018) and is likely to be socially conscious. Initially scheduled to be released on November 22, 2024, the release has been postponed; recent publications say it has an expected theatrical release in mid‑2025, with some music placements stating a release in either July 11 or February or March of that year. The film received a U/A rating from the Central Board of Film Certification after 16 edits with a mandatory need for edits related to caste, religion, and violence.
1. Sitaare Zameen Par:
Sitaare Zameen Par is a Hindi sports-comedy-drama, directed by R. S. Prasanna and co-produced by Aamir Khan under his banner along with other producers, including Aparna Purohit. It is a spiritual sequel of the film Taare Zameen Par, and features all new characters and story, and is an official remake of the 2018 Spanish film Champions; Aamir plays the coach of several boys with Down syndrome, resultingly starring opposite Genelia D'Souza, who stated that she auditioned three times for her role. The climax was filmed in Vadodara and post-production ended in mid 2024. It is slated to release in cinemas on June 20, 2025, and most likelyn have an exclusive window in theatres before potentially moving to Youtube.
