New movies: the most exciting films coming to theaters in April 2025 and beyond

Welcome to TechRadar's new movies guide. Below, you'll find an assortment of the biggest new films that are releasing in theaters worldwide this year.

It's pretty quiet on the new releases front this weekend (April 4 to 6). Indeed, A Minecraft Movie is the biggest flick that's just debuted in cinemas.

There is, though, plenty more in the way of silver screen entertainment to look forward to. From new comic book movies including James Gunn's Superman movie and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to other substantial genre fare, there'll be something for everyone to enjoy before the end of 2025. Read on to find out what's coming soon.

New movies: April

A Minecraft Movie

Release date: out now (worldwide)

As the proliferation of video game movie adaptations continues, Warner Bros. – in association with Minecraft creator Mojang and its parent company Microsoft – are, surprise surprise, making a Minecraft movie. And, well, it's called just that: A Minecraft Movie.

The trio are going all-out to make it the next big, erm, big-screen videogame movie franchise, too. Starring Jack Black as the series' iconic mascot Steve, it tells the story of how he discovered the franchise's Overworld – and, when four human misfits (played by Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastien Eugene Hansen) also find it, they must navigate the Overworld together to find their way home.

The film's first teaser, which arrived last September, had us all asking if what's been crafted looks beautiful or horrifying. To find out if it's at least got substance to go with its divisive art style, read my review of A Minecraft Movie.

Death of a Unicorn

Release date: out now (US and UK); April 10 (Australia)

The second A24-produced film to arrive recently, this film sees Wednesday actor Jenna Ortega team up with Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Richard E. Grant, and other famous faces for a dark comedy-fantasy horror that sounds as surreal as it is terrifying.

Ortega and Rudd play Ridley and Elliot, a daughter-father duo who accidentally hit a unicorn on route to a crisis summit meeting with Elliot's boss Odell Leopold (Grant). Long story short: the Leopold family seize the animal's corpse, discover the wonderful medical properties it contains – and then the unicorn's blood-thirsty mate turns up seeking revenge on those who harmed it. One of this month's new movies I was really hyped for but, unless its 54% RT critical score improves, it's one I'm giving a wide berth to.

The Penguin Lessons

Release date: out now (US); April 17 (Australia); April 18 (UK)

Oscar nominee Steve Coogan fronts this Lionsgate dramady that takes its inspiration from Tom Michell's 2016 memoir.

Here, Coogan portrays an 19th century English migrant, who heads to Argentina during a particularly turbulent time in the South American nation's history for job purposes. There, he unexpectedly adopts a penguin, which transforms his outlook on life. Given the competition it'll be up against in March and April, one that's likely to be nothing more than a small hit. Based on its 81% critical RT rating, though, maybe I'm doing it a disservice.

The Amateur

Release date: April 10 (Australia); April 11 (US and UK)

Rami Malek's next silver screen offering comes in the form of this espionage thriller. In it, he plays Charlie, a brilliant but introverted CIA operative who goes rogue after his wife is killed during a London terrorist attack. So begins a cat and mouse game as his superiors try to stop Charlie from becoming a vigilante as he carries out all manner of dangerous missions (albeit with his limited 'in the field' skillset) as he enacts revenge on those who murdered his beloved.

The Amateur sounds pretty derivative from a plot perspective, but its high-stakes action, drama, and spy-based sensibilities should ensure it's one of April's new movies that performs well at the global box office.

Drop

Release date: April 11 (US and UK); April 17 (Australia)

Described as a mystery-thriller, Drop stars Meghann Fahy as Violet, a widowed mom who meets up with Henry (Brandon Sklenar) for her first date in years. However, things take a dark turn when an unknown individual starts airdropping images and videos to her phone, which say that, unless she murders Henry, her son and his babysitter will be killed.

Drop's first trailer and story synopsis make the mistake of revealing too much about its plot, but I suspect there might be a twist or two to come in its final act. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway...

Sinners

Release date: April 17 (Australia); April 18 (US and UK)

Black Panther franchise director Ryan Coogler will take a temporary step back from his Marvel projects with this forthcoming horror-thriller that's already being billed as one of 2025's best new movies.

Michael B. Jordan leads an all-star cast in Sinners, with the Creed and Black Panther star playing twin brothers Elijah and Elias. In an effort to leave their traumatic pasts behind, the duo return to their small, rural hometown to start afresh, only to find that a supernatural evil awaits them. Hailee Steinfeld, Jayme Lawson, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, and Jack O'Connell are part of the A-list cast.

The Accountant 2

Release date: April 24 (Australia); April 25 (US and UK)

Nine years after The Accountant divided critics, a sequel – one that sees Ben Affleck return in the title role – is set to arrive in late April.

Once again, Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a mysterious individual with a knack for solving complex problems. When one of his old pals is murdered, Wolff enlists the help of estranged and highly-lethal brother Brax (Daredevil: Born Again's Jon Bernthal) and US Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (The Rings of Power's Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to track down the aforementioned friend's killers. We'll see if this one *ahem* pays off handsomely for Warner Bros.

Until Dawn

Release date: April 25 (worldwide)

Based on Supermassive Games' 2016 'choose your own adventure' horror videogame of the same name, Until Dawn will try to become the latest film adaptation to succeed, rather than flop, at the global box office.

Unlike the game it's inspired by, Until Dawn won't ask audiences to make choices in real-time (like Netflix's Bandersnatch interactive movie did, for example) to determine what'll happen. Instead, the film's five-strong cast of characters, who arrive in a creepy small town to investigate the disappearance of one of their relatives, find themselves trapped in a terrifying time loop as myriad monsters and supernatural beings kill them only for the group to be resurrected and be forced to endure the same night over and again. The only way out? To survive – yep, you guessed it – until dawn.

New movies: May

Thunderbolts*

Release date: May 2 (worldwide)

In a year where a new Captain America movie came out and The Fantastic Four's highly-anticipated MCU debut is on the cards, you'd be forgiven for thinking Thunderbolts* would be the Marvel movie that nobody cares about. And yet, whisper it quietly, it looks really good. Like, really, really good.

Starring Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes among other returning anti-heroes, this Marvel Phase 5 film will see a group of misfits and traumatized individuals team up to prevent another potentially world-ending event from occurring in the MCU. You can read more about its confirmed cast, plot specifics, and development history in my dedicated Thunderbolts guide. I really, really hope one of May's new movies doesn't let me down!

Shadow Force

Release date: May 2 (US and UK); TBC (Australia)

Kerrie Washington and Omar Sy team up in this Lionsgate action espionage thriller that becomes the latest flick to tackle the cliched "what if two spies retired, had kids, and then had to return to their old lives when their enemies come after their family?" story.

One of May's many new movies' first trailer certainly suggests it'll be pretty trope-ish, but maybe Shadow Force will surprise us all when it's eventually released.

Final Destination: Bloodlines

Release date: May 15 (Australia); May 16 (US and UK)

Everyone's favorite supernatural horror film franchise from the early 2000s is back. Final Destination was the horror movie series of its time and it'll hope to win a new army of fans with Bloodlines, the first entry in the series for over 14 years, when it arrives in mid-May.

Its first trailer, which you can watch above, doesn't really tell us anything about its plot. So, here's the official story synopsis from Warner Bros: "Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all."

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Release date: May 21 (UK); May 22 (Australia); May 23 (US)

This is it, people. Tom Cruise's likely final outing as Ethan Hunt will explode into theaters in late May and, based on its first trailer, the Mission: Impossible film series will aim to go out with an almighty bang.

Picking up where Mission Impossible 7 left off, it'll see Hunt race to destroy the AI known as The Entity and stop Esai Morales' Gabriel from completing his quest to establish a new world order. It'll be tough to say goodbye to Hunt after a new-two-decade-long run for this movie series, but all good things must come to an end.

Lilo & Stitch

Release date: May 22 (Australia); May 23 (US and UK)

Disney's live-action remake push shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, following Snow White's release in mid-March, this reimagining of a beloved 2002 animated classic will make its theatrical debut in late May. And, based on how its first trailer has stolen everyone's hearts, it seems Lilo & Stitch (2025) will be another smash hit for the House of Mouse.

For the uninitiated: Lilo & Stitch tells the touching tale of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch in the original, reprises his role as the lovable maverick in its remake. One of May's new movies that'll be a sure-fire hit.

Karate Kid: Legends

Release date: May 29 (Australia); May 30 (US and UK)

A continuation of the Karate Kid film franchise and Netflix's Cobra Kai TV spin-off, which is itself a spin-off of the aforementioned movies, Karate Kid: Legends will attempt to introduce newcomers to the franchise made famous by Mr Miyagi and his iconic "wax on, wax off" phrase.

Under the tutelage of Mr. Liu (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Ben Wong's Li Fong will look to win a New York-based karate competition after he's forced to leave Beijing due to a family tragedy. One that Cobra Kai fans should flock to see.

Bring Her Back

Release date: May 29 (Australia); May 30 (US and UK)

After their first feature film – A24's Talk to Me – earned plenty of acclaim in 2022, Danny and Michael Phillipou, aka the duo known as RackaNacka, are back with another horror flick that'll aim to spook us silly.

Bring Her Back stars Sally Hawkins and Billy Barratt among others, but that's about as much as we know about this mystery-laced supernatural horror. Indeed, its trailers don't give us much information on its story. Hopefully, we'll learn more before it's released.

New movies: June

Ballerina

Release date: June 6 (worldwide)

Get ready to return to The World of John Wick in June, everyone. Ballerina, the franchise's second spin-off, one that's set between John Wick's third and fourth films, will make its debut in mid-2025.

Ana de Armas stars as the titular assassin who, like Wick, embarks on a mission of revenge – one that seeks her seeking vengeance on those who killed her family and orphaned her years earlier.

The action thriller's first trailer had everyone asking the same question about Keanu Reeves' legendary hitman, while Ballerina's official trailer confirmed he'll have a much bigger role in proceedings than we expected. I just hope it's better than The Continental prequel TV spin-off...

Materialists

Release date: June 12 (Australia); June 13 (US and UK)

Celine Song's directorial feature debut, Past Lives, was one of the best movies of 2023. Many of her fans will be hoping that the so-called 'sophomore slump' doesn't hit her hard with her next flick, a romantic drama called Materialists.

Dakota Johnson inhabits the title role as Lucy, a New York-based matchmaker who learns the harsh lesson that love doesn't come easy, even to those whose job it is to set up singletons. Indeed, Lucy will find herself torn between her imperfect ex John (Chris Evans) and seemingly perfect match Henry (Pedro Pascal) in this A24 movie that'll certainly tug at the heartstrings.

Elio

Release date: June 19 (Australia); June 20 (US and UK)

Pixar will aim to keep the recent good times rolling with its latest feature. Indeed, after hits like Inside Out 2 and Win or Lose, the popular animation studio will attempt to make it three wins from three with sci-fi comedy-adventure Elio.

In it, the titular 11-year-old's unusual wish to be abducted by aliens is granted when, well, he's abducted by aliens. However, Elio soon realizes that he's been plucked from relative obscurity because he's accidentally been christened Earth's mightiest hero (see what I did there?). Cue an intergalactic adventure where Elio will have to find his actual place in the big, wide universe.

28 Years Later

Release date: June 19 (Australia); June 20 (US and UK)

18 years have passed since 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed 28 Days Later, crashed into theaters globally. Now, the horror franchise's third entry – and the first in a planned new trilogy – is ready to feast on our metaphorical brains.

28 Years Later is, well, set 28 years after the Rage virus decimated humanity. In it, two members of a pocket society (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams) will leave their island home to undertake a dangerous mission on the mainland. Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O'Connell are also among the hotly-anticipated flick's cast.

Pencil this one on your new movies calendar, everyone, because we think it's going to be a huge hit.

M3GAN 2.0

Release date: June 26 (Australia); June 27 (US and UK)

Everyone's favorite dancing and murderous android is back. M3GAN 2.0 will reunite us with the titular killing machine as she's revived and reprogrammed to hunt down another homicidal autobot, named Amelia, after the underlying tech that created M3GAN is stolen and repurposed for military means.

It'll be interesting to see if one of June's new movies can hold a candle to its breakout hit of a forebear. But, hey, none of us expected one of Universal's newest horror originals to take the world by storm, so maybe its sequel will similarly surprise us.

F1

Release date: June 26 (Australia); June 27 (US and UK)

If campy horror flicks aren't your thing, maybe this eagerly-awaited sports-based drama from Top Gun: Maverick director Joe Kosinski will appeal to you instead.

Brad Pitt stars as washed up Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the world's most famous racetracks in a bid to win the crown that eluded him back in the 1990s. Driving alongside, not to mention having a rivalry with, star-in-the-making Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), Hayes will face numerous challenges on the road to sporting redemption.

Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson are among the film's starry ensemble. F1's first trailer will get viewers as close to the grand prix-based action as possible, too, with Kosinski and company employing Maverick's new-fangled tech to transport us from one cockpit (that of a jet fighter) to another (that of an F1 racecar).

Want more new movies recommendations? Our new Netflix movies, new Max movies, new Prime Video movies, and new Disney Plus movies lists are full of streaming-based suggestions for a night at home instead.