5 Movies Team Esquire India's Really Looking Forward To In 2025

Yes, the year’s already almost two months through but to be fair, the best in terms of movies is yet to come.

2025 promises a host of outstanding movies and we, at the Esquire India HQ, decided to put together the films we’re placing our bets on. As with each member of the team, these picks are across genres and tastes. The list might not include the common favourites (or it may!) but these certainly have some of the most awaited titles of the year, for sure.

5 movies we’re looking forward to in 2025

The Brutalist

I don't know what it is but Adrien Brody films are events that I ardently look forward to. There's something about him and movies set in the past. The Brady Corbet period epic has steadily gained a lot of interest, especially after its nomination at the 97th Academy Awards, and this tale of a beleaguered artist in a foreign land promises a redemption story that I haven't seen on the big screen in a long time. Brutalism as an architecture and design philosophy is moving in its own grotesque harmony, and watching it all come alive as part of a poignant plot—on the biggest screen near me—is something I'm passionately waiting for.

You May Also Like: Movies That Deserve A Second Innings At The Theatre

The Mastermind

Like everyone who watched Challengers last year, I was in awe of Josh O'Connor and look forward to seeing a lot more of him, especially if he does turn out to be the next James Bond. The Mastermind has the Vietnam War as the backdrop, an unfortunate chapter in history that did trigger a lot of creatively compelling cinema, including the epic Apocalypse Now (1979). However, the biggest reason I am looking forward to this film is the director, the amazing Kelly Reichardt, who has to her name some of the finest American films of the last decade—First Cow (2019), Wendy and Lucy (2008) and Night Moves (2013), to name a few.

-Prannay Pathak, Head of Copy Desk

Mickey 17

Based on the novel by Ashton Edward, acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho goes down the sci-fi route with a hint of black comedy here. Robert Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes, who signs up to be an expendable employee. When one iteration dies, another body of the same person regenerates with most memories intact. Mickey 17 goes on a dangerous journey to colonise an ice planet. But things go haywire when he unintentionally survives the expedition. It will be exciting to see if the director can bring the shock and wonder we witnessed in Parasite (2019) or Okja (2017) with a strong ensemble cast.

-Nitin Sreedhar, Features Editor

Also Read: New Movies Releasing In February 2025

OPUS

There’s no business like show business, and there’s no cult like celebrity. Nobody does creepy-chic like A24, and I’m excited to see how their latest thriller-musical (yes, musical!) OPUS plays out. What makes it even more delightful is that we have the people’s princess, Ayo Edebiri, playing the lead role of Ariel Ecton, a young journalist, while John Malkovich portrays Alfred Moretti, an eccentric pop icon who has made a comeback of sorts after disappearing for 30 years. Ariel, along with a group of other journalists, is invited to Moretti’s compound, where they come face-to-face with the ageing pop star’s stans, creepy dolls, stalkers, blue-coloured lobsters, and a requirement that everyone be shaven… everywhere. It’s like a FAM trip from hell. Absolutely delicious stuff.

-Mayukh Majumdar, Deputy Editor

Frankenstein

Like the film’s director, Guillermo del Toro, I, too, have been a massive fan of the novel Frankenstein, so a movie based on the book is definitely right up my alley. And I’m eager to see what del Toro does with the plot; he’s been working on the adaption for over a decade now and in his own words, he’s “trying to take the myth and do something with it”. What that ‘it’ is I’m dying to find out. Then there’s the cast – Oscar Issac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth. What’s not to love! Come November, I’ll be seated.

-Saurav Bhanot, Digital Editor