The past 12 months were great for fans of cinema, with a raft of great movies being released – but which were the most popular with audiences? Find out here.
It has been another great year of cinema with fans around the world continuing to return to theaters to watch movies as they were intended – on the big screen.
But what have been the biggest movies, in terms of takings at the global box office, of 2025? Find out here.
1 – Ne Zha 2 ($2.24 billion)
Chinese animated fantasy Ne Zha 2 broke numerous box office records this year, including being the highest-grossing non-English language film and highest grossing animation. It now stands as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. The plot sees Ne Zha and Ao Bing share the former’s body for a week, and they have to complete three trials to create a new body for Ao Bing.
2 – Zootopia 2 ($1.59 billion)
This sequel sees officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde of the Zootopia Police Department back – along with many of the cast of the original 2016 movie – and this time they are on the trail of Gary De’Snake. But when Judy and Nick are framed, they have to use their contacts and travel across Zootopia to clear their names and find out more secrets about the land they call home. It is now the highest grossing film from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
3 – Avatar: Fire and Ash ($1.08 billion)
The latest in the Avatar franchise shows there is still plenty of mileage in blue people that aren’t Smurfs. This third instalment of the franchise followed human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully and his family on Pandora as they face the twin threat of human RDA forces and a tribe of warmongering Na’vi.
4 – Lilo & Stitch ($1.04 billion)
The top-grossing live action remake of a beloved animation in 2025. The original 2002 animated movie is a classic, but this version received mixed reviews, especially the extended running length and fundamental changes to the plot, especially the ending. That said, it is still one of Disney’s better live-action remakes, with kids especially still loving the energy and mischievousness of Stitch.
5 – A Minecraft Movie ($958 million)
Finally, a movie was made of the record-breaking video game. Many fans wondered how the blocky world could be realised in real life, but this movie had a good crack at it. Jack Black stole the show as Steve, with Jason Momoa on camp form too. While critics were sniffy about the movie, game fans and younger viewers loved it – it wasn’t high art, it was just good fun that kept the spirit of the game.
6 – Jurassic World: Rebirth ($869 million)
The Jurassic Park world got another reboot in 2025, with Scarlett Johansson heading up the cast. This movie follows on from Jurassic World Dominion, but employs a new cast. This time, researchers travel to the abandoned islands where the dinosaurs now live to collect samples that could hold the key to a heart disease treatment. Of course, things don’t go to plan, and cue lots of humans being chased by annoyed dinosaurs.
7 – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle ($721 million)
Japanese anime series have been gaining popularity across the world in recent years, but this movie broke records. This dark fantasy was based on the Infinity Castle arc of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga series which ran from 2016-20 and is a sequel to the fourth season of the anime TV series. It became the highest-grossing international film in the US, beating Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from 2000.
8 – How to Train Your Dragon ($636 million)
The live-action version of the beloved How to Train Your Dragon movies did pretty much as expected – tell the well-known story from the original 2003 movie, but using real-life actors and CGI dragons, rather than just all animated characters. The movie had generally favourable reviews, and a sequel is set to come out in June 2027.
9 – F1: The Movie ($632 million)
Brad Pitt’s vehicle set in the high-octane world of Formula 1 came out in the summer to positive reviews from petrolheads and regular movie goers alike. In a fictional F1 team, Brad’s character is tempted out of retirement to lead the team on the track and mentor a fast but inconsistent team-mate. That it intertwined the fictional story with the real-life F1 teams, drivers and races gave the movie a realism that sports-based movies often don’t have.
10 – Superman ($617 million)
James Gunn’s much-vaunted reboot of the DC Universe finally launched this year, with Superman the first movie to hit screens. David Corenswet donned the cape and underpants as the titular character, who in the movie is already an established hero – nobody needed another origin story – who has to defeat Lex Luthor and win back public support. The movie was a success, and generally well received by critics, but perhaps not the stellar start executives might have been hoping for.
Data from Box Office Mojo.
