Top Movies to Watch in 2025: The Year's Best Films

2025 was a landmark year for global cinema, with the worldwide box office fully recovering from the post-pandemic contraction and delivering several record-breaking performances. For the first time in modern cinema history, a non-English-language film topped the global annual chart. Animated sequels dominated family audiences. Prestige drama found new life on streaming platforms. And the year ended with the finale of one of the most beloved television series of the decade. Here is the definitive guide to the best and biggest movies and limited events of 2025 — and how to watch them all via InfinityTV.

What was the global box office story of 2025?

2025 proved that the biggest cinema audiences are no longer centred in Hollywood. The year's highest-grossing film worldwide was Ne Zha 2, a Chinese animated sequel to the 2019 breakout Ne Zha, which earned approximately $2.2 billion globally — the first time a non-American film has topped the annual worldwide chart. For western audiences, the film is a revelation: a modern take on Chinese mythology with spectacular action sequences and a visual style that rivals Pixar at its best.

The second-biggest American-released film was Zootopia 2, from Walt Disney Animation Studios, which earned $1.4 billion and became the studio's second-highest-grossing film ever, trailing only Frozen 2. Disney repeated this success with Lilo & Stitch, a live-action remake that crossed $1 billion — the first Hollywood film of the year to do so.

InfinityTV's 150,000+ Movies & Series library includes international titles that rarely receive wide theatrical distribution outside their home markets, making it an excellent way to catch up on films like Ne Zha 2. With 22,000+ channels and 99.9% uptime, you are always connected to both mainstream and world cinema. Our best IPTV for movies and series guide explains how to get the most from a deep VOD catalogue.

The 10 best and biggest movies of 2025

1. Ne Zha 2 — ~$2.2 billion worldwide

Ne Zha 2 is an animated Chinese film directed by Jiaozi, continuing the story of Ne Zha, the rebellious divine child from Chinese mythology, as he and Ao Bing face their destinies. The film grossed approximately $2.2 billion worldwide, breaking the record for the highest-grossing animated film ever and becoming the first non-American film to top the global annual chart. It opened in Chinese cinemas during the Lunar New Year window and expanded internationally, where it found an enthusiastic audience.

The film is a sequel to Ne Zha (2019), one of the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time. The animation quality is extraordinary — fluid, kinetic action sequences set against mythological landscapes that blend traditional Chinese art with modern CGI.

2. Zootopia 2 — ~$1.4 billion worldwide

Zootopia 2 is the Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel to the 2016 original, reuniting Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in a new mystery that expands the world of Zootopia. The film earned $1.4 billion worldwide, making it the second-biggest Disney Animation film ever. Critics praised its ability to find new ideas within the world-building of the original while introducing genuinely compelling new characters.

Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman return as Judy and Nick. The film's core themes revisit questions of identity and social prejudice through the lens of a city where species relationships are more complicated than the original's optimistic ending suggested.

3. Lilo & Stitch — Over $1 billion worldwide

Lilo & Stitch is a Disney live-action remake of the beloved 2002 animated film, featuring Maia Kealoha as Lilo and Sydney Agudong as Nani. Stitch was brought to life through CGI and the creative team committed to keeping the character's anarchic energy intact. The film performed exceptionally well with families and became the first Hollywood film of 2025 to cross the $1 billion threshold.

For many viewers, Lilo & Stitch was an emotional reunion with one of Disney's most beloved characters. The Hawaii setting, the themes of ohana (family), and the central relationship between a lonely girl and a chaotic alien experiment all translate effectively to live-action.

4. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle — ~$780 million worldwide

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is an animated theatrical film from Ufotable, adapting the Infinity Castle arc of Koyoharu Gotouge's manga. The film grossed approximately $780 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. It is the first theatrical entry in the Demon Slayer series since Mugen Train (2020), which was itself a global phenomenon.

The animation quality is some of the finest seen in a theatrical release in years — fluid, kinetic sword fights with an emotional weight that surprised viewers unfamiliar with the series. The film functions as a feature continuation of the TV series, so first-time viewers are advised to watch the series from season 1 before attending.

5. F1: The Movie — Global box office hit

F1: The Movie is a Formula 1 racing drama starring Brad Pitt as a retired driver who returns to the sport as a teammate to a young prodigy. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), the film was shot at real Grand Prix events throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, giving it a visual authenticity that no studio replica could match. It performed especially strongly in Europe and parts of Asia, where Formula 1's popularity has grown dramatically over the past five years thanks in part to the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive.

Damson Idris plays Sonny Hayes, the young teammate, and the real-world Grand Prix footage gives the racing sequences a weight that most fictional sports films cannot achieve.

6. How to Train Your Dragon — ~$636 million worldwide

How to Train Your Dragon is a live-action remake of the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film, directed by Dean DeBlois — who also directed the original trilogy. The film follows Hiccup and Toothless in a story faithful to the animated original, earning $636 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise. Mason Thames plays Hiccup, and the Night Fury dragon is realised through a combination of practical effects and CGI.

The film earns its place on this list not through novelty but through execution: it is one of the rare live-action remakes that understands exactly what made the original work and reproduces it without diluting the emotional core.

7. Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third entry in James Cameron's Avatar franchise, continuing the story of the Sully family and the world of Pandora. The film expanded the mythology of the Na'vi people and introduced new biomes. It opened in late 2025 and continued adding to its total box office well into 2026. As with Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), the film is designed for IMAX and 3D presentation, and the visual effects represent the state of the art in photorealistic CGI.

8. The White Lotus Season 3 (HBO, February–April 2025)

While technically a television series, The White Lotus Season 3 was a cultural event of cinematic scale. The eight-episode season premiered on HBO on February 16, 2025, and concluded on April 6, 2025. Set at a wellness resort in Thailand and filmed in Bangkok, Phuket, and Ko Samui, it featured an ensemble cast including Walton Goggins, Parker Posey, Sam Rockwell, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, and Lalisa Manobal.

Creator Mike White delivered another anthology season that dissected the behaviour of the wealthy abroad with acerbic wit and genuine menace. The season was one of the most-discussed television events of the year.

9. Squid Game Season 3 (Netflix, June 27, 2025)

Squid Game Season 3 is the final season of Hwang Dong-hyuk's global Netflix phenomenon, releasing all six episodes on June 27, 2025. The season brings the story of Seong Gi-hun to a conclusion and is described by its creator as a blackly comic satire on capitalism and greed. With the show confirmed as complete, this is the definitive end of one of the most culturally significant series of the 2020s.

The show's combination of brutal survival-game mechanics with pointed social commentary made it the most-streamed series in Netflix history when it first launched in 2021, and the finale drew enormous simultaneous global viewership.

10. Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix, November–December 2025)

Stranger Things Season 5 is the final season of Netflix's flagship sci-fi drama, arriving in three parts: Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25, and the series finale on December 31, 2025. The eight-episode season brought the decade-long story of Hawkins, Indiana to a close, resolving the fates of Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Joyce Byers.

The finale episode ran over two hours, functioning as a feature-length send-off for one of the most beloved ensemble casts in the history of streaming television.

How can you stream 2025's best films on InfinityTV?

Most of the titles listed above have completed their theatrical runs and are now available on streaming platforms or in the VOD market. InfinityTV's continuously updated library of 150,000+ Movies & Series means many of these titles are already available to watch on demand.

Here is the fastest route to watching:

1. Search by title in the InfinityTV VOD section — Ne Zha 2, Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, Zootopia 2, and F1 are all strong candidates for availability.
2. Filter by year (2025) to browse the full intake of new releases.
3. Use the 4K section for Avatar: Fire and Ash, How to Train Your Dragon, and Demon Slayer — all shot for the largest possible presentation.
4. Check international cinema collections for Ne Zha 2 and other non-English-language titles.

If you are new to InfinityTV, start with our IPTV free trial to test the full library before committing to a subscription. And if you want to see what is arriving next, our guide to top movies to watch in 2026 covers every major upcoming release.

What made 2025 different

Three things defined 2025 as a distinctive year in cinema:

• The rise of non-English-language blockbusters. Ne Zha 2's chart-topping performance was not an anomaly — it was the culmination of a trend. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle reinforced the point. For the first time, studio executives cannot assume that an English-language film is automatically the year's biggest event.
• Disney's live-action remake engine found its footing. After a run of mixed results, both Lilo & Stitch and Moana (released later in 2026) showed that the formula works when the source material is beloved, the casting is right, and the team commits to the emotional core rather than visual spectacle alone.
• Long-running franchises ended well. Squid Game and Stranger Things both concluded in a way that satisfied fans, at a moment when long-running serialised TV shows have frequently stumbled at the finish line.

For subscribers, InfinityTV's 24/7 support team is available to help you find and set up any of these titles on your preferred device. For full box office figures and release information, IMDb's 2025 highest-grossing films list and the Wikipedia 2025 in film article are the most reliable public references. View plans to start watching today.

Frequently asked questions

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2025? The highest-grossing film of 2025 was Ne Zha 2, a Chinese animated sequel directed by Jiaozi, which earned approximately $2.2 billion worldwide. It was the first non-American film to top the global annual box office chart and the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Among Hollywood releases, Zootopia 2 was the biggest American film of the year at approximately $1.4 billion.

Are the best movies of 2025 available to stream? Most of the biggest movies of 2025 have completed their theatrical runs and are available on streaming platforms. InfinityTV's library of 150,000+ Movies & Series includes a wide range of 2025 releases on demand. Use the search function or browse by year to find titles you missed in cinemas.

Is Stranger Things Season 5 the final season? Yes. Stranger Things Season 5, which aired on Netflix between November 26 and December 31, 2025, is the final season of the series. The show ended with an eight-episode run that resolved the main storylines of all central characters. No further seasons have been announced.

What is Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle about? Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle is an animated theatrical film from Ufotable adapting the Infinity Castle arc from Koyoharu Gotouge's manga. It follows Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke as they face the Twelve Kizuki demons inside Muzan Kibutsuji's fortress. It earned approximately $780 million worldwide and is the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.

How can I find Ne Zha 2 to stream? Ne Zha 2 is a Chinese animated film distributed internationally by various regional streaming partners. InfinityTV's international content catalogue includes a broad range of non-English-language films. Use the search function to check current availability, or browse the international cinema section of the VOD library.