Rankiew

The 11 most iconic movies of 2025: from Sinners to KPop Demon Hunters

Sinners, One Battle After Another, KPop Demon Hunters, Ne Zha 2 and Superman: the 11 most iconic movies of 2025, the year the whole world sang Golden.

By Rankiew · · 7 min read

2025 was the year twin brothers opened a juke joint in the Mississippi Delta and vampires came knocking, an old revolutionary went looking for his daughter, three K-pop idols hunted demons on stage and the whole world sang Golden. A boy god from Chinese mythology broke every animation record, Superman flew again and a classroom of children vanished at 2:17 in the morning.

These are the 11 movies of 2025 that left the deepest mark.

The 11 most iconic movies of 2025

1. Sinners (2025)

In 1932, twin brothers Smoke and Stack return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint. On opening night, the blues of their young cousin Sammie draws in something far older and hungrier than the crowd.

Why is it iconic? Ryan Coogler mixed vampire horror, Southern history and the blues, with Michael B. Jordan playing both twins, Miles Caton as Sammie, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O'Connell as the vampire Remmick and a score by Ludwig Göransson.

Awards: More than 350 million dollars at the box office and a record 16 Oscar nominations.

Legacy: Its musical sequence, in which the past and future of Black music fill the same room, became one of the most talked about scenes of the decade.

2. One Battle After Another (2025)

Bob, a burned out former revolutionary, lives off the grid with his teenage daughter Willa until an old enemy, the obsessive Colonel Lockjaw, resurfaces after sixteen years and Bob has to fight to find her again.

Why is it iconic? Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, made a furious and funny chase film with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti as Willa.

Awards: Hailed by many critics as the best film of the year and one of the big winners of the awards season.

Legacy: Its hilly car chase on a desert highway is already counted among the great action scenes of the century.

3. KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

By day, Rumi, Mira and Zoey are HUNTR/X, the biggest girl group in K-pop. By night, they protect the world from demons with their voices, until a demon boy band, the Saja Boys, arrives to steal their fans and their souls.

Why is it iconic? Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans made an animated film full of Korean culture, sharp humor and a soundtrack of real hits.

Awards: It became the most watched film in Netflix history, and the song Golden reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Legacy: Children and adults around the world learned the choreography, and the film became a phenomenon that went far beyond streaming.

4. Superman (2025)

Superman is already a known hero in Metropolis when an international crisis turns public opinion against him, and Lex Luthor sees the perfect chance to destroy the Man of Steel.

Why is it iconic? James Gunn restarted the DC universe with an optimistic and colorful film, with David Corenswet as Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and the superdog Krypto.

Awards: More than 600 million dollars at the box office.

Legacy: It marked the start of a new DC cinematic universe.

5. Weapons (2025)

One night, at exactly 2:17 in the morning, seventeen children from the same class leave their homes and run into the dark. Only one stays behind, and the whole town turns against their teacher.

Why is it iconic? Zach Cregger built a horror puzzle told from several points of view, with Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and Amy Madigan as the unforgettable Aunt Gladys.

Awards: One of the biggest original horror hits of the decade.

Legacy: The children running with their arms open became one of the most imitated images of the year.

6. F1 (2025)

Sonny Hayes, a former Formula 1 promise who lost everything in an accident, is called back by an old friend to save a struggling team and mentor a talented young driver.

Why is it iconic? Joseph Kosinski filmed during real Grand Prix weekends with cameras mounted on the cars, with Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem.

Awards: It became the highest grossing film ever released by Apple.

Legacy: It brought millions of new fans to Formula 1.

7. Ne Zha 2 (2025)

After surviving the heavenly lightning, Ne Zha and Ao Bing need to rebuild their bodies, and the two embark on a journey through the world of immortals that will put their friendship and their families to the test.

Why is it iconic? Jiaozi continued the 2019 hit with spectacular battles, thousands of characters on screen and the irreverent humor of the boy god.

Awards: It became the highest grossing animated film in history and the biggest box office success ever in China.

Legacy: It showed that Chinese animation can compete with the biggest studios in the world.

8. Frankenstein (2025)

The brilliant and arrogant Victor Frankenstein brings a creature to life with pieces of dead bodies, then rejects it, and the creature sets out to understand what it is and who made it.

Why is it iconic? Guillermo del Toro realized a lifelong dream with a lavish adaptation of Mary Shelley, with Oscar Isaac as Victor, Jacob Elordi as the Creature and Mia Goth.

Awards: Premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

Legacy: It gave the most famous monster in literature a voice full of sadness and tenderness.

9. Affeksjonsverdi (2025)

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their father Gustav, a famous filmmaker who was absent for years, when he offers Nora, an actress, the leading role in a film set in the family home. When she refuses, he casts a young American star.

Why is it iconic? Joachim Trier made a delicate film about family, art and forgiveness, with Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning.

Awards: Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

Legacy: It confirmed Trier as one of the great European filmmakers of his generation.

10. Hamnet (2025)

In Stratford upon Avon, Agnes, a woman who knows herbs and the forest, marries a young Latin tutor named William Shakespeare. When their son Hamnet falls ill, grief changes the family forever and inspires one of the greatest plays ever written.

Why is it iconic? Chloé Zhao adapted the novel by Maggie O'Farrell with Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Paul Mescal as Shakespeare.

Awards: People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Legacy: Its final scene at the Globe Theatre moved audiences to tears around the world.

11. Zootopia 2 (2025)

Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, now official partners in the Zootopia police, follow the trail of a mysterious snake, Gary De'Snake, and discover a secret about the history of the city.

Why is it iconic? Jared Bush and Byron Howard brought back the two favorite partners in animation, with Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Ke Huy Quan as Gary.

Awards: One of the biggest box office hits of the year, with an especially strong run in China.

Legacy: It proved that the duo of rabbit and fox still has plenty of charm almost a decade later.

Why was 2025 such an important year for movies?

2025 was the year of original stories: Sinners, Weapons and One Battle After Another were not sequels or adaptations of superheroes, and they still filled theaters.

It was also a year of global animation, when a Chinese boy god and three Korean idols showed that the biggest hits no longer need to come from Hollywood.

What is your favorite movie of 2025?

What is your favorite movie of 2025? On Rankiew you can rate every film, write reviews, create lists and start clubs with your friends.

More from the series: The most iconic movies of 2024 | The most iconic movies of 2026

#iconic movies#2025 movies#2020s movies#best movies#film history