While 2025 already has some huge blockbusters lined up, many of the biggest ongoing franchises will be taking the year off and returning in 2026 or later. There are many exciting sequels set for 2025, like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Avatar: Fire and Ash. Other big franchises are set to return with reboots, like James Gunn’s Superman. Despite the arrival of these enticing cinematic events, fans of certain franchises face extended waits.
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The Hollywood strikes of 2023 held up the development of big franchises across the board, and the movie industry is still feeling the effects. There are a lot of franchises which were expected to return in 2025 which have now been delayed by at least another year. Fast and Furious, Scream and many other franchises are now forcing their fans to wait a little while longer.
10 Planet Of The Apes
Next Movie TBA
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has sent the franchise in a whole new direction, leaving the story of Caesar behind and moving into the future. The new era of the Planet of the Apes franchise could be another trilogy, focusing more on Noa and potentially the human Mae. The sequel will likely come in 2027, and there are suggestions that it could be just the second part of a new trilogy, although it’s too early to be sure of any details.
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There are a lot of other big franchises that delivered movies in 2024 and will be taking 2025 off, including
Dune, Ghostbusters
and the
Monsterverse.
Since Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes came out in 2024, it’s no surprise that there won’t be another movie in 2025. There are a lot of other big franchises that delivered movies in 2024 and will be taking 2025 off. Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to his Dune duology is still a few years away, the Ghostbusters franchise is working on another sequel, and the Monsterverse franchise is also taking a break after Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
9 Toy Story
Toy Story 5 Release Date: June 19, 2026
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Many Pixar fans thought that the Toy Story franchise would end with the fourth movie, but this is also what people thought about Toy Story 3. Instead, Pixar’s biggest franchise is going to get even bigger with the release of Toy Story 5 in 2026, with studio mainstay Andrew Stanton returning to direct. Toy Story 4 was released in 2019, but fans will have to wait a little longer to see Woody and Buzz back on-screen again.
2025 will see Pixar release the sci-fi adventure
Elio
, and
Hoppers
will release in 2026 before
Toy Story 5.
Toy Story isn’t Pixar’s only big franchise with a new movie on the horizon, since The Incredibles 3 has officially been confirmed too. Before either of these franchises return, Pixar has two original movies on the way. 2025 will see the release of the sci-fi adventure Elio, and Hoppers will release in 2026 before Toy Story 5. Toy Story 4 ends with Woody and Buzz heading in different directions, so it will be interesting to see how the sequel follows their stories.
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8 Scream
Scream 7 Release Date: 27 February 2026
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The reboot of Scream and Scream VI were released in back-to-back years, but fans of the slasher franchise are being made to wait a little while longer for the next sequel, Scream 7. The two most recent Scream movies bring back classic characters from the beginning of the franchise, but there are also some new faces to provide the opportunity for fresh stories to be told. There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes drama ahead of Scream 7, and this is reflected in the cast.
There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes drama ahead of
Scream 7,
and this is reflected in the cast.
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Melissa Barrera was controversially fired ahead of Scream 7, and Jenna Ortega also quit the franchise in suspicious circumstances, with some sources claiming that she grew tired of a pay dispute. This is the reason that Neve Campbell gave for not being involved in Scream VI, although she will be back for the upcoming sequel. Exactly how all these cast changes will factor into the story remains to be seen.
7 The Avengers
Avengers: Doomsday Release Date: 1 May 2026
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Although the MCU has a few projects lined up for 2025, including the Fantastic Four reboot and Captain America: Brave New World, the Avengers franchise won’t be returning until 2026. Despite this long wait, there’s a lot of hype already building for Avengers: Doomsday. The announcement that Doctor Doom would finally be coming to the MCU was exciting enough for some fans, but the added bonus that the role would be played by Robert Downey Jr. is even more intriguing.
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Related All Marvel Movies Releasing In 2025
The Marvel movies releasing in 2025 offer a variety of storylines and superheroes, with many hitting theaters after previously announced delays.
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The latest Avengers: Doomsday news is that Chris Evans will also be returning to the franchise, although he won’t be playing Captain America again. Just like with Robert Downey Jr.’s casting, this is a small but interesting detail, and it has caused a flurry of fan theories. These theories will likely continue to mount throughout 2025 as more information is revealed and the other Marvel movies provide more clues about the direction of Phase 6.
6 Fast & Furious
Untitled Fast X Sequel Release Date: 2026
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Although the next Fast and Furious movie was originally intended for a 2025 release, it has been pushed back as a result of the Hollywood strikes that took place in 2023. Fast 11 – as some fans are referring to the untitled sequel – now seems locked in for a 2026 release, although the exact date hasn’t been confirmed. Since Fast X ends with a cliffhanger, this long wait is particularly hard to endure for fans of the franchise.
Since
Fast X
ends with a cliffhanger, this long wait is particularly hard to endure for fans of the franchise.
Fast 11 will be the last movie in the main series of the Fast and Furious franchise, although there are still a few spinoffs in the works. There have been reports of a spinoff focusing on the franchise’s female characters for a few years now, and Dwayne Johnson has stated that he’s keen on the idea of Hobbs & Reyes, a spinoff that would pair his character with Jason Momoa’s flamboyant villain from Fast X. Johnson and Momoa will both appear in 2026’s Fast 11, and Gal Gadot is set to return too.
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5 The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Release Date: 20 November 2026
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes brought back the immensely successful young adult franchise after eight years of dormancy, and it’s set to continue with another sequel in 2026. The Sunrise on the Reaping movie has been confirmed even though the book won’t be released until March 2025. Suzanne Collins has revealed enough plot details to get fans of the original trilogy excited.
Sunrise on the Reaping
takes place 24 years before the events of the first
Hunger Games
story.
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Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games story, and it follows the second Quarter Quell in the Games. This means that fans will finally get to see a young Haymitch Abernathy competing in an unusual edition of the Hunger Games with twice as many participants as usual. Casting the right actor to take the role once played by Woody Harrelson will be the movie’s first big challenge, but fans will have to wait until late 2026 to see the results.
4 The Batman
The Batman – Part II Release Date: 2 October 2026
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Robert Pattinson’s first movie as Batman was a huge success in 2022, both financially and with critics. In this context, four years seems like a long time to wait for the sequel, especially since The Batman drops a few hints about the future of the franchise. The Batman – Part II appears to be the second movie in a trilogy, although not much else is known about the sequel at this point.
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One popular theory about
The Batman – Part II
is that it will pay off the first movie’s tease about the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan.
Although The Batman came out over two years ago, the franchise has remained relevant with the spinoff series The Penguin, which was just as well-received as the movie. The Penguin tees up the Batman sequel in a few interesting ways, with Oz Cobb solidifying his power and several other villains being teased. One popular theory about The Batman – Part II is that it will pay off the first movie’s tease about the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan.
3 James Bond
Next Movie TBA
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Daniel Craig took his bow as James Bond in 2021’s No Time to Die, and there is still no concrete news on who will succeed him as 007 for the next era of the franchise. In the 62-year-long history of the franchise, there has never been a period of more than six years without a movie. This record could be in jeopardy if news doesn’t start to arrive soon. There will be no James Bond movie in 2025, and 2026 might also be too soon.
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The casting for Bond 26 is taking longer than some fans anticipated, but it’s a decision that’s likely to come under intense scrutiny after Daniel Craig put his stamp on the character. Craig is often listed as one of the better Bonds, alongside Sean Connery, so his successor will need to fit the bill. Once the mystery actor is officially announced, other places may start to fall into place, such as further cast updates and plot details.
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2 Super Mario
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 Release Date: 3 April 2026
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There has only been one Super Mario Bros. movie so far, but it already seems to have a lot of franchise potential. With a box office haul of $1.36 billion, it was almost certain that The Super Mario Bros. Movie would get a sequel, but there are many characters which could get their own spinoffs too, depending on how the franchise chooses to develop. Hollywood’s video game adaptation curse finally seems to be lifting, and Super Mario Bros. stands to benefit.
Mario
fans will be keen to see some more popular characters making their big-screen debuts, with Yoshi, Princess Daisy and Waluigi among the most likely additions.
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 will be in theaters in 2026, and the extensive backlog of Super Mario games means that there are dozens of possible storylines. Mario fans will be keen to see some more popular characters making their big-screen debuts, with Yoshi, Princess Daisy and Waluigi among the most likely additions. If there are more fun characters and locations, another billion-dollar haul could be on the cards.
1 Star Wars
The Mandalorian & Grogu Release Date: 22 May 2026
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It has now been 5 years since Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, but fans still have a lengthy wait until the franchise returns to the big screen. There have been several Disney+ shows in the intervening years to keep the franchise alive, and one of the most successful shows is providing the basis for the next movie. The Mandalorian and Grogu is slated for a release in Summer 2026.
After
The Mandalorian and Grogu,
the next
Star Wars
movie looks like it will focus on Daisy Ridley’s character Rey.
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There are several upcoming Star Wars movies on the horizon, although many previously announced projects now appear to be in limbo. After The Mandalorian and Grogu, the next Star Wars movie looks like it will focus on Daisy Ridley’s character Rey, and this could be the first in a new trilogy. Hopefully, Star Wars movies make a comeback in the next few years, because many exciting ideas have been proposed with big names attached to direct.