10 Movie Sequels With Massive Budgets Coming In 2025

2025 is finally here. For movie lovers everywhere, that means a couple of different things. For one, it means that awards season is officially in full swing, with speculation continuing to grow regarding which movies from the past year will emerge triumphant. On the other hand, the start of the new year also means that the time has come to begin looking ahead to what moviegoers can expect to see in theaters over the next twelve months, with 2025 seeing some highly anticipated sequels hitting screens.

This year is already shaping up to be a huge year for movies, with many exciting movies set to make their debut to audiences around the world and other major movie franchises returning in 2025. Among these upcoming franchise releases are many sequels with absolutely staggering budgets. These big-budget, upcoming 2025 movie sequels are sure to make quite a splash at the box office in 2025. Of course, it is also worth noting that several sequels which are sure to be quite expensive (such as Zootopia 2 and Tron: Ares) have not yet announced their budgets, and thus will not be included.

10

Avatar: Fire And Ash

Budget: $250 Million

No discussion of high-budget franchises would be complete without mentioning James Cameron’s Oscar-winning Avatar series. Thus far, there have only been two installments in the franchise, but they have already earned well over five million dollars at the box office worldwide. These films may have absolutely massive budgets, but they certainly don’t fail to deliver, with both installments thus far ranking among the highest-grossing movies of all time.

Zoe Saldana's Neytiri riding an Ikran in Avatar The Way of Water

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With a budget of $250 million, James Cameron and his team appear to be very confident that the next addition, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will continue the trend of financial success. The third film in the franchise will feature the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and various other consistent members of the cast. With the title, Avatar: Fire and Ash, fans are very excited to see what new sides of Pandora will be explored, with the film likely to occur in a setting much different from that of its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

9

Captain America: Brave New World

Estimated Budget: $350-375 Million

The Marvel Cinematic Universe typically spares no expense, and their first feature film of 2025 is looking like it will be no exception. Set to release on February 14, Captain America: Brave New World is reportedly being made on a budget of around $350-375 million, which would place it among the most expensive movies the MCU has ever made. The upcoming film will be the fourth installment in the Captain America franchise, following 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, although the titular hero has appeared in other MCU projects in between.

Captain America: Brave New World will be the first feature-length project to star Sam Wilson’s version of Captain America, as portrayed by Anthony Mackie. The film will serve as a follow-up to the events of the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which concluded with Wilson stepping into the role of the patriotic hero. Along with Mackie, Harrison Ford, Tim Blake Nelson, and Giancarlo Esposito are among the other prominent actors set to appear. Fans will be very curious to see how well this new version of Captain America fares compared to the original.

8

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Budget: $400 Million

In May 2025, audiences will finally be given the much-anticipated next chapter of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will serve as the direct follow-up to 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, in addition to being the eighth installment of the series as a whole. Although the two films were shot at the same time, The Final Reckoning has a much higher budget than its immediate predecessor. At $400 million, the budget of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a record-breaker for the series, over $100 million more than that of the next most expensive installment.

Like the previous films in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will star Tom Cruise as death-defying IMF agent Ethan Hunt, with Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and others also returning to their recurring roles once again. With such a dramatic increase in the budget, one can only imagine what kinds of dangerous, explosive stunts Cruise will have to perform. Whatever they may be, audiences are sure to be on the edge of their seats from beginning to end for this action-packed blockbuster.

7

Jurassic World Rebirth

Budget: $265 Million

The Jurassic World franchise will be getting an exciting new look in 2025. Set to release on July 2, Jurassic World Rebirth will bring the iconic series in a new direction following the conclusion of the latest Jurassic World trilogy. This new film will feature an all-star cast led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. Marking the start of an entirely new storyline set in the same universe, the film will follow a specialized team as they travel to a remote equatorial area in order to obtain DNA from the largest dinosaurs left on Earth.

Given the star-power of its cast and the certain inclusion of many stunning visual effects, it is no major surprise that Jurassic World Rebirth demands a rather hefty budget. The upcoming installment to the franchise has reportedly cost about $265 million to make, which would be essentially the same as the budget of the previous film, Jurassic World Dominion. While the new dinosaurs have yet to be seen, one can rest assured that the filmmakers spared no expense in bringing them to life.

6

Wicked: For Good

Estimated Budget: $150-165 Million

Near the end of 2024, the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, took the world by storm, captivating audiences with its clever story, stellar performances, and dazzling musical numbers. The complete story of the musical, however, proved to be far too much to fit into one movie. Not wanting to make the project feel rushed, the adaptation was split into two separate films. After the massive success of Wicked, fans have already begun eagerly looking forward to Wicked: For Good, the 2025 continuation which will finally give the story its proper conclusion.

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Neytiri in Avatar, and David Corenswet in Superman

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In order to effectively bring the land of Oz to life, Wicked parts 1 and 2 required a large budget, with the budget for the second similar to that of the first film. Currently, the budget of Wicked: For Good is estimated to be somewhere around $150-165 million. If the first part of the story was any indication, the upcoming conclusion to Elphaba and Glinda’s story is bound to make the most of its hefty budget, creating stunning visuals that could only exist in one of the most magical worlds in cinema history.

5

28 Years Later

Budget: $75 Million

In general, horror movies don’t typically receive massive budgets when compared to genres that can reliably attract wider audiences. The upcoming film, 28 Years Later, though, is an exception. This long-awaited sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later reportedly demanded a budget of $75 million, making it one of the most expensive horror films in recent memory. Of course, given the massive scale of the film and the star power of its cast, it is certainly understandable why the film would require an above-average budget.

Returning to their positions on the first film in the series, 28 Years Later will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are among the actors confirmed to be in the film. Given that 28 Days Later managed to earn nearly $85 million on a budget of merely eight million, one can only imagine what 28 Years Later will be capable of achieving with its budget being almost ten times greater.

4

Predator: Badlands

Budget: $100 Million

The Predator franchise has been churning out new movies for decades now, with the first one hitting theaters back in 1987. Now, in 2025, the next installment in the series of sci-fi/action movies is aiming to make a major splash at the box office. Not much is known about the premise of the film thus far, but it has been announced that it will be directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who first rose to prominence with his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane, before stepping in to direct Prey. Elle Fanning is set to play the lead role.

If current estimates are correct, the upcoming installment, Predator: Badlands, will be the most expensive film in the series. Reports indicate that the budget for the new movie will be around $100 million, surpassing that of The Predator ($88 million). With this elevated budget, Predator: Badlands is sure to include some very frightening antagonists, and plenty of high-energy action to impress its viewers.

3

Mortal Kombat 2

Budget: $68 Million

Fans of the Mortal Kombat video game series will likely be delighted to know that a new film based on the iconic games will be hitting theaters on October 24, 2025. Mortal Kombat 2 will serve as a direct sequel to the 2021 movie adaptation, with many actors returning to reprise their roles. Simon McQuoid is also returning to direct the sequel, although the franchise will be turning to Jeremy Slater to take over as the new screenwriter.

It has been revealed that the budget for Mortal Kombat 2 will be approximately $68 million. This feels like a positive sign for fans of the first film, as it is a noticeable increase from its $55 million budget. Specific details of the plot have not yet been announced, but the increased budget and the large ensemble cast both feel like good indicators for viewers planning on seeing Mortal Kombat 2.

2

From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina

Estimated Budget: $50-80 Million

Starting in 2014, John Wick became one of the most recognizable names in the action genre. The franchise of thrilling action films starring Keanu Reeves has been going strong for a decade now, with an exciting new installment set to premiere on June 6, 2025. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (or Ballerina for short) is not a typical sequel, but rather more of a spin-off, highlighting a different story within the same universe (although Reeves will be returning to play John Wick one more time).

Ballerina won’t be the most expensive entry in the John Wick franchise, but that doesn’t mean it has a small budget by any means. An exact figure has yet to be released, but it is estimated that the budget for the film will be somewhere from $50-80 million. This amount should be more than enough to provide viewers with all the dangerous, nail-biting action they crave. With Ana de Armas stepping into the lead role, Ballerina has the potential to be a thrilling new addition to the franchise.

1

Greenland: Migration

Estimated Budget: $65-90 Million

Although its mid-pandemic release date prevented Greenland from having too much success at the box office, the apocalyptic thriller film is returning with a new sequel in 2025. Titled Greenland: Migration, the sequel will take place after the catastrophic events of the first film, and will follow the Garrity family as they make a dangerous trek across the remains of Europe in search of a new home. Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin will be returning to reprise their roles from the original film.

Greenland: Migration may not have a specific date for when in 2025 it will be released, but it does have a very sizable budget. Current estimates put the film’s budget at somewhere from $65-90 million, marking a massive escalation from the first film. This could be a major risk for the studio, as Greenland did not fare particularly well financially. Hopefully, Greenland: Migration will be much more successful, and will achieve its goal of providing a thrilling story in a post-apocalyptic world.