Sundance 2025 Preview: 7 Biggest Movies That Could Dominate The Year

The Sundance Film Festival is one of the best film festivals for a reason. It highlights smaller films from both the United States and international film communities, while previewing some of the most anticipated releases of 2025. Some of these films stand out and remain part of the conversation throughout the year. anus.

Last year, A real pain Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, it premiered in the 2024 edition and Culkin is sweeping the awards season and is considered the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in March. Jane Schoenbrun I saw the brightness of the television also made its debut last year, becoming a critical favorite while also delivering one of the most disturbing horror dramas of 2024.

Opus, Rabbit Trap, The Ugly Stepsister Sundance 2025

Sundance 2025 Related: 5 Most Exciting Horror Movies That Will Surely Blow Us Away

The Sundance Film Festival is here! With so many movies, we’ve gone through the list and come up with five horror movies to get excited about.

Publications

Some other debuts at Sundance 2024 include Love lies bleeding, a different man, my old ass, and Presence, all of which have remained lively since their initial premieres. The festival offers a really diverse range of films worth seeing. Below, we highlight a few that have the potential to remain in the conversation throughout 2025 as they continue their festival runs or debut in theaters.

7 work

Ayo Edebiri sits at a table and looks around in fear at Opu.

Like last year’s edition, A24 will be bringing some of its new films to Park City and one of them has the potential to be one of the first horror hits. OpusFrom director Mark Anthony Green, making his feature debut, Ayo Edebiri stars as Ariel Acton, a young writer who is invited to the home of mysterious pop star Alfred Moretti, played by John Malkovich. Moretti disappeared thirty years earlier and the events of the film chronicle his long-awaited return.

The synopsis of the film suggests that Moretti has a “twisted” plan up her sleeve and Ariel soon finds herself surrounded by a cult-like group of devotees who may not have the best of intentions. Edebiri is one of the funniest actors working today and seeing her star opposite Malkovich in what sounds like an absolutely absurd premise is more than enough to make this one of the most exciting Sundance debuts. Opus hits theaters this March.

6 If I had legs I would kick you

Close-up of Rose Byrne's face as she lies in the sand as if in pain. If I had legs, I'd kick you

Another offer from A24, If I had legs I would kick you is a comedy-drama starring Rose Byrne as Linda, a woman facing attacks on multiple fronts: her son has a strange illness, something is happening with an unspecified missing person, her relationship with her husband is difficult, and her therapist is becoming more of an adversary than an ally.

The film, from writer-director Mary Bronstein, features an impressive cast, with Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Ivy Wolk and ASAP Rocky in support. Byrne has a biting sense of humor with roles in Spy (for my money, one of the great comedies of the 21st century) and Physical proving that it can be as biting as it is hilarious. With If I had legs I would kick youBased on the premise, this movie could very well be another big hit for A24.

5 in civilian clothes

Tom Blyth looks in the mirror and catches the attention of Russell Tovey in civilian clothes

Presenting Hunger Games prequel leak Tom Blyth and Looking star russell tovey, civilian clothes is set in the 1990s in New York and is inspired by real events related to the anti-LGBTQ laws of the time. Blyth plays a police officer tasked with catching and arresting gay men, but eventually falls in love with one of his targets, played by Tovey.

civilian clothes will give Blyth a chance to show off her dramatic range while highlighting a dark and very recent chapter of queer history in the United States. With all the progress that has been made on LGBT equality in recent years, it is very easy to forget that it was not that long ago when the state was openly attacking queer people in this way, and this will serve as a reminder of the ways in that in which he does it to this day.

4 together

Dave Franco and Alison Brie are terrified as they look at the camera in Together

Dave Franco and Alison Brie had a nightmare with The renta horror movie set in Airbnb, and now they’re back with another collaboration that sounds even creepier. The real-life couple stars in this thriller that follows a couple who move to the countryside, where a supernatural incident triggers something that will alter their lives emotionally and physically.

The first image of the film already promises terror, but with the synopsis teasing body horror and relationship drama, it’s clear that Together could represent another nightmare for the actors. Although Franco directed The rentMichael Shanks is in the director’s chair for this one, making his major film debut.

3 Jimpa

John Lithgow hugs Olivia Colman from behind in Jimpa

Any Olivia Colman performance is cause for celebration, and she’s starring in a new film from Sundance regular Sophie Hyde. Colman stars alongside John Lithgow in Jimpaa film that follows Colman’s character as he takes his non-binary son to visit his grandfather in Amsterdam. Lithgow’s character, who goes by Jimpa, is gay, and the film aims to explore identity and family through a queer lens, and has the potential to be a great movie thanks to the star power at its center.

2 Kiss of the Spider Woman

Tonatiuh gives an apple to Diego Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Jennifer Lopez, a reimagining of a Tony Award-winning musical and an adaptation of a novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig, plays the titular Spider Woman in this story about two prisoners in Argentina who find solace in remembering a legendary diva. Diego Luna and Tonatiuh also star in the film directed by Bill Condon, which will include several musical numbers with López at the center. This film could give Lopez a chance to redeem himself after his egregious snub by the Academy for his stellar performance. Scammers.

1 The wedding banquet

Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang dance with friends at The Wedding Banquet

This remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 romantic comedy has all the potential to be a huge hit. The wedding banquet stars Saturday night liveBowen Yang, who previously proved he can pull off a romantic comedy in the charming 2022 film. fire island. He is joined by Lily Gladstone, fresh from a Best Actress nomination last year for Flower Moon Killersand Joan Chen, who took a surprising turn in last year’s edition didiwhich also premiered at Sundance. Kelly Marie Tran and Youn Yuh-jung also star in the film directed by Andrew Ahn, who also directed Fire Island.