2025 was a pretty alright year for movies. While it’s not clear if the theater industry will ever fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, or with the explosion in streaming services since then, it was a healthy year at the box office, though many films did seem to struggle and underperform. Not all films did, though, and many of them were seen as certifiable hits, making hundreds of millions of dollars. With another year winding down to a close, let’s look back and see what the highest-grossing movies of 2025 were at the box office!
Some movies are still in theaters, so calculating their final placement may be tricky. For movies that are currently still screening, we will place them based on their current worldwide total as of December 31st, 2025, and make mention of how it could change in the coming weeks. If you’re ready to see what the most popular movies of 2025 were, then here are the ten highest-grossing films of the year and where you can stream them as of now.
10) Superman (2025)
Warner Bros had a truly excellent year at the box office. They gambled with original films and new installments in long-running films, and Superman is the embodiment of both.
As the first film in James Gunn’s new DC cinematic universe, the DCU, a lot was riding on its success. Would people take to Gunn’s more optimistic and emotional take on the Man of Steel after Snyder’s more gritty and dour version won over fans? All signs point to yes, as David Corenswet’s down-to-earth and dorkier portrayal of Superman won over both fans and critics alike. The film went on to make $617 million at the box office, proving that James Gunn’s vision of a hopeful Superman could connect with audiences. It fills you with the same wonder that the original Superman (1978) did all those years ago. It’s a superhero that makes you feel joy, and after years of bitter cynicism for DC’s movies, it’s exactly what the franchise needed.
Superman is currently streaming on HBO Max.
9) F1: The Movie (2025)
Prestige sports movies tend to do okay at the box office, but few were as successful as F1: The Movie. Taking home $632 million, not only is F1: The Movie the ninth highest-grossing movie of the year, it’s the highest-grossing sports movie of all time, and Apple Studios’ highest-grossing film ever.
A part of the film’s success almost certainly has to do with how it showcases the actual sport of F1 racing. The speed of the cars feels palpable and captures the same level of kinetic energy that helped propel Ford v Ferrari (2019) to Oscar fame. There’s just a sense of speed that’s impossible to ignore and provides all the sports drama you can want over its two-hour and 35-minute runtime. It may not be the most accurate representation of the sport, but with Brad Pitt’s magnetic charm, it makes the film more dramatic and entertaining. Racing movies have seen a resurgence in recent years, and if you love to watch things go fast, then F1: The Movie may just be the apex of the genre.
F1: The Movie is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
8) How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
How to Train Your Dragon’s success is curious. Despite costing less to make than the 2010 original, it went on to earn far more at the box office, taking in $636 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
As far as remakes go, How to Train Your Dragon hits a lot of the same beats you would expect a remake to. The film takes the iconic moments from the original and breathes new life into them. Seeing Toothless and Hiccup soar the skies is more impressive in live-action than it was animated, and while some of the cartoon whimsy is lost, the drama hits harder. It’s comparable to Disney’s own slew of remakes, most notably Beauty & the Beast (2017), where it’s not meant to replace the original film, but offer an alternative version of it. If you and your family want a heartwarming fantasy, How to Train Your Dragon is a perfect way to introduce them to a fun and lighthearted fantasy series.
How to Train Your Dragon is currently streaming on Peacock.
7) Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle (2025)
2025 was a major year in the anime industry. Thanks to shows like Solo Leveling (2024-Present) and Apothecary Diaries (2023-Present) exploding on the streaming charts, more people watched anime than ever before. In fact, 2025 gave us the highest-grossing anime film of all time, Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle (2025).
Earning $719 million, Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle’s success shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’re invested in the series. The franchise is massively popular, with Infinity Castle serving as the first installment in a trilogy of films meant to, hopefully, conclude the series. Because of that, it has all of the action you would expect from a dramatic climax, even if it does have some pacing issues, thanks to its hefty two-hour and 35-minute runtime. However, Infinity Castle, alongside Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (2025), both benefited from the transition to film, giving the animators free rein to go as big as they wanted to really wow audiences with stunningly animated fight scenes. Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle isn’t just for fans only: It’s also for those who have been looking for great sakuga on the big screen.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle is still in theaters. It will most likely be released on Crunchyroll for streaming sometime in 2026.
6) Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
It’s at this point that we need to say that Avatar: Fire and Ash’s placement will most likely change in the coming weeks. After only two weeks, the film has earned a staggering $794 million, and it will most likely double its total gross at least by the time its run ends.
Avatar: Fire and Ash’s success isn’t unusual. Both Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) went on to make well over two billion dollars each, and Avatar currently sits at the highest-grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation). People simply find the story of Jake Sully very approachable and simple, in a good way. Complicated character threads are presented in easy-to-understand ways, and the character drama is very relatable. Even then, most people head to see the Avatar films for their boundary-pushing technology, presenting the case that movies need to be seen on the big screen. If you ever found yourself marveling at sci-fi epics like Dune (2021) and you still haven’t seen Avatar: Fire and Ash, then fix it.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is still in theaters. It will most likely be released on Disney+ for streaming sometime in 2026.
5) Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025)
Since its revival in 2015 with Jurassic World (2015), the Jurassic Park series has become one of the most popular movie franchises of the past decade. While Jurassic World: Rebirth didn’t earn a billion at the box office like the previous three films, earning $869 million is still no small feat.
While previous films were criticized for their focus on plot and scientific jargon, Jurassic World: Rebirth makes the smart decision to focus more on dinosaur-flavored action for its two-hour and 13-minute runtime. Sure, there’s still a plot, but the focus is less on the hows and the whys and more on watching cool-looking dinosaurs get into fights. In that regard, the film succeeds in the same way that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) succeeds. We don’t care about the humans; we want to see the monsters fight! In that regard, Jurassic World: Rebirth is a back-to-basics approach for the series that is sure to delight anyone looking to switch their brain off for a few hours.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is currently streaming on Peacock.
4) A Minecraft Movie (2025)
When it was first released, A Minecraft Movie was impossible to ignore. Thanks to insane theater experiences, “Lava Chicken,” and the infamous Chicken Jockey, A Minecraft Movie became the biggest original film of the year and made $958 million at the box office.
As much as adults may groan and shake their heads at A Minecraft Movie’s success, it isn’t hard to see why it did as well as it did. Dumb as it may be, it never takes itself too seriously and prioritizes having fun over everything else. Jack Black is having a blast playing Steve and has his energy dialed to 11 at all times. A Minecraft Movie, like The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), is meant to be an approachable movie for younger audiences, delivering bright colors, goofy jokes, and attention to detail that fans of the games will enjoy. Whether or not the hype surrounding the movie was because of cynical teenagers and brain-rot memes is debatable, but it doesn’t change the fact that A Minecraft Movie is great for young fans of the video game who want to imagine what it’s like to be in the world of Minecraft.
A Minecraft Movie is currently streaming on HBO Max.
3) Lilo & Stitch (2025)
For the first time since 2019, Disney has made over $6 billion collectively at the box office. While the studio has suffered in recent years from more prominent box office failures, when it hits, it still has that Disney magic, though Lilo & Stitch’s success was one not without controversy.
Yes, the film did make $1.038 billion over the course of its box office run, but as a live-action remake of the beloved 2002 animated film, the changes it made were highly contentious. Removing key characters, altering the motivations of others, and adding new plot beats that directly conflicted with the film’s key themes were divisive to say the least. Like Maleficent (2014) before it, these changes help to make the film feel more grounded and believable, but at the cost of the charm and warmth the original had. Audiences still connected with it, especially fans of the cute and fluffy Stitch, so give it a watch if you care about Stitch the most instead of its human cast.
Lilo & Stitch is currently streaming on Disney+.
2) Zootopia 2 (2025)
While Lilo & Stitch made a ton of money for Disney over the summer, Zootopia 2 unsurprisingly made even more money at the box office over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, with the film currently having earned $1.4 billion at the box office.
Its success isn’t all that shocking given the success of the first film, which also earned over a billion dollars. The world of Zootopia 2 is simply interesting, and seeing multiple different species of animals interact in creative biomes leads to plenty of great set pieces. There’s more of a sense of adventure in this film than in its predecessor, with Nick and Judy having to navigate snowy mountains, scorching deserts, and damp swamps to uncover the answers to a pretty compelling mystery. There’s plenty of style and charm to spare, with plenty of moments seemingly taking notes from The Bad Guys (2022). It’s just a universally fun buddy-cop movie that prioritizes creating a fun world that both kids and animation fanatics will be enamored by.
Zootopia 2 is still in theaters. It will most likely be released on Disney+ for streaming sometime in 2026.
1) Ne Zha 2 (2025)
While Zootopia 2’s $1.4 billion box office haul is undeniably impressive, it isn’t the biggest total for an animated movie this year. The undisputed king of the box office in 2025 was Ne Zha 2, and there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve never heard of this movie before in your life.
Developed in China, Ne Zha 2 completely dominated the Chinese box office, where it earned an unbelievable $2.15 billion, making it the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time. The film is a modern take on classic Chinese mythology, but it updates the presentation and tone for contemporary audiences. The animation is absolutely immaculate, and there’s a sense of scale and action that goes beyond even what Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle presented. Much like White Snake (2019), it pays respect to Chinese culture in a way that makes it both fulfilling for people who grew up hearing the stories of Ne Zha and newcomers looking for a mythology to sink their teeth into. Its titanic box office total is one for the history books, and there’s a very good shot that not even Avatar: Fire and Ash can topple its success.
Ne Zha 2 is currently streaming on HBO Max.
