Happy New Year (almost)! January 2025 is only two days away, and as you recover from the festivities, you should consider heading to the cinema for these new movies.
December 2024 was a big month for movie fans. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finally raced into cinemas, bringing Shadow to live-action for the first time. Mufasa: The Lion King, Disney’s follow-up to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, came out on the same weekend.
And then, on Christmas Day no less, we had the likes of Nosferatu, A Complete Unknown, and Babygirl.
Now, I won’t lie to you: January can be a bit of a dumping ground for studios. It’s not that they’re bad, it’s just that they aren’t necessarily safe bets. However, there’s loads to be excited about this time, so when you’re not catching up with the best movies of 2024, consider buying a ticket to at least one of these films.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Release date: January 10
Den of Thieves was described by one critic as Heat soaked in Monster Energy. If that doesn’t get your motor running, I feel sorry for you.
Its sequel looks even better than the first, bigger and louder with an eyebrow-raising twist on its dynamic between Big Nick (one of Gerard Butler’s best-ever characters) and Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr). This time, he finds Donnie in Europe, where he’s planning a heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange. However, he doesn’t want to arrest him – he wants in. Like he said, I’m “addicted to heists.”
Wolf Man
Release date: January 17
After his reboot of The Invisible Man (one of the best movies of the decade, for my money), Leigh Whannell is back with Wolf Man, a hard-edged, must-see take on one of Universal’s most iconic monsters.
It’s a teeth-gnawingly simple set-up: Blake (Christopher Abbott) relocates from San Francisco to Oregon with his workaholic wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) after inheriting his childhood home – and he gets attacked by a werewolf. Prepare to howl.
September 5
Release date: January 17
September 5 has already been positioned as a Best Picture frontrunner, possibly following in Spotlight’s footsteps as a nail-biting story of journalistic grit.
With an ensemble cast (Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch, among others), it follows the ABC Sports crew at the 1972 Olympics who were forced to adapt and report on the Munich massacre. It’s already at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and January 17 marks its expansion into nationwide theaters, so don’t miss it.
Flight Risk
Release date: January 24
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Mel Gibson has directed five movies: The Man Without a Face, Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge. What do they have in common? They’re bangers, every single one of them.
So, there’s just cause to be excited about Flight Risk, which marks a slight departure (and a return) for the filmmaker. It’s the sort of pulpy B-movie that made him a household name, following a US marshal (Michelle Dockery) who tries to escort a government witness (Topher Grace) to trial, only to realize her pilot (Mark Wahlberg) is a hitman hired to kill him.
Companion
Release date: January 31
I wish I could tell you something about the plot of Companion. Here’s what we do know: it’s a sci-fi thriller/horror directed by Drew Hancock and produced by Zach Cregger, who made Barbarian, one of the best horror movies of the past five years.
It also stars Heretic’s Sophie Thatcher, Smile 2’s Lukas Cage, and The Boys’ Jack Quaid. Oh, and one other thing: it looks brilliant. Sometimes, it’s nice to not know anything.
New movies in January 2025: Full list
This is a list of all the major new movies coming to US cinemas in January 2024:
January 10
- Den of Thieves 2: Pnatera
- Better Man
- Hard Truths
- The Last Showgirl
January 13
- Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare
January 17
- One of Them Days
- Wolf Man
- September 5
January 24
- Brave the Dark
- The Colors Within
- Flight Risk
- Presence
- Companion
- Dog Man
- Valiant One
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Paddington in Peru
- The Monkey
- Last Breath
- The Legend of Ochi
January 31
What’s coming in February 2025?
Before you know it, January will be over and February 2025 will be here – and there’s plenty to watch:
For more previews, check out the best new TV shows this month, what’s happening in true crime and documentaries, plus movies that are streaming this month.