We wrapped up 2024 with an assortment of types of movies at the theater. They ranged from light-hearted, family-friendly flicks to the stuff nightmares are made of. Between travel, holiday festivities, preparing holiday gift guides, and end-of-year work and volunteer commitments, I think we were only able to make it to one or two. Sadly, I didn’t hear anybody raving about anything. This month, the features are suspense and thriller-heavy. Is that an indication of what 2025 has in store for us? Excitement all-around?! Check out the list and see if anything strikes your attention.
Better Man
Release Date: January 10, 2025 Genre: Docudrama, Musical, Biography Cast: Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno, Alison Steadman, Kate Mulvaney, Frazer Hadfield, Tom Budge, Anthony Hayes
Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Williams’ perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-braking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Release Date: January 10, 2025 Genre: Action, Suspense Cast: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Gerard Butler (Plane, Has Fallen series) and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Out of Compton, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) return in the sequel to 2018’s action-heist hit Den of Thieves. In DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA, Big Nick (Butler) is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie (Jackson), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.
Hard Truths
Release Date: January 10, 2025 Genre: Comedy, Drama Cast: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin
Legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh returns to the contemporary world with a fierce, compassionate, and often darkly humorous study of family and the thorny ties that bind us. Reunited with Leigh for the first time since multiple Oscar-nominated Secrets and Lies, the astonishing Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a woman wracked by fear, tormented by afflictions, and prone to raging tirades against her husband, son, and anyone who looks her way. Meanwhile, her easygoing younger sister, played by Michele Austin (Another Year), is a single mother with a life as different from Pansy’s as their clashing temperaments – brimming with communal warmth from her salon clients and daughters alike. This expansive film from a master dramatist takes us into the intensities of kinship, duty, and the most enduring of human mysteries: that even through lifetimes of hurt and hardship, we still find ways to love those we call family.
Wolf Man
Release Date: January 17, 2025 Genre: Thriller Cast: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner and Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth, Benedict Hardie, Ben Prendergast, Zac Chandler, Beatriz Romilly, Milo Cawthorne
Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte, fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger.
But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.
One of Them Days
Release Date: January 17, 2025 Genre: Comedy Cast: Keke Palmer, SZA, Maude Apatow, Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James, and Katt Williams
Best friends and roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are about to have One of Them Days. When they discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a comical race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.
Autumn and the Black Jaguar
Release Date: January 17, 2025 Genre: Adventure, Family Cast: Lumi Pollack, Emily Bett Rickards, and Paul Greene, with Wayne Charles Baker, Kelly Hope Taylor, and newcomers Lucrezia Pini and Airam Camacho
Growing up in the Amazon rainforest gave Autumn the rarest of friendships – a lost jaguar cub she names Hope. When a tragic event forces Autumn to leave Hope for the unknowns of New York City, she dreams for years of going back to the rainforest and her friend. At 14 and having grown accustomed to city life, Autumn discovers her childhood village is under threat from animal traffickers and decides she must return to the Amazon to her beloved jaguar. Anja (Emily Bett Rickards) – Autumn’s endearingly clumsy biology teacher – unsuccessfully tries to dissuade her from this reckless plan. Joined by Anja, Autumn embarks on a journey to reunite with Hope and save her from those who seek to destroy the rainforest and its wildlife.
The End
Release Date: January 23, 2025 Genre: Drama, Fantasy, SciFi, Musical Cast: Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInnerny, Lennie James, Michael Shannon
From Academy Award®-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence) comes a poignant and deeply human musical about a family that survived the end of the world.
Flight Risk
Release Date: January 24, 2025 Genre: Suspense, Thriller Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, Topher Grace
In this high-stakes suspense thriller, Academy Award®️ nominee Mark Wahlberg (Actor in a Supporting Role, 2006 – The Departed) plays a pilot transporting an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
Presence
Release Date: January 24, 2025 Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller Cast: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, Callina Liang, West Mulholland
A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
Green and Gold
Release Date: January 31, 2025 Genre: Drama Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Madison Lawlor, Brandon Sklenar, M. Emmet Walsh, Ashton Moio, and Charlie Berens
Foreclosure looms over Wisconsin dairy farmer Buck (Craig T. Nelson). With mounting debt and the land his family has cultivated for four generations at risk, Buck refuses to give up his legacy without a fight. Buck’s granddaughter (Madison Lawlor) works alongside him but dreams of a career in music. Her aspirations are fanned by an emerging friendship with a famous musician (Brandon Sklenar), but chasing her dreams might take her far from the farm. With time running out, Buck places a daring Super Bowl bet on his beloved Green Bay Packers, risking it all to save everything he holds dear.
Dog Man
Release Date: January 31, 2025 Genre: Comedy, Family, Animation Cast: Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, Ricky Gervais
When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief (Lil Rel Howery, Get Out, Free Guy), he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson; Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island). Petey’s latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man. When Lil Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together.
Companion
Release Date: January 31, 2025 Genre: Thriller Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillen, and Rupert Friend
New Line Cinema—the studio that brought you “The Notebook”—and the unhinged creators of “Barbarian” cordially invite you to experience a new kind of love story…
Valiant One
Release Date: January 31, 2025 Genre: Thriller Cast: Chase Stokes, Lana Condor, Desmin Borges, Callan Mulvey
In the heart-pounding military thriller VALIANT ONE, a routine mission spirals into a fight for survival when a US Army helicopter crashes deep within North Korean territory. With their communications equipment destroyed, Captain Edward Brockman (Chase Stokes) and Specialist Selby (Lana Condor) must lead the team through hostile terrain, cut off from US military support as they attempt a daring escape across the treacherous Demilitarized Zone. Trapped behind enemy lines with no hope of rescue, a reluctant U.S. Army Sergeant must lead his unit to safety while being pursued by North Korean soldiers.
Following the chaos of the holidays and the start of wintery weather, having an escape plan can be helpful to your mental health. Sometimes a few hours at the theater is enough to recharge. This list of movies releasing on the big screen in January includes a load of exciting features along with a few comedies in the mix. Find one that resonates then make plans to go.
What was the last memorable movie you saw in the theater?
