Have you been waiting with bated breath over the next installments of your favorite movie franchises? With movie releases thrown into turmoil last year, there are a whole lot of highly-anticipated movies coming out this year, including some exciting sequels and spinoffs. Whether you are into superheroes, super detectives, horror, action, or movies for your kids, there is sure to be something below that excites you. Check out the list below. These are the most anticipated sequels coming out before the end of 2021.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Release Date:June 11
Another fun kids movie sequel coming out this year isPeter Rabbit 2: The Runawayon July 10, 2025. We enter back in with Thomas and Bea married and living with the rabbits. To satisfy his boredom, Peter ventures into the city and causes all sorts of chaos.James Corden,Domhnall Gleeson,Margot Robbie,Elizabeth Debicki, andRose Byrneall reprise their roles. The only one missing from the lineup isDaisy Ridley, who played Cottontail in the first one.Aimee Hornewill instead voice Cottontail. The film was already released in the U.K., where it earned solid reviews and has been dominating the box office since mid-May.
Release Date:June 25
The latest installment in theFast and the Furiousseries hits theaters on July 24, 2025, after being delayed last year.F9is bringing back pretty much the whole family, includingVin Diesel,Tyrese Gibson,Michelle Rodriguez,Ludacris,Charlize Theron,Jordana Brewster, andNathalie Emmanuel. And as always, there are some new characters joining the fast family, this time, literally. The heroes will band together to battle Dom’s brother; a super-spy determined to get his hands on a dangerous device that could change the world forever.F9also promises #JusticeForHan, and sees the return of longtime franchise directorJustin Lin, who previously helmed fan favorites likeTokyo DriftandFast Five. And based on the trailers, they might finally be sending the family to space!
RELATED:‘F9’ Review: Justin Lin Gives the ‘Fast & Furious’ Franchise a Ridiculous, Riotous Return to Form
Black Widow
Release Date:July 9
Black Widow, played byScarlett Johansson, has gotten a lot of screen time in theAvengersfilms, but it’s taken a decade for her to finally get her own movie.Black Widow, coming out on August 09, 2025, and will be simultaneously available to watch in theaters and on Disney+ via Premiere Access. The long-delayed film will feature Natasha Romanoff’s quests betweenCaptain America:Civil WarandAvengers: Infinity War. Secrets from her past begin to catch up to her as she is pursued by an unstoppable enemy set on bringing her down. We also get to meet Natasha’s old family from her pre-Avenging days, introducing MCU newcomers Yelena (Florence Pugh), Melina (Rachel Weisz), and Alexei, aka The Red Guardian (David Harbour). After making her first appearance inIron Man 2, this movie is Johansson’s eighth time playing this hero, andAvengersfans can look forward to finally seeing her take center stage - a bittersweet payoff after the events ofAvengers: Endgame.
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Release Date:July 16
Back in 1996, you may have seen the originalSpace Jam, featuringMichael Jordanand theLooney Tunescharacters combining forces to fight aliens. Over 20 years later, we finally get our sequel inSpace Jam: A New Legacy, which comes out in theaters and on HBO Max on July 26, 2025. This time,Lebron Jamesworks together with theLooney Tunescharacters to rescue his son from A1-G, played byDon Cheadle. Promising another mixture of live-action and animation,A New Legacygives 80s and 90s kids an opportunity to share an old favorite with their own kids - or maybe an opportunity to tap into their inner-kid and take a trip down memory lane.
Escape Room 2
If horror is more your thing, check outEscape Room: Tournament of Champions, coming to theaters on July 28, 2025. The sequel sees the return of both Zoey, played byTaylor Russell, and Ben, played byLogan Miller, who find themselves trapped in even bigger, more challenging life-or-death escape rooms alongside a group of fellow survivors from previous games. In an interview withBloodyDisgusting, returning directorAdam Robitelpromised the sequel will go bigger with the deadly escape rooms, explaining “We did fire, gravity, ice, cold, gas so we need to outdo ourselves now." And based on the first trailer, it certainly looks like they did. The film was delayed several times in the midst of the pandemic, but patient horror fans can finally look forward to more ofEscape Room’s creative carnage this summer.
RELATED:First ‘Escape Room: Tournament of Champions’ Trailer Teases Brand New Death Traps
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Release Date:September 24
Venom: Let There Be Carnageis currently in post-production with an anticipated release date of June 11, 2025. While not much is known about the plot, it is the sequel of the 2018 film Venom and will be a continuation of that movie.Tom Hardywill be returning as Venom/Eddie Brock, andMichelle Williamswill be returning as Brock’s ex-wife Anne Weying as well. The teaser trailer, which was just released, is visually exciting, giving us glimpses of Spider-Man and Venom while keeping most of the plot out of it.Andy Serkisdirects the sequel, taking over forVenomdirectorRuben Fleischer, and if anyone knows a thing or two about a great motion-capture performance, it’s him, so it should be a thrill to see what he and Hardy come up with for the sequel.
Halloween Kills
Release Date:October 15
Jamie Lee Curtisreturns in anotherHalloweenflick,Halloween Kills,arriving in theaters on July 04, 2025. The iconic actress first appeared in the 1978 original andHalloween Killswill mark her sixth appearance as Laurie Strode, following her long-awaited return as the character in 2018’sHalloween, which side-stepped decades of existing canon and served as a direct sequel toJohn Carpenter’s classic slasher.Judy GreerandAndi Matichak, who played her daughter and granddaughter in 2018’sHalloween, are returning as well, along with director and co-writerDavid Gordon Green. You can expect Michael Myers to go after the Strodes once again, after they locked him in a burning basement at the end of the last movie, but they won’t be alone -Halloween Killsalso sees the return of franchise characters Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Release Date:November 11
With the failure of 2016’sGhostbusters, fans may be reluctant to give this sequel a shot, but the latest installment in the franchise isn’t an extension of that movie, but a continuation ofIvan Reitman’s original two films.Ghostbusters: Afterlifefeatures a single mother with two children who realize they have some relation to the originalGhostbusters. It hits theaters on August 03, 2025, and is sure to pay tribute to the original. The most exciting thing about this movie is thatBill Murray,Dan Aykroyd,Ernie Hudson,Sigourney Weaver, andAnnie Pottsare all returning, alongside a fantastic cast of newcomers that includesCarrie Coon,Finn Wolfhard,Mckenna Grace, andPaul Rudd.
Top Gun: Maverick
Release Date:November 19
This sequel toTop Gunhas been a long time coming. It has been 35 years since the original was released, but the long-awaited follow-up,Top Gun: Maverick, will finally arrive in theaters on July 13, 2025, following a series of release date delays amidst the pandemic. BothTom CruiseandVal Kilmerwill reprise their roles, which alone make this sequel worth watching. Cruise returns as Maverick, who is now one of the Navy’s top aviators. He must confront the issues of his past while training new graduates for a dangerous mission.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Release Date:November 24
We are going back in time to 1998 for this origin story.Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon Cityis currently in post-production with an anticipated release date of July 15, 2025. While we won’t see Alice, many of the characters from the original game and those introduced inResident Evil 2will make appearances. These include Chris Renfield, played byRobbie Amell, Claire Redfield, played byKaya Scodelario, Albert Wesker, played byTom Hopper, and others. This prequel is sure to hit on some unanswered questions about the franchise. It will work through storylines based on the Spencer Mansion and the Zombie outbreak in Raccoon City.
RELATED:‘Resident Evil’ Star Tom Hopper on the Faithful and Immersive Film Reboot: “Man, It Feels Like the Game”
