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If you would have asked me in September if I thought 2025 was a good year for movies, I probably would have said no. There were few real standouts in the first quarter of the year, and the summer blockbuster season came and went without much of note (apologies in advance to fans of “Superman” and “The Fantastic Four”). And yet, from September to the end of the year, there were so many good to great movies coming out that I could hardly keep up with them.

From stirring indies and bold foreign-language gems to breakout studio hits, our Top 25 Films of 2024 list offers a curated journey through the year’s most unforgettable cinematic experiences—each selected for their creativity, impact, and storytelling prowess.

Even with the writers and actors going on strike late in the year, 2023 seemed to be a return to relative normalcy in the movie world compared to the COVID-stunted years before it. The number of movies released in theaters inched closer to where they were in pre-COVID times, with only 17 fewer wide releases than there were in 2019. The box office continued its gradual recovery as well, topping $9 billion domestic in 2023 (albeit still 20% less than the $11.4 billion earned in 2019).

Even as the industry continues to change amidst theater closings, rising ticket costs and increased at-home streaming options, there were still more movies worth watching released in 2022 than most people can find the time to get to.