The 20 Most Shameless Hollywood Cash-Grabs of 2025

by

In 2025, the movie industry largely depended on well-known stories and characters to make money. Instead of focusing on new ideas, studios chose to create live-action versions of classic tales and continue older movie series, hoping to attract audiences worldwide. This meant most films featured characters people already knew and relied heavily on nostalgia. The films listed below are examples of this trend.

‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ (2025)

Focus Features is releasing a third Downton Abbey movie for its loyal fans. The story picks up where the television series left off, following the lives of the Crawley family at their Yorkshire estate in the late 1920s. Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay, and the original cast returns. This new film is a result of the strong financial performance of the previous two Downton Abbey movies.

‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ (2025)

The team of illusionists known as the Four Horsemen are back for a new adventure, after a long break since their last movie. Lionsgate has brought back the original cast to pull off incredible heists around the world, all while staying one step ahead of the police. The film also introduces a new group of magicians, potentially opening the door for future stories. This sequel hopes to recapture the excitement of the first films with its stunning visuals and clever, surprising plot.

‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ (2025)

Renée Zellweger returns as Bridget Jones in the fourth movie, based on Helen Fielding’s book. This time, the story focuses on Bridget as she raises a child on her own and tries to find love again in her fifties. The film updates the original story to reflect the years that have passed and features a new, younger love interest. Universal Pictures made the movie hoping to appeal to fans of the long-running and beloved romantic comedy series.

‘Smurfs’ (2025)

Paramount Pictures is giving the Smurfs a fresh start with a new animated musical movie. The story follows the little blue creatures as they venture outside their village and into the human world for a brand new adventure. Pop star Rihanna not only voices Smurfette but also created original songs for the film, which will be used to promote the movie and related products. The studio hopes this film will be the first in a series of movies building a larger cinematic universe around the Smurfs and their long-time enemy, Gargamel.

‘M3GAN 2.0’ (2025)

Okay, so after the first movie blew up online, the studio rushed this sequel into production. It picks up where we left off, with that creepy AI doll back to haunt the people who made her – and their families, of course. They’ve really built out the world this time, adding in ideas about connected AI and even more sophisticated robots. Honestly, it feels very familiar – they’re sticking closely to what worked in the first film, which, let’s be real, is a smart move for a horror movie aiming to make some money.

‘Tron: Ares’ (2025)

More than ten years after the last sequel, Disney returns to the world of its classic sci-fi film. Jared Leto plays a computer program that becomes aware and escapes into the real world, posing a danger to people. The movie updates the original’s iconic visual style with impressive new effects. Disney intended this theatrical release to boost excitement for the franchise and attract viewers to its streaming service, but the plan didn’t quite succeed.

‘Ballerina’ (2025)

Ana de Armas stars in this new action movie set in the world of John Wick. The story happens between the third and fourth John Wick films and centers on an assassin who’s hunting for those who killed her family. Keanu Reeves appears briefly to connect the film to the main John Wick series. Lionsgate hopes this movie will expand the John Wick universe and explore more of its history.

‘Captain America: Brave New World’ (2025)

Anthony Mackie steps into the role of Captain America in this new Marvel movie. The film is a political thriller where Sam Wilson, now Captain America, deals with global issues and a secret plot inside the U.S. government. Harrison Ford joins the cast, bringing his experience to the team. Marvel is setting up this movie to be an important connection to future films and products.

‘Thunderbolts*’ (2025)

Marvel is assembling a team of unlikely heroes – characters who were once villains or are generally considered anti-heroes – for a top-secret mission with government backing. The movie brings back popular characters from past Marvel shows and films as a treat for longtime fans. Unlike the typical Avengers adventures, this story is grittier and centers around undercover work. The goal is to tie up loose ends from different storylines and deliver one massive, exciting event.

‘Zootopia 2’ (2025)

Disney’s animated sequel to Zootopia brings back Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde for a brand new adventure. The film expands the vibrant world of the original, introducing new neighborhoods and animal characters. Through a fun, family-friendly mystery, the story explores important themes like getting along with others and overcoming prejudice. For Disney, this movie is a reliable choice, building on the success of one of their biggest hits.

‘Karate Kid: Legends’ (2025)

Sony Pictures has combined the original and newer ‘Karate Kid’ stories into one film. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio team up to mentor a new student, with the action taking place around the world and showcasing different martial arts. The movie leans heavily on fond memories of both the 1984 original and the 2010 reboot to attract a large audience. This crossover is intended to boost the franchise’s popularity and bring it back to movie theaters, following the success of the ‘Karate Kid’ series on streaming.

‘Wicked: For Good’ (2025)

Universal Pictures is releasing the second part of its movie adaptation of the Broadway hit, a year after the first film came out. Splitting the story into two movies is expected to significantly increase profits for the studio. This new film continues the story, focusing on how Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. This approach of dividing a final story into two parts is similar to what other popular movie series have done to earn more money.

‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025)

Disney is continuing to remake its classic animated films, and this time it’s Lilo & Stitch. This new version is a live-action take on the 2002 movie, using computer-generated imagery to bring the mischievous alien, Stitch, to life alongside a real-life cast, all set in Hawaii. The story closely follows the original, recreating memorable scenes with incredibly realistic visuals. It’s designed to appeal to those who grew up with the original film, while also introducing the story to a new audience.

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2025)

Universal Pictures has created a live-action remake of their popular 2010 animated film. Mason Thames plays Hiccup, and a computer-generated Toothless joins him in this new version of the Viking story. The film tells the tale of a boy who becomes friends with a dragon, even though his village has always hunted them. The studio hopes to build on the franchise’s continued success by mostly sticking to the original story.

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ (2025)

Okay, so Universal’s giving Jurassic Park another go, and honestly, I’m intrigued. They’ve got a whole new crew this time, led by Scarlett Johansson, and the story is about a secret mission to grab dinosaur DNA. From what I’ve heard, they’re aiming for that original, suspenseful vibe of the book, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of massive action. Let’s be real though, this is a huge deal for Universal – it guarantees a big summer blockbuster and, of course, a ton of new toys and attractions at the parks.

‘Snow White’ (2025)

Disney has created a live-action musical remake of its original animated film, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. The story has been updated for today’s audiences with changes to the plot and characters. While it includes beloved songs from the 1937 classic, the film also features brand new music. Despite some challenges during filming, Disney made a substantial investment in bringing this treasured story to a new generation.

‘A Minecraft Movie’ (2025)

Warner Bros. is bringing the incredibly popular video game Minecraft to life with a new movie. The story follows four unlikely friends who are suddenly transported to the game’s blocky world, where anything they can imagine becomes real. They have to learn to survive and defend this world from dangerous creatures like Piglins and Zombies. The movie’s success depends a lot on the game’s huge and dedicated fan base around the world.

Tell us which of these 2025 releases you think was the most unnecessary in the comments.

Read More

2025-12-01 07:46