From Hype to Flop: 10 2025 Movies We Wanted to Love but Couldn't

2025 pulled a cruel little trick: some of the most hyped movies of the year turned out to be the ones we walked out of feeling the most 'eh'. Not because expectations were impossible, but because the movies just didn’t give us much to hold onto. Big brands, buzzy casts, loud marketing… and then, nothing to revisit. Here’s where that hype train ran out of track.

1. Star Trek: Section 31
   The setup hints at a tighter, moodier Trek — then the movie sprints past its best ideas. Action lands before the characters do, conversations cut off just when they start to matter, and nothing gets the time to breathe. It’s not a disaster; it’s just thin, and that’s almost more frustrating.
   Release date: January 24, 2025 • IMDb: 3.8/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 24% • Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Video

2. Snow White
   The teasers promised a gentle, storybook vibe. What we got looks polished but feels hollow. Musical beats pop in and out without any build, key character scenes rush by, and even the famous moments don’t stick. Fans wanted sincerity; the movie never finds it.
   Release date: March 21, 2025 • IMDb: 2.2/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 44% • Where to watch: Disney+

3. A Minecraft Movie
   Early on, the world looks right — blocks, biomes, the whole deal — and you think, okay, this could be fun. Then it starts speedrunning through locations and set pieces. The parts that should linger on building and discovery get clipped, and the energy turns noisy instead of playful. Fans wanted the game’s freedom and charm; the movie rarely slows down long enough to show either.
   Release date: April 4, 2025 • IMDb: 5.6/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 48% • Where to watch: HBO Max

4. Captain America: Brave New World
   The opening suggests a grounded, clear direction for Cap. Then the story hops between ideas without committing, scenes feel disconnected, the CGI and action quality wobbles, and the dialogue just doesn’t land. Even Anthony Mackie can’t glue it together. It’s not bad-bad, it’s unfocused — which makes it forgettable.
   Release date: February 14, 2025 • IMDb: 5.6/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 46% • Where to watch: Disney+

5. Thunderbolts*
   The pitch: a rougher, darker Marvel team-up. The result: a quick slide into familiar MCU rhythms. Heavy moments get undercut by winky jokes, the team chemistry never gels, and too many characters feel sidelined. The movie never decides what it wants to be, and by the time the finale hits, it’s oddly empty — a real missed opportunity to do something different.
   Release date: May 2, 2025 • IMDb: 5.6/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 46% • Where to watch: Disney+

6. M3GAN 2.0
   The hope was creepy, tense escalation. The sequel tilts into action and reheated ideas, the dialogue turns stiff, and the first movie’s eerie vibe mostly evaporates. As plenty of Rotten Tomatoes reactions pointed out, it loses what made the original pop and never finds a new lane to replace it.
   Release date: June 27, 2025 • IMDb: 6/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 58% • Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV

7. War of the Worlds
   Director Rich Lee opens like he’s building a slow-burn sci-fi thriller… then everything goes sideways. The script is messy, the dialogue clunks, the performances push too hard, and the movie leans on the most obvious ideas. Plenty of people didn’t even finish it. You go in expecting tension; you get boredom and static.
   Release date: July 30, 2025 • IMDb: 2.5/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 4% • Where to watch: Prime Video

8. Tron: Ares
   After years of waiting, the franchise returns with razor-sharp visuals and big noise — but not much narrative pulse. Set pieces look slick, sure, yet the story barely moves and the supposedly huge moments don’t land. It plays like a tech demo more than a movie with something to say, which is a brutal outcome for a world built on ideas.
   Release date: October 10, 2025 • IMDb: 6.3/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 53% • Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV

9. Mickey 17
   Bong Joon-ho plus Robert Pattinson should be a layup, and there are scenes that absolutely hum. But the tones clash, the pacing is jittery, and the key moments rush by. You can see the movie it wants to be, but it never fully locks in — strong notices or not, the end feeling is more confused than compelled.
   Release date: March 7, 2025 • IMDb: 6.7/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 78% • Where to watch: HBO Max

10. The Strangers: Chapter 2
    The trailer promised slow dread; the movie delivers one long chase on repeat. Hide, run, jump scare — without the buildup that makes those beats land. It goes for immediate jolts instead of lingering fear, and the result slips from your brain as soon as the credits roll.
    Release date: September 26, 2025 • IMDb: 4.7/10 • Rotten Tomatoes: 15% • Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV

Which one let you down the most this year? Drop your pick and why — I’m genuinely curious where these landed for you.