What Movies Are Celebrating Big Anniversaries In 2025?

Zavvi.com7 minutes ago

It’s another big year for milestone movie anniversaries.

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, the movie credited with inventing the summer blockbuster, celebrates its 50^th birthday, Back to the Future turns 40, and Gladiator turns 25. However, there will be very few days that go by where we won’t be blowing out candles for one film or another, as this is just scratching the surface of film anniversaries in 2025.

We’ve rounded up the most notable titles from the past 75 years below.

10^th anniversary – originally released in 2015:

January – June

Looking at the release schedule for a decade ago, the biggest shock is just how frequently some of the biggest movies opened early in the UK. Ex_Machina and Kingsman both released in January here (April and February respectively in the US), It Follows arrived a month before it did Stateside, and we even managed to get Age Of Ultron a week before the Yanks – how did that not get spoiled for them?

Ex_Machina (21^st January)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (29^th January)
Fifty Shades of Grey (13^th February)
It Follows (27^th February)
Furious 7 (3^rd April)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (23^rd April)
Mad Max: Fury Road (14^th May)
Jurassic World (12^th June)
Inside Out (19^th June)

July – December

Ant-Man (17^th July)
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (31^st July)
The Man From U.N.C.L.E (14^th August)
Straight Outta Compton (14^th August)
Legend (9^th September)
The Martian (30^th September)
Steve Jobs (9^th October)
Bridge of Spies (16^th October)
Crimson Peak (16^th October)
Room (16^th October)
Bone Tomahawk (23^rd October)
Spectre (26^th October)
Spotlight (6^th November)
Carol (20^th November)
Creed (25^th November)
The Big Short (11^th December)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (18^th December)
The Hateful Eight (25^th December)
The Revenant (25^th December)

20^th anniversary (originally released in 2005)

January - June

In May 2005, one massive blockbuster saga ended, as the finale to George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy arrived on screens worldwide. Just a month later, the Batman franchise was brought back from the dead by Christopher Nolan, kicking off what is still heralded as the greatest superhero movie trilogy of all time.

Elektra (14^th January)
Hitch (11^th February)
Constantine (18^th February)
The Pacifier (4^th March)
Robots (11^th March)
Sin City (1^st April)
Sahara (8^th April)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (28^th April)
Crash (6^th May)
Kingdom of Heaven (6^th May)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (19^th May)
Madagascar (27^th May)
Mr and Mrs. Smith (10^th June)
Batman Begins (15^th June)
War of the Worlds (29^th June)

July – December

The second half of 2005 was notable for the number of classic stories that returned to screens. Tim Burton gave Roald Dahl’s most famous book a goth makeover, Peter Jackson brought back the most iconic movie monster of all, and Disney turned C.S Lewis’ beloved bestseller into a blockbuster hit.

However, the most enduring blockbuster on this list might be Wallace & Gromit’s big screen debut. It’s a surprise it took 19 more years for the duo to appear in another feature length effort.

Fantastic Four (8^th July)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (15^th July)
Wedding Crashers (15^th July)
The Devil’s Rejects (22^nd July)
Sky High (29^th July)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (19^th August)
Red Eye (19^th August)
Lord of War (16^th September)
Pride and Prejudice (16^th September)
Wolf Creek (16^th September)
Corpse Bride (23^rd September)
A History of Violence (30^th September)
Serenity (30^th September)
Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (7^th October)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (11^th November)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (18^th November)
Walk the Line (18^th November)
Brokeback Mountain (9^th December)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (9^th December)
King Kong (14^th December)
Munich (23^rd December)
The New World (25^th December)

25^th anniversary (originally released in 2000)

January – June

The most iconic characters to emerge in the first months of the new Millennium couldn’t be further removed from the 21^st Century; Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman was a product of the Yuppie 80s, and Russell Crowe's Maximus took us back to Ancient Rome.

The Boondock Saints (21^st January)
Scream 3 (4^th February)
The Beach (11^th February)
Pitch Black (18^th February)
Erin Brockovich (17^th March)
Final Destination (17^th March)
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (24^th March)
High Fidelity (31^st March)
American Psycho (14^th April)
Kevin and Perry Go Large (21^st April)
Love & Basketball (21^st April)
The Virgin Suicides (21^st April)
Gladiator (5^th May)
Dinosaur (19^th May)
Road Trip (19^th May)
Mission: Impossible 2 (24^th May)
Shanghai Noon (26^th May)
Big Momma’s House (2^nd June)
Gone in 60 Seconds (2^nd June)
Shaft (16^th June)
Chicken Run (23^rd June)
Me, Myself & Irene (23^rd June)
The Patriot (28^th June)

July – December

But I’m a Cheerleader (7^th July)
Scary Movie (7^th July)
X-Men (14^th July)
What Lies Beneath (21^st July)
Coyote Ugly (4^th August)
The Cell (18^th August)
Bring it On (25^th August)
Snatch (1^st September)
Almost Famous (22^nd September)
Billy Elliot (29^th September)
Dancer in the Dark (6^th October)
Meet the Parents (6^th October)
Requiem for a Dream (27^th October)
Charlie’s Angels (3^rd November)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (17^th November)
Unbreakable (22^nd November)
Dude, Where’s My Car? (15^th December)
The Emperor’s New Groove (15^th December)
What Women Want (15^th December)
Cast Away (22^nd December)
Miss Congeniality (22^nd December)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (22^nd December)
Traffic (27^th December)
Shadow of a Vampire (29^th December)

30^th anniversary (originally released in 1995)

January – June

It’s rare for the following year’s two biggest Oscar contenders to be released in the first half of the year before, but that’s what happened in 1995, when Braveheart and Apollo 13 premiered in the early stretches of summer blockbuster season.

Elsewhere, Adam Sandler and Will Smith levelled up to big-screen leading men status, Jim Carrey stole the spotlight from Batman, and the Die Hard threequel became a phenomenon hot on the heels of Pulp Fiction.

Shallow Grave (6^th January)
Before Sunrise (27^th January)
In the Mouth of Madness (3^rd February)
Billy Madison (10^th February)
The Quick and the Dead (10^th February)
Tank Girl (31^st March)
Bad Boys (7^th April)
A Goofy Movie (7^th April)
While You Were Sleeping (21^st April)
Friday (28^th April)
Crimson Tide (12^th May)
The City of Lost Children (17^th May)
Die Hard With A Vengeance (19^th May)
Braveheart (24^th May)
Casper (26^th May)
Johnny Mnemonic (26^th May)
The Bridges of Madison County (2^nd June)
Batman Forever (16^th June)
Pocahontas (23^rd June)
Apollo 13 (30^th June)

July – December

Forget Barbenheimer, as the ultimate movie double bills arrived far earlier, in the second half of 1995. On the same respective release dates, you could go and see nihilistic murder mystery Se7en and camp rollercoaster Showgirls, animated family fun with Toy Story and the ultraviolent Casino, or Jumanji and Heat – the power of the movies!

Clueless (19^th July)
Waterworld (28^th July)
Babe (4^th August)
The Usual Suspects (16^th August)
Mortal Kombat (19^th August)
Desperado (25^th August)
Se7en (22^nd September)
Showgirls (22^nd September)
To Die For (6^th October)
Get Shorty (20^th October)
Mallrats (20^th October)
Leaving Las Vegas (27^th October)
The American President (17^th November)
GoldenEye (17^th November)
Ghost in the Shell (18^th November)
Casino (22^nd November)
Toy Story (22^nd September)
Heat (15^th December)
Jumanji (15^th December)
12 Monkeys (29^th December)

40^th anniversary (originally released in 1985)

January – June

It goes without saying that Back to the Future is the biggest movie of 1985, but in the months before it arrived, there were still plenty of major blockbusters, including the era’s most iconic kids movie (The Goonies) and the most beloved teen movie (The Breakfast Club). On the indie side of things, the Coen Brothers made their directorial debut with Blood Simple, kicking off one of the best filmographies of any living filmmaker(s).

Blood Simple (18^th January)
The Breakfast Club (8^th February)
Witness (8^th February)
Brazil (22^nd February)
Friday the 13^th: A New Beginning (22^nd March)
Desperately Seeking Susan (29^th March)
A View to a Kill (22^nd May)
The Goonies (7^th June)
The Stuff (14^th June)
Cocoon (21^st June)
Return to Oz (21^st June)
St Elmo’s Fire (28^th June)

July – December

Back to the Future (3^rd July)
Red Sonja (3^rd July)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (10^th July)
Day of the Dead (19^th July)
The Black Cauldron (24^th July)
Weird Science (2^nd August)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (9^th August)
Teen Wolf (23^rd August)
After Hours (13^th September)
Commando (4^th October)
Re-Animator (18^th October)
A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy’s Revenge (1^st November)
Rocky IV (27^th November)
Clue (13^th December)
The Color Purple (18^th December)

50^th anniversary (originally released in 1975):

Jaws is the big one, but what else was happening at the movies 50 years ago? Well, it was a particularly noteworthy year for cult cinema, with Monty Python stepping up to the big screen, and Rocky Horror flopping on original release, only to find a fanatical following in the years later.

Elsewhere, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest became the big Oscar darling following its release in November, going on to win Best Picture and Best Actor for Jack Nicholson – his first of three career wins.

The Stepford Wives (12^th February)
Tommy (19^th March)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (3^rd April)
Death Race 2000 (27^th April)
Nashville (11^th June)
Jaws (20^th June)
Rollerball (25^th June)
Picnic at Hanging Rock (8^th August)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (14^th August)
Dog Day Afternoon (21^st September)
Three Days of the Condor (24^th September)
Shivers (10^th October)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (19^th November)
Barry Lyndon (18^th December)

60^th anniversary (originally released in 1965):

1965 was a surprisingly light year in terms of movies which have stood the test of time, with barely a handful we still frequently talk about today. The most noteworthy of these was The Sound Of Music, which unsurprisingly was the biggest hit of the year; adjusted for inflation, it made $721 million in the US alone.

The Sound of Music (2^nd March)
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (6^th August)
Doctor Zhivago (22^nd December)
Thunderball (22^nd December)

70^th anniversary (originally released in 1955):

The biggest story in movies in 1955 was the rise to fame and untimely death of James Dean, who entered the Hollywood A-list in March at just 24 years old for his performance in East of Eden. His most iconic role, Rebel Without a Cause, wouldn’t be released until a month after his shock passing.

East of Eden (9^th March)
Marty (11^th April)
The Seven Year Itch (3^rd June)
Lady and the Tramp (22^nd June)
Night of the Hunter (26^th July)
To Catch a Thief (3^rd August)
Oklahoma! (11^th October)
Rebel Without a Cause (27^th October)
Guys and Dolls (3^rd November)

75^th anniversary (originally released in 1950):

Finally, we’re turning back the clock to 1950, when James Stewart was haunted by a giant bunny, the Oscars awarded gloriously camp backstabbing in Broadway, and the most beloved film noir in Hollywood history debuted to widespread acclaim.