Here Are the Top 15 Most-Popular Movies on IMDb This Week, Including ‘One Battle After Another’

It’s a big week for new releases, franchise revivals, and festival breakouts—spanning superhero reboots, anime juggernauts, true-life sports dramas, and a couple of surprise left-field swings. Below, you’ll find what each title is actually about, who’s in it, and who made it—so you can decide what to watch next without wading through hype.

We pulled together concise plot hooks plus the essential cast, crew, production, and release details for every title on the list. We’ve included concrete information on studios, distributors, runtimes, and where or when each film landed, so you can see how these projects came together behind the scenes.

‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ (2025)

A chance encounter sends two strangers on a magical-realist trip that opens doorways—literal and figurative—into their pasts, as they retrace pivotal moments and confront choices that shaped their lives. The film uses a road-movie structure to move through memory spaces before closing on the present.

Directed by Kogonada from a screenplay by Seth Reiss, the film stars Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell with Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Sony released the U.S. theatrical run in September following an initial rollout in the Philippines; Benjamin Loeb shot the feature and Joe Hisaishi composed.

‘Primitive War’ (2025)

Set in Vietnam in 1968, a recon unit dubbed Vulture Squad is sent to locate missing Green Berets and instead encounters de-extinct dinosaurs in a remote valley, with Soviet activity and a rogue science project complicating the mission. The plot mixes jungle warfare with creature attacks and a race to stop further incursions.

Luke Sparke directs and co-writes (with author Ethan Pettus) the adaptation of Pettus’s novel, starring Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, and Jeremy Piven. Produced by Sparke Films and distributed in select territories via Rialto and Fathom, the release followed trailers and festival previews; Frederik Wiedmann composed the score.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’ (2025)

Based on Richard Osman’s bestseller, the film follows four friends in a retirement community who meet weekly to dissect cold cases—until they stumble into an active investigation that forces them to apply their skills in real time. Mischief and clue-chasing unfold across stately homes and village haunts.

Directed by Chris Columbus from a screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote, the ensemble includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. Produced by Amblin and released by Netflix, the film runs 118 minutes with Thomas Newman composing and Don Burgess as cinematographer.

‘Mantis’ (2025)

This Korean action thriller unfolds inside a clandestine guild of contract killers whose internal rules collapse, triggering turf grabs and betrayals among assassins; the story focuses on a veteran hitman crossing paths with a former trainee and a legendary retiree.

Co-written and directed by Lee Tae-sung, and co-written by Byun Sung-hyun, the Netflix feature stars Im Si-wan, Park Gyu-young, and Jo Woo-jin. Produced by See At Film and streaming globally from September 26, it’s a spin-off in the shared universe of ‘Kill Boksoon’.

‘Him’ (2025)

A rising football prospect accepts training inside the secluded compound of an aging superstar quarterback, where mentorship curdles into manipulation and occult-tinged rituals; the plot tracks the athlete’s gradual entrapment and the escalating dangers surrounding his career.

Directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Monkeypaw Productions, the film stars Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans with Julia Fox and Tim Heidecker. Universal handled the September release; Kira Kelly served as cinematographer with Bobby Krlic composing.

‘All of You’ (2024)

Set in a near-future where technology exposes unspoken feelings, two long-time friends navigate whether to act on a connection they’ve never articulated, putting careers and existing relationships under pressure. The story uses speculative ideas to frame an intimate romance.

Written and directed by William Bridges (co-written with Brett Goldstein), the film stars Goldstein and Imogen Poots with Zawe Ashton and Jenna Coleman in support. Produced by Republic Pictures/MRC/Ryder Picture Company and released by Apple TV+, it runs 98 minutes and premiered at Toronto before its platform rollout.

‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ (2025)

The latest case file puts Ed and Lorraine Warren on a high-profile haunting investigation, drawing on the Smurl case as the film’s basis and escalating into demonic confrontations tied to family history. The plot threads séance work, exorcism attempts, and investigative dead-ends into a climactic house-bound battle.

Directed by Michael Chaves and produced by James Wan and Peter Safran, the film stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson alongside Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy. New Line/Warner Bros. released it in early September; Benjamin Wallfisch composed, Eli Born shot, and Gregory Plotkin/Elliot Greenberg edited. It has become one of the series’ top global earners.

‘The Smashing Machine’ (2025)

This biopic follows MMA legend Mark Kerr through his ascendance in the late-1990s fighting world and his struggles with pain management and addiction, tracing the toll of early no-holds-barred competition on body and psyche. The narrative draws from the 2002 documentary of the same name, dramatizing key bouts and personal relationships.

Written and directed by Benny Safdie, the film stars Dwayne Johnson as Kerr and premiered theatrically in October under A24, with broader on-demand availability to follow. Festival reactions and coverage have highlighted Johnson’s physical transformation and the production’s commitment to ring authenticity.

‘28 Years Later’ (2025)

Set years after the original outbreak, the new chapter tracks survivors and new protagonists confronting the Rage virus’s legacy beyond isolated refuges, with the story expanding the world’s scope and moral quandaries. The film continues the franchise’s blend of survival horror and societal collapse.

Danny Boyle returns to direct from Alex Garland’s screenplay, with Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, and Ralph Fiennes leading. A Columbia/DNA/Decibel production released by Sony in June, it reunites Boyle with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and editor Jon Harris; Young Fathers provide the score.

‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle’ (2025)

The ‘Infinity Castle’ arc brings Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps into Muzan’s labyrinth, escalating the series’ running conflicts into large-scale confrontations across shifting rooms and vertical battle spaces. The film adapts late-manga material with extended set-pieces and ensemble match-ups across the Corps.

Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Ufotable, the feature stars Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kitō, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Hiro Shimono, Takahiro Sakurai, and Akira Ishida. Distributed by Aniplex/Toho in Japan and internationally via Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures Releasing, it became one of the year’s top-grossing films worldwide.

‘The Long Walk’ (2025)

Adapted from the Richard Bachman/Stephen King novel, this dystopian thriller follows fifty boys forced into a televised endurance “walk,” where stopping means elimination and the last one standing earns a coveted prize. The film situates the ordeal in a 1970s setting, heightening the reality-TV spectacle and societal complicity around it.

Francis Lawrence directs and produces, with a cast featuring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, and Joshua Odjick. Lionsgate released the 108-minute feature; Jo Willems served as cinematographer, with Mark Yoshikawa editing and Jeremiah Fraites composing.

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (2025)

Set in a retro-futurist 1960s on an alternate-universe Earth, the story follows Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm as they defend their world against the cosmic threat of Galactus, with the Future Foundation and period-science optimism baked into the worldbuilding. The script sidesteps an origin retread, dropping viewers into an established, celebrated team.

Directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, the film stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Disney, it premiered in July; Jess Hall handled cinematography and Michael Giacchino composed the score.

‘Weapons’ (2025)

Zach Cregger’s mystery-horror centers on a small community after a classroom of children vanish at the exact same time, propelling a multi-thread story that gradually links disappearances, witnesses, and local authorities. The setup leans into dread and puzzle-box structure rather than creature-feature shocks.

Written and directed by Cregger, the ensemble includes Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, and others. New Line/Warner Bros. released the film with Larkin Seiple shooting and Joe Murphy editing; Cregger also shares music credit with Ryan and Hays Holladay.

‘Superman’ (2025)

James Gunn’s reboot positions Clark Kent in a world where his intervention in an international crisis sparks political blowback engineered by Lex Luthor; the plot tracks Superman’s struggle to restore trust while balancing newsroom life in Metropolis with alliances among other heroes. The film draws inspiration from the ‘All-Star Superman’ comics, weaving in Krypto and a wider DC roster.

David Corenswet leads as Clark Kent/-Superman with Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. Produced by DC Studios and released by Warner Bros. in July, it runs 129 minutes; principal photography spanned Svalbard and Trilith Studios in Georgia, with Henry Braham as cinematographer and music by John Murphy and David Fleming.

‘One Battle After Another’ (2025)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s thriller follows a former revolutionary who must rescue his daughter from a corrupt strongman, with the story taking cues from Thomas Pynchon and unfolding as a high-stakes chase across deserts and cityscapes. The narrative centers on power, surveillance, and personal reckoning, anchored by leads who collide across intersecting investigations.

Written and directed by Anderson, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. Warner Bros. released it in late September after a Los Angeles premiere; it was projected in formats ranging from IMAX 70mm to VistaVision, with Jonny Greenwood composing and Andy Jurgensen editing.

Share which of these you’re planning to watch—and why—in the comments!