2025 is set to be yet another fascinating year for the blockbuster business. Before it begins in earnest, let’s look at five major Hollywood studios and predict their year ahead.

Disney

Biggest question: Who will win the CEO succession battle? Bob Iger is once again the CEO of the Walt Disney Company after returning to the company back in 2022 following a power struggle with his successor, Bob Chapek. Iger has stated his intention to step down as CEO again in 2026. It’s unclear who will lead Disney next — though theme parks and experiences chief Josh D’Amaro and entertainment co-heads Dana Walden and Alan Bergman are seen as frontrunners.

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Most important release: “Elio” is a vital box-office test in a Disney slate once again dominated by sequels and remakes. Pixar originals have been all over the place at the box office, and “Elio” itself was previously delayed. “Elio” needs to convince Disney to invest in new animated properties — otherwise, it will only confirm the instincts that have greenlit a myriad of sequels. 

Major prediction: “Star Wars” will have a good year. The only live-action series confirmed to return this year is the excellent “Andor,” which should have a successful second and final season. Beyond that, 2025 should be filled with promising announcements for future releases, especially a long-awaited update on the 2026 film “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

Paramount

Biggest question: What’s life going to be like after the Skydance purchase? The industry’s most notable transaction of last year, which is anticipated to close soon, promises to change the structure and strategy of a major Hollywood studio. The only question is how — and the answer should come sometime this year.

Most important release: “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” seems to be the end of a lucrative and long-running franchise for Tom Cruise as well as the launch of a jam-packed summer for action flicks. How this film performs will be a huge indicator of what the next few months — for both Paramount and the industry at large — will look like.

Major prediction: “The Smurfs Movie” will bomb. Sandwiched next to two superhero blockbusters and surrounded by other kiddie fare throughout the summer — “Elio,” Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon” remake and “The Bad Guys 2” from DreamWorks — a series that has never been a box-office powerhouse will fail to stick the landing on a reboot.

Sony

Biggest question: Is the future bright for Spider-Man after all? I explored this issue in a previous column installment, but the possible closure of a disastrous villain-based Spider-Man universe coincides with the ongoing development of sequels to “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023). Positive updates on those projects this year are sorely needed for Sony’s most profitable franchise. Spider-Man projects compose half of Sony’s top 20 box office earners all-time — it is essential that those receipts keep coming in.  

Most important release: “Karate Kid: Legends” is Sony’s latest attempt to breathe life into a tired franchise, just like “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (2021), “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017) and “Charlie’s Angels” (2019), to name a few. With the confirmed return of Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, Sony can only hope to finally have a “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) moment of their own.

Major prediction: Another “Bad Boys” movie will be greenlit before the year ends. Will Smith’s attempted reintroduction to Hollywood has sputtered a bit, but the $400 million “Bad Boys: Ride Or Die” (2024) raked in at the box office last summer shows the franchise is a success that Sony could easily delve back into.

Universal

Biggest question: What exactly is “SpinCo” going to look like? NBCUniversal’s announcement that they’d spin off television networks like CNBC, MSNBC and Golf Channel into their own entity could have huge implications for Universal’s big-picture strategy — and could potentially start a trend for other major studios, especially the new-look Paramount.

Most important release: “How to Train Your Dragon” is a risky endeavor. It’s a live-action remake of a very young animated franchise, bringing back its original director to reboot the saga in the middle of a loaded release window, competing with more “traditional” action fare like “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” and the Marvel Studios film “Thunderbolts*.” 

Major prediction: The new songs in “Wicked: For Good” will be panned by audiences. New songs in movie musicals generally pale compared to their original counterparts, and under the bright lights of a holiday blockbuster, fans will yawn past any new tracks.

Warner Bros.

Biggest question: In the fight between originals and franchises, who will win? Warner Bros. Discovery, since its merger three years ago, has shifted its movie business back and forth between intellectual property-driven blockbusters and new fare to mixed results. With a pivotal, original-filled 2025 slate ahead, this year’s results could be telling for the studio’s future.

Most important release: “Superman” is probably the most important blockbuster coming out of Hollywood this year, at least from a business perspective. This movie will kick off a complete relaunch of DC and is supposed to anchor the summer for Warner Bros. If it fails, the fate of Marvel Studios’ only serious rival — and a crown jewel property for Warner Bros. — could only get darker.

Major prediction: The first “Harry Potter” trailer will be released to poor reception. A relaunch of the beloved “Harry Potter” series as an HBO original show is supposed to be released in 2026, and despite a love for the franchise, I’ve heard next to no buzz about it. Fan reactions will be unfavorable next to the Daniel Radcliffe-led saga. 

Sammy Bovitz is a sophomore writing about the business of film. His column, “Boardrooms & Blockbusters,” runs every other Friday. He is also the magazine editor at the Daily Trojan.