2025 was one of the best years for musical movies in a long, long time. Well over a dozen musical movies played in theaters and on streaming services all year, ranging from traditional song-and-dance shows to esoteric dance numbers, storied adaptations, major documentaries, and traditional biopics. They played in multiple languages, received numerous accolades and box-office successes, and brought audiences to as many tears as they did raise them to their feet in joy.
No matter what type of musical movie you enjoy, there is probably more than one from 2025 that could be up your alley. From the least memorable to the very best, each of these musical movies has something to enjoy and celebrate
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30. Saiyaara
Director: Mohit Suri
Writer: Sankalp Sadanah, Rohan Shankar
Just as she’s preparing to be married, Vaani’s (Aneet Padda) fiancé breaks up with her. She faints, and from then on, struggles with memory loss. She uses a notebook to write down her thoughts, mostly poetic, so she can remember things better.
After a bad boy musician, Krish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday), crashes her interview to be a music journalist, the two keep running into one another until they eventually fall in love. Saiyaara is as melodramatic as it gets, hitting every romantic trope in the book all the way to becoming the highest-grossing Indian romance movie ever. It’s also weighed down by twist after twist after twist.
While sometimes sweet and sometimes entertaining with its musical performances, the movie is also often offensive with some of its stereotypes and assumptions. Neither character is particularly interesting or dynamic, although both newcomer actors have their moments.
Worst of all, though, is that Panday is very bad at pretending to play guitar. His fake chords aren’t even in the same key as the songs he plays, let alone the same key as one another. It’s extra ironic, because there are extras in some scenes who are playing the actual chords to the songs while he fakes his way through haphazardly.
Saiyaara is streaming now on Netflix.
29. Opus
Director: Mark Anthony Green
Writer: Mark Anthony Green
Opus is an unfortunately misguided attempt to call attention to the absurdity of supporting artists who have done heinous things by way of a horror film about a beloved ’90s pop icon staging a surprise comeback. The pop star in question, Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), has an inexplicable grasp on all of the journalists he calls to his remote compound to selectively allow to listen to his newest album.
Despite a flamboyant performance from Malkovich, Moretti has no charisma to speak of, and his mediocre music lacks anything special to warrant his cult of admiration. Like the main character, Ariel (Ayo Edebiri), there is virtually no way that audiences will fall for this strange old man’s tricks.
Opus is streaming now on HBO Max.
28. Snow White
Director: Marc Webb
Writer: Erin Cressida Wilson
Remaking one of the most iconic movies of all time is a tall task. Snow White (2025) certainly struggles to meet the moment. Despite the strong effort from Snow White herself (Rachel Zegler), the movie is held back substantially by an Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) who cannot sing and who provides no menace in the seminal role. The movie is a visual shame, and the added songs add little, but the characterization of Snow White is effective, if not repetitive by Disney live-action remake standards.
Snow White (2025) is streaming now on Disney+.
27. O’Dessa
Director: Geremy Jasper
Writer: Geremy Jasper
O’Dessa is a rock opera loosely based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, wherein O’Dessa Galloway (Sadie Sink) picks up her father’s guitar to become a rambler in a post-apocalyptic nightmare world controlled by an evil corporatist Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett). Plutonovich has been syphoning the world’s plasma to fuel his brainwashing TV variety show. But O’Dessa just may be “The One” to put an end to Plutonovich and save the world with her music.
Along the way, she falls in love with fellow musician Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). The pair is determined not only to survive in this cruel world but to thrive. The plot is simple and the dialogue heavy-handed, but the visuals are wild, and the music is solid. It’s the year’s only musical movie to employ American folk musical tradition, while blending it with a unique spin on rock n’ roll.
O’Dessa is streaming now on Hulu.
26 Latin Blood – The Ballad of Ney Matogrosso
Latin Blood – The Ballad of Ney Matogrosso (Homem com H) is a very standard musical movie biopic about a not-so-standard person. Ney Matogrosso (Jesuíta Barbosa) grew up in a house with an abusive father who chastised him for not seeming manly enough. When Ney leaves the house, his whole life continues to revolve around trying to impress or satisfy his father, even if he doesn’t realize it.
As Ney becomes a transgressive musical sensation, he finally starts to become the person he is meant to be, but not even queerness and music can fill the void in his heart. The movie is laudable for depicting the life of one of the most popular Latin singers of all time, but its strict adherence to a biopic formula does little justice to a figure whose entire life is about breaking down boundaries.
Latin Blood – The Ballad of Ney Matogrosso is streaming now on Netflix.
25. Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical
Director: Brett Sullivan
Writer: Jennifer Lee
The hit 2013 Disney animated musical was transformed into a Broadway hit from 2018 to 2020. It then ran on the West End in London from 2021 through 2024, where a pro shot was recorded and hit Disney+ for the world to watch in 2025.
The stage version of the story is decidedly more adult, with more explicitly violent and sexual lines than the original, in a jarring departure from the purely kids movie everyone has seen. The performances are out of balance with one another, and the songs added to the stage musical feel out of place alongside the iconic original songs, especially the reprises with new lyrics.
The stagecraft, however, is excellent, with stunning visual effects that translate well to the screen. The cinematography is also perfect for the way the musical is staged, relying largely on zooms in and out within a scene rather than cutting to different cameras for close-ups. This way, the full stage is visible most of the time, but it still feels like a dynamic cinematic experience.
Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical is streaming now on Disney+.
24. Kiss of the Spider Woman
Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Bill Condon
Adapted from the Terrence McNally musical adaptation of Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) isn’t entirely successful in translating the stage to the screen. Yet, its cast is stellar on all accounts. Valentín (Diego Luna) and Luis (Tonatiuh) are prisoners of the Argentinian military regime in 1983, the former arrested for political dissent and the latter for homosexuality. To lift their spirits, Luis dictates his favorite film to Valentín, “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
When he tells the story, Jennifer Lopez takes over the screen to show the movie as Luis tells it. It’s a mix of fantasy and survival that feels oddly edited together at times, but is punctuated by sensational dance numbers with each and every song. The political struggle is also deeply felt as the movie weaves its two intertwined narratives together.
Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) is available now on VOD.
23. Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful
Director: Jacob Bixenman, Miley Cyrus, Brendan Walter
Writer: Jacob Bixenman, Miley Cyrus, Brendan Walter
On the precipice of Hannah Montana’s 20th anniversary, Miley Cyrus is staging something expectedly big for 2026. But to start building the hype, the multi-hyphenate released her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, along with a visual album for the project. The album film is made of music videos loosely linked in visual style, rather than something that aims to tell an overarching story.
For fans of the album or the artist, or for those who enjoy visual elements in the background of their music, the Something Beautiful visual album is a satisfying companion to the music, helping illustrate how the artist perceives it.
Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful is streaming now on Disney+.
22. Becoming Led Zeppelin
Director: Bernard MacMahon
Writer: Bernard MacMahon, Allison McGourty
Becoming Led Zeppelin is exactly as advertised: a documentary about how British rock sensation Led Zeppelin came to be. Talking-head interviews, mostly from surviving band members, are intercut with footage of their most iconic 1960s concert performances.
It’s a completely traditional documentary format with little innovation or differentiation in its style until a colorful montage at the end set to “Whole Lotta Love.” But a good documentary doesn’t need bells and whistles or breaking news to be worthwhile. Fans of the band will surely be enthralled, and newcomers will receive a solid history of rock’s emergence as a genre.
Becoming Led Zeppelin is streaming now on Netflix.
21. One to One: John & Yoko
Director: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards
Writer: Clare Keogh
After The Beatles broke up, John Lennon and Yoko Ono have often been depicted quite negatively. Their activism and art, especially Yoko’s, are pilloried for being over-the-top. One to One: John & Yoko attempts to reframe their activism and relationship as not only central to the social progress of the 1970s, but as altogether revolutionary. The documentary uses archival footage from television broadcasts, recorded phone calls, and the One to One concert John and Yoko put on in 1972.
An interesting framing device is used, in which the whole film is told through a television screen, switching back and forth between news clips, concert footage, and random commercials. Framing the couple’s activism within specific news stories about the causes they championed helps make it feel truly effective and insightful—not like much of today’s activism.
However, the lack of editorialization also makes the ultimate documentary’s message unclear. Nonetheless, in a sea of constant content about The Beatles, One to One is an appreciable different perspective.
One to One: John & Yoko is streaming now on HBO Max.
20. Smurfs (2025)
Director: Chris Miller
Writer: Pam Brady
Somewhat under the radar amongst this year’s musical movies was Paramount Animation’s most recent attempt at rebooting the Smurfs film franchise. For this go-round, Rihanna‘s voice and musical talents were put to use in original songs and in the role of Smurfette. Alongside a No Name (James Corden) Smurf and other villagers, an evil plot by their nemesis, Gargamel’s brother, Razamel (both voiced by JP Karliak), must be foiled to save the Smurf Village and their goodness.
While none of the songs stand out, despite the pedigree of their authorship, Smurfs (2025) is a reasonably non-offensive children’s movie. The healthy mix of annoying noises, over-their-head adult jokes, and clever mix of media gives the movie enough to entertain without cloying.
Smurfs (2025) is streaming now on Paramount+.
19. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
Director: Amy Berg
Jeff Buckley’s career and life were both tragically too short. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley reveals the innermost parts of his life through interviews and personal voice messages from the people he loved. His mother, bandmates, friends, and partners all pour their hearts out to talk about Buckley’s musical genius just as much as his kindness and thoughtfulness towards them.
The documentary may fall flat in parts for viewers unfamiliar with Jeff Buckley. Since the film is so dedicated to singing his many praises, it sometimes goes too far and paints him in a light impossible to understand if you didn’t know him yourself, or at least know his music. But amid the heaps of praise and adoration his loved ones shower him with, it’s clear that Buckley was special to many people for many reasons. Their love for him, even thirty years after his death, is unmistakable.
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley is streaming now on HBO Max.
18. Carol & Joy
Director: Nathan Silver
Director Nathan Silver (Between the Temples) spends an afternoon with Carol Kane and her 98-year-old mother, Joy, in their shared apartment, reminiscing on all kinds of things. Most importantly, though, is music. Joy was born to music and was a music teacher and dancer. The simple short film elucidates the power of music as memory and a source of joy shared between generations. The New York City backdrop adds to the musicality of the moment—the city that never sleeps is a constant source of discordant yet harmonious sounds.
Carol & Joy is streaming now on The Criterion Channel.
17. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Director: Jessica Yu
Writer: Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger
Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas are just trying to get home to their respective families in time for Christmas in this surprisingly self-aware holiday comedy. Funny and talented in their own rights, the brothers are bolstered by a slew of other funny actors, including Chloe Bennet, Billie Lourd, Laverne Cox, Andrew Barth Feldman, Randall Park, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and more surprise cameos. The songs are quite good, both cleverly written and well performed.
But most impressively, the fact that the movie is about how the three brothers see themselves in relation to one another. Or, at least, how the popular imagination could easily see them feeling about themselves and their relationship. The boys get stuck in Europe, and thanks to some Santa magic, can’t get home until they agree to spend Christmas together to help mend their melting brotherly relationship.
Each of the Jonas Brothers is perfectly willing to cut themselves down to size in this movie, as well as demonstrate how they worry about how the others feel about them. Whether the movie comes from a genuine place of personal experience or if they just agree to it because it makes for a good movie, it’s impressive and endearing. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is equal parts family holiday fun and a sincere reminder of the reason for the season.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is streaming now on Disney+.
16. Köln 75
Director: Ido Fluk
Writer: Ido Fluk
Vera Brandes (Mala Emde) became a promoter for jazz musicians at 18 years old, partly for the love of the music, partly out of spite toward her oppressive father (Ulrich Tukur). Köln 75 is the story of how she managed to capture what would become the best-selling solo jazz record of all time: Keith Jarrett’s (John Magaro) 1975 Köln concert. Like jazz, the movie is a little all over the place. Some sections fail to land while others soar.
None of the actual Köln concert is heard in the movie. It’s not a story about the concert itself. It’s a movie about how the concert came to be and the person who made it so. Narrated by American journalist Michael Watts (Michael Chernus), the movie is sometimes weighed down by his interjections. It feels like a distraction, since he is more of an incidental part of the story than a main character.
But then there are times where he breaks the fourth wall so completely that it becomes among the most moving parts of the entire movie, begging you to try to understand the impossible notion of jazz in Jarrett’s head—to feel for yourself how music like this can bring you to life.
Köln 75 is available now on VOD.
15. Merrily We Roll Along
Director: Maria Friedman
Writer: George Furth
Merrily We Roll Along (2025) was a stand-out 2024 Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical, directed by Maria Friedman. It won several Tony Awards and became a must-see, instant-classic rendition of the musical about the decade-spanning, crumbling relationship among three best friends (played spectacularly by Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez). Thankfully, the Broadway show was captured in a pro shot and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics for the world to see in perpetuity.
The musical is captured in all its majesty and is the next best substitute for seeing the show live. However, the pro shot is still not the ideal viewing experience. Merrily We Roll Along (2025) is shot more like a movie than a theater production, which would typically use wider shots to simulate the broader and deeper view of the stage one would have in person.
The pro shot uses far too much close-up camerawork. Because the camera is constantly in the face of whoever is speaking or singing most prominently, and then rapidly edited back and forth throughout a scene, viewers can’t see what is happening on the rest of the stage, as they would during a live performance.
Countless acting choices become invisible, especially amongst the secondary characters and chorus, but even among the main cast. Major set-dressing and staging decisions are cut from view entirely. Nevertheless, the musical is sensational, and if you have not seen it live to compare it with, or if you are still getting used to the filming style, the experience remains transformative.
Merrily We Roll Along is playing now in theaters.
14. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Writer: Scott Cooper
While Nebraska is not known for being Bruce Springsteen’s (Jeremy Allen White) most well-loved album, it was one of his most important. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere charts the rocky road to recording and releasing The Boss’s third album, a work of deep emotion and turmoil that had no straightforward path to being pressed.
The movie gets caught up in some of the nitty-gritty, but it shines brightest in Bruce’s relationship with his longtime producer and eternal supporter Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong). Late nights in New York diners, mornings cruising down the shore listening to 95.5 WPLJ, and evenings at the Asbury boardwalk with a girlfriend (Odessa Young) are what Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is really made of. For those attuned to this exact wavelength, the movie is a nostalgic and passionate hit.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is available on VOD.
13. Song Sung Blue
Director: Craig Brewer
Writer: Craig Brewer
Song Sung Blue is the most weepy of the 2025 movie musicals slate. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson play a later-in-life couple who fall in love and bridge their families while trying to make it as a Neil Diamond tribute band. The movie is filled with all of the highs and lows of a soppy musical, gilded with colorful leather and sparkling dresses under disco balls.
It’s impossible not to sing along to the music, just as much as it’s impossible not to get emotional over the tribulations the family endures. Based on a true story and a 2008 documentary of the same name, the beats are predictable and melodramatic, but that doesn’t stop the power of love from breaking through anyway.
Song Sung Blue is playing now in theaters.
12. This Is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer
Sure, there are too many sequels and not enough original movies these days. This Is Spinal Tap was a transformative mockumentary when it arrived in 1984. It was so influential that it pushed forward an entire genre of filmmaking, and it was so excellently crafted that viewers would be remiss if they didn’t know Spinal Tap wasn’t actually a real band.
This Is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues may not capture the same lightning in a bottle as the original, but it remains a thoroughly entertaining example of director and mockumenterian Rob Reiner’s filmmaking prowess. Following the events leading up to a Spinal Tap reunion show 41 years after the original movie, the film strikes a perfect balance between its legacy cast and its newcomers. Plus, the cameos from real legends of rock n’ roll are sensational. This movie may not go all the way up to 11, but it still rocks very loudly.
This Is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is streaming now on HBO Max.
11. Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
Director: Ally Pankiw
Like Lilith Fair itself, the all-female musical festival that toured from 1997–1999, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery is a celebration of women in music and their fans. The doc switches back and forth between modern interviews with its founders, such as Sarah McLachlan and Jewel, the staff who made the shows possible, footage and music from the festival, and newsreels from the period. It captures the energy and excitement of this hugely influential and exhilarating moment in music history, as well as the hard work and strife that it takes to change a culture.
The documentary is punctuated by clips of contemporary female artists, set side by side with fans from the late ’90s, who explain how important Lilith Fair was to them as kids, as artists, as women, and as human beings. It’s harsh and honest about the misogyny of the music industry, then and now, and an uplift of the differences in everything from vibes to labor practices it makes when women are in front of and behind the microphones.
While there is plenty that feels no different today than it did thirty years ago, the documentary is pure inspiration through female and queer joy.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery is streaming now on Hulu.
10. Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M. Chu
Writer: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
The second half of a musical is often a hard act to follow after an exhilarating, triumphant first act. Wicked: For Good certainly has to contend with that age-old challenge. The follow-up to 2024’s Wicked, a movie filled with most of the Stephen Schwartz musical’s most memorable and beloved songs, Wicked: For Good struggles to elongate the emotional impact and cultural phenomenon of its predecessor.
Nonetheless, Wicked: For Good is a triumph of casting, costuming, and set decorating. With two new songs not originally part of the Broadway sensation, the movie is able to maintain a complete and satisfying story arc of its own—even if it feels, in some ways, disconnected from the first act. It’s hard not to get emotional at the conclusion, especially thanks to some subtle character changes over the musical and Gregory Maguire book.
Wicked: For Good is playing now in theaters.
9. Sirât
Director: Oliver Laxe
Writer: Santiago Fillol, Oliver Laxe
Sirât is not a traditional musical movie, in that it isn’t a musical, per se. But the Spanish-language story of a father (Sergi López) searching for his lost daughter among the desert raves of a world quietly coming to an end is powered entirely by loud dance music.
Sirât must be considered for a list of the year’s best musical movies for the way that music plays an integral part in the experience of watching it, let alone how it empowers and motivates its characters. The movie is devastatingly beautiful and tragic at once. The unexpected is constant, and the way that music blasts at you, regardless of the circumstances, makes the near-future setting even more harrowing.
Sirât is currently playing in select theaters.
8. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – The Final Show
Director: Glenn Weiss
Writer: Taylor Swift
Whether you attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour or not, the concert film of her final performance after nearly two years of non-stop touring around the world is a perfect way to experience the show for yourself. The nearly three-and-a-half-hour show is a pure, exhilarating performance. Every costume change, stage turnover, acoustic set, and crowd call-out is there. Often, a concert film is either shot too close up to feel intimate or from a distance to capture the full stage, especially when the stage is as large and intricate as Taylor Swift’s.
Here, constant editing, set to the beat of every song across a massive team of dynamic cameras, allows the audience to experience the full grandeur of every number, its backup dancers and musicians, visual effects, stage elements, and even the crowd. Plus, the audio is a post-production work, mixing the sound to sound pristine for television viewing, rather than relying on pure live audio. It’s the perfect edit to make you feel the excitement and emotion of being at the show.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – The Final Show is streaming now on Disney+.
7. The Ballad of Wallis Island
Director: James Griffiths
Writer: Tom Basden, Tim Key
The Ballad of Wallis Island is exactly the definition of an indie darling. It’s the small story of a man, Charles (Tim Key), who brings his favorite musicians, Herb (Tom Basden) and Nell (Carey Mulligan), back together for a concert on his small island. It’s the first time they’ve seen each other in years, let alone played their old music. Herb is still a touring musician, but Nell has left that world behind, and their reunion is anything but easy.
It’s a slow-burning drama where you know the tension will break spectacularly before it ends. But all the while, lovely folk music punctuates the tension between Charles’s loneliness and Herb and Nell’s past. Pepper in frequent sardonic humor and gorgeous scenery, and you have yourself a darling little film. The scope is narrow, but the emotions are as wide as can be.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is streaming now on Prime Video.
6. The History of Sound
Director: Oliver Hermanus
Writer: Ben Shattuck
Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh O’Connor) meet in a conservatory shortly before WWI. They fall in love, are separated by the war, and come back together for a folk-music collecting trip through Maine. On this journey together, incredible metaphors are woven around the physical nature of sound, how recorded sound can travel across space and time, and the singularity of the moment a sound is heard live. Capturing folk songs before their people are displaced and their traditions die is critical work. So is capturing the finite moments when love spurs before life takes hold and disperses it.
So much of The History of Sound is in its quiet, as well. The moments between sounds are just as important, and the story continues even when Lionel and David are apart. Just as much grows and changes in them during this time as when they are together, making their reunions feel and sound different with the gathered moss of rolling time. Holding onto the past is precious, essential even. Nevertheless, we must live in the moment and savor the things that cannot be captured for posterity while we are still among them.
The History of Sound is streaming now on Mubi.
5. Twelfth Night (2025)
Director: Saheem Ali, Matthew Diamond
Writer: William Shakespeare
One of the single best surprise musical movies of 2025 is Shakespeare in the Park’s performance of Twelfth Night, as captured for PBS’s Great Performances series. With a star-studded cast including Lupita Nyong’o (Violet), Sandra Oh (Olivia), and Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), amongst other fantastic and well-loved performers, The Bard’s comedy is transformed into a modern-set musical experience like you have never seen it before.
People have been adapting Shakespeare for generations, and adding musical elements or using modern settings are certainly not new concepts. Romeo and Juliet enjoyed a similarly spectacular rendition on Broadway in 2025 (although it was not recorded for the public). Results often vary, but for this go-around of Twelfth Night, everything about it works spectacularly.
The incredible musician Moses Sumney plays Feste, a bard-like character who brings a unique, fully orchestrated and live musical accompaniment to many of his monologues. It’s rendered to the point where you simply cannot imagine the character performing any other way but with a guitar and a microphone in hand. Gigantic letters spelling the show’s alternate name, “What You Will,” surround the stage but also become part of it.
It’s a perfect introduction to Twelfth Night for those unfamiliar, and to Shakespeare altogether, thanks to stand-out performances. The actors’ physicalities make every line crystal clear, despite the language, while drawing out huge laughs at every turn. It is, quite simply, a can’t-miss Shakespearean event.
Great Performances’ Twelfth Night is streaming now through January 1st for free on PBS.org, and with PBS Passport thereafter.
4. Blue Moon
Director: Richard Linklater
Writer: Robert Kaplow
One of the year’s surprise breakouts, Blue Moon (2025) tells the story of Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke), former musical partner of Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), on the night that Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney) changed Broadway forever with their musical Oklahoma!. Set entirely in a bar as Hart rambles at his fellow patrons and into the universe about every philosophical thought that comes to mind, the play-like film is a better facsimile of the stage than any of the year’s musical movies based on actual plays.
Hawke’s performance is showstopping, with a foreboding, tragic underpinning to his every word. He’s always staged to appear small compared to his contemporaries, reflecting the personal and universal diminishment he’s suffered losing his partnership with Rodgers. His humiliating rejection at the hands of a poignantly cast Margaret Qualley only deepens the wallowing.
Blue Moon is available now on VOD.
3. KPop Demon Hunters
Director: Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
Writer: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Chris Applehands, Maggie Kang
KPop Demon Hunters is, without a doubt, the surprise musical movie sensation of the year. It has become ubiquitous, especially among young viewers, helping further popularize the already wildly popular world of K-pop in North America. It was such a smash success that, in a rare move for Netflix, its distributor, the movie was re-released in theaters multiple times with sing-along editions to boost its profitability and visibility.
It’s also just an exceptional movie. The music is unbelievably catchy, the characters are unforgettable, with somebody for everyone to see themselves in and love, and the animation from Sony Animation is spectacular. The visual style is also unique, especially at a time when so much American-made kids’ animation has become highly uniform.
Kpop Demon Hunters is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.
2. The Testament of Ann Lee
Director: Mona Fastvold
Writer: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
The Testament of Ann Lee is nothing short of breathtaking. Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) turns to a religious movement she will eventually lead, the Shakers, to escape the traumas of her past and build a new, vibrant life of worship and communion with the earth and fellow man.
The choreography in this movie is unparalleled. Sharp, synchronized movements create a feast for the eyes while delivering every kind of emotion imaginable. The movie is unlike any other, made even better by its complete lack of judgment, even as it clearly depicts the Shakers as a sometimes concerning cult-like movement.
The Testament of Ann Lee is playing now in theaters.
1. Sinners
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer: Ryan Coolger
Sinners is more than just the best musical movie of 2025; it’s one of the year’s very best movies altogether. It mixes so many elements never combined before: a vampire horror story, a movie about race and class in the early 20th century, and blues music. Each element is spectacular in its own right, but together Sinners is truly one of a kind and a once-in-a-generation triumph.
There are a number of spectacular musical scenes, each transporting audiences across space and time to connect deeply with the roots of what makes music transformative. And yet each number also stands on its own as simply excellent musicality. Music itself is used to explore themes of race and class and to heighten the movie’s horror elements to near-perfection.
Sinners is streaming now on HBO Max.
With so many kinds of musical movies to choose from, 2025 doesn’t just have something for everyone, it has options within each something. Let us know your favorite musical movies of 2025!
