(This article first appeared in the January print edition of the Hendersonian.)
Depending on who you ask, 2025 was financially disappointing for studios from a domestic standpoint. The box office broke even with 2024 despite having 11 fewer releases, which is still well below pre-COVID numbers. While theaters may not be panicking just yet, the marketplace is figuring out what a younger audience (Gen Z was the largest movie-going group in 2025) wants to see. Further complicating matters is the impending sale of Warner Bros. to Netflix; release windows and the number of films finding their way into theaters will most likely decline. Why am I telling you this, you may ask? Simply, January is typically a lackluster month for releases (although there have been some breakout hits of late to start the year), so many of the doomsayers will beat up on any sort of lackluster performance traditionally associated with this time of year. Here are a few movies that hope to prove the release cycle wrong in January, so make sure you double-check the up-to-the-minute listings at your favorite Showplace Cinemas and AMC Theaters location.
Primate (Jan. 9) – What could possibly go wrong when a family brings their chimpanzee with them on an island vacation? In this case, everything! Co-writer/director Johannes Roberts (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, 47 Meters Down) brings his horror sensibilities to this monkeys-gone-wrong subgenre in hopes of finding an audience that doesn’t want to see the Oscar holdovers or Avatar: Fire and Ash once again.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Jan. 16) – Director Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) picks up where Danny Boyle and the rest of the “Later” films left off, focusing on young Spike’s (Alfie Williams) induction to The Jimmies (led by Sinner’s Jack O’Connell) on the mainland, and Dr. Kelson’s (Ralph Fiennes) discovery that could end the Rage virus. Based on several preview screenings, this may indeed be the breakout hit of the new year.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Jan. 16)/The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Jan. 17)/The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Jan. 18) – If you haven’t experienced this series in the theater, now’s your chance! These are the Extended Editions with a total running time of 11 hours and 26 minutes, so don’t go too heavy on the soda, please!
Mercy (Jan. 23) – In a future where AI sentences the guilty, a detective (Chris Pratt) must prove his innocence to AI Judge Mercy (Rebecca Ferguson) in 90 minutes, or he will be convicted of murdering his wife. Veteran action director Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) helms this Minority Report-esque feature.
Shelter (Jan. 30) – Another year, another Jason Statham action movie! He once again plays a recluse who is drawn back into his old clandestine military life after vowing never to return for the good of saving an innocent person. Let’s face it; you don’t go to see a Jason Statham movie for the plot. With The Beekeeper and The Working Man following the same formula, here’s hoping that Statham and veteran action director Ric Roman Waugh (who also directed this month’s Greenland 2: Migration) continue with this new momentum for the beloved action star.
Send Help (Jan. 30) – Legendary horror director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead Series) returns to the genre for the first time since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell (which is still one of the best PG-13 horror movies ever). In this thriller, two work colleagues (Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien) are the only survivors of a plane crash and must put aside their past rivalry to survive. Dennis Haysbert (Major League, 24, the Allstate commercials) and the one and only Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead Series) co-star.
The Moment (Jan. 30) – A24 and Charli XCX are trying to make winter brat now, too. In this mockumentary drama, a rising pop star navigates the trials and tribulations of headlining her first arena tour. Adian Zamiri, who collaborated with Charli XCX on two recent music videos, makes his feature directorial debut. Alexander Skarsgård (Godzilla vs. Kong, The Northman), Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby, Bodies Bodies Bodies), supermodel Kylie Jenner and Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction, After Hours) co-star.
Henderson resident Dr. McManus Woodend is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media at the University of Southern Indiana and has worked in film, television and commercials for more than 20 years. To see some of his work, visit www.mcmanuswoodend.com.
