It can take a while for a movie to find its audience. When Jennifer’s Body came out in 2009, audiences expected to see a generic horror film starring up-and-comer Megan Fox, who was helping the Transformers franchise dominate the box office, because that’s what the marketing promised. The final product was anything but generic, being a commentary on how men in powerful positions will take advantage of women. Feeling misled, critics and viewers alike tore the film a new one on review aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes. But the years have been kind to Jennifer’s Body, as people have slowly but surely discovered its strong feminist message.
Jennifer’s Body is far from the only movie to gain cult classic status. Every year, older films that struggled out of the gate are revisited and given a second life, whether it’s through success on streaming or just positive word of mouth. Here are seven movies from 2025 that are destined to be cult classics.
7) Regretting You
Collen Hoover’s work has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons because of the fallout from the issues on the set of It Ends With Us. Unfortunately, another Hoover adaptation, Regretting You, didn’t do the author any favors because it received less-than-stellar reviews upon release. Not even a $90 million box office haul could save it from becoming a laughing stock.
What Regretting You has going for it is its ridiculous plot. Following a teenage girl named Clara who loses her dad and aunt in a car accident, most of the movie’s plot focuses on her grief and love life. However, her mother and uncle also grow closer, leading to some truly bonkers moments.
6) Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
The Five Nights at Freddy’s fanbase is intense, to say the least. The games are some of the most popular in the world, and the people who play them want to make sure they’re done right in live-action. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 gets the job done in some regards, but it’s structurally not a sound movie.
The sequel fails to really bring anything new to the table, making it a bit of a drag. In terms of practical effects, though, it knocks it out of the parks. The animatronics look fantastic and play a role in some genuinely terrifying moments. That could be enough to redeem Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 in the future.
5) Playdate
Comedy is so subjective. What is hilarious to one person might not even garner a chuckle from another. Well, Playdate, a film starring Kevin James and Alan Ritchson, made more people groan than laugh when it was released on Prime Video.
While James is up to his old tricks in Playdate, it’s Ritchson who makes the project worth watching. He embraces the absurdity of a story about two dads taking on a group of mercenaries, going all out at every opportunity. With his star on the rise, the narrative around Playdate may change as the years go by.
4) War of the Worlds
Another stinker to hit Prime Video this year was War of the Worlds, starring Ice Cube as a Department of Homeland Security officer who can only sit by and watch from his computer as the world deals with an alien invasion. The response to the movie was fast and furious, with many calling out its lack of production value and phoned-in performances.
While War of the Worlds seems destined for a life of ending up on “Worst Of” lists, there’s a chance that the world starts to accept it for what it is: a movie so bad it’s good. Moments like Ice Cube’s character reacting to the death of his son by throwing his arms up in the air and moving on don’t just grow on trees.
3) Happy Gilmore 2
Adam Sandler walks to the beat of his own drum. No matter how many bad reviews his movies get, he gets back on his horse and makes another one. But Happy Gilmore 2 is a bit of a special case, as it’s a sequel to one of Sandler’s most beloved movies. That didn’t save it from meeting the same fate as the likes of Hubie Halloween, though.
Happy Gilmore 2 holds itself back by becoming a cameo fest that’s more interested in letting Sandler’s friends have a few lines than telling a good story. However, there are a few genuinely funny moments that will probably hold up in the future.
2) Screamboat
The public domain can be a scary place, as small studios all over the world are always itching to turn family-friendly characters into murderers. That’s what happens to Steamboat Willie in Screamboat, the 2025 horror film from director Steven LaMorte. The movie received mixed reviews upon release, but not many people saw it, as it only grossed a little over $800,000 at the box office.
As younger Disney fans start to grow up and want to see their favorite characters in more mature settings, they might decide to check out Screamboat and discover all of its fun kills. A sequel is already in development, which even paves the way for an exciting double feature down the line.
1) Love Hurts
Ke Huy Quan, best known for playing Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, is making the most of his second chance, winning Oscars and starring in big Disney productions. Sadly, the movie that gave him the biggest platform, Love Hurts, failed to launch. Critics didn’t get behind it, and the box office wasn’t kind, either.
Love Hurts‘ problems lie at the feet of its story, which can’t seem to commit to being a romantic comedy or action thriller. When the fights do break out, though, they’re great, allowing Quan to show off all of his moves. There isn’t a more profound meaning hiding within the movie, but it’s not as bad as it seems.
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