Year In Film: A ‘Golden Year’ With Animation, Music Elevating This Year’s Biggest Movies

The movie business may not be booming like it was pre-COVID, but not all is doom and gloom for the industry. This year’s box office figures are projected to surpass 2024’s totals, and while there are myriad factors contributing to that growth — from studios funding the right projects to films affected by the writers’ strike finally being released — some of the movies that have generated the most buzz this year share a common denominator: the music in the film rocks.

Music has stolen movie trade headlines for much of 2025, including a little animated flick that could in Kpop Demon Hunters, which became a surprise streaming hit on Netflix in August, as well as a cultural phenomenon with chart-topping songs like “Golden” and “Soda Pop.” It is the first film soundtrack to have four songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and the film’s music received five Grammy nominations, proving that box office figures aren’t the only measure of success.

The triumphs of the movie (evident from the many young girls who dressed up as Kpop Demon Hunter’s main protagonist, Rumi, for Halloween) further the notion that K-pop and anime culture are major driving forces in entertainment. It could lead to success in the form of concert ticket sales and other business, something WME hopes to build on after signing with the breakout artist who provided Rumi’s signing vocals, EJAE.

In addition to Kpop Demon Hunters, Netflix scored big with its controversial documentary, Sean Combs: The Reckoning,  which details the fall of the rap music mogul. The Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson-produced four-part series garnered 21.8 million viewers in its first week and has generated much discussion.

Another film shattering records with a little help from the music industry is The Wizard of Oz, which has experienced a resurgence thanks to Sphere in Las Vegas, as well as the film Wicked: For Good, which grossed $223 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Sphere’s immersive reimagining of the 1939 classic film sold more than 1 million tickets through October, boosting the company’s third-quarter revenues. That success allowed Sphere Entertainment to go beyond its round walls and release a soundtrack to the popular film, which includes orchestral scores rerecorded specifically for the venue and a never-before-heard a cappella version of Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow.”

Filmgoers can’t get enough of enhanced experiences, and it’s a big reason why IMAX, a premium format in movie theaters boasting a larger screen along with better picture and sound quality, recently reported record Q3 revenue. CEO Richard Gelfond credits the company’s success to its expanded offerings, including music flicks like Becoming Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII. IMAX screens also carried the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, chronicling Bruce Springsteen’s life during the conception of his 1982 album, Nebraska. Though the film wasn’t a box-office hit, it will likely find a larger audience when it hits streaming.

Taylor Swift returned to silver screens with The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, a film that coincided with the release of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. It grossed $50 million at the box office, a remarkable feat considering it was a promotional movie that only gave fans insight into her new music.

This trend and momentum are poised to carry on in 2026 with concert films like Eric Church: Evangeline vs. The Machine Comes Alive in IMAX, the Michael Jackson biopic starring the pop icon’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, and Billie Eilish’s 3D concert film co-directed by James Cameron, the king of the format.

Movie theaters may soon need to stock up on vinyls and band merch to go along with their popcorn and Red Vines.