I’m a cinema-obsessive with a goal every year to see as many movies as possible on the big screen. In short, that means I visit my local movie theater so often that I’m on first-name terms with many of the staff members. So far in 2025, I’ve seen more than 70 movies in my local theatres, ranging from the biggest tentpole blockbusters to smaller independent releases.
I’ve already covered my best and worst of 2025 (so far), but now I want to shift my attention to the movies released over the past 10 months that fell under the radar. The flicks on this list are all excellent watches, but when they landed in theaters, they didn’t quite get their moment in the spotlight. Some were only given a limited theatrical release, while others were the victims of poor release timing and were overshadowed by “bigger” movies.
These overlooked 2025 movies range from a throwback crime thriller to a melancholic comedy-drama, and one of them is the funniest movie I’ve seen all year long (and it's not "The Naked Gun"). So, let's dive into my picks. These are the best movies I’ve seen in theatres this year that you (probably) missed.
‘Caught Stealing’
Director Darren Aronosky is on quite a hot streak, following up 2022’s Oscar-winning “The Whale” with “Caught Stealing,” a crime thriller that feels ripped straight out of the early 2000s in the best way possible. It’s got a little bit of everything from gripping tension to dark humor, and for animal lovers, there’s an adorable feline at the center of the criminal madness. It’s also packing a stacked cast, including Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio. No spoilers, but I particularly loved how the ending pays off in a big way.
Butler plays Henry “Hank” Thompson, a former rising baseball star whose promising career was ruined by a horrific injury sustained in a car crash. Now working as a bartender in ‘90s New York, Hank finds himself in the middle of a perilous situation when his punk rock neighbor (Smith) asks him to pet-sit, which eventually spirals into having half of the city’s mobsters on his tail. “Caught Stealing” is a riotously entertaining and slickly produced thriller.
Buy or rent "Caught Stealing" on Amazon now
‘Friendship’
I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much in a theater as I did when watching “Friendship.” I was cracking up so often (and so loudly) that some people around me started giving me funny looks. This Tim Robinson vehicle will appeal to anybody with a fondness for his popular Netflix show “I Think You Should Leave” as it trades in the same brand of social awkwardness and extreme cringe humor. Yes, it can be very uncomfortable at times, but that's all part of its charm, and it left my jaw aching from laughing so much.
Craig Waterman (Robinson) is a timid marketing executive with a less-than-stellar home life and very few friends to his name. When he meets his new neighbor, Austin (Paul Rudd), a local TV weatherman with a manly mustache and the confidence Craig lacks, they strike up a surprising friendship. But as Craig’s neuroses surface, and his obsession with earning Austin's approval deepens, things become increasingly uncomfortable. Some viewers might find the cringe levels too much to bear, but if you have the tolerance, “Friendship” is a complete hoot.
Watch "Friendship" on HBO Max now
‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’
![THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 28 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HTi-e20yVNs/maxresdefault.jpg)
I pretty much never cry at movies (my cold heart is practically impenetrable), and while that’s not changed in 2025 (yet), watching “The Ballad of Wallis Island” is the closest I’ve come to shedding a tear this year. And it wasn’t because this movie is devastatingly morose, but instead, it’s a comedy-drama thick with melancholy and wistful reflections on the past. It also packs one of my favorite comedic performances of the year from British comedian Tim Key.
It sees Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan play estranged members of a folk music act, McGwyer Mortimer, who are reunited by an oddball superfan (Key) to play a one-off gig on the remote Wallis Island. While on the island and preparing for the very intimate concert, they get to reminiscing, but eventually the reason for the band's breakup becomes clear. “The Ballad of Wallis Island” is joyful and tender but with just the right amount of sadness. It’s liable to get you reflecting on your own past and romantic relationships.
Watch "The Ballad of Wallis Island" on Prime Video now
‘Drop’
If Alfred Hitchcock were still with us and making movies in the 21st century, I’m pretty sure they’d look almost exactly like “Drop.” Which is about the biggest compliment I could possibly give a modern-day mystery thriller. Crackling with suspense, it slowly ratchets up the tension until reaching an explosive conclusion that will have you gripping your sofa in excitement. Like the best Hitchcock works, it has a core premise that is plenty intriguing out of the gate, and it smartly builds on its basic setup with several neat twists.
Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy) is taking the leap back into the dating pool following the death of her abusive husband. After speaking to the uber charming Henry (Brandon Sklenar) via a dating app, they agree to meet at a swanky Chicago restaurant at the top of a skyscraper. Things are going pretty well for a first date, until Violet receives a mysterious text message instructing her to murder Henry, or her young son and sister will be killed.
Watch "Drop" on Peacock now
‘Restless’
There’s nothing worse than an annoying neighbor, and British thriller “Restless” takes that relatable experience to nightmare extremes. In this movie, a care worker, Nicky (Lyndsey Marshal), must deal with a new arrival on her street, Deano (Aston McAuley), who unleashes a wave of disruption and chaos on her simple life. It’s a movie that will have you balling up your fists in sheer anger on behalf of its protagonist. Nicky faces sleepless nights and constant intimidation from her aggressive and mean-spirited next-door neighbor, and I felt her irritation, anger and anxiety every step of the way.
“Restless” succeeds largely thanks to the strength of its two central performances, Marshal is so easy to root for as Nicky, and McAuley is utterly loathsome as Deano (which is very much the point). This movie actually could have made its way into my top five favorite movies of 2025 if it weren’t for an ending that doesn’t tonally sync up. But even if the final few minutes didn’t quite work for me, the rest of the flick is a tension spiral into madness.
Watch "Restless" on Prime Video now
'The Long Walk'
I debated whether “The Long Walk” deserved a spot on this list. Not because of its quality, but rather because, as an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, it has inherent name recognition. However, its box office takings were fairly middling, and it’s a rare movie I’ve actually seen in theatres twice this year, so I’m eager to take the chance to sing its praises yet again. Its bleak dystopian vision of the future can be unrelenting, but it’s a gripping story of survival and the value of the connections we make along the difficult paths we walk.
Based on King’s 1979 novel (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman), “The Long Walk” centers on the eponymous contest, which sees 50 young boys compete to be the last one standing in a battle of endurance. Their task is to walk until only one of them remains, but if a contestant falls below the set speed limit, they are executed on the spot. Starring Cooper Hoffman and an electric David Jonsson, it’s brutal but utterly brilliant.
Buy or rent "The Long Walk" on Amazon from October 21
‘The Surfer’
Nicolas Cage is one of the most interesting actors in Hollywood. Once the subject of mockery following a string of budget flops, he’s spent the last decade taking on unique roles that allow him to really showcase his talents, and “The Surfer” is another wonderfully warped vehicle for Cage to let loose. It’s an anxiety-inducing spiral into madness focused on one man having a very, very bad day. Packed with psychological surrealism, it’s a twisted trip you won’t soon forget, and Cage gives one of his best-ever performances.
Cage plays an unnamed man with grand plans to buy a swanky beachfront house. When he attempts to show his son (Finn Little) the property and enjoy a spot of surfing, the locals refuse to let them catch some waves. Humiliated, the man refuses to go quietly and starts a conflict that rapidly escalates to the point it might ruin his entire life. “The Surfer” can be pretty brutal, as its protagonist takes a lot of punches (both real and metaphorical), but as the situation descends further, you’ll be drawn into the delicious chaos.
Watch "The Surfer" on Hulu now
More from Tom's Guide
- The 5 best and 5 worst movies I've seen in theatres this year
- 5 best Halloween movies to stream on Prime Video
- 10 greatest movies of the past decade, ranked
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