Podcast Summary: The Daily – Sunday Special: The Best Movies of 2025
Host: Gilbert Cruz (with Alyssa Wilkinson, Nicole Sperling)
Date: December 28, 2025
Overview
In this episode of The Daily, Gilbert Cruz is joined by New York Times movie critic Alyssa Wilkinson and film industry reporter Nicole Sperling for a spirited, engaging roundtable. Together, they break down the standout films of 2025, debate the state of movies and the movie business, and offer personal recommendations for films listeners might have missed this year. The show also features a batch of memorable film quotes, sharp industry insights, some playful banter, and a lively movie-themed quiz game to wrap up the last Sunday Special of the year.
Main Themes
- The Resiliency of Movies: Despite industry upheavals and a rocky year for many studios, 2025 was a surprisingly strong year for original, ambitious, and culturally impactful films.
- The Warner Brothers Sale: The pending sale of Warner Brothers to either Netflix or Paramount looms over the industry, impacting the kinds of movies being made and the future of moviegoing.
- Originality & Risk: Several of the year's big critical and commercial hits were original works, not franchises or reboots—a hopeful sign but also a precarious one as consolidation intensifies.
- A Year of Highs…and Lows: Studios found both surprising hits and stunning flops. The team discusses what worked, what didn’t, and what it means for the business and art of film.
- Cultural Impact: The hosts reflect on the way standout movies captured the public imagination, from viral phrases to sold-out screenings and persistent debate.
Discussion Highlights
Is This the Last Year for Movies?
- “No. It better not be. We’ll be out of a job.” – Alyssa Wilkinson (01:22)
- All agree the movie pipeline is still strong, despite consolidation fears.
Deep Dive: The Best Movies of 2025
1. One Battle After Another
- Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
- Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro
- Premise: Multiple generations of revolutionaries hand their battles to the next; loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland (now updated to the present).
- Why It’s Great:
- “Every generation has to fight its own battles and every generation of activists tries to kind of idealistically win and then winds up handing off their battle to the next generation.” – Alyssa (03:26)
- “Beautiful, thrilling, compelling...a film with incredible performances.”
- Box Office: Not a huge profit yet ($70M domestic, $200M worldwide), but expected to have a long life on streaming and awards circuit. (04:27)
- Memorable Line/Meme:
- “A few small beers.” (Benicio Del Toro, 05:59) – phrase became a meme and even used for cinema promotions.
2. Sinners
- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Genre: Original vampire film interwoven with themes of racism and music.
- Stars: Michael B. Jordan (in dual roles)
- Cultural Impact:
- “A genuine cultural phenomenon... How impressive is Ryan Coogler for being able to make the studio do this... very hard to get a studio to let you have this kind of creative control.” – Alyssa (08:35)
- Hit at both box office ($280M US) and critically, sparking debates and public screenings months after release.
- Memorable Moment: “I felt like every bar I went to had Sinners playing on the television in the corner.” – Alyssa (08:43)
Warner Brothers: The Year’s Biggest Entertainment Story
- WB rebounded from a tough 2024 amidst rumors of executive oustings (Pam Abdy, Mike DeLuca).
- A run of massive hits: Minecraft (biggest of the year), Sinners, Weapons, Final Destination reboot, and Superman (not Superman II, but “Superman as well”).
- Uncertainty looms over who will acquire WB (Netflix or Paramount). Nicole expresses concern about further industry consolidation:
- “Consolidation is not good for any industry, and that’s true of Hollywood as well.” (32:48)
Other 2025 Standouts
Superman (James Gunn)
- Stand-alone, character-driven, visually inventive entry in DC universe.
- Critically praised for heart and humor:
- “Several of the best jokes in it are actually visual gags. And I knew where I was all the time when there were fight scenes, which I can’t say for virtually any Marvel movie.” – Alyssa (13:59)
- The inclusion of Crypto the Dog became a fan-favorite element.
Weapons
- Director: Zach Kreger
- Suspenseful, horror-adjacent, original (not based on IP).
- Noted for “impeccable” comic timing mixed with horror.
- “There’s a scene involving a door and some scissors where everybody...the timing is just...it’s perfect.” — Alyssa (20:02)
- Experienced best at a public screening: “They were screaming, which was really the best way to see it” (18:45)
Notable Box Office Flops & the Fall Slump
- October: Worst at the box office in almost 30 years (23:57).
- High profile flops included The Smashing Machine, Tron 3, Springsteen movie, The Running Man, Roofman.
- Conclusion: Harder than ever to get people’s attention; critics/social media can “kill” or rocket a movie’s buzz instantly.
Late-Year Revivals & Musicals
Wicked for Good (Sequel to Wicked)
- Huge, if not as massive as original.
- $300M US box office.
- Marketing benefited from previous film’s success.
- Alyssa: “It is the kind of movie that I think will have legs. People will still be seeing it into the holiday season.” (26:42)
Zootopia 2
- Family favorite, big international hit, with unique screenings (e.g., pets allowed in Chinese theaters!).
- Ongoing demand for quality kids’ movies in theaters:
- “Every time there’s like a halfway passably decent movie for kids in the theaters, it makes a ton of money. And everyone seems really surprised by this.” – Alyssa (29:24)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
- James Cameron’s third Avatar film.
- Massively successful, if still derided by some as lacking a “cultural footprint.”
- Alyssa (not a fan): “They kind of leave me cold. But they are eye-popping. They remain eye-popping. Don't even bother seeing it if you’re not seeing it in 3D.” (30:03)
- Nicole: “James Cameron…keeps doing it. Everyone makes fun of him… and then he wins.” (31:33)
Reflections on Hollywood’s Future
- Originality Paid Off: “If we were just dealing with strictly art, we’d be in such a better place. But instead, the commerce has really taken over... so right now things are not so super in Hollywood.” – Nicole (32:48)
- Consolidation’s Dark Cloud: Mergers and acquisitions could limit the risks that led to 2025’s standout achievements.
Critics’ Hidden Gems & Personal Recommendations
(Timestamps are for the start of this segment: 34:01)
Marty Supreme
- “Like Uncut Gems in that it’s like a two and a half hour panic attack, but in the best way possible.” — Alyssa (34:19)
- Timothée Chalamet stars as a ping pong prodigy; acclaimed performances by Gwyneth Paltrow and Fran Drescher.
It Was Just an Accident
- Director: Jafar Panahi (Palme d’Or-winning Iranian filmmaker).
- Shot guerrilla-style in Iran; “Tremendous film…funny, well done, and has so much to say about who are the evil ones…how you behave in these kinds of situations.” — Nicole (36:13)
The Testament of Ann Lee
- Shaker musical drama, starring Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee, founder of American Shakerism.
- Alyssa: “Probably not for everybody, but it definitely, definitely was for me…beautiful music, beautiful dancing, incredibly committed performance.” (38:45)
Come See Me in the Good Light
- Docu-drama about poet Andrea Gibson’s final months.
- “The most gorgeous, life-affirming, uplifting film you could see about someone battling cancer.” – Nicole (41:02)
- Designed for home viewing; won Audience Award at Sundance.
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
- Plug for “biplane sequence at the end” — thrilling stunt, worth watching even if the rest is “not particularly good.” (43:32)
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- ”I had a few small beers.” – Benicio Del Toro as Sensei Sergio, One Battle After Another (05:59, 55:15)
- “Crypto was responsible for at least 300 million of the box office returns.” – Alyssa, on Superman’s superdog (15:45)
- “If we didn’t have these guys [Cameron & Nolan], would we still have movie theaters?” – Nicole, on blockbuster visionaries (31:46)
- “Consolidation is not good for any industry, and that’s true of Hollywood as well.” – Nicole (32:48)
- “If you know how to make people laugh, you know how to make them scream.” – Alyssa, on director Zach Kreger’s roots in comedy/horror (20:59)
Fun Segment: Gilbert’s Movie Quiz (46:11–55:53)
A movie trivia game covers:
- Translated foreign titles of hit films,
- Companies previously owned by Warner Brothers,
- Audio “cameos” of Gilbert Cruz in scenes from 2025 blockbusters—for the panel to ID the movie, character, and actor replaced.
- Memorable lines revisited in the game, such as “a few small beers.”
- Alyssa wins the “Gilby” trophy—a Golden Gilbert-faced statuette.
Closing Thoughts
The panel ends on a note of resilience and hope for cinema—celebrating a year where original voices and big swings broke through, even as industry clouds gather. Nicole sums up: “Taking risks and being imaginative and original really pays off… But instead, the commerce has really taken over in such a profound way.” – (32:48)
Notable Timestamps
| Section | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Is this the last year for movies? | 01:03–01:40 | | One Battle After Another discussion | 02:25–05:42 | | Sinners & cultural impact | 06:30–09:42 | | 2025 Warner Bros hits & industry discussion | 09:42–13:10 | | Superman (James Gunn) review | 13:10–15:51 | | Weapons & horror’s new heights | 17:10–20:59 | | Fall box office slump & analysis | 23:10–25:03 | | Wicked for Good, Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire and Ash | 25:11–32:43 | | State of the industry/Consolidation worries | 32:43–34:12 | | Critics’ personal recommendations | 34:12–43:19 | | Quiz game & fun moments | 46:11–55:53 |
For Listeners Who Missed It...
This Sunday Special is a smart, funny, and thorough overview of the year in film—covering the hits, the flops, and the fun details movie lovers will relish. The episode is peppered with great banter, choice quotes, and practical insights about where Hollywood stands and where it might be headed as 2026 beckons.