This Is The Most Anticipated Film Of 2025 And It's Not Rajnikanth's 'Coolie' Or Hrithik's 'War 2'
This film, with female leading roles, has topped IMDb's list of most anticipated Indian films with 20.8% votes, surpassing Rajinikanth's Coolie and Hrithik Roshan's War 2
With half the year gone, 2025 has already seen some fierce cinematic competition brewing, and not just at the box office. On IMDb's list of most anticipated Indian films of the year, it's not a Rajinikanth or Hrithik Roshan starrer that leads the charge, but an underdog titled Junior, which has unexpectedly surged ahead to claim the top spot.
Despite the massive buzz around War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, and Rajinikanth's high-octane Tamil actioner Coolie, Junior has emerged as the film audiences are most eager to watch, according to IMDb's trending data.
Directed by Radhakrishna Reddy, Junior stars Kiriti Reddy, Sreeleela, and Genelia D'Souza in lead roles. What's particularly drawing attention is the casting of Genelia, who is playing a central role in the film despite being a mother of three, a rare choice in an industry where actresses often face limiting age stereotypes.
Sreeleela, fresh off her success with Pushpa 2, also headlines the cast. The 24-year-old actress, known for her dynamic screen presence, recently adopted three children, further fuelling public interest in the project.
With a commanding 20.8% share of audience votes on IMDb, Junior has left major star vehicles trailing behind in the digital popularity contest.
Rajinikanth's Coolie, a big-ticket Tamil action thriller, stands at number two with 12.9% of votes. The film is expected to clash directly at the box office with War 2, which currently ranks seventh on IMDb's list with 7.7% of votes. Despite its lower position, War 2 is likely to climb as its release nears, especially given the star power and its link to the popular YRF spy universe.
Between Coolie and War 2 in the rankings are several unexpected contenders, including Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan, starring Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor, Saiyaara, and Kingdom, all of which are attracting solid pre-release curiosity.
IMDb's Top 10 Most Anticipated Indian Films of 2025
Junior – 20.8%
Coolie – 12.9%
Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan – 12.7%
Saiyaara – 12.5%
Oho Enthan Baby – 9.8%
Kingdom – 9.7%
War 2 – 7.7%
Maalik – 5.5%
Hari Hara Veera Mallu – 4.3%
Aap Jaisa Koi – 4.2%
The fact that a film like Junior, featuring a woman in a leading role post-motherhood and without a traditional blockbuster male lead, can top anticipation charts speaks volumes about evolving audience preferences. The buzz appears to be less about star power and more about freshness, casting choices, and strong narratives.
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 minutes ago
- Time of India
Superman box office collection Day 5: James Gunn's DCU film witnesses improvement on Tuesday in India, earns Rs. 2.75 crore
James Gunn's Superman reboot has been well-received by viewers around the world. Released on July 11, this film marked a new start for DC's multiverse franchise. The superhero epic features David Corenswet (Superman), Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor), and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) in leading roles, and has had a commendable box office collection in both India and globally. Superman marks a new start for DC and Warner Brothers in rivalling the successful Marvel multiverse franchise. After failing to secure success through movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), and Dwayne Johnson starred Black Adam (2022), Warner Bros. hired James Gunn as the co-CEO of DC Studios (films based on DC Comics) in 2022. Superman India box office improves on Tuesday The DCU film earned Rs 7.25 crore on its first day (Friday), beating the likes of Brad Pitt's F1 and Rajkumar Rao's Maalik. Since then, the DCU film maintained a consistent run at the box office for the next two days, having collected over Rs. 9 crore on both days. However, it faced a major dip on Monday, witnessing a drop of 76% viewership in theatres in India. After a troubling Day 4, the superhero movie saw a slight improvement on Tuesday. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film's day 5 collections across all languages in India stood at Rs 2.75 crore, up from Rs 2.3 crore the previous day. This brings the total Indian collection to Rs 31.05 crore, a decent figure for a Hollywood release in the country amid a struggling box office.. However, despite the good numbers, the film failed to reach its predicted Rs. 40 crore benchmark over the first five days. The release of Jurassic World Rebirth had put up significant competition for James Gunn's movie over the past two days. Day-wise breakdown for Superman Day 1: Rs 7.25 crore Day 2: Rs 9.5 crore Day 3: Rs 9.25 crore Day 4: Rs. 2.25 crore Day 5: Rs. 2.75 crore With that, the total Indian box office collection for Superman comes to Rs. 31.05 crore. "Kindness is the new punk rock": Superman fans share 'positivity' memes all over the Internet Superman brings a new ascension to the Clark Kent/Kal-El character, full of hope and humanity. David Corenswet's Superman gets scared, makes wrong decisions, and hopes to become a better person. This character resonated highly with the fans, who have found quotes like "Kindness is the new punk rock" as a motivation for living their daily lives. #Superman is so beautifully earnest. It wears its heart on its sleeve and encourages you to rebel with kindness and hope in a world that is full of cynicism and negativity. Kindness is the new punk rock. One fan said on X, "As a Superman fan, I can rest now. I got what I wanted, a love story about a badass reporter and a punk rock alien whose greatest power is his kindness." As a Superman fan, I can rest now. I got what I wanted, a love story about a badass reporter and a punk rock alien whose greatest power is his kindness. Another X user posted, "Guys I'm being serious when I say ever since I saw Superman I haven't felt depressed even once, I've been smiling for 2 days now, I think Superman might've cured my depression. all I feel is happiness and hope now". Guys I'm being serious when I say ever since I saw Superman I haven't felt depressed even once, I've been smiling for 2 days now, I think Superman might've cured my depression. all I feel is happiness and hope now As James Gunn's Superman brings hope and motivation among fans, the notable box office collection for Warner Brothers' superhero franchise will further push James Gunn to bring out films that will resonate emotionally with the viewers.
Pink Villa
2 minutes ago
- Pink Villa
Saiyaara Box Office Preview: Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer run time, screen count, advance booking & opening day
Aditya Chopra has partnered with Mohit Suri to launch two fresh faces – Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda on the big screen with Saiyaara. The film is all set to hit the big screen on July 18, 2025, and the buzz around the film has escalated among the audience owing to the success of title track and theatrical trailer. The Mohit Suri directorial has been certified U/A by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with an approved runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes. The film is being released all across the country by YRF with their own distribution network, and the studio is looking to bring the film on about 1750 screens nationwide, with the possibility to go higher as well based on the tremendous demand for tickets among the cinema-going audience. The advance bookings for Saiyaara opened at certain centers on Monday evening, and the sales have been out of the world. As on Wednesday at 3.00 PM, Saiyaara has sold approx. 60,000 tickets in the top 3 national chains – PVRInox and Cinepolis – and the film is headed towards a final pre-sale in the north of 1.25 lakh tickets. With 33 hours still to go, Saiyaara has already surpassed the advance booking of several big-ticket films featuring A-List stars, and the final number is sure to send shock-waves in the industry. There is movement in pre-sales of Saiyaara all across the board, be it multiplexes like MovieMax, Miraj, Rajhans, and Prasads or single screens like Shree Agra, Sanjay Cineplex, and Roopbani Cinemas among others. The final pre-sale of Saiyaara will be higher than the 2025 releases like Sitaare Zameen Par, Raid 2, Housefull 5, also big star-cast romantic comedies like Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar, and Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani among others. The film is not just headed to emerge the biggest opening ever for a newcomer film in India, but also the biggest star for a romantic film in the post-pandemic world by a huge margin. The film is looking to score the third biggest advance booking of 2025 after Chhaava and Sikandar, and there is an outside chance to top the latter too depending on the momentum it gets in the next 30 hours. At the moment, the film is looking at a start of Rs 15 crore in India, and if the makers increase the showcasing, it can also do the unthinkable of hitting the Rs 20 crore mark. These numbers are organic, as such kind of advance, especially in the non-national chains can't be orchestrated. There is an offer running on ticket booking platforms, but the response indicates that the film didn't really require the offer to get things rolling in its favour. The makers have capped the offer at Rs 1.50 crore gross, which means that any purchases after the exhaustion of the aforementioned amount allotted for discount will be at full price. Anything above the Rs 5.00 crore would have been a great result for Saiyaara, but the film is performing 4x more than what could have been a great result, which speaks volumes on how earth-shattering the start is. Saiyaara once again speaks volumes about the importance of music and theatrical trailer, as one doesn't need to do all those city tours and campaigns to set the cash registers ringing at the box office in India. The opening of Saiyaara in real terms can be called the best of the last 5 years, as never has a film with fresh faces created such euphoria among the cine-goers. The film is probably seen as an unofficial Aashiqui 3 by the audiences, as the director of Aashiqui 2 is helming the film in a similar space, launching two fresh faces in an intense musical romance – ticking all boxes of what one expects from the Aashiqui franchise. Given the costs, the film is already a HIT on arrival, as the film will be looking to breakeven in two days flat, and then enter into the profit-making phase for the producers. The film has real chances of being the much-needed blockbuster in the romantic genre, opening up the arena for more to follow in the coming two years.
Time of India
2 minutes ago
- Time of India
Salman Khan sells apartment in Mumbai's Bandra for Rs 5.35 crore
Salman Khan, the Bollywood actor, has sold his apartment located in Mumbai's upscale Bandra West for Rs 5.35 crore. The apartment, spanning 1,318 sq ft, includes three car parking spaces. The transaction, finalized on Tuesday, involved a stamp duty payment of Rs 32.01 lakh, according to registration documents. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Bollywood actor Salman Khan has sold an apartment in Mumbai's plush Bandra west locality, for Rs 5.35 crore. The apartment is spread over a built-up area of over 1,318 sq ft and the deal also includes three car parking spaces in the premium residential transaction concluded and registered on Tuesday incurred a stamp duty payment of Rs 32.01 lakh, showed documents reviewed by realty marketplace on the portal of Inspector General of Registration (IGR).Khan is an Indian actor and producer who has been active in the Hindi movie industry since the West is recognized as one of Mumbai's most established and high-value real estate markets, offering a combination of premium residential and commercial properties. The locality comprises a mix of upscale apartments, heritage bungalows, and boutique commercial developments, attracting both end-users and investors.
