Top Sci-Fi Movies Of 2025: Box Office Performance & Rankings

From an overall stance, 2025 was seen as a lackluster year for the worldwide box office, yet there were a few genres that stood out and found success. Sci-fi was one of them, managing to feature a little bit of everything from a billion-dollar hit to superhero blockbusters to adaptations that outperformed expectations.

A lot of the sci-fi movies that found success commercially this past year either stemmed from established and popular franchises or came from the minds of some of the world's most brilliant directors. There's even a film or two among the top 10 that grossed solid numbers, yet were flops. Together, they made for a varied sci-fi slate.

Bugonia - $42.3 Million

On the surface, it might not look like Bugonia was a big hit. A worldwide box office intake of $42.3 million isn't going to wow anybody, and when you consider that the budget was reportedly between $45 million and $55 million, this was a flop.

That said, that budget likely came from the goodwill that Yorgos Lanthimos has cultivated over the past few years. The filmmaker is known for making some weird movies, yet they always end up as a hit with critics. That includes his collaborations with Emma Stone, from The Favourite to Poor Things.

Bugonia is Lanthimos' most expensive film and is actually a remake of a 2003 South Korean movie, Save the Green Planet! The movie tells the story of a powerful CEO (Stone) who gets kidnapped by two men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) because they believe she's an alien. It's perfect for Lanthimos and was another critical hit for him.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith - $55.5 Million

Even with the lackluster response that some of the most recent projects in the franchise have had, Star Wars is still mostly a powerhouse. The poor reception to a lot of the sequel trilogy has actually made longtime fans appreciate the prequels more, especially Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

It was always the best installment of that prequel trilogy, featuring the most story advancement and action. We watch as Anakin Skywalker completes his fall to the Dark Side, battles Obi-Wan Kenobi in an epic lightsaber battle, and becomes Darth Vader. To celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary, it was re-released in theaters.

Longtime fans flocked to see this on the big screen once again, especially now with the added story elements we know of for Anakin from The Clone Wars TV series. Revenge of the Sith grossed $55.5 million, bringing its all-time intake past the astounding $900 million mark.

The Running Man - $69.3 Million

2025 saw the release of a handful of Stephen King adaptations and they grossed around the same amount of money, though The Long Walk was met with a better reception than The Running Man. That said, Edgar Wright's take on The Running Man is still a solid sci-fi action romp.

Quite different from the 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, this one still has the same premise at its heart. Set in a dystopia run by an authoritarian government, the movie follows Ben Richards as he competes on the titular game show where he mus survive for 30 days to win a large sum of money.

Ultimately, The Running Man flopped commercially as it pulled in $69.3 million on a budget of $110 million. That said, the film is certainly worth checking out thanks to a talented cast (Glen Powell, Colman Domingo, Emilia Jones, Josh Brolin) and Wright's signature creative style behind the camera.

Mickey 17 - $133.5 Million

Every entry among the highest-grossing sci-fi movies of 2025 is either a remake or a sequel, except for Mickey 17, though it is based on an existing book. The 2022 novel is called Mickey7 and comes from Edward Ashton.

The premise of Mickey 17 immediately made it stand out when the trailer dropped. The film centers on the titular Mickey, a man who, to escape loan sharks on Earth, joins a space colony mission as an "expendable." That means he's an expendable worker who is cloned each time he dies.

One day, two clones end up alive at the same time, throwing everything into chaos. While the high budget meant the $133.5 million intake wasn't a great number, the film made more than most people expected, which is thanks to those involved. Bong Joon Ho was fresh of several Oscar wins and Robert Pattinson is a big star.

Tron: Ares - $142.2 Million

Every 15 or so years, the Tron franchise has come roaring back with some cool ideas, only to underperform enough that another sequel isn't immediately greenlit. That was the case with Tron: Legacy in 2010 and is now the case again with Tron: Ares, the third installment of the series.

Tron: Ares grossed $142.2 million worldwide, which puts it among the best performing sci-fi movies of 2025. However, the film's reported budget in the realm of $220 million means it cost Disney a lot of money. The movie is another flop in a string of them for lead actor Jared Leto.

That said, Tron: Ares has become a hit on streaming, ranking high on Disney+ since it premiered there. That means there could be life for the future of Tron, though maybe in a streaming show rather than on the big screen. Only time will if we get a fourth Tron movie or a new series.

Predator: Badlands - $184.5 Million

More people should be talking about what the Predator franchise has managed to pull off. Starting back in the '80s, it seemed dormant after two entries, received a solid yet underperforming 2010 sequel, and received a poorly reviewed sequel in 2018 that felt like the true end for the series.

However, Dan Trachtenberg stepped in and has rejuvenated things. The prequel Prey was stellar and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers is the franchise's highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. Predator: Badlands brought things back to the big screen and it was a rousing success. The film grossed $184.5 million and was met with widespread acclaim.

Predator: Badlands shifts the focus from humans to the Yautja, as protagonist Dak is the runt of his family and goes on a mission to kill an apex predator. Along the way, he gets help from an android (Elle Fanning), forming a duo that fans can get behind. The future of this franchise looks promising.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - $521.8 Million

For the most part, movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe fall under the umbrella of action, yet The Fantastic Four: First Steps was quite different. Set in a retro-futuristic world in 1964, the film focuses on the titular team as they come up against the threat of the planet-consuming Galactus.

Of course, this is the MCU, so the action was there, with the highlight being an intense chase scene through space. The sci-fi elements were everywhere, though, from the plan the team puts together to save everyone to some of Reed's experiments to the entire existence of the Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps pulled in a whopping $521.8 million worldwide. It had the boost of being a major tentpole film ahead of the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday and features the first true tease of Doctor Doom. It's an important film for any MCU fan to check out.

Jurassic World Rebirth - $869.1 Million

Some franchises are pretty much bulletproof when it comes to critical reception and Jurassic Park/Jurassic World seems to be one of them. Most of the installments were poorly received, especially the most recent ones, Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, yet every new entry is a blockbuster hit.

Jurassic World Rebirth features a totally new cast, led by Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali. Fans weren't sure what to make of it when the trailer released, yet they still flocked to the theater to see what unfolded to the tune of an $869.1 million intake.

That might not be the $1 billion mark that the previous three entries reached, yet it's still an impressive number. Reviews were again mixed, but its success likely means another installment will be on the way in the coming years.

Avatar: Fire And Ash - $1.473 Billion

The first two movies in the Avatar franchise made history, both grossing more than $2 billion. They sit in first and third place all-time when it comes to box office intake. Avatar: Fire and Ash had a lot to live up to because of it, and while it didn't pass $2 billion, it was still a colossal hit.

Avatar: Fire and Ash sees Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their family go up against the ruthless Mangkwan tribe of Na'vi. It gives the franchise a fresh feeling with new antagonists, yet still retains a lot of what made the originals work. It helps that Zoe Saldana and Oona Chaplin give remarkable performances.

The James Cameron hit grossed $1.473 billion worldwide on a budget of around $400 million. Despite those numbers, Avatar 4 isn't confirmed due to the pricetag of the films. Regardless, what Cameron pulled off with these movies is fascinating and it dominated the sci-fi box office in 2025.