As 2025 comes to a close, we thought it’d be fitting to take a look back at some of the Black-leading and centric movies that took over the box office and the culture. While “Sinners” understandably emerged as the frontrunner in the litany of films released, there were others that also stood out and should be highlighted!
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From Tessa Thompson and Cynthia Erivo, to Damson Idris and David Jonsson–Black actors brought their A-game and some truly unforgettable performances onscreen. Keep reading to see which films made our list!
“Sinners”
There was quite literally no other movie that took over the cultural conversation or the film conversation in the way that “Sinners” did. Ryan Coogler, you’ve done it again!
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo
“A Long Walk”
“A Long Walk” was one of those movies that left me completely stressed out by the time it was over, but the cinematic journey I took to get there was well worth the ride.
Starring: David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, Mark Hamill
“Hedda”
One thing about Tessa Thompson, she’s going to bring a level of nuance to every performance she takes on. What makes her role in Hedda so good is that she’s so messy and complicated, which isn’t something Black women are usually shown being in films.
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Nina Hoss
“Wicked: For Good”
If you thought you cried hard in the first film and that Cynthia Erivo was a bonafide star, then you’ll enjoy her even more in this second one!
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum
“Black Bag”
For as much as this movie went under the radar, it really shouldn’t have because Naomie Harris and Regé-Jean Page were arguably the best parts of this film!
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris, Cate Blanchett
“F1”
When it comes to “F1,” we only have two words: Damson Idris. Need we say more?
Starring: Damson Idris, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem
“Number One on the Call Sheet”
While this may be a documentary, “Number One on the Call Sheet” did a phenomenal job at pulling back the curtain on some of our favorite stars’ rise to success and contextualized their ascent within the broader racial history of Hollywood.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Will Smith, Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg
“Love, Brooklyn”
They say there’s not enough Black Love films anymore. Well, “Love, Brooklyn” is aiming to change that and we’re so happy it exists.
Starring: André Holland, DeWanda Wise, Nicole Beharie
“Opus”
Ayo Edebiri’s “Opus” dropped earlier this year and it was just creepy enough to stick to our minds as the year comes to a close.
Starring: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis
“G20”
While some people may have criticized this film for being unrealistic in some parts, seeing Viola Davis as the president of the United States made up for whatever ridiculous plot points we had to endure!
Starring: Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin
“Shadow Force”
While viewers may be used to seeing Omar Sy kick butt and take names, for all of us “Scandal” lovers who sometimes wanted Kerry Washington to get even more down and dirty–“Shadow Force” gave us exactly what we had been waiting for!
Starring: Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Method Man
“The Man in My Basement”
OK, so while the ending may have been a bit confusing, seeing Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe go head to head felt like seeing a pair of boxers in the ring. You know how you see two actors on screen who were just meant to spar with each other in a scene, yeah–that’s what this film was, especially towards the end!
Starring: Corey Hawkins, Willem Dafoe, Anna Diop
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“One of Them Days”
The most refreshing thing about “One of Them Days” was the fact that this film was about something, but it felt like just one of those silly, feel-good movies that we don’t see very often. Plus, for what it’s worth, SZA brought the necessary energy in this movie and matched Keke effortlessly. It’ll be interesting to see if she does more work in this space!
Starring: Keke Palmer, SZA, Katt Williams
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