“Can’t do it. Hate all films.”
That’s the response I got from Uwe Boll when I once asked if he wanted to take part in the World of Reel mid-year poll. A perfectly on-brand reply, and somewhat representative of the broader consensus among the 150+ critics who did participate. In fact, many felt that the first half of 2025 was surprisingly weak for movies.
The final tally? Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” landed comfortably at the top with 101 votes — it appeared on a whopping 70% of the lists submitted. No shock there. It’s a domestic box-office success, a critical darling, and very likely the only Oscar contender released so far this year— with Best Picture and Best Director on its radar.
Coming in second was Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag,” trailing Coogler’s film by 39 votes. Soderbergh also had another entry in the top 20 with “Presence” (#16), though that one has largely, and unfairly, been eclipsed by the stronger reception for “Black Bag.” Soderbergh has a third film screening this year, “The Christophers” is set to be unveiled at TIFF in September.
Overall, 2025’s first six months did not excite many. From big studio fare to international arthouse, not many could find consensus beyond “Sinners.” However, China, France, and Georgia all showed up with major entries: Jia Zhangke’s “Caught With the Tides,” Alain Guiraudie’s “Misericordia,” and Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “April.”
What surprised me most about the results was seeing films with mixed-to-positive receptions break into the top tier — such was the case for “The Phoenician Scheme,” “The Life of Chuck,” and “Mickey 17.” Is this a reflection of a weaker year for cinema overall, or do these films simply have fiercely loyal supporters pushing them forward?
A welcome surprise came in the form of Carson Lund’s “Eephus” —the little baseball indie that could. Quietly premiering at Directors’ Fortnight last year, the film has since built a loyal following. It ended up tied with the fifth-most votes in the poll—an impressive feat for a movie that never saw a proper wide release and was likely made for just a few million dollars.
I rushed this together for July 4, so I’ll be posting the participants’ lists over the next 24 hours. Thanks to everyone who got their picks in on short notice. I hadn’t planned on doing the poll this year, but it’s become a tradition, and skipping it would’ve felt wrong. IndieWire used to run a mid-year poll before dropping it. I took over in 2016, initially with Sasha Stone’s Awards Daily, and since 2019, it’s been a World of Reel thing. This is year ten.
Top 20 Films of 2025 (So Far):
1) “Sinners” (Ryan Coogler) — 110 votes
2) “Black Bag” (Steven Soderbergh) — 71
3) “28 Years Later” (Danny Boyle) — 39
4) “Warfare” (Alex Garland & Ray Mendoza)— 36
5) “Sorry, Baby” (Eva Victor) — 32
6) “Mickey 17” (Bong Joon Ho) — 32
7) “Eephus” (Carson Lund) — 31
8) “Friendship” (Andrew DeYoung)— 31
9) “F1” (Joseph Kosinski) — 31
10) “The Phoenician Scheme” (Wes Anderson) — 30
11) “Materialists” (Celine Song) — 28
12) “Misericordia” (Alain Guiraudie) — 26
13) “The Life of Chuck” (Mike Flanagan) — 25
14) “The Shrouds” (David Cronenberg) — 25
15) “Caught by the Tides” (Jia Zhangke) — 24
16) “On Becoming Guinea Fowl” (Rungano Nyoni) — 22
17) “Bring Her Back” (Danny & Michael Philippou) — 21
18) “Presence” (Steven Soderbergh) — 21
19) “Mission: Impossible 8” (Christopher McQuarrie) — 19
20) “April” (Dea Kulumbegashvili) — 15