At the end of the year 2025, all those who love cinema will indeed find a reason to celebrate together with an exquisitely prepared list of the 20 best films for the last day of the year to mix classic movies, romantic comedies, and sequels of modern hits. These movies, ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer scores, are offering wonderful experiences and festival-like moods as well as famous New Year scenes—making them ideal for a warm night celebrating the arrival of 2026.
Top Picks for New Year’s Eve Movie Night:
- Sunset Boulevard (1950) – 98% | Hollywood classic, timeless storytelling.
- The Godfather Part II (1974) – 96% | Legendary sequel, cinematic milestone.
- Phantom Thread (2017) – 91% | Emotional drama with stellar performances.
- When Harry Met Sally… (1989) – 88% | Romantic comedy with iconic New Year’s Eve scene.
- Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – 83% | Stylish heist with fast-paced excitement.
- Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – 79% | New Year resolutions and romance.
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – 75% | Heartwarming holiday-ending scene.
- Forrest Gump (1994) – 75% | Memorable New Year’s Eve moment in a life story.
- Happy New Year, Colin Burstead (2018) – 86% | Family drama around New Year’s.
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – 81% | Thrilling disaster set on New Year’s Eve.
The movies, Mermaids, Strange Days, High School Musical, I Hate New Year’s, Sex and the City, and Holidate, are mentioned among those that have heavily influenced the New Year celebrations, either being primary contributors or otherwise. Each of them has a different approach to the holidays – some are entirely festive, while others have just a hint of it – but all of them mix romance, humor, and action in one way or another.
Despite the hardships the film industry faced this year, the New Year still saw a release of films that the audience loved, among which were Y2K (2024) and the favorites Four Rooms and New Year’s Eve that clearly showed that movies with a holiday theme are always a hit. The audience is urged to check out the trailers and clips to select their perfect movie experience for New Year’s Eve.
Have a cinema countdown: Get comfortable, get some snacks, and let these films take care of the festive atmosphere for the end of 2025 while you have the joy and entertainment of welcoming 2026.
