Warning: This article includes minor spoilers for The Monkey!
The Monkeyraises hopes for Stephen King’s other 2025 movie adaptations, and their success could lead to one of the best movie years ever for the prolific author. Stephen King is one of the best writers in my lifetime, and his books, alongsideScary Stories to Tell in the Dark, sparked my passion for the horror genre. Over the years, many greatStephen King movieshave hit the big screen, and the most recent isThe Monkey.
The horror-comedy film follows a pair of twin brothers whose family gets tormented by a wind-up monkey, and they must come back together 25 years later to end the killer toy once and for all. TheStephen King movie with a high Rotten Tomatoes score broke a 6-year streakof adaptations with fairly low critic scores. However,The Monkeyisn’t the only Stephen King film slated for 2025, and it could be his best year yet if the other films do better.
Stephen King’s Other 2025 Movies Could Be Better Than The Monkey
The Life of Chuck And The Running Man Look Promising
The Monkey is certainly entertaining, and I’m a sucker for a great horror movie. However, there is good reason to believe that thetwo other Stephen King movies of 2025 will be more exciting. Both are already getting hype.The Running Manwill bring together director Edgar Wright and Golden Globe-nominated actor Glen Powell, both of whom have a great track record. Meanwhile,The Life of Chuckwill be directed by prolific director Mike Flanagan and is packed with A-list actors, the most notable of which is Tom Hiddleston.
Wright has successfully navigated different genres, increasing the likelihood that he can handleThe Running Mandespite his lack of experience with dystopian thrillers. Additionally, his fast pacing and strong cinematographic style will lend itself well to the story. Wright also feels passionate aboutremaking the 1980s Stephen Kingmoviebecause he wants to make a faithful movie adaptation that aligns closely with the book. Add Glenn Powell, who’s just off his best year of his career, to the mix, andThe Running Manwill surely have a chance to outshineThe Monkey.
On the other hand,The Life of Chuckalready has rave reviews from critics and audience members who saw the movie at TIFF. UnderneathNEON’s first trailerforThe Life of Chuck, commenters who saw the film already called it moving, devastating, and beautiful. This matches up with its 85%Rotten Tomatoesscore. While I couldn’t attend the Toronto International Film Festival, I’ll give it a vote of confidence since I’m a massive fan of Flanagan’s directorial and editing style. IfThe Running ManandThe Life of Chucklive up to expectations, 2025 will be an incredible year for Stephen King.
Stephen King’s 2025 Could Rival 2017 For The Best Year For His Movies
Stephen King Set An Exciting Record For The Author’s Movies
The last year in which Stephen King saw good success in cinematic movie adaptations is 2017. That year, three of the four Stephen King films found great success. Critics praisedIt,Gerald’s Game, and1922– all of which were horror films. All three films are Certified Fresh, which requires a 75% or higher with at least 80 reviews (or 40 with streaming release), five of whom are Top Critics. WhileGerald’s Gameand1922were released on Netflix,Italso found immense success at the box office, grossing $704 million on a $35 million budget.
Stephen King’s 10 Shortest Books & Whether You Should Read Them
While Stephen King has written plenty of grand, sprawling epics, his short fiction was also packed with some extraordinary and brief books.
However, not everything was roses and sunshine for Stephen King movies that year.The Dark Towerwas released on August 23, 2025. The movie was just shy of becoming a box office success, grossing $113 million on a $60 million budget. Despite nearly doubling its budget, critics and audiences didn’t take toThe Dark Towerwell. Critics completely panned the film. Audiences were slightly warmer to the film, but it still resulted in middling reviews.
This year could outdo 2017 if all three films get a Certified Fresh score and just one more of the movies more than doubles its budget.
As it stands, 2025 could rival 2017 for Stephen King’s best year, if not beat it.2017 is the only time that Stephen King has had three Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores. IfThe Life of Chuckkeeps its positive reception andThe Running Mandoes well, Stephen King could replicate this in 2025. This would put the two years on par with each other.
However, this year could outdo 2017 if all three films get a Certified Fresh score and just one more of the movies more than doubles its budget. One of the two box office films in 2017 was a box office hit.The Monkeyhas already grossed $53.5 million on a $10-$11 million budget, putting it in the box office hit category. A second box office hit alongside the Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores would push 2025 over the edge, making it the new best year for Stephen King.
There’s A Chance Stephen King’s 2025 Will Get Even Bigger
A Fourth Stephen King Movie Could Come Out In 2025
Stephen King’s 2025 is already pretty exciting with three hyped up movies that are expected to perform well with critics, audiences, and at the box office. However, there’s a small chance the iconic author’s year will get bigger if the movie adaptation of The Long Walk comes out this year.The Long Walkwas stuck in development hell for years, cycling through different directors.
“Don’t F-ck With It”: Why The Monkey Director Doesn’t Want To Make Another Stephen King Movie Despite 79% RT Success
The Monkey director Osgood Perkins explains why he does not want to make another Stephen King movie despite his film being well-received.
However, the movie is finally filmed and in the post-production phase – a step I wasn’t sure would actually happen based on its numerous delays. Post-production typically takes between six months and a year. SinceThe Long Walkwrapped on filming in September 2024, the film could be ready between March 2025 and September 2025. This increases the chances of the film hitting the big screen this year.
I Think Life Of Chuck Will Be The Best Stephen King Movie In 2025
The Life Of Chuck Has Many Promising Factors
Looking at all three guaranteed 2025 releases, I think they’ll all turn out great. However, I thinkThe Life of Chuckwill be the best for a few reasons. Firstly, the early reviews forThe Life of Chuckfrom the Toronto International Film Festival make the film seem promising. Critics and audiences rarely align so closely when it comes to early responses. However, the high Rotten Tomatoes scores align withThe Life of Chuckwinning the People’s Choice Award at TIFF.
Additionally,The Life of Chuck’s castincludes some big-name actors who are known for handling any role they’re given. It’s hard to go wrong when Mark Hamill, Karen Gillian, Tom Hiddleston, Kate Siegel, and Matthew Lillard are in the mix. I also explained in my previous article aboutMike Flanagan’s major advantage over a past Stephen King moviethat the film’s indie status will allow the director more creative liberties since he has fewer people to answer to – a stance that I still stand by.
Finally, my faith inThe Life of Chuckcomes from Stephen King’s vote of confidence. King has a rule that he doesn’t like to give any director more than one property at a time, and Flanagan has worked onThe Dark Towerfor some time. Still, Flanagan begged for the rights toThe Life of Chuck, saying it would be “the best movie I may ever make.” AlthoughKing initially denied Flanagan the rights, he eventually made an exception to his rule. I don’t think he would’ve given Flanagan the rights if he didn’t have full confidence that the director could handleThe Life of Chuck.
