2025's Entertainment Highlights: Major Films and Latin Stars Shine Globally
2025 saw major box office success for "Ne Zha 2" alongside acclaimed films and series, with Latin artists like Shakira and Bad Bunny achieving historic milestones.
- • "Ne Zha 2" dominated the global box office with $1.902 billion.
- • "One Battle After Another" by Paul Thomas Anderson is an Oscar contender.
- • Shakira's tour became the highest-grossing Latin tour ever with over $327 million.
- • Bad Bunny was Spotify's most streamed artist for the fourth consecutive year.
- • "Adolescence" and "Squid Game" drew significant TV audience attention.
Key details
The year 2025 marked a landmark period in global entertainment, with major films and Latin artists making significant cultural and commercial impacts. In cinema, the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" dominated the global box office, grossing $1.902 billion, largely driven by its $1.860 billion take in China. This underscored a strong audience preference for animated children's films worldwide.
Paul Thomas Anderson's film "One Battle After Another," featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, emerged as a strong contender for the Oscars. Adapted from Thomas Pynchon's novel, it offers a powerful critique of U.S. immigration policies. Another critically acclaimed film, "The Voice of Hind Rajab," directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, poignantly recounts the tragic story of a six-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces and won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, along with a Golden Globe nomination. Oliver Laxe's "Sirat," exploring mortality through a father's desperate search for his daughter in Morocco, also shocked Cannes audiences.
On the television front, series such as "Adolescence," which delves into the intense story of a 13-year-old accused of murder, and the concluding season of "Squid Game" captivated viewers globally. British series "Dept Q" and the medical drama "The Pitt" also gained critical praise and growing popularity. Diego Luna reprised his role in the darker second season of "Andor," aligning more closely with "Rogue One" events.
Latin entertainment figures left a profound mark as well. Colombian actor Ubeimar Ríos gained widespread acclaim for his performance in "Un poeta," which won multiple awards including at the Festival de Cine Latinoamericano in Biarritz. Shakira's "Las mujeres ya no lloran" tour became the highest-grossing Latin tour ever, generating over $327 million and selling more than 2.5 million tickets worldwide. Bad Bunny continued his dominance as Spotify's most streamed artist for the fourth straight year, achieving over 19 billion streams and announcing a new world tour. Karol G's album "Tropicoqueta" shattered streaming records, while Rosalía reinvented herself with the album "LUX" and debuted as an actress in HBO's "Euphoria."
The diverse array of successes from powerhouse productions and influential Latin stars in 2025 highlighted a year of rich cultural contributions and box office milestones across the entertainment spectrum.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
