Like clockwork, every year presents its fair share of industry juggernauts and tentpole releases, whether it’s a sequel to a popular film or an original project starring up-and-coming and established talents. Among the big players, however, are the underdogs and overlooked titles that grew into surprise crowd-pleasers, with the horror genre enjoying a welcome renaissance in 2025.
Theatre entertainment is only half of the equation, as streaming platforms also fielded their own live-action and animated darlings (one particular trio of demon-hunting performers comes to mind). From the film slate to the best adaptation category, here are the standouts of the past year that have become cultural zeigeists in their own right – and the winners of the Geek Culture Awards 2026.
BEST ANIMATED MOVIE (GOLD): Zootopia 2
Nine years in the making, and Disney is back in the running for the animation crown. Zootopia 2 steps in as a welcome break from the studio’s recent sequel misfires, proving naysayers and sceptics wrong with a whopping box-office gross of US$1.7 billion and counting – its highest single-film run to date. The electric, opposites-attract dynamics between Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin, Once Upon a Time) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman, Ozark) return to charm audiences, this time joined by a new third member. More importantly, the highly anticipated sequel retains the defining elements of its predecessor: sharp wit, character-driven storytelling, and the nuanced exploration of real-world issues, disguised as a scintillating, visually arresting romp.
BEST ANIMATED MOVIE (SILVER) – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle
There’s something to be said about the magnetic allure of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba feature-length movies and helming studio ufotable. Breaking multiple box-office milestones once is already impressive, much less twice, but Infinity Castle cleaves through sky-high expectations with ease in the way it knows best – bold, striking animation, blood-pumping action, deftly-executed humour, and a rousing score. Where the first entry in a planned trilogy truly leaves its mark is in its characters, as the spotlight extends beyond Tanjiro to the other Hashira, an all-serious Zenitsu, and arguably the central figure of Akaza, all backed by strong voicework from the cast.
Honourable mentions: Nezha 2, Solo Leveling: ReAwakening
BEST MOVIE (GOLD): Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s first original work, Sinners, is more than just another retelling of the vampire myth, and the gamble has paid off. In a genre often content to leave corpses and high-octane action in its wake, the horror outing swings wide beyond conventions with a bold blend of Gothic and grounded elements that pull from the filmmaker’s heritage and cultural identity. Starring Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) in dual roles as criminal twin brothers, Stack and Smoke, who return to their hometown in the Jim Crow South and are later confronted by a supernatural evil, it delivers a sudden tonal shift midway that best represents the raw, defiant energy thrumming in its veins. It’s blood-soaked storytelling and thoughtful commentary on real-world issues rolled into one, woven together by a soulful, sincere score that leaves plenty to chew on…or shall we say, bite into.
BEST MOVIE (SILVER): Weapons
Another instrument of horror that marches to its own beat, Zach Creggar’s Weapons makes clever work of the genre in more ways than one. Instead of relying on outright jump scares, the gripping, thrilling, and sometimes bizarre mystery wields suspense effectively by leaning more into the lingering sense of discomfort and uneasiness that spans six different character perspectives. The film’s premise is as straightforward as it gets: all but one student from Justine Gandy’s class, played by Julia Garner (Ozark), ran out of their homes at 2.17 am on one of the nights and disappeared, placing Justine under suspicion, and the less known about it, the better. While the return of Creggar’s trademark flair – macabre humour, campy moments, and grisly violence – may not align with the expectations of genre traditionalists, the cast deserves credit for their strong performances.
Honourable mentions: Thunderbolts*, Nosferatu, Avatar: Fire and Ash
BEST SERIES (GOLD): Pluribus
A sleeper hit that took viewers by storm, Pluribus is a refreshing, clever riff on the end-of-the-world trope, but perhaps its acclaim was in the cards from the very beginning. The nine-episode series is the brainchild of Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan, although it taps more into his sci-fi expertise from X-Files, and follows novelist Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul), who finds herself isolated after an alien virus transforms the rest of humanity into a peaceful and content hive known as the “Others” (thus the Latin motto, e pluribus unum, meaning ‘out of many, one’). Equal parts entrancing and confounding, it establishes one of Seehorn’s best performances to date and revels in black comedy and philosophical questioning, all while simmering in a deliberate, slow-burning delivery.
BEST SERIES (SILVER): Stranger Things 5
Experience has shown audiences that the final season of one of the most popular TV shows of the last decade would never be able to satisfy everyone, but that didn’t prevent the Duffer Brothers from delivering one of the most satisfying conclusions in their epic Netflix series – by ignoring fan expectations, theories, service, and demands. Instead, the creators of Stranger Things, the series that paid tribute to 80s movies, science fiction, horror and mystery, ran towards its conclusion on its own terms and pace.
Instead, the coming-of-age journey of Mike, El, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve and Robin, facing off against Vecna, was a tale of loyalty, family, trust and a new future. There was no twist ending, no hidden chapters or convoluted trickery for the modern audience because at its heart, the series, and its conclusion, was a love letter to an era filled with stories about adventure, excitement, friendship and brotherhood that inspires, even as we know that when the credits roll, life goes on. But for the brief moment, we believe.
Honourable mentions: Andor Season 2, Reacher Season 3
BEST ADAPTATION (GOLD): The Long Walk
The Long Walk isn’t for the faint of heart, and Francis Lawrence’s page-to-screen adaptation revels in the bleakness of it all. Retaining the spirit of the original novel by Stephen King, the dystopian survivor thriller follows 50 boys in an annually televised competitive walking contest, who have to maintain a speed of at least 4.8km/h or be executed after three warnings, down to the last walker. The gritty, unflinching brutality is evocative of Lawrence’s previous turn onThe Hunger Games films, rooted in depicting young, barely grown men as murder fodder and making viewers complicit in the act of observing slaughter. It’s heart-wrenching and sobering, but also defiant and painfully human, with lead stars Cooper Hoffman (Liquorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) delivering electric chemistry and phenomenal acting in this march to the death.
BEST ADAPTATION (SILVER): How to Train Your Dragon
From the positive portrayal of disabilities to reconciling opposing ideals and underdog triumph, How to Train Your Dragon is rooted in subverting expectations, so it’s only apt that Dean DeBlois’ live-action take on the animated darling continues in the same vein. The fantasy adventure stands out from a growing pool of live-action reboots, staying faithful to its roots as a story centred on scrawny misfit teen Hiccup in the mythical Viking village of Berk, who befriends an injured dragon he calls Toothless – defying a long-standing tradition in which both parties have been bitter enemies for centuries. More importantly, it remembers and respects why that worked, and alongside a satisfying emotional payoff and sweeping action, it dishes out the reminder that flying is still in its DNA.
Honourable mentions: Lilo & Stitch, Mickey 17, Wicked: For Good
Head over to Geek Culture Awards 2026: The Best Of Gaming, and Geek Culture Awards 2026: The Best Of Tech for our other top picks of 2025!
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
