IMDb’s Top 10 Stars & Top 10 Breakout Stars Of 2025 Revealed (Exclusive)

by

I’m always checking IMDb, it’s been my go-to for movie and TV info pretty much since it started back in 1990! It’s fascinating to see who’s really capturing people’s attention. They have this STARmeter that tracks how many people are looking up different actors and filmmakers – based on over 250 million visitors a month! – and they just released their list of the biggest stars and rising talents of the year.

A highlight of IMDb’s Best of 2025 is the list of the 10 most popular actors who are new to the Top 100—meaning they’ve never appeared on it before.

The list features Benny Safdie, director of The Smashing Machine (he’s never appeared on the charts before as he usually directs with his brother Josh, together known as The Safdie Brothers), Stephen Graham, who co-created Adolescence, and Mikey Madison, the star of Anora. Madison famously won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the film at the 2025 Academy Awards. You can find the complete list below.

# Star Biggest 2025 Project
#10 Sophie Thatcher Companion
#9 Jake Weary The Waterfront
#8 Benny Safdie The Smashing Machine
#7 Mikey Madison Anora Oscar Win
#6 Mae Martin Wayward
#5 Stephen Graham Adolescence
#4 Sydney Chandler Alien: Earth
#3 Britt Lower Severance
#2 Matthew Goode Dept. Q
#1 Aimee Lou Wood The White Lotus

As a total movie buff, I’ve been checking out IMDb’s Top 100 of the year, and it’s packed with stars! It definitely features a lot of rising talents – people I’ve seen audiences searching for after some amazing breakout roles in 2025. But the Top 10, which I’ve broken down below, is a really interesting blend of fresh faces and established A-listers.

10. Vanessa Kirby

Credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images

Vanessa Kirby, known for her Oscar-nominated role in the 2020 film Pieces of a Woman, recently rose to prominence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Invisible Woman in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. She also made a brief appearance in 2025’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning through flashback scenes.

9. David Corenswet

Credit: Julie Edwards/Future Image/Cover Images

I’m so excited about David Corenswet! He’s become a huge star, especially after playing Superman in James Gunn’s movie. It’s already the ninth highest-grossing film of the year, which is amazing! Before that, I really enjoyed him in shows like The Politician and the movie Pearl, but this new role has really put him on the map.

8. Walton Goggins

Credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images

Following his popular appearance as The Ghoul in the 2024 Prime Video series Fallout, Walton Goggins quickly gained attention for his role as the enigmatic Rick in season 3 of HBO’s The White Lotus. This also coincided with the final season of another HBO show he starred in, the comedy The Righteous Gemstones.

7. Sydney Chandler

Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages

Actress Chandler rose to prominence with her leading role in FX’s Alien: Earth, landing her at No. 7 on a recent list and earning recognition as IMDb’s No. 4 breakout star. She is also the daughter of Kyle Chandler, a celebrated Emmy-winning actor known for Friday Night Lights.

6. Britt Lower

Credit: Collin Xavier/Image Press Agency/Abaca Press/INSTARimages

Britt Lower has been playing Helly R. on Apple TV+’s Severance since the show began in 2022, and her recent Emmy win for the role this September is likely the reason she’s become one of the show’s most popular stars, ranking as the third most popular breakout star and sixth overall.

5. Sydney Sweeney

Credit: Marion Curtis/StarPix for Lionsgate/INSTARimages

Sydney Sweeney, known for her roles in Anyone But You and Euphoria, will be in several films in 2025. These include the neo-Western Americana, a biopic about boxer Christy Martin called Christy, and the survival thriller Eden. She recently faced criticism for appearing in an American Eagle campaign that some felt promoted eugenics.

4. Tom Cruise

Credit: Carlos Tischler/EyePix/INSTARimages

Tom Cruise is a hugely popular movie star known for films like Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible series. In 2025, he continued to perform incredibly dangerous stunts in the latest Mission: Impossible film, The Final Reckoning.

3. Matthew Goode

Credit: Ian West/PA Images/INSTARimages

Matthew Goode has appeared in several well-known projects like Downton Abbey, A Single Man, and Watchmen. However, his recent rise to become the No. 3 and No. 2 breakout star on IMDb is probably thanks to his role in the Netflix crime thriller Dept. Q. The series launched at No. 3 on Netflix’s global Top 10 list for English-language shows and stayed on the chart for six weeks.

2. Aimee Lou Wood

Credit: Ian West/PA Images/INSTARimages

Aimee Lou Wood is quickly becoming a major star, ranking at No. 2 on a recent list and being named IMDb’s top breakout star of 2025. Although she gained recognition for playing Chelsea, Rick’s girlfriend, in the third season of The White Lotus, she really made a splash on television throughout 2025 with roles in shows like Toxic Town, Film Club, and Daddy Issues.

1. Isabela Merced

Credit: Jesse Bauer/startraksphoto.com

Isabela Merced, 24, is quickly becoming a major star. After appearing in films like Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) and Alien: Romulus (2024), she’ll take on two significant roles in 2025. She’ll play Dina in the second season of The Last of Us and Hawkgirl in both James Gunn’s Superman movie and the second season of Peacemaker.

Below, read Merced’s statement about receiving this honor from IMDb users:

I’m absolutely thrilled and honestly a little surprised! I had no idea this could happen. Thanks to everyone who checked my IMDb page to see if I was really in Superman – I’m glad I updated my profile picture when I did! And a big thank you to the wonderful people at IMDb; I really appreciate this.

Read More

2025-12-08 19:18