Home/Episodes/The 2025 Movie Auction Returns!
The 2025 Movie Auction Returns!
The Big Picture
July 8, 2025 · 2:19:12 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins
Edition: 2025 Returns
Chapters
The 2025 Returns Movie Auction
Budget: $1000 each
2025 season winner: Sean Fennessey · Sean 10 pts · Chris 8 pts · Amanda 3 pts · margin 9.5 pts
Decided by the show's points tally · counts read off the ballot · one result for both halves of the season
“So, Amanda, I think you had three points total with a possibility of four. Chris, you had eight points total with a possibility of nine. I have 10 points total with a possibility of 11.” — The 2026 Movie Auction ▶ 32:39
Contested: Sean read the tally (Sean 10 / Chris 8 / Amanda 3, 2026-01-14 @ 32:39) and twice said he may have disqualified himself by auctioning four sequels against the <=2 sequels trigger (@ 7:45 "I think I may have broken my own rules and disqualified myself"; @ 32:51 "I think I also cheated. And so I'm disqualified. Unless we decide that we should keep more sequels"). The hosts did not resolve it on mic. If the DQ stands, Chris (8) won the season.
Last year’s reckoning
- Amanda Dobbins — M3GAN 2.0 — Flopped; underperformed, no viral moment
- Amanda Dobbins — F1 — Box office success, likely tech Oscar noms, ~1 point
- Amanda Dobbins — Opus — Sentimental favorite, no points
- Amanda Dobbins — The Phoenician Scheme — Loved it but critics/Oscars unlikely to help
- Amanda Dobbins — Marty Supreme — Not yet released
- Chris Ryan — Sinners — Big winner; 2 Metacritic points + box office point, likely pick of the year
- Chris Ryan — Jurassic World Rebirth — Cleared box office, 1-2 points
- Chris Ryan — Highest 2 Lowest — Not yet released
- Chris Ryan — Sentimental Value — Not yet released; current Best Picture betting favorite
- Chris Ryan — The Running Man — Not yet released
- Sean Fennessey — Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning — Disliked; $191M box office (1 point), 67 Metacritic
- Sean Fennessey — 28 Years Later — Loved it, likely no points; 77 Metacritic, $60M
- Sean Fennessey — A Big Bold Beautiful Journey — Not yet released
- Sean Fennessey — One Battle After After — Not yet released; PTA, gifted to him for $1
- Sean Fennessey — Eddington — Seen and loved, not yet discussed on show
Movies Referenced (115)
14 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 45:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗
11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins▶ 26:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗
10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan▶ 28:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:01:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗
6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 28:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗
6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:17:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗
6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan▶ 19:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗
5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 27:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗
5 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey▶ 36:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Directors Referenced (31)
11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins · Known for I Am Love, Challengers, Call Me by Your Name▶ 27:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗
8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins · Known for All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave▶ 27:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder's Justice League▶ 1:04:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan · Known for The Ides of March, Good Night, and Good Luck., Michael Clayton▶ 1:38:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗
3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Pi, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream▶ 1:58:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗
3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, Blade Runner 2049▶ 33:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 1:20:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Shallow Grave▶ 21:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Monsters, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla▶ 4:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for It Was Just an Accident▶ 2:06:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value▶ 26:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Actors Referenced (108)
11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan · Known for Pretty Woman, My Best Friend's Wedding▶ 37:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗
9 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan · Known for Big Daddy, Little Nicky▶ 24:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗
6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for A Star Is Born, Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper▶ 1:16:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗
6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Lobster, In Bruges, S.W.A.T.▶ 27:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
5 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for Spider-Man, Melancholia, Interview with the Vampire▶ 58:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗
5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Blue Valentine, La La Land, Drive▶ 1:06:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗
4 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Hacksaw Ridge, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Social Network▶ 36:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗
4 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for 21 Jump Street, White House Down, 22 Jump Street▶ 58:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗
4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan · Known for The Big Short, The Apprentice, The Trial of the Chicago 7▶ 1:49:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗
4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for A Real Pain, The Social Network, The Squid and the Whale▶ 1:26:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗
4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Wicked, Jurassic World: Rebirth▶ 1:14:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗
4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan · Known for Cinderella, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies▶ 40:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Writers Referenced (17)
10 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Guardians of the Galaxy, Superman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2▶ 1:32:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗
8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story▶ 28:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗
3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Blinded by the Light, The Wrestler, Philadelphia▶ 1:05:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗
3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for After the Hunt, Beirut▶ 36:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Ex Machina, Civil War, Annihilation▶ 1:01:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 48:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗
2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Broadcast News, As Good as It Gets, Terms of Endearment▶ 1:16:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗
1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Mystic River, Live by Night▶ 5:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗
1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Sing Street, Once▶ 2:11:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗
1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for West Side Story, West Side Story▶ 1:23:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗
1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Hamnet▶ 1:53:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Cinematographers Referenced (3)
3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Life of Pi, Top Gun: Maverick, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button▶ 18:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗
1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for First Man, La La Land, No Time to Die▶ 1:38:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗