THE 42 MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIES OF 2023
THE YEAR BOASTS A WEALTH OF SUPERHERO TITLES, PLENTY OF EXPLOSIVE ACTION, SOME SPINE-TINGLING HORROR, AND EVEN A FEW THROWBACKS TO FRANCHISES OF OLD, SO STOCK UP ON MASKS AND START MARKING YOUR CALENDARS.
The once couple of times have been unusual, to say the least, and like utmost other diligence, Hollywood has had to make a number of adaptations. We saw WarnerBros. commit to streaming all of their major 2021 releases contemporaneously on HBO Max, with mixed results, while other workrooms incorporated some combination of theatrical and digital strategies. That presumably is n’t going to change going into 2023, but it does n’t mean we do n’t have some inconceivable flicks to look forward to. Read on for the utmost Anticipated pictures of 2023, and as further titles are blazoned and information is released, we will continue to modernize this runner, so check back frequently!
FEBRUARY 2023
KNOCK AT THE CABIN
Offical Trailer
Starring: Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui, Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn
Opening on: February 3, 2023
M. Night Shyamalan directed and co-wrote this psychological thriller based on an award-winning novel about two men and their adoptive daughter on vacation who are terrorized by a group of strangers with mysterious motives.
Magic Mike's Last Dance
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek, Gavin Spokes, Caitlin Gerard
Opening on: February 10, 2023
Channing Tatum strips off his clothes for Steven Soderbergh one last time in this follow-up to 2015’s Magic Mike XXL. This time around Tatum’s Mike Lane has fallen on hard times and takes an opportunity to travel to London to fulfill a request for a wealthy woman (Salma Hayek), only to discover she has ulterior motives.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
Offical Trailer
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors, Bill Murray
Opening on: February 17, 2023
It may have been delayed a year, but Paul Rudd & Co. are back for round three of this delightful franchise, which promises some exciting casting: namely, Jonathan Majors as supervillain Kang the Conqueror and Bill Murray as… something.
MARCH 2023
Creed III
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Michael B. Jordan
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Phylicia Rashad
Opening on: March 3, 2023
Michael B. Jordan makes his feature directorial debut with the third installment of the Rocky spin-off Creed franchise, in which he plays the son of Rocky’s nemesis-turned-friend Apollo Creed. We don’t yet know how things will play out in this chapter, but Jonathan Majors appears to be Adonis’s opponent in the ring, while Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad are set to reprise their roles as Adonis’s girlfriend and mother, respectively.
65 (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman
Opening on: March 10, 2023
The writing-directing team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, best known for writing A Quiet Place, helm this sci-fi thriller starring Adam Driver as an astronaut who crash lands on a foreign planet, only to discover he has landed on prehistoric Earth — 65 million years in the past, to be exact, hence the title. The film is produced by Sam Raimi, and its score was composed by Danny Elfman, so all-around great pedigree behind it.
Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis
Premiering on: March 10 on Netflix (February 24 in select theaters)
Four years after the popular British television series ended, we’re finally getting a Luther movie. Idris Elba returns to the role in a feature film continuation of the series that finds Luther in prison as a serial killer terrorizes London. This one will play in a handful of theaters before ultimately heading to Netflix.
Scream VI (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Hayden Panettiere, Courteney Cox, Samara Weaving, Tony Revolori
Opening on: March 10, 2023
Not long after 2022’s Scream opened, it was announced that there would indeed be a sequel directly tying into the characters who survived that film. Hayden Panettiere also returns to reprise her role as Kirby Reed from Scream 4, but the film will be without franchise star Neve Campbell, who decided not to return after she was offered less than she felt she was worth for the film. As for the story, sisters Sam and Tara (Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega) and their friends find themselves terrorized by Ghostface in New York City.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Megan Good
Opening on: March 17, 2023
Zachary Levi’s Shazam returns, along with his teenage form Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and all of his stepsiblings, who have embraced their superpowered . But when new villains Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Helen Mirren) — aka the daughters of Atlas —arrive, the kids have to learn to work together to defeat them.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada
Opening on: March 24, 2023
Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves’ blockbuster action franchise finally reaches theaters in 2023 after a two-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We don’t know much about the film, except that John Wick is at war with — and possibly presumed dead by — the High Table, and Stahelski has gone on record to say that there is a possibility that Chapter 4 will not be a “happy ending” for its central character.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Starring: Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Smith
Opening on: March 31, 2023
The popular role-playing game gets a shiny reboot, courtesy of directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Game Night, 2015’s Vacation) and an all-star cast that includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Bridgerton breakout star Regé-Jean Page, and more.
APRIL 2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Keegan-Michael Key
Opening on: April 7, 2023
This big-screen adaptation of the iconic Nintendo character and his friends is being produced by Chris Meledandri of Illumination (Despicable Me) and the creator of Mario himself, Shigeru Miyamoto. Chris Pratt is voicing the famous Goomba-stomping plumber, who arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom and meets Keegan-Michael Key’s Toad. Anya Taylor-Joy is also on board as Princess Peach, while Jack Black and Seth Rogen will voice Bowser and Donkey Kong, respectively, and Charlie Day will play Luigi.
Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Ari Aster
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Parker Posey, Patti LuPone, Stephen Henderson
Opening on: April 21, 2023
Writer-director Ari Aster’s third film is… difficult to describe, though its official synopsis states that it is “an epic odyssey” of a man trying to “get home to his mother” that is “bold and ingeniously depraved.” We have absolutely no idea how this will play out, but the trailer promises a unique, surreal experience.
Evil Dead Rise (-1)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Lee Cronin
Starring: Alyssa Sutherland, Lily Sullivan, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Neil Fisher
Opening on: April 21, 2023
Originally slated to be an HBO Max release in the Fall of 2022, the fifth film in the Evil Dead franchise is now headed to theaters in April. The story, which moves the action from the woods to the city, focuses on two estranged sisters whose reunion is interrupted by – what else? – the discovery of a mysterious book that summons demons. The film doesn’t appear to be connected to any of the previous entries, including the 2013 remake, but it promises plenty of blood-soaked thrills.
MAY 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klmentieff, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki
Opening in: May 5, 2023
Writer-director James Gunn’s follows his giddily irreverent 2021 effort The Suicide Squad with the latest Guardians, which is sure to have a winning Chris Pratt, an awesome mix — see what we did there? — of other actors, and, we’re just guessing, plenty of comedic hijinks. We also know that Will Poulter is set to play Adam Warlock, who was teased at the end of Vol. 2.
Fast X (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel
Opening on: May 19, 2023
This is only part one of the tenth installment of the most speedy and angry franchise out there. (Part two, rumored to be the last in the series, will drop in 2024.) And while the plot is hush-hush at the moment, we know that Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of the family will be back to do their thing.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina
Opening on: May 26, 2023
This live-action remake of Disney’s fish-out-of-water favorite has some inspired casting — in particular, Melissa McCarthy (Ursula), Awkwafina (Scuttle), and Javier Bardem (King Triton) — and new tunes co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, while pop star Halle Bailey will don some fins to play Ariel.
JUNE 2023
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos
Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae
Opening on: June 2, 2023
The Oscar-winning animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a big hit with critics and audiences, and Across the Spider-Verse was one of the most anticipated of 2022… until it got moved to 2023. Shameik Moore will voice Miles Morales again, with Hailee Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacy and Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara (aka Spider-Man 2099) joining him. We also know that Issa Rae is set to voice Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman), and it’s likely that Jake Johnson’s Peter Parker will be back as well. The first trailer didn’t give us a whole lot more on the actual story of the film, but it revealed a whole slew of Spider characters Miles will come into contact with.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.
Starring: Ron Perlman, Anthony Ramos, Peter Cullen, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez
Opening on: June 9, 2023
The Transformers franchise takes another step back in time after the 1980s-set Bumblebee, taking viewers back to the mid-’90s as a pair of archaeologists stumble into a three-way conflict between different factions of Transformers. The film is loosely based on the Beast Wars storyline and directed by Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II), with Peter Cullen reprising his role as the voice of Optimus Prime and people like Ron Perlman, Anthony Ramos, and Dominique Fishback joining the cast.
Extraction 2 (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa
Premiering on: June 16, 2023 on Netflix
Not long after the pandemic took hold of the world in 2020, Netflix released an ambitious, adrenaline-fueled action flick starring Chris Hemsworth called Extraction, directed by Sam Hargrave and written by Joe Russo (and based on a graphic novel that Russo co-wrote). All three have returned for this sequel, which promises more ridiculous stunts and set pieces you can enjoy from the comfort of your living room couch.
The Flash (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Billy Crudup, Michael Keaton
Opening on: June 23, 2023
Multi-verses were all the rage in 2022, and this movie looks to be DC’s contribution to the trend. Like a lot of the films on this list, we don’t yet know anything about the story, but the casting of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne is either a super meta stunt or a big hint as to what we’ll see. There are rumors that the plot will follow the “Flashpoint” storyline from the comics, in which case, yes, expect some crossover shenanigans.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook
Opening on: June 30, 2023
For the first time ever, a person not named Steven Spielberg is helming an Indiana Jones film. James Mangold (Walk the Line) directs this long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which boasts turns by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Antonio Banderas, and, of course, Harrison Ford.
JULY 2023
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales
Opening on: July 14, 2023
This was the slot originally reserved for Mission: Impossible 8, but with COVID being what it is, we’re now getting M:I 7 in 2023 and M:I 8 in 2024. In any case, when this movie hits theaters, Tom Cruise will have played Ethan Hunt for a whopping 27 years. Where does the time go? This installment brings back familiar franchise faces like Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Czerny, and Vanessa Kirby, with Esai Morales playing the primary villain.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie
Opening on: July 21, 2023
Christopher Nolan’s buzzed-about biopic on physicist and “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy in the titular role, as well as Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. Like virtually all of Nolan’s films, the IMAX-shot pic should be taken in on the biggest screen possible.
The Marvels (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson
Opening on: July28,2023
The MCU ain’t getting any smaller, as Marvel plans to release five films in 2023 alone, including this sequel to Captain Marvel, which has Nia DaCosta (2021’s Candyman) at the helm and Brie Larson returning as Carol Danvers. The film will also be the big screen debut of Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel after her eponymous Disney+ series debuts in 2022.
Roosevelt 2023
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio
Opening on: July 14, 2023
The legacy of the 32nd president of the United States gets the Martin Scorsese treatment, with Leonardo DiCaprio — who else? — set to star as the leader who navigated the Great Depression and World War II. This was announced way back in 2017, and we haven’t heard a whole lot about it since then, so take this release date with a grain of salt.
Barbie (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling
Opening on: July 21, 2023
After her stellar adaptation of Little Women, director Greta Gerwig is back with this high-concept original (co-written with Noah Baumbach), which chronicles the most famous doll ever (Margot Robbie) as she’s banished from Barbieland and introduced to our world.
AUGUST (2023)
Blue Beetle (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Xolo Maridueña, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Guillen
Opening on: August 18, 2023
Originally conceived as a film specifically for the HBO Max streaming platform, Blue Beetle eventually found its way to being a theatrical release when Warner Bros. changed their minds about the film. The DC superhero flick will be helmed by Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) and star Xolo Maridueña, who has recently made a name for himself on the Karate Kid-inspired hit Netflix series Cobra Kai.
SEPTEMBER (2023)
The Nun 2 (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Michael Chaves
Starring: Bonnie Aarons
Opening on: September 8, 2023
The Conjuring Universe continues to expand, as we get a sequel to the 2018 horror film The Nun, which starred Taissa Farmiga as a young nun who comes face-to-face with the demon Valak at her convent. The second film takes place four years later, as Farmiga’s Sister Irene encounters Valak again after a priest is murdered. Bonnie Aarons, who portrayed Valak, is the only star currently attached to the film, so we have no word yet on whether or not Taissa Farmiga will also return to reprise her role.
OCTOBER ( 2023)
Kraven the Hunter (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Opening on: October 6, 2023
Originally set to appear sometime in the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man franchise before it was discontinued by Sony, the classic Spidey villain finally makes the jump to the big screen. The film will be directed by J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost, Triple Frontier), with Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who portrayed Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron) set to play the character.
The Exorcist
Offical Trailer
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn, Ann Dowd
Opening on: October 13, 2023
After capping off his trio of Halloween films, director David Gordon Green jumps right into another beloved horror franchise. As with his tackling of the Michael Myers story, The Exorcist is a follow-up to the original — and the 1973 original only — and will reportedly unfold as the first of a trilogy, with Ellen Burstyn set to reprise her starring turn.
Pain Hustlers
Offical Trailer
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass
Premiering on: October 27, 2023 on Netflix
Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts director David Yates delves into decidedly less fantastical territory with this based-on-true-events crime drama that centers on a woman who takes a job at a pharmaceutical start-up in Florida and finds herself at the center of a criminal conspiracy. The film stars Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, and Andy Garcia, among others.
NOVEMBER ( 2023 )
Dune: Part Two (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård
Opening on: November 3, 2023
The first installment’s day-and-date release on HBO Max may have put this sequel into question, but fear not: Dune: Part Two is officially a go, with director Denis Villeneuve claiming the film will cover the remainder of Frank Herbert’s 1965 opus (and open exclusively in theaters).
The Killer(2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Kerry O’Malley, Charles Parnell
Premiering on: November 10, 2023 on Netflix
Following up on his Oscar-winning Mank for Netflix, David Fincher turns to something a little darker. We don’t know much about this film, except that it’s a neo-noir thriller based on a French graphic novel series, and it will star Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, among others.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Tom Blyth, Jason Schwartzman
Opening on: November 17, 2023
Franchise vet Francis Lawrence returns to direct this Hunger Games prequel based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The story primarily follows a young Coriolanus Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland) and his involvement in the Hunger Games as a game-changing mentor years before the events of the original series..
DECEMBER 2023
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Sam Esmail
Starring: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, Mhya’la Herrold
Premiering on: December 10, 2023 on Netflix
Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail wrote, directed, and produced this thriller based on the novel of the same name about a family whose vacation at an Airbnb is interrupted by the property’s owners, who have arrived with news of a mysterious widespread blackout. The cast includes Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke.
Wonka (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Paul King
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Keegan-Michael Key
Opening on: December 15, 2023
Timothée Chalamet steps into the offbeat shoes of a young Willy Wonka in this origin story, which captures the budding chocolatier as he crosses paths with the Oompa-Loompas. Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan Michael-Key, and Rowan Atkinson round out the grade-A cast, while Paul King, who enjoyed massive critical success with his two Paddington films, takes the helm.
The Color Purple (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Louis Gossett Jr., H.E.R., Corey Hawkins, Deon Cole
Opening on: December 20, 2023
The musical, which nabbed a Tony for its revival on the Great White Way in 2016, makes its way to the silver screen just in time to close out the year. Be on the lookout for R&B phenom H.E.R., who makes her screen debut in the early-1900s-set Southern epic.
Untitled Ghostbusters: Afterlife Sequel (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: TBD
Opening on: December 20, 2023
We don’t have a lot of confirmed details about this sequel, except that director Jason Reitman is returning, and stars Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard at least are likely to return, possibly along with co-star Paul Rudd and the surviving original Ghostbusters. We also know that the film’s setting will indeed be New York and the firehouse from the original films, which was teased at the end of Afterlife.
Rebel Moon (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Cary Elwes, Corey Stoll, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, Djiman Hounsou, Dona Bae
Premiering on: December 22, 2023 on Netflix
After the success of Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder’s next project for Netflix is this space epic based on an original story of Snyder’s own. The story centers on a peaceful colony who, threatened by a tyrant, send a young woman to neighboring planets to recruit an army. The film is scheduled for a limited theatrical release before it streams on Netflix, but we don’t know when that will be yet.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison
Opening on: December 25, 2023
James Wan returns to the director’s chair for another go at the world of Atlantis and the DC superhero Aquaman (Jason Momoa), who will be joined by Amber Heard (Mera), Patrick Wilson (Ocean Master), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta). No other details about the film are available as of yet.
TBD
The Nightingale (2023)
Offical Trailer
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning
Opening on: TBD
Not to be confused with the Jennifer Kent film with the same title, this adaptation of writer Kristin Hannah’s bestselling 2015 novel, directed by Mélanie Laurent, tells the tale of two sisters (played by real-life sibs Elle and Dakota Fanning, appearing in the same film for the first time) who resist the German occupation of France during World War II. It has been delayed several times, so we don’t know if it will finally be released in 2023, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Legally Blonde 3 (2023)
Offical Trailer
Directed by: Jamie Suk
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Coolidge
Opening in: TBD
We don’t know what the story will entail, and we don’t know exactly when it will debut, but it was given a 2023 release date at one point, so we’ll keep it here until we know more. This is, of course, the third entry in the beloved Reese Witherspoon comedy franchise about a young woman who goes to law school on a whim and finds surprising success. The film has been in development since 2018 and was originally scheduled to open in 2020, but various delays — including, yes, the coronavirus — set it back. We know that Jennifer Coolidge is returning, and the film will be the feature debut of director Jamie Suk.