Get ready for an epic year of movies in 2023! The theaters will be packed with the latest blockbuster sequels and franchises, but streaming platforms give them a run for their money with top-notch films featuring A-list stars and directors.
From Indiana Jones to John Wick, the Expendables to the Fast and Furious crew, it’s anyone’s guess which of these highly anticipated follow-ups will be the next Top Gun: Maverick of 2022, or if we’ll be surprised by a fresh, buzzworthy hit like Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Inside the Article:
Blockbusters and Streaming Services
In 2023, the latest blockbuster movies and franchise films will be released in theaters and on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Apple TV, and Disney Plus. The most highly anticipated releases include the Saw and Fast and Furious franchises, Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 7, and Indiana Jones 5.
Superhero Films
Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be released in 2023, along with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and a Venom spinoff, Kraven the Hunter. DC Comics will also release Aquaman 2 and The Flash and introduce a new hero, Blue Beetle.
Adaptations
This year will also see adaptations of popular games and toys such as Super Mario Bros., Gran Turismo, and Dungeons and Dragons. Disney is celebrating its 100th anniversary by releasing a live-action reboot of The Little Mermaid and the new cartoon Wish, in addition to the Pixar film Elemental.
Original Films
2023 will also feature original films from acclaimed directors such as Christopher Nolan, M. Night Shyamalan, and Taika Waititi, as well as newcomers like Adele Lim and Calmatic. The Sundance Film Festival in January will showcase indie and up-and-coming filmmakers with unique stories to tell.
Notable Delays
Some films, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the Super Mario Bros. movie, Aquaman 2, and The Flash, have been delayed, and their release dates have been rescheduled. Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 have also been pushed back multiple times, and delays to Blade have impacted the release schedule for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 5.
List of Theatrical Movies coming out in 2023
1. Oppenheimer (2023)
Biography, Drama, History | Post-production
The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.
2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One (2023)
Action, Adventure, Thriller | Post-production
Seventh entry in the long-running Mission: Impossible series.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Pom Klementieff, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby
3. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Completed
Plot unknown. Reportedly based on the ‘Transformers’ spinoff ‘Beast Wars’ which feature robots that transform into robotic animals.
Director: Steven Caple Jr. | Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Pete Davidson, Ron Perlman
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Action, Adventure, Comedy | Post-production
Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel
5. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy | Post-production
Plot unknown. Sequel to the 2018 film ‘Aquaman.’
Director: James Wan | Stars: Jason Momoa, Ben Affleck, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
6. The Marvels (2023)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy | Post-production
Sequel to the 2019 title ‘Captain Marvel’.
Director: Nia DaCosta | Stars: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson
7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Action, Adventure | Post-production
The plot is unknown at this time.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Harrison Ford, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
8. The Flash (2023)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy | Post-production
The plot is unknown. Feature film based on the comic book superhero, The Flash.
Director: Andy Muschietti | Stars: Michael Shannon, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Ezra Miller
9. Kraven the Hunter (2023)
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Post-production
Russian immigrant Sergei Kravinoff is on a mission to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.
Director: J.C. Chandor | Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola
10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Animation, Action, Adventure | Post-production
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the … See full summary »
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson | Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson
11. Fast X (2023)
Action, Crime, Mystery | Filming
Plot unknown.
Director: Louis Leterrier | Stars: Nathalie Emmanuel, Michelle Rodriguez, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron
12. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Comedy | Completed
The film continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!” is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.
Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Helen Mirren, Zachary Levi, Lucy Liu, Grace Caroline Currey
13. Dune: Part Two (2023)
Action, Adventure, Drama | Post-production
A boy becomes the Messiah of nomads on a desert planet that has giant worms that protect a commodity called Spice. Spice changes people into travelers, mystics and madmen. What price will he pay to become the new ruler of their universe?
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem
14. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Action, Adventure, Comedy | Post-production
Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.
Director: Peyton Reed | Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton
15. Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom (2023)
Adventure, Comedy, Family | Completed
The only daughter of the Chinese emperor Han Xuandi, escapes from a strict prince and seeks help from the Gauls and the two brave warriors Asterix and Obelix.
Director: Guillaume Canet | Stars: Guillaume Canet, Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Cassel, Jonathan Cohen
16. Blue Beetle (2023)
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Post-production
A Mexican teenager finds an alien beetle that gives him superpowered armor.
Director: Angel Manuel Soto | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Harvey Guillén, Xolo Maridueña, Raoul Max Trujillo
17. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy | Post-production
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein | Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith
18. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Action, Crime, Thriller | Post-production
John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
Director: Chad Stahelski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne
19. Wonka (2023)
Adventure, Comedy, Family | Post-production
The story will focus specifically on a young Willy Wonka and how he met the Oompa-Loompas on one of his earliest adventures.
Director: Paul King | Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Tracy Ifeachor, Sally Hawkins
20. The Exorcist (2023)
121 min | Horror | Filming
Sequel to the 1973 film about a 12-year-old girl who is possessed by a mysterious demonic entity, forcing her mother to seek the help of two priests to save her.
Director: David Gordon Green | Stars: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn, Rory Gross
21. Knock at the Cabin (2023)
R | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | Completed
While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge
22. The Little Mermaid (2023)
Adventure, Family, Fantasy | Post-production
A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch, to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem
23. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
Action, Adventure, Drama | Post-production
Coriolanus Snow mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12 tribute during the 10th Hunger Games.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis
24. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Animation, Action, Adventure | Filming
CG-animated feature film based on the superhero team
Directors: Jeff Rowe, Kyler Spears | Stars: Seth Rogen, Shamon Brown Jr.
25. 65 (2023)
Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi | Post-production
An astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he’s not alone.
Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods | Stars: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman, Nika King
26. Barbie (2023)
Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy | Post-production
Barbie lives in Barbie Land and then a story happens.
Director: Greta Gerwig | Stars: Margot Robbie, Will Ferrell, Ryan Gosling, Helen Mirren
27. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
PG | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | Completed
The story of The Super Mario Bros. on their journey through the Mushroom Kingdom
Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic | Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black
28. Red One (2023)
Action, Adventure, Comedy | Filming
Plot under wraps.
Director: Jake Kasdan | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka
29. Scream 6 (2023)
Horror, Mystery, Thriller | Post-production
In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett | Stars: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown
30. Hair of the Dog (2023)
Mystery, Thriller | Pre-production
An executive caught up in a blackmail plot discovers he’s just a pawn in a larger, darker scheme.
Director: Jamie Marshall
31. Haunted Mansion (2023)
Comedy, Drama, Family | Post-production
A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to help exorcise their newly bought mansion; after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts.
Director: Justin Simien | Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, Danny DeVito
32. Renfield (2023)
R | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror | Completed
Dracula’s henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum.
Director: Chris McKay | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Shohreh Aghdashloo
33. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
Animation, Adventure, Comedy | Filming
Having pulled off an escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has found a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new threat, and Ginger and her team decide to break in.
Director: Sam Fell | Stars: Bella Ramsey, David Bradley, Zachary Levi, Thandiwe Newton
34. The Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
Action, Adventure, Horror | Post-production
Plot unknown. Sequel to the 2018 film ‘The Meg’.
Director: Ben Wheatley | Stars: Cliff Curtis, Jason Statham, Sienna Guillory, Melissanthi Mahut
