TAGGED AS: Film, films, movie, movies
The past couple of years have been unusual, to say the least, and like most other industries, Hollywood has had to make a number of adjustments. We saw Warner Bros. commit to streaming all of their major 2021 releases simultaneously on HBO Max, with mixed results, while other studios incorporated some combination of theatrical and digital strategies. That has changed a bit so far in 2023, as we’ve seen studios release some big box office winners through July. Read on for the Most Anticipated Movies of 2023, and as more titles are announced and information is released, we will continue to update this page, so check back often!
[Updated 10/2/23]
Dicks: The Musical
(2023)
Directed by: Larry Charles
Starring: Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang, Megan Thee Stallion, Tom Kenny
Opening on: October 6, 2023
Larry Charles, the man who worked with Sacha Baron Cohen to bring us movies like Borat, Bruno, and The Dictator, sets his sights on the big screen musical in this not-so-subtle twist on The Parent Trap. Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp — the creators of the play upon which the film is based — play a pair of competing businessmen who discover they’re long-lost identical twins and decide to swap identities in order to bring their divorced parents back together.
The Exorcist: Believer
(2023)
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn, Ann Dowd
Opening on: October 6, 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.
TAYLOR SWIFT | THE ERAS TOUR
(2023)
Directed by: Sam Wrench
Starring: Taylor Swift
Opening on: October 13, 2023
If you missed out on seeing Taylor Swift in person during her Eras tour — and a lot of people did — then you’re in luck. You can see her in all her glory on the big screen in this concert film that weaves together some of the best moments from the tour.
Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023)
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal
Opening on: October 20, 2023
Based on David Grann’s broadly lauded best-selling book, Killers of the Flower Moon is a sobering appraisal of America’s relationship with Indigenous peoples and yet another artistic zenith for Martin Scorsese and his collaborators.
Pain Hustlers
(2023)
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.
Priscilla
(2023)
Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Domińczyk
Opening on: November 3, 2023
Last year we got Elvis, and this year we get Priscilla. Sofia Coppola’s latest film is an adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir and something of a passion project for Coppola. The film, which largely charts Presley’s relationship with Elvis, premiered at the Venice Film Festival to rave reviews and looks to be another Awards contender.
The Killer
(2023)
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 Marvels
(2023)
Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson
Opening on: November 10, 2023 (formerly July 28,2023)
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.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023)
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis
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.
Next Goal Wins
(2023)
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, Will Arnett
Opening on: November 17, 2023
Taika Waititi takes on a decidedly more grounded film after last year’s Thor: Love and Thunder in this adaptation of the 2015 documentary of the same title. The story follows Dutch-American soccer coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), who is hired to help turn around the American Samoa national team, which is considered one of the worst in the world.
Napoleon
(2023)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Ludivine Sagnier, Ben Miles
Opening on: November 22, 2023
Joaquin Phoenix reunites with Gladiator director Ridley Scott for this historical drama about the famous French general-turned-emperor. The film will be a chronicle of Napoleon’s rise to power, told through the lens of his volatile relationship to his wife, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). The film is also reported to have several big battle sequences, which Scott should be able to manage with plenty of flair.
Wish
(2023)
Directed by: Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn
Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine
Opening on: November 22, 2023
Just as the meta Lightyear looked at the character that inspired the character Tim Allen voices in the Toy Story movies, Wish will tell the origin story of the wishing star that factors into so many Disney fables. Frozen’s Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are writing the script for the animated film while Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will star.
Directed by: Nadia Lee Cohen
Starring: Beyoncé
Opening on: December 1, 2023
Not to be outdone by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé dropped an unexpected trailer for a concert film documenting her Renaissance World Tour, the highest-grossing concert tour by any woman, the day after its final performance on October 1. Let the Beyhive rejoice… and show up in theaters on December 1, when the film debuts.
The Bikeriders
(2023)
Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus
Opening on: December 1, 2023
Austin Butler and Jodie Comer headline an all-star ensemble cast in this drama inspired by the eponymous nonfiction photo-book, courtesy of writer-director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud). The story traces the history of a Midwestern motorcycle club during the 1960s through the viewpoint of a woman (Jodie Comer) married to one of its members (Austin Butler).
Godzilla Minus One
(2023)
Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki
Opening on: December 1, 2023
The latest iteration in the Japanese Godzilla franchise comes to us courtesy of writer-director Takashi Yamazaki (he also did the visual effects!) and takes place just after the end of World War II. As Japan struggles to recover from the effects of the war, the kaiju we all know and fear suddenly appears and wreaks destruction across the land.
The Boy and the Heron
(2023)
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura
Opening on: December 8, 2023
Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki’s reportedly final film was famously not promoted in any way — before the first teaser dropped just days ahead of the film’s TIFF premiere, the only thing we had to go on was a poster image and the fact that it was inspired by a 1937 novel. We now also know the film’s release date, and while those looking for a description of the film can find it online easily, we’ll choose to let audiences discover the film for themselves (and you can always check out the teaser above).
Poor Things
(2023)
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael, Margaret Qualley, Kathryn Hunter
Opening on: December 8, 2023
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.
Leave the World Behind
(2023)
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)
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)
Directed by: Blitz Bazawule
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.
Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire
(2023)
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)
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison
Opening on: December 22, 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).
