2023 At The Box Office (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

Here we are…again. A New Year with Hollywood hoping to reclaim pre-COVID box-office glory.

The 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 start marking your calendars.

editorial.rottentomatoes.com

 

[Tino]

The 35 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.​

Tim Lowery

(Photo by ©Summit Entertainment, Chuck Zlotnick/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, ©Universal Pictures, ©Paramount Pictures)

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 probably isn’t going to change going into 2023, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have some incredible films to look forward to. 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 12/14/22]

• Recommended: The Most Anticipated Movies of 2022
• Recommended: The Best Movies of 2022, Ranked by Tomatometer

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February​

Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023)

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.

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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania(2022)

Directed by: Peyton Reed
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.

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March​

Creed III (2023)

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.

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65 (2023)

Directed by: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
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.

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Scream VI (2023)

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.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

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.

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John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Directed by: Chad Stahelski
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.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

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.

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April​

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Directed by: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
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.

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Evil Dead Rise (2022)

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 the Spring of 2023. It’s remains unclear if this movie will connect to the originals or the 2013 remake, or if it will be its own thing entirely, but it will focus on two sisters whose reunion is interrupted by – what else? – the discovery of a mysterious book that summons demons.

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May​

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Directed by: James Gunn
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.

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(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)



Fast X (2023)

Directed by: Justin Lin
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.

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The Little Mermaid (2023)

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.

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June​

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse(2023)

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.

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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

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.

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The Flash (2023)
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Billy Crudup, Michael Keaton
Opening on: June 23, 2023

In case you hadn’t heard, multi-verses are going to be all the rage in 2022, and this movie is looking 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.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny(2023)

Directed by: James Mangold
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.

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July​

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One (2023)

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.

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Oppenheimer (2023)

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.

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(Photo by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)



The Marvels (2023)

Directed by: Nia DaCosta
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.

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Roosevelt
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 lotabout it since then, so take this release date with a grain of salt.

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Barbie (2023)

Directed by: Greta Gerwig
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.

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August​

Blue Beetle (2023)

Directed by: Angel Manuel Soto
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.

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September​

The Nun 2 (2023)

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.

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Untitled A Quiet Place Spinoff
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: TBD
Opening on: September 22, 2023

We don’t know much yet about this film besides its scheduled release date and the fact that Michael Sarnoski, who made his feature directorial debut with the acclaimed Nicolas Cage film Pig, will be behind the camera. We also know the story will be based on an idea from John Krasinski, who will serve as producer on the film.

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October​

Kraven the Hunter (2023)

Directed by: J.C. Chandor
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.

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The Exorcist
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.

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November​

(Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures)



Dune: Part Two (2023)

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).

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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

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..

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December​

Wonka
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.

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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.

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Untitled Ghostbusters: Afterlife Sequel
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.

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(Photo by Warner Bros.)



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 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.

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TBD​

The Nightingale (2023)

Directed by: Mélanie Laurent
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning
Opening on: TBD
The bestselling novel unfolds on the big screen, with Mélanie Laurent directing the tale of two sisters (played by real-life sibs Elle and Dakota Fanning) who resist the German occupation of France during World War II.

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Legally Blonde 3 (2023)
Directed by: Jamie Suk
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Coolidge
Opening in: TBD

We don’t know what the story will entail, but we do know that a third entry in the beloved Reese Witherspoon comedy franchise Legally Blonde is set to come out sometime reportedly in 2023. 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.

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Thumbnail image by Sony Pictures

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[Sam Posten]

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I think someone is confusing Teddy Roosevelt and FDR in the Scorsese Roosevelt writeup.

 

[TravisR]

I think someone is confusing Teddy Roosevelt and FDR in the Scorsese Roosevelt writeup.

They are and while I'd love it if Scorsese released two movies in one year, I think they're also confusing it with Killers Of The Flowers Moon which is a movie that exists & is actually coming out in 2023 and Roosevelt likely hasn't shot a frame yet and has less than no chance of coming out next year.

 

[Jake Lipson]

For anyone and everyone who wants to answer: as of right now, what is your most anticipated movie of 2023 and why?

There are a lot of big movies that I'm looking forward to, but picking just one I think I have to give the edge to Dune: Part Two. The first film was my introduction to that world. I wasn't acquainted with the novels and just went to the movie because I'm a Denis Villeneuve fan. I absolutely loved it.

While I have thought about going to the book to resolve the cliffhanger, I decided that because I started with the movie, I want to finish this story with the movie before I read it. So I don't have any idea, aside from the hints in the first film, about where the story might be going. I'm really excited to find out.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Indiana Jones.

Because it’s Indiana Jones.

 

[Malcolm R]

If anyone says anything other than "Cocaine Bear", they're lying.

 

[Tino]

John Wick Chapter 4

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Dune. I loved what DV did in the first one.

 

[Tino]

In 2016 with same calendar, DEC tentpole Rogue One dropped 20% from 2nd FRI to 3rd FRI. #AvatarTheWayOfWater reversed that flow and just did +27%. 15-day #boxoffice total is now off just 3% from RO at same point after opening wknd was 14% below. New #Avatar may even it by MON!

 

[Joe Wong]

Anticipated films:

Dune 2 - I, too, enjoyed Part 1 and am looking forward to seeing it, potentially in IMAX 1.43:1. (Also, I finally saw Blade Runner 2049 tonight, which was thought-provoking, haunting, and visually impressive, but a bit too slow-paced in parts. I think it could have shaved 30 minutes off the run time, but it reinforces the admiration I and many have for Denis Villeneuve's talent.)

Oppenheimer - while Nolan's last film Tenet was ultimately a bit too head-scratching, the opportunity to potentially see his next film in IMAX 1.43:1 is appealing.

The Marvels - Captain Marvel is the character I'm most interested in from Marvel Comics, so in a film where she's partnered with Kamala Khan from what I consider the best Disney+ MCU series, Ms Marvel, as well as Monica Rambeau, I am expecting some fireworks!

Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse: The original was a great take on arguably Marvel's most popular superhero, filled with creative animation, a strong story, and fantastic music! Looking forward to see where this sequel goes.

Ant-man: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3: As an MCU fan, I would have been anticipating these 2 films in any event. But given they're both the 3rd chapter in their respective "solo" franchises (and only Thor has had a 4th), we could be seeing some dire circumstances for the characters. Plus, the chance to see Jonathan Majors again in the MCU (as Kang in Quantumania) is a bonus!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel: Hoping to see the return of the new (established in Afterlife) and original characters, but now back to the classic stomping grounds of New York City! Hopefully the original characters are not just a glorified cameo, otherwise leave them out and move on.

 

[Tino]

‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Passes $400M Mark At Domestic Box Office, 4-Day Now At $82M+ – Sunday AM Update​

SUNDAY AM, NEW YEAR’S DAY: Refresh for more analysis and chart While New Year’s Eve is typically a better moviegoing day than Christmas Eve, business was still down at -27% from Friday for all movies. That’s a similar decline to last weekend’s Friday-to-Christmas Eve (-26%), however New Year’s Eve made more than Christmas Eve, $27.9M to $22.2M.

Disney/20th/Lightstorm’s Avatar: The Way of Waterdid $18M yesterday taking its total running total to $400M. Revised 3-day is $63.4M (+2% from last weekend, great), and 4-day is $82.4M for a running total by EOD Monday of $440.5M.

‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Scores Monday January Record With $21M+, 4-Day Rises To $88M, Looks To Best Blumhouse’s ‘M3GAN’ Opening – Tuesday AM Update

TUESDAY AM UPDATE: .20th Century Studios/Lightstorm/Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water came out of New Year’s weekend on a roll scoring the best January Monday ever with $21.1M, ahead of…

deadline.com

 

[Tino]

Chart Index

		Movie Title	Distributor	Gross	%LW	Theaters	Theaters Change	Per Theater	Total Gross	Weekends In Release
1	(1)	Avatar: The Way of Water	20th Century…	$63,444,000	n/c	4,202	n/c	$15,099	$421,561,914	3
2	(2)	Puss in Boots: The Last Wish	Universal	$16,250,000	+31%	4,121	+22	$3,943	$60,657,330	2
3	(6)	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	Walt Disney	$4,830,000	+38%	2,310	+60	$2,091	$437,975,653	8
4	(3)	Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody	Sony Pictures	$4,250,000	-11%	3,625	n/c	$1,172	$14,870,000	2
5	(4)	Babylon	Paramount Pi…	$2,730,000	-24%	3,351	+8	$815	$10,139,000	2
6	(5)	Violent Night	Universal	$2,120,000	-40%	2,563	+1	$827	$47,510,295	5
7	(7)	The Whale	A24	$1,330,685	+28%	623	+20	$2,136	$5,777,882	4
8	(8)	The Fabelmans	Universal	$1,140,000	+53%	1,149	+27	$992	$12,215,220	8
9	(9)	The Menu	Searchlight …	$1,070,000	+58%	860	+20	$1,244	$36,128,899	7
10	(10)	Strange World	Walt Disney	$538,000	+30%	1,240	-150	$434	$37,029,290	6
11	(-)	Devotion	Sony Pictures	$330,000	+83%	380	-47	$868	$19,934,075	6
-	(-)	Empire of Light	Searchlight …	$130,000	+51%	300	-50	$433	$964,567	4
-	(-)	Ticket to Paradise	Universal	$73,000	+93%	102	-3	$716	$68,226,230	11
-	(-)	The Banshees of Inisherin	Searchlight …	$71,000	+84%	75	-5	$947	$9,052,962	11
-	N	A Man Called Otto	Sony Pictures	$61,000		4		$15,250	$61,000	1
-	(-)	EO	Janus Films	$60,713	+56%	44	+8	$1,380	$444,152	7
-	(-)	TÁR	Focus Features	$50,000	+192%	45	+9	$1,111	$5,598,760	13
-	(-)	Women Talking	United Artists	$41,000	+1%	8	n/c	$5,125	$147,520	2
-	(-)	Corsage	IFC Films	$30,000	-7%	3	+1	$10,000	$80,364	2
-	N	Broker	Neon	$28,236		4		$7,059	$53,507	1
-	(-)	No Bears	Janus Films	$6,650	+8%	1	n/c	$6,650	$22,104	2
		21		$98,584,284

 

[Wayne_j]

So an excellent weekend in terms of % drops.

 

[Edwin-S]

Miles Moralis' Spiderman: Across the Mulitiverse.

 

[Tino]

Box Office: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Rules Over New Year’s, Global Gross Hits $1.38 Billion​

Audiences rang in 2023 with a trip to Pandora, as James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued to dominate the holiday box office.

The ambitious — and staggeringly expensive — science-fiction epic has been in the works for years, blowing past several release dates as Cameron figured out a way to expand his story of a race of alien creatures struggling against hostile invaders. He also labored to create new technology that would allow him to do performance capture work underwater. The wait appears to have been worth it. “Avatar: The Way of Water” brought in a projected $63.4 million domestically over New Year’s weekend and is expected to generate $82.4 million over the four-day holiday (most people have Monday off and many of them will apparently be spending that day with the Na’vi).

But all that innovation didn’t come cheap and Cameron has suggested that in order to turn a profit for Disney, the company that bought the rights to “Avatar” when it purchased much of 21st Century Fox in 2019, the movie will need to be one of the highest-grossing films in history. Sources put “Avatar: The Way of Water’s” break-even point at roughly $1.4 billion, a figure it is on the precipice of passing.

Here’s where things stand. So far, the film has earned $421.6 million domestically and $956.9 million internationally. Its global gross stands at $1.38 billion. The “Avatar” sequel is now the fifteenth highest global release of all-time, just behind “Black Panther” and ahead of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” So it’s in some pretty rarefied commercial company.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” was basically the only game in town when it came to New Year’s Eve viewing. Coming in a distant second was Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which earned $16.3 million over the weekend and is expected to make $21.7 million over the four-day holiday. That would put the animated adventure’s domestic total at just over $66 million.

Disney and Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” took third place, earning $4.8 million over the weekend and a projected $6.5 million over the four-day holiday. Its domestic total stands at $438 million, while its global gross is $818.5 million.

In fourth place, Sony and Tri-Star’s “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” earned $4.2 million for the weekend and $5.4 million for the four-day holiday. That leaves the biopic about the troubled pop icon with a $16 million domestic gross, a discordant result for a film with a $45 million budget.

Avatar: The Way Of Water Is About To Break Even As Its Worldwide Box Office Total Reaches $1.38 Billion

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l.smartnews.com

 

[Tino]

From ‘Dune’ To ‘DiCaprio’, ‘Priscilla’ To Park Chan-wook: 68 Global Movies (And A TV Series) That Could Light Up Festivals In 2023​

From ‘Dune’ To ‘DiCaprio’, ‘Priscilla’ To Park Chan-wook: 68 Global Movies (And A TV Series) That Could Light Up Festivals In 2023

Roll up, roll up, it’s our annual list of U.S. and international movies that could have festivals (and audiences) salivating in 2023. As ever, two of our main criteria are that the project is…

deadline.com

 

[Robert Saccone]

For anyone and everyone who wants to answer: as of right now, what is your most anticipated movie of 2023 and why?

There are a lot of big movies that I'm looking forward to, but picking just one I think I have to give the edge to Dune: Part Two. The first film was my introduction to that world. I wasn't acquainted with the novels and just went to the movie because I'm a Denis Villeneuve fan. I absolutely loved it.

While I have thought about going to the book to resolve the cliffhanger, I decided that because I started with the movie, I want to finish this story with the movie before I read it. So I don't have any idea, aside from the hints in the first film, about where the story might be going. I'm really excited to find out.

Indiana Jones and Oppenheimer Are the two that most appeal to me. Why? Escapism and historical drama.

 

[Tino]

‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ To Pass ‘Rogue One’ Today With $444M+, 4-Day Now At $86M+ – Monday AM Update​

MONDAY AM UPDATE: Sunday came in stronger for Avatar: The Way of Water than Disney expected, grossing a great $24.4M to what was thought to be $21M. That’s the third biggest New Year’s Day haul of all-time after The Force Awakens ($34.3M) and James Cameron’s first Avatar ($25.2M). Avatar 2‘s New Year’s Day was even bigger than that of Spider-Man: No Way Home ($23.1M) last year.

The third weekend of the James Cameron title rises to $66.8M, +6% from its Christmas weekend, with a 4-day of $86.3M. By the end of today, it’s expected that Avatar 2 will pass the $440.9M 18-day total of Rogue One with$444.4M. Why is that such a big deal? Because that 2016 Star Wars prequel has been used as the comp for this mega-tentpole, which was slower out of the gate than tracking initially forecasted. 2016 was the last time that Christmas fell on a Sunday, and New Year’s Day 2017 too.