With 2023 right around the corner, what better time to look ahead to the future cinematic experiences we can expect in the new year? Together with Allison, we have compiled a list of the twenty-five films we are most looking forward to seeing. Funny enough, five of the movies are simply holdovers from last year that have still yet to be released. Check out the picks after the jump!
Here are our 25 most anticipated movies for 2023, in alphabetical order.
BARBIE
Release date: July 21st
Margot Robbie’s turn in Babylon proved without doubt she’s no one-trick pony, so we can’t wait to see how this one “plays” out. The addition of Greta Gerwig helming the film, the possibility of rapturous musical numbers, Ryan Gosling playing a dreamy Ken, and the overall colorful, magical-looking Barbie Land of the teaser trailer are enough to put Barbie on anyone’s radar.
BEAU IS AFRAID
Release date: TBA 2023
Previously titled Disappointment Blvd., Beau is Afraid is the newest movie from Hereditary and Midsommar’s Ari Aster. One look at the cast list, which includes Joaquin Phoenix and Parker Posey, among others, is jaw-dropping. Aster has not let me down yet—I have an inkling that Beau is Afraid will follow suit in being an immediate classic.
DUNE: PART TWO
Release date: November 3
The first film was a flawless, visually stunning sci-fi epic that really leaves the viewer hanging in anticipation. With Part Two comes a much larger role for Zendaya’s Chani, along with the additions of Austin Butler and Florence Pugh to the series. I would have been there day one at just the uttering of “Timothee Chalamet.” Will this sprout another meme like the hand-in-the-box from Dune? Only time will tell…
ELEMENTAL
Release date: June 16
Disney/Pixar covering literally any topic make for essential animated cinema. The fiery possibilities could be endless, and I am already intrigued that it is Peter Sohn’s first feature with Pixar since 2015’s underrated, emotional gem The Good Dinosaur.
EVIL DEAD RISE
Release date: April 21
The first return to the universe of Evil Dead since STARZ unceremoniously canceled their wonderful Ash vs. The Evil Dead series—I have been waiting for this film to “swallow my soul” since it was announced!
THE EXORCIST
Release date: October 13
David Gordon Green and Danny McBride just closed out their Halloween requel trilogy in stylish, unique flair with the divisive Halloween Ends, and now they are back to bring a new vision to legendary The Exorcist. This follow-up will be a direct sequel to the original, ignoring all the sequels and bringing Leslie Odom Jr. and Ann Dowd into the fray to join OG cast member Ellen Burstyn. The franchise in question has been sort of all over the place since the first sequel unsuccessfully brought back Regan. In major need of consistency, Green and McBride could be just the duo to possess new life into this timeless series.
THE FLASH
Release date: June 16
Many scandals and delays later, The Flash is finally about to zoom in! The return of my all-time favorite iteration of Batman (played once more by Michael Keaton) and Ezra Miller’s long-awaited solo venture as The Flash officially puts this one on my most anticipated list. Time will tell as to whether anything that happens here will effect the grander DCEU at large, but I digress. Let’s just hope its more Birds of Prey and less Wonder Woman 1984.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
Release date: May 5
The original Guardians of the Galaxy is still my favorite entry in the entire MCU. James Gunn returning to close out this crew had me excited enough, but after viewing that surprisingly emotional teaser trailer, I am even more pumped to see where we go from here. Groot and Rocket Raccoon, you in danger, girl!
THE HAUNTED MANSION
Release date: August 11
One of the best rides at Disney was given one of the single most unmemorable Disney adaptations in the early 2000s. Director Justin Simien is here to remedy this by bringing in a huge ensemble that includes Rosario Dawson, Lakeith Stanfield, Winona Ryder, Jared Leto, and Owen Wilson among others. As if that wasn’t enough, Jamie Lee Curtis is also starring as the psychic Madame Leota!
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Release date: November 17
Though I have yet to read the prequel novel from Suzanne Collins on which the film is based, I absolutely adore the original run of books and their big-screen adaptations. I was already very excited for this (particularly, a young Snow sounds like fodder for some fascinating material), but that cast is what really sold me. Name after name was announced, including an adorable West Side Story reunion between real-life couple Rachel Zegler and Josh Andres Rivera. Francis Lawrence, who directed every installment after the first, returns to helm.
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
Release date: June 30
Anything Indiana Jones sets the Internet ablaze, especially when one considers that the previous film was released more than a decade ago. Dial of Destiny is no exception. Coming to us courtesy of James Mangold (Identity, Logan, Walk the Line), I have no doubt in my mind it will be a memorable send-off for one of cinema’s finest legends.
INSIDIOUS 5
Release date: July 7
The first three Insidious films are home to modern horror at its best. Though the series definitely fell off with the fourth installment—a stalling prequel that did not give Lin Shaye nearly enough material to work with—there is simply no denying the power of haunting imagery cooked up by Saw and Dead Silence creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell. Insidious 5 will be directed by Patrick Wilson, and see the return of the Lambert family for the first time since Insidious: Chapter Two. College dorming is nightmarish to begin with, so I cannot wait to see what they have in store.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Release date: March 24
Bill Skarsgard as the villain, Keanu Reeves in badass mode once again, and Chad Stahelski (John Wick 1-3) back in the director’s chair make the possibilities endless for this fourth entry in the series. If they can maintain the consistency of previous installments, John Wick: Chapter 4 has potential to be the best action movie of the year.
THE LITTLE MERMAID
Release date: May 26
I have to admit I am still not 100% sold on The Little Mermaid due to many different factors. However, the original is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies. With such great source material already existing, I have to believe there is no way they can truly screw it up. I am most excited to see how queer icon Ursula (now played by Melissa McCarthy) is portrayed, and with Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) behind the camera, the musical sequences had better be out of this world.
MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE
Release date: February 10
Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL were pure event cinema, with an unbridled audience energy in seeing both on opening night. This final go-round for Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike, inspired by the massive success of Vegas’s Magic Mike Live, will hopefully close out the trilogy in a note of finality and jaw-dropping dance moves. Is it too much to hope for proper goodbyes from characters played by Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, and Matt Bomer?
MAXXXINE
Release date: TBA 2023
Pearl and X were cream of the crop in 2022’s horror scene. Leave it to Ti West and A24 to surprise us with a third entry in the Pearl saga! At this point, I would watch Mia Goth recite the phone book, but West surely has creativity and bizarro charm up his sleeve. As different as Pearl and X feel, count on Maxxxine to be equally singular in vision and execution. Assumedly, Maxine heads to Hollywood where she is bound to get a taste of what it means to really become a star.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING – PART ONE
Release date: July 14
The title is a mouthful, but Part One could be the beginning of the end to the grandiose Mission: Impossible saga. Tom Cruise has proved the impossible: 7 movies deep and this franchise remains one of the most critically-acclaimed action series of all time. What death-defying stunts are in store for Dead Reckoning?
RENFIELD
Release date: April 14
Dracula’s lackey gets a movie of his own with director Chris McKay’s foray into horror/comedy territory, Renfield. The thought of Nicolas Cage in vampiric makeup is bound to make even casual Cage fans over the moon with excitement.
SALEM’S LOT
Release date: September 9
Delayed from 2021, say it ain’t so! Any Stephen King project is cause for excitement in my book, but one with vampires from the director of Annabelle Comes Home? I’m officially in.
SAW X
Release date: October 27
I have watched every single Saw entry in theaters since the very first one, a surprising indie gem released in 2004. For awhile there, a new installment was churned out each Halloween, becoming a horror mainstay in a way few series are able to conceivably maintain. By weaving the story threads throughout each movie, it almost became akin to longform television. Muddling the complicated timeline even further, Saw X will be a mid-quel set between Saw II and Saw III, which allows for the return of favorites Tobin Bell as Jigsaw and Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young. Fans will be over the moon by the reprisal of these roles, and anxious to see how they will fit into the larger framework. Do you want to play a game?
SCREAM VI
Release date: March 10
Bar none, Scream VI is my most anticipated film of 2023. Unlike part 5, I unfortunately have to wait a full three months to experience the newest meta entry in horror’s most consistent franchise ever. Returning for this go-round is every major player from 2022’s Scream, with one notable exception. Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, the ultimate final girl, will sadly be absent due to a salary dispute in which the company refused to ante up an amount equal to Campell’s work on the series. This tragic reality has sadly cast a dark cloud over VI for much of the production, and yet the cast and creatives must soldier on without her. My hope is that this film will be very successful, thus ushering in Radio Silence to return one more time—preferably with Sidney and VI‘s survivors being stalked by a new Ghostface. Regardless, my excitement has still not been diminished due to an all-new setting of New York City, and a reportedly much larger role for both Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers and Jenna Ortega’s Tara Carpenter. The biggest draw though may be in directly connecting the movie to Scream 4 via returnee and franchise favorite, Kirby Reed played by Hayden Panettiere. New blood includes Jack Champion, Dermot Mulroney, Liana Liberato, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving! Proving without a doubt they have great affection towards everything Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson once built from the ground up, Radio Silence made sure to honor the legendary director last time around. Their new normal now established, the sky’s the limit for Radio Silence to put their own unique stamp on the future. 1996’s Scream is my favorite film of all time, and Scream 5 has become a major comfort watch this year, but only time will tell if VI is able to maintain the excellent precedent set by past installments.
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE
Release date: June 2
Even after the major hype from the first Spider Verse movie, I was not fully sold until I sat down in the theater. Swept up in the beauty of the animation, the richness of the characters, and my first movie-length introduction to the Multiverse, that film captured magic in a bottle, and remains one of the very best Spider-Man movies. Expectations are high, which can only hope to live up to the greatness of the previous entry. With great power comes great responsibility–please don’t let us down!
THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
Release date: December 21
Our first attempt to follow the plumber brothers, Mario and Luigi, onto the big screen is widely considered one of the worst video game adaptations of all time. Now, Despicable Me company Illumiation Entertainment will take a second stab at the property. If they can lean into the fun of the video games and capture a simple Bowser-steals-Peach story in a meta way, this has huge potential. For the record, Chris Pratt’s Mario voice sounds like good fun to me. Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!
TEEN WOLF: THE MOVIE
Release date: January 26
For fans of MTV’s Teen Wolf, a new feature-length continuation of the show bringing back oodles of major characters into the fray sounds like a dream come true. Obviously I join the chorus in wishing that Dylan O’Brien’s Stiles had returned, but nevertheless, I am really looking forward to exploring Beacon Hills again!
WONKA
Release date: December 15
Timothee Chalamet + full-length musical + Paddington director Paul King + Roald Dahl’s Wonka origin story = a golden ticket to a magical world? I for one cannot wait to tear open the wrapper on this exciting project to taste the delights of Willy Wonka once more. Personally, I adored Tim Burton’s take on the material back in 2005, but I am thrilled to return to Wonka’s orbit from an all-new vantage point!
Are there any films in 2023 that missed our list but are must-see? Let us know in the comments below!