Top 20 most anticipated movies in 2023: 20-11

I think 2022 is child’s play compared to the amount of star-studded blockbuster movies that we are about to see come out in 2023.

2022 was a big year for movies, but it was even bigger for movie theaters. Last year featured blockbusters such as The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, Bullet Train, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Avatar: Way of Water. There were also critically acclaimed films that might not have made big splashes at the box office, including Everything Everywhere All At Once, Nope, X, Glass Onion, and The Woman Knight.

Last year was a stepping stone back to a perfect world where people want to see the spectacle of a movie in a theater, but people still also enjoy watching them in the comfort of their homes.

I keep wanting to expand this list further and further because this is the biggest slate of anticipated movies since 2019 (the year of Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Knives Out). Here is 20-11 of my top 20 most anticipated movies for that are scheduled to come out in 2023:

20. Fast X (May 19th)

This is the 10th installment of the main story line for The Fast & The Furious franchise and will be the second-to-last movie. After F9, a lot of fans were not sold on this franchise anymore and most, including myself, thought the series should have ended with the tragic departure of Paul Walker in Furious 7. On top of the last one not being that good, all of the drama with Vin Diesel that led Dwayne Johnson to leave the franchise made this an even harder movie to be excited about.

However, it is so hard to turn your eyes away, especially when you have invested so much time into this franchise. You always know with this series that the comedy and action will be great. Plus, they are adding Jason Momoa, who is usually fantastic in everything he’s in. 

Even though these movies are getting more and more far-fetched now with the rumored return of Gal Gadot’s character, who was killed off in the sixth installment, buckle up for the ride. If you walk into it with your brain turned off like I do, these are always fun to watch!

19. The Marvels (July 28th)

Most Marvel fans were disappointed with Phase 4 and are worried about what is to come. I think people tend to forget how much people disliked Phase 1, and I think the bigger issue for Marvel right now is that it seems more focused on quantity than quality. However, 2023 will be a big year for Marvel and I think The Marvels could be quite exciting for fans.

This movie will see the combination of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau teaming up together. While people weren’t too keen on Ms. Marvel, it started off really strong and did fall flat after a couple of episodes. I think the saving grace of the film will be Rambeau, who was great in WandaVision. It will be more fun to further explore her character because I wanted more of her in WandaVision. 

It is hard to further speculate how important this movie could be to the Marvel timeline until we see how everything pans out. But, it is Marvel, so it almost certainly is a must see. 

18. Elemental (June 16th)

Pixar movies are almost always on the money for being great heartfelt movies, and this seems to be no different. This movie is about a fire-resident and water-resident who live in a world where elements are “people.” I think this is a cool concept, but at the same time, it could be tough to find something to make this movie stand out from the rest.

I have some hesitations when it comes to this movie which include the concept and mainly the look. I understand it’s a Pixar movie and that it will be enjoyable no matter what, but it could quickly be forgotten. The only reason I bring it up is that there has been some hype for this movie for the last year or so, and I worry the actual film might not live up to it. What all people should remember going in is that this movie is meant to just be fun for a couple hours and to not fully read into it as if it were a Scorsese or Spielberg film.

17. Wonka (December 15th)

Timothée Chalamet is starring as a young Willy Wonka in a story where he meets the Oompa-Loompas. This movie is perfect for Christmas time as Willy Wonka has excited the imaginations of generation after generation. 

My only concern with this is that Chalamet will have big shoes to fill; Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka is one of the best acting performances of all time. But, if any young actor could take on a role like this and absolutely crush it, Chalamet certainly can.

I think most people forgot about this movie coming out, but I think this has a chance of falling perfectly. The actor, the time of the year it’s releasing, and the love people have for this character are all palpable. 

The one thing stopping it is that you are taking such a beloved character and trying to reimagine him. Because of this, there is always a chance of it flopping at the box office like Augustus Gloop in the chocolate river.

16. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30th)

People were shocked when Disney announced that a fifth Indiana Jones movie starring Harrison Ford was coming out. I mean, it’s fucking Indiana Jones! How can you not be excited for it?

With Mads Mikkelsen playing the next villain in the series, I am hopefully able to forget the horror that was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Mikkelsen is an unreal actor and always underrated in every film he’s in.

On top of all of this, it would be great to just get an old-fashioned adventure from our friend Indy. Uncharted was able to provide adventure to theaters after the pandemic but the nostalgia attached with this makes everyone want to go back to the movies. 

My only gripe with this so far is that people need to let Harrison Ford relax. Watching this poor man run makes me feel so bad for him. He just turned 80 years old! Let the man finally rest after this and maybe introduce us to the next architect. But, all in all, I do have high hopes for this movie. 

15. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17th)

After becoming one of the most surprising films of 2019 and one of the strongest of the DCEU, we are finally getting the sequel to Shazam!. But what makes it even better this time around is that we will get to see more of Billy and his family as the superheroes. Shazam! deserved more praise than most DC movies because the first one had a lot of heart, and it was just fun to watch Zachary Levi be a 13-year-old kid.

I think the only thing that hurts this movie right now is that it got overshadowed by Black Adam. I honestly even forgot about this movie being a 2023 release until I was researching release dates. 

This movie has been on my radar since 2019, and I truly hope it can capture the same heart and fun that the first movie did. I want it to get a little darker as well with the additions of Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren as Kalypso and Hespera.

14. Asteroid City (June 16th)

Most people have probably never heard of this movie but man oh man, how can a new Wes Anderson film not be a must watch? What makes this even better is the cast. This movie stars Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and more. This comedy is about the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer convention that is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

Wes Anderson’s style is not necessarily for everyone but all of his movies always have great acting and visuals as seen in Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Coming off The French Dispatch, people weren’t impressed by the Oscar-nominated director, but I felt the acting in that movie was still great, even with there being more to be desired. The movie will always feel quirky and awkward but the premise should shine here.

13. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 7th)

When this movie was first announced with Chris Pratt as Mario, I was very skeptical. But, a month ago, the full trailer dropped and quickly shut everyone up. This movie has everything that fans of Super Mario love, from the look of the worlds to the nod to Mario Kart. I think this trailer shocked the world and impressed me enough that I genuinely am excited to see one of my favorite childhood games come to the big screen.

Now, while I wish Chris Pratt had a more exaggerated Mario voice, I still think that shouldn’t take away from others involved in this movie. I firmly believe that Jack Black as Bowser and Charlie Day as Luigi will steal the show here. In the trailer, we first saw Bowser and his koopas in front of the penguins, and you could feel the sinister smile and energy that comes from Bowser. Plus, the voice is so great with the character. I love even more the back and forth bickering we saw from Luigi and Bowser, which is something those two great comedians are masters at. I truly can’t wait to see my childhood come to life.

12. Creed III (March 3rd)

After Creed and Creed II, people have fallen back in love with the world of Rocky. Michael B. Jordan is currently one of the best young actors in the world, and these movies show his talent perfectly.

Ryan Coogler is coming back for his third round of writing this movie, which excites me even more after his work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This will also be Jordan’s directorial debut, and if it’s anything like the first two movies, Creed could become one of the most underrated trilogies of all time. I truly wished these movies were talked about more.

Not to steal the spotlight from the hard work Coogler and Jordan have done making these movies, but the number one reason I am so pumped up for this movie is because of one person: Jonathan Majors. Majors is arguably the hottest actor in Hollywood and I cannot think of one bad role he has done. This will be his second blockbuster this year (more to come on the first one).

11. Scream 6 (March 10th)

Scream 6 follows Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) as they finally leave Woodsboro and head off to start fresh in New York City, but trouble follows them there.

 

Almost 30 years later, this Wes Craven franchise is still going strong and feeling a bit of a resurgence after the success of last year’s Scream release. What I am most excited about is to see this franchise expand into a bigger city and only further bring the suspense. And, as an added bonus, Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) from Scream 4 is supposed to be making a return, as well as the return of Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers.

Most of you are probably wondering why I haven’t talked about Neve Campbell, the star of the franchise. Her character, Sidney Prescott, is the one person the whole series has been about since the days of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher back in 1996. Well, as it currently stands, this will be the first time Campbell is not coming back to the Scream franchise due to salary issues. Even though there was a “passing of the torch” feeling in the last movie to Barrera and Ortega, this franchise will have a hard time feeling the same without any appearance from Campbell.

I thought the recurrence of Campell’s and Cox’s characters added charm and more nostalgia to each installment of the series, but I have full faith in the new queen of horror, Jenna Ortega, to be able to lift this franchise and create some sort of seamless reboot.

That’s all I’ve got for 20-11. If you enjoyed what you have read so far, please stay tuned for my top 10 list which will be coming out soon!

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