Every year, we think, “Okay, we’re not doing 100 films this year. F that!” But after much consideration, we’re gluttons for punishment. The annual 100 Most Anticipated Films of [Insert Year Here], in this case 2023, is always a huge beast, a herculean task, and one that makes us lose our minds a little bit, tbh. And it’s always fascinating to see what we rank high or low, and then either becomes much more important a film to that year (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans” not ranked all that high in 2022, but some of the most important films of the year) and or things we rank really high that turn out to either be duds, or just non-starters (now, of course, anticipating something and whether it’s actually great are two different things).
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2022
But that’s the rub of this list, including wishful thinking of films that actually won’t appear until the following year (which we try our best not to do and not get overly ambitious with picks with some exceptions). This year, there’s just a lot of mainstream stuff that didn’t interest enough to put on the proper list. Sorry to “Fast X,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “Cocaine Bear,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “Blue Beetle,” “Scream 6,” “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley,” “Evil Dead Rise,” “Gran Turismo,” “The Little Mermaid” and a few others. We’re sure you’re perfectly fine and entertaining films (maybe) and all, but you don’t really need our help or promotion, right? And hey, you’ve been mentioned right here, so that’s something (you could anticipate them right now if you like!)
READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2023
As usual, our list looks to the auteurs of cinema and likely a lot of films you’ll hear about at a film festival before a proper U.S. release. This could mean some debut at a TIFF or Venice and don’t appear onscreen to the public in 2024, but hey, we’ll take our chances. As always, a special thanks to The Playlist lifers Oliver Lyttelton and Kevin Jagernauth for their always-invaluable input. Without further ado, our Most Anticipated Films of 2023.
Follow along with all our Best Of 2022 coverage here.
100. “Wonka”
Look, Paul King’s two “Paddington” films are wonderful (no, really), but I dunno, Timothée Chalamet in a twee-looking retelling of Willy Wonka’s origins, plus those photos just look and feel nightmarish, so we can’t bear to place this any higher, sorry. Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Jim Carter, Matt Lucas, Natasha Rothwell, Olivia Colman, and Rowan Atkinson co-star.
Release Date: December 15, 2023, via Warner Bros.
99. “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom”
Arguably entertaining, James Wan’s “Aquaman” was also impossibly silly and ludicrous, with a great sense of scale and no sense of taste. Maybe the sequel will be better? Jason Momoa returns alongside Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, and Nicole Kidman.
Release Date: December 25, 2023, via Warner Bros.
98. “Rebel Moon”
Having parted ways with Warner Bros and DC Films in what turned out to be somewhat ugly or contentious fashion, filmmaker Zack Snyder instead, promptly set up shop at Netflix. Following up his 2021 zombie film, Snyder takes an old “Star Wars” pitch and turns it into an original sci-fi film that could be a big franchise. The cast is rather huge too, Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, Cleopatra Coleman, Fra Fee, Cary Elwes, and Anthony Hopkins.
Release Date: TBD via Netflix, and our guess is the summer.
97. “Knock At The Cabin”
It’s a home invasion, but during the apocalypse with elements of sacrifice to them, which is the kind of twist you might expect from director M. Night Shyamalan. Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint co-star.
Release Date: February 3, 2023, via Universal.
96. ”The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
20 years after the live-action disaster “Super Mario Bros.,” Hollywood tries again with a collaboration between Nintendo, Universal Pictures, and Illumination Animation studios. Featuring the star-studded voice cast of Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, and many more. Hell, it looks like low-key fun.
Release Date: April 7, 2023, via Universal.
95. “A Good Person”
It’s been almost 20 years since “Garden State” polarized cinema, but after two films that didn’t really chart, actor/filmmaker Zach Braff returns with a film that could potentially move the cultural needle again, especially as it stars his ex-girlfriend Florence Pugh. Co-starring Celeste O’Connor, Zoe Lister-Jones, Molly Shannon, and Morgan Freeman, the film stars Pugh as a young woman who forms an unlikely relationship with her would-be father-in-law years after she is involved in a fatal accident.
Release Date: March 24, 2023, via United Artists Releasing.
94. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”
C’mon, it’s Judy Blume, and we all have a soft spot for her, no? Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”) returns with an adaptation of the classic coming-of-age middle school identity quest comedy. Abby Ryder Fortson (the little girl from the “Ant-Man” movies) stars as Margaret, and sorry, I’m paying top dollar reserved seats to see Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie play husband and wife. Kathy Bates co-stars.
Release Date: April 28, 2023, via Lionsgate.
93. “65”
An upcoming American science fiction thriller film produced, written, and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (the guys who wrote the original “A Quiet Place” film), this one was shot in January of 2021, so it’s been a long time. Adam Driver stars as an astronaut who crash-lands on a mysterious planet and discovers that he is not alone. Ariana Greenblatt and Chloe Coleman co-star.
Release Date: March 10, 2023, via Sony Pictures.
92. “Argylle”
Matthew Vaughn has settled into a spy film grove. Following the popular ‘Kingsman’ series, he’s assembled another stacked cast for “Argylle,” based on author Ellie Conway’s debut novel. Starring Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson, the movie follows “a world-class spy suffering from amnesia, tricked into believing they are a best-selling spy novelist.” Fun premise! Vodka martini, please.
Release Date: TBD, via Apple TV – Andrew Bundy.
91. “The Flash”
After a bajillion different versions that got canned, Erza Miller’s “The Flash” finally get his own solo film directed by Andy Muschietti (“IT”). One problem—this time-traveling multiverse film is set to introduce Supergirl, Michael Keaton’s Batman from the Tim Burton films, Michael Shannon as Zod from “Man of Steel” again, and a farewell to Ben Affleck’s Batman, and possibly reset the entire DCEU and is led by a toxic persona non grata thanks to all of Miller’s 2022 fiascos. Do they oust him at the end with a new actor? Do they wait and see how the optics feel next summer?
Release Date: June 23, 2023, via Warner Bros.