We’re now halfway through 2023 and the year is already shaping up to be one of the most mouthwatering in recent times when it comes to the silver screen. So far, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Creed III have proven multi-installment franchises can actually be worth our time, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shifted the conversation around animation for good. Beau is Afraid brought the polarization that keeps fandom alive, Past Lives still has everyone reeling, and The Little Mermaid and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had us all pleasantly surprised.
We are just getting started, however, seeing as it’s usually the last stretch of the year that holds all the cards. From award contenders and high-profile major productions with first-class casts, to under-the-radar indies, the return of a beloved franchise, and a remake with a lot of potential — 2023 has come out all guns blazing, complete with atomic bombs, chic plastic pink heels, and sandworms. Meanwhile, films like Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest and Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s Monster, which shone at Cannes, are probably coming our way this year too, but with no official release dates for U.S. theaters revealed yet, they sadly have to sit this one out.
So, sit tight, get your drinks and snacks ready, turn off your cell phone, and enjoy the show.
Asteroid City, dir. Wes Anderson – June 23
Wes Anderson returns with a treat for his fans, in what has been described as a return to form, and the director’s best since The Grand Budapest Hotel. Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, and many, many more all gather in a desert town for the Junior Stargazer convention until “world-changing events” cause major disruption. An amalgamation of sci-fi, romance, comedy, and drama, Ateroid City is one for the Anderson devout.
Barbie, dir. Greta Gerwig – July 21
Arguably the main event of the year (sorry, Mr. Scorsese), Greta Gerwig’s Barbie already has weighty expectations to meet. The pitch-perfect casting of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the most adored doll in the universe and her Ken, as well as the playfulness and remarkably on-theme marketing for the film, have made Barbie the most talked about title of the year. A movie about existential dread drowned in the most colorful of palettes could easily become the best reflection of the post-modern world. Or maybe it’ll just be fun.
Oppenheimer, dir. Christopher Nolan – July 21
Warner Bros. and Universal’s decision to schedule Barbie and Oppenheimer‘s releases for the same day changed lives. The sheer cultural scope that this double bill represents has been delighting film fans all year — a cinematic event that no non-Marvel films have accomplished since the first Avatar. With a cast equally as packed as its direct competition, Oppenheimer is set to be Christopher Nolan’s spectacular dive into the psyche of one of the most important men that has ever lived.
Bottoms, dir. Emma Seligman – August 25
Emma Seligman might have only made one movie, but when it’s as good as 2020’s Shiva Baby, it’s hard not to rank her among her generation’s best. Her return to the big screen with teen sex comedy Bottoms pairs powerhouse Rachel Sennott with The Bear breakout star Ayo Edebiri. The two high school seniors decide to form their own fight club to get their crushes to fall for them. The movie premiered at South by Southwest to rave reviews, and although not as big and bright as other names on this list, it’s bound to become many young gay girls’ new obsession — this writer included!
Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos – September 8
Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are a once-in-a-lifetime combination. The two reunite following the decadent 2018 period black comedy The Favourite, this time joined by a revitalized Mark Ruffalo, as well as Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, and Jerrod Carmichael. This present-day Frankensteinian story follows a woman’s reinsertion into the world after she is brought back to life by a mad scientist. The surrealist trailer already makes Poor Things look like the year’s most perfectly eccentric film.
Challengers, dir. Luca Guadagnino – September 15
Although the premiere for Challengers is coming soon, not much has been revealed about the film. Still, the prospect of Luca Guadagnino pairing up with three of the brightest (and most attractive) talents of our time is more than enough to have me champing at the bit. Described as a romantic sports comedy, Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), a former tennis player who coached her husband (Mike Faist) into becoming a champion, but following a losing streak, she signs him up for a Challenger tour where he’ll eventually face his ex-best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend Patrick (Josh O’Connor).
Killers of the Flower Moon, dir. Martin Scorsese – October 6
Martin Scorsese recently broke everyone’s hearts when he said he was running out of time to tell stories, when he still has so many he wants to dedicate his time to. Somehow, his statement made the release of his upcoming 26th feature film Killers of the Flower Moon feel even more special. Informed by the homonymous nonfiction book by David Grann, the Western crime drama explores the murders of Osage people that took place in Oklahoma in the 1920s. It marks the first time Scorsese works with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro — his two biggest muses — on the same film, yet all everyone could talk about after its premiere at Cannes was Lily Gladstone.
Dune: Part Two, dir. Denis Villeneuve – November 3
Denis Villeneuve cemented his status as one of the biggest visionaries working in cinema today when the first half of his Dune adaptation was released in 2021. The anticipation for the continuation is incredibly high and if it follows in its predecessor’s footsteps — of which I have no doubt — we’re gearing up to experience what could be the greatest sci-fi film of the last decade. Villeneuve’s haunting vision meets a high-octane cast, which includes returnees Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and newcomers Florence Pugh and Austin Butler.
The Killer, dir. David Fincher – November 10
While it has largely flown under the radar, David Fincher’s return is also happening this year. As part of the filmmaker’s deal with Netflix, The Killer adapts the French graphic novel series of the same name about an assassin on a man-hunt. In a genre that the director dominates, this steely action thriller starring Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, and others, will hopefully have all the traits of a Fincher classic in the vein of Se7en or Gone Girl.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, dir. Francis Lawrence – November 17
The Hunger Games series has aged like fine wine, the prime exemplar of the Young Adult post-apocalyptic trend of the late aughts and early ‘10s. The original trilogy of films holds up well and faithfully translates the books into the visual language of cinema. Still, Panem was always much larger than the story told in those first books, and Suzanne Collins has managed to find an extension worth telling in the formative years of Coriolanus Snow. The trailer looks promising, and so do Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler as the young president-to-be and the rose among his thorns, Lucy Gray Baird.
Napoleon, dir. Ridley Scott – November 22
Ridley Scott’s trajectory has been defined by a constant succession of hits and misses. After two lackluster efforts with 2021’s The Last Duel and House of Gucci, the prolific director is back with Joaquin Phoenix, 23 years on from Gladiator. The Academy Award-winning actor stars as French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in this historical epic, which sets out to portray Napoleon’s rise to power and high-intensity turbulent romantic relationship with his first wife Joséphine (played by The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby).
Wonka, dir. Paul King – December 15
What’s more whimsical and fun than the director and writer of the Paddington films taking on a Willy Wonka origin story? I struggle to find an answer. At first glance, 2023’s Wonka comes off as another jaded attempt to bank on famous IP, but the choices of Paul King as the person steering the ship, and Timothée Chalamet as his star quickly change that narrative. If there’s anyone that can make Wonka a film worth our time, it’s those two. What’s more, this will mark the first time Chalamet dances and sings in a film. Described as a musical fantasy film, Wonka imagines the life of the chocolatier before the events of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel and the 1971 film adaptation.
The Color Purple, dir. Blitz Bazawule – December 25
The Color Purple started as a novel written by Alice Walker, it became an acclaimed film directed by Steven Spielberg, turned into a musical on Broadway, and is now being made into a musical film from Black is King director Blitz Bazawule and writer Marcus Gardley. A story as monumental and celebrated as this one is not an easy task to take on, but the first images reveal a spirited attempt, aided by the fact that Bazawule and Gardley are relatively fresh voices in the industry. American Idol alumna Fantasia Barrino will play the protagonist Celie Harris-Johnson. She’s joined by a multitude of equally exciting names.