The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2023
Exorcisms, book adaptations, and superheroes… we’re talking about the most anticipated movies of 2023. As a new year begins, Pop Culture Planet is sharing recommendations of movies you need to add to your watch list.
Missing
A standalone sequel to 2018’s Searching comes Missing with Storm Reid and Nia Long. Reid plays June, a teenage who turns to digital sleuthing when her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend.
Coming January 20.
True Haunting
Jamie Campbell Bower and Erin Moriarty star in True Haunting which tells the terrifying story of the first televised exorcism on NBC in 1971. The NBC news segment was a success, the exorcism was not.
Coming January 20.
Theater Camp
When the beloved founder of a run-down theater camp in upstate New York falls into a coma, the eccentric staff must band together to keep the camp afloat. Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, and Ayo Edebiri lead Theater Camp.
Coming January 21.
Shotgun Wedding (Prime Video)
Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel star in Shotgun Wedding about a couple who rediscover why they fell in love in the first place as they save their families when criminals try to hijack their extravagant destination wedding.
Coming January 27.
Distant
Led by Anthony Ramos, Naomi Scott, and Zachary Quinto comes Distant, which follows an asteroid miner who crash lands on an alien planet. Hunted by strange creatures and running out of oxygen, he must trek through harsh terrain to make it to the only other survivor.
Coming January 27.
Infinity Pool
A fatal accident during an all-inclusive beach vacation exposes a resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence, and surreal horrors. Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, and Cleopatra Coleman lead the film.
Coming January 27.
Knock at the Cabin
In M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, a family is taken hostage by armed strangers who demand they make a choice to avert the apocalypse. The film stars Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, and Jonathan Groff.
Coming February 3.
Prom Pact (Disney+)
Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Milo Manheim star in Prom Pact about a girl who will do anything to get into Harvard… including asking a popular jock — with a father who is a powerful Senator and Harvard alum — to prom.
Coming in March.
Scream 6
Four survivors of the original Ghostface killings attempt leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York. Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Hayden Panettiere, Courteney Cox, Samara Weaving, and Tony Revolori round out the cast, which will not include Neve Campbell for the first time.
Coming March 10.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
In the Shazam! sequel, Billy Batson and his stepsiblings have embraced their superpowers while new villains threaten them. Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, and Meagan Good star.
Coming March 17.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
Coming March 31.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A new animated adaptation of the iconic Nintendo characters finds Mario and Luigi traveling through an underground labyrinth to save a princess. Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, and Keegan-Michael Key round out the cast.
Coming April 7.
One True Loves
Phillipa Soo and Simu Liu star in One True Loves about woman who is unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she thought was dead and the fiancé who brought her back to life.
Coming April 13.
Mafia Mamma
Toni Collette stars as a suburban American woman who inherits her grandfather's Mafia empire and becomes the new head of the family business.
Coming April 14.
Renfield
Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage star in Renfield where Dracula’s tortured assistant attempts to see if there's a life outside the shadow of his boss.
Coming April 14.
Salem’s Lot
In this Stephen King adaptation, a writer returns to his childhood hometown only to discover its’s being preyed upon by a vampire. He must band together with a ragtag group to fight it.
Coming April 21.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Based on the book by Judy Blume, a young girl navigates growing up when her family moves from the city to the suburbs. Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie, and Kathy Bates lead the coming-of-age film.
Coming April 28.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The whole crew is back together again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as they embark on a mission to defend the universe and protect one of their own.
Coming May 5.
The Little Mermaid
Halle Bailey takes on the iconic role of Ariel in the live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Coming May 26.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Previously a 2022 most anticipated pick, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse was moved to 2023. Now Miles Morales is headed on an adventure across the multiverse with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face a powerful new villain.
Coming June 2.
Elemental
Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie star in Disney-Pixar’s Elemental as Ember and Wade who reside in a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together.
Coming June 16.
No Hard Feelings
Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman star in No Hard Feelings. In the vein of Bad Teacher and Risky Business, a woman answers a Craigslist ad placed by a mother for someone to date her son before he enters college.
Coming June 23.
Barbie
Margot Robbie stars as the famous doll as she’s banished from Barbieland into our world.
Coming July 21.
The Marvels
Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani star in The Marvels where their characters begin swapping places with each other every time they use their powers and must team-up.
Coming July 28.
Haunted Mansion
A single mom hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to help exorcise their ghost-filled mansion. Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Jared Leto, and Jamie Lee Curtis star.
Coming August 11.
The Exorcist
Leslie Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn, and Ann Dowd star in a sequel to the 1973 film where a young girl is possessed by a mysterious demonic entity.
Coming October 13.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
A prequel to The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus Snow as a mentor for the 10th annual games. Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, and Jason Schwartzman lead the film.
Coming November 17.
Wish
Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk star as 17-year-old Asha and her goat Valentino. Together they navigate Rosas, the kingdom of wishes, where wishes can literally come true.
Coming November 22.
Wonka
Timothée Chalamet takes on the role of a young Willy Wonka in an origin story that explores his adventures before opening up his famous candy factory.
Coming December 15.
The Color Purple
The Broadway musical adaptation of the novel by Alice Walker is getting the silver screen treatment. Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Louis Gossett Jr., H.E.R., Corey Hawkins, and Deon Cole star.
Coming December 20.
Legally Blonde 3
Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge are set to return to the Legally Blonde world in a third film.
Coming in 2023.
The Last Train To New York
A remake of the 2016 Korean film Train to Busan, The Last Train To New York follows a father traveling with his daughter on a train during a zombie outbreak.
Coming in 2023.
Mean Girls the Musical (Paramount+)
The Mean Girls musical adaptation based off the Broadway musical of the hit 2004 film doesn’t have a date yet, but we can cross out fingers its coming out this year. Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey are set to star.
Red, White & Royal Blue (Prime Video)
Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine star in Red, White & Royal Blue based on the book by Casey McQuiston. It follows the son of America’s first female president and a British prince who become friends and slowly fall for each other.
Coming in 2023.
Uglies (Netflix)
Based on the book series by Scott Westerfeld, Uglies is set in a dystopian future where everyone is considered an “ugly” until they are turned “pretty” with extreme cosmetic surgery when they turn 16. Joey King, Laverne Cox, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, and Keith Powers star.
Coming in 2023.
Descendants 4: The Pocketwatch
In a new Descendants film, Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella, travel back in time using the White Rabbit’s pocket watch to save Auradon from an event that could cause grave consequences. Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, China Anne McClain, Dara Reneé, Brandy, and Rita Ora star.
Coming in 2023.
Nimona (Netflix)
Based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson, Nimona is a teenage shapeshifter being targeted by a knight for assassination. Things get complicated when he’s accused of a crime and she’s the only one who can exonerate him. Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, and Eugene Lee Yang voice the film.
Coming in 2023.
Are you excited for these movies? What’s on your most anticipated list? Get more recommendations, here.
