Compared to the 2022 equivalent, the slate of new headline-grabbing films in 2023 almost pales in comparison — but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any long-running action-packed adventures ahead in the months ahead.
In fact, the last few years of post-pandemic cinema have been so good that we probably need a break from the big screen. 2021 got the ball rolling with hysteria-inducing releases like No Time to Die, Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home, before 2022 brought its own slate of equally raucous hits (which so far have included The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, The World Jurassic: Dominion, nope, don’t worry baby and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).
Avatar: The Way of Water and Babylon aren’t out yet this year — and we’ve included both films below as a reminder of their impending release — but this page is primarily for upcoming films that will hit theaters in 2023.
Avatar: Water Road
Release date: December 16, 2022
James Cameron isn’t very prolific these days — Avatar: The Way of Water (aka Avatar 2) will only be his third movie in 25 years — but when he steps behind the camera, you know you’re in for something groundbreaking. He tends to spend those long gaps between releases waiting for filmmaking technology to catch up with his vision, so his return to Pandora’s amazing space ecosystem will include the world’s first underwater performance capture sequences.
Kate Winslet (who held her breath for an astonishing seven minutes during filming), Jermaine Clement and Cliff Curtis join the cast, along with Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang also return, although their characters have been presumed dead. While that sequel has been delayed a year as part of Disney’s massive release date adjustment caused by the pandemic, you won’t have to wait another decade for more Avatars — Part 3 is set in December 2024, with a fourth and fifth film also in the works. Check out the details of the long-awaited first trailer for Avatar 2 as well as the second trailer for Avatar 2 for more information.
Babylon
Release date: December 25, 2022
Set during the 1920s, in an era of transition in Hollywood that saw silent films giving way to “talking devices,” Babylon looks poised to present more accolades to director Damien Chazelle, whose previous credits include Whiplash, La La Land, and the award-winning First Man. on the Academy Award. . A story of “huge ambition and outrageous excess,” the film traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and corruption, says studio Paramount.
Babylon – which includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Tobey Maguire among its cast – will get a limited theatrical release on December 25, 2022, before opening in the US on January 6, 2023 and the UK on January 20, 2023. As with other Paramount films, it’s likely to debut on Paramount Plus in the future, too.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release date: February 17, 2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will launch Marvel’s Phase 5 slate (and thus, lengthen the Marvel movie-watching quest in order), and also mark the first Marvel-based project to arrive in 2023, period.
The film’s official plot synopsis reads as follows: “Superstar partners Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne return to continue their adventures in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and she embarks on an adventure that will push her beyond the limits of what she thought possible.”
Admittedly, that’s not much to go on in his official capacity – but Marvel would never give it a go very far, especially since this superhero movie is set to start right in the studio’s Multiverse Saga complex.
Shazam! Wrath of the Gods
Release date: March 17, 2023
Shazam, Shazam, the super-powered wielder of Zachary Levi, is forced back into action in Shazam! The wrath of the gods comes when mischievous sisters Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Calypso (Lucy Liu) — who also happen to be daughters of the massive Greek titan Atlas — appear as threats with a weapon with the potential to destroy the world.
Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel and Grace Caroline Currie all reprise their roles from the first Shazam! movie alongside Levi, while Rachel Zegler joins the West Side Story cast as Atlas’ third (but less violent) daughter, Anthea. To the surprise of many, Shazam! It was a critical and commercial hit upon its release in 2019, so DC execs are hoping its sequel can repeat the trick. And if you missed the first movie, learn how to watch the DC Extended Movies in order before you try them.
John Wick: Chapter 4
Release date: March 24, 2023
Everyone’s favorite puppy-loving killer is back for more gun-toting action in 2023. According to the official Lionsgate synopsis, John Wick: Chapter 4 will find the titular killer “taking on his deadliest foe yet. With the price constantly over his head, Wick takes his fight against High Table goes global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Osaka to Berlin.”
In other words, the film directed by Chad Stahelski will dance to the same tune as its predecessors — which is by no means a bad thing, in our book. Series mainstays Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and Lance Reddick will reprise their roles as Winston, The Bowery King and Charon respectively, while newcomers to John Wick 4 include martial arts legends Donnie Yen (Ip Man) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Mortal Kombat). .
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release date: May 5, 2023
The second Marvel Phase 5 project set for release in 2023 (after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) is the third and final installment in James John’s beloved Guardians of the Galaxy series.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will pick up right after the events of the titular group’s Holiday Special, which was released on Disney Plus as part of MCU Phase 4 in November 2022, and will see the return of the franchise’s biggest stars – including Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel – for what could prove to be their final outing in the MCU. Gunn is working on dual writing and directing duties for the last time as a Marvel employee as well, as the Suicide Squad director was recently named co-president of DC Studios. In other words, prepare for this to be an emotional roller coaster.
Spider-Man: Through the Spider-Verse
Release date: June 2, 2023
The first installment of 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will follow Miles and Gwen as they encounter different worlds (and characters) on their travels across the multiverse. The film’s producers have already revealed that each dimension in the Miles Morales-led second Spidey movie will have its own “own art style” and “feel like it was drawn by the hand of a different artist,” so there’s a good chance that dimension will look like this. Even better of excellent origin. Moreover, the same duo also revealed that Across the Spider-Verse might be connected to the MCU after all, which means we can see Tom Holland’s Spidey in animated form for the first time. As with the Aquaman sequel (below), this version was initially slated for a 2022 release, but is now scheduled for a 2023 release.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Release date: June 30, 2023
Cue theme music: The Return of Indiana Jones. Twelve years after the arrival of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – itself the first Indiana Jones movie for 19 years – Dial of Destiny will see the return of Harrison Ford as Hollywood’s most famous adventurer for the last time.
Plot details are thin on the ground at the moment, but so is the movie Glorious First Trailer (Opens in a new tab) The involvement of Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange), Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro), Toby Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger) and Boyd Holbrook (The Sandman), as well as the miraculously aged Harrison Ford, sparked the involvement. We can’t wait.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One
Release date: July 14, 2023
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part 1 (or Mission: Impossible 7, if you’re in a hurry) has endured a lot of scheduling delays that previously cropped up on our list of the biggest upcoming movies of 2022, but the movie finally looks set to arrive in July of the year. next.
Top Gun: Tom Cruise’s Maverick hero will have turned 60 by the time this seventh entry in the popular franchise hits cinemas, and it will also mark the penultimate outing for Ethan Hunt, the actor’s popular action hero. After delivering the best long-running franchise installments with Rogue Nation and Fallout, Christopher McCurry is also back behind the camera for No. 7 and its sequel. Plot details are currently more tightly finished than the government vault, though the first stylized Mission Impossible 7 trailer gave us our first glimpse of Hunt and company back in action. To better prepare yourself for the mayhem to come, check out our ranking of the Mission: Impossible movies released so far.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Release date: December 25, 2023
Although Aquaman 2 was originally scheduled to hit theaters on December 16, 2022, it’s now set to end in December 2023. Moving on to the less internet-friendly Aquaman and Lost Kingdom title, this superhero sequel to Jason’s underwater adventures will continue. Momoa is the DC superhero.
The long-awaited sequel reunites the Game of Thrones actor with original co-stars Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman and Patrick Wilson – though Heard’s involvement is still up in the air – and will see the titular character forced to “forge” an uneasy alliance with an ally. Improbable to protect Atlantis and the world from irreversible destruction.” Expect more comic book carnage, then.
