Happy New Year! 2023 will bring a substantial amount of much-anticipated studio films, including Magic Mike’s Last Dance, Creed III, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. In addition to some big budget sequels, 2023 will also bring us some exciting features such as Barbie, Challengers, Poor Things, and Beau is Afraid. While there are truly many films to be excited about on the horizon, these are just some of the films I truly can’t wait to see in 2023*.

*2023 date pulled from IMDb, subject to change.

Infinity Pool (1/27/23)
A new Brandon Cronenberg movie is the perfect way to start the year! In his third feature film, Infinity Pool, Cronenberg follows a young couple at an all-inclusive resort. The film stars Mia Goth and Alexanders Skarsgård and the threat of an NC-17 rating should be enough to draw in some sort of audience into whatever Cronenberg has brewing for audiences. 

Cocaine Bear (2/14/23)
The title is more than enough to gain interest from audiences, along with a stacked cast including Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Margo Martindale, Kristofer Hivju, and Ray Liotta. The film is inspired by the real story of a 175-pound black bear that died after ingesting a duffel bag full of cocaine in December 1985.

Renfield (4/14/23)
Nicolas Cage as Dracula is more than enough said. In the film listed as an action comedy, Count Dracula’s favorite lackey (Nicholas Hoult) falling in love with a New Orleans traffic cop (Awkwafina).

Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret (4/28/23)
The Edge of Seventeen writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig adapts the Judy Blume novel herself. The film adaptation stars Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie and Kathy Bates. 

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (April 2023)
Haruki Murakami’s short stories have provided the source material for two of the best movies of the last few years in Burning and Drive My Car. While the film was on the festival circuit in 2022, its official release is 2023.

Asteroid City (6/16/23)
While the plot still appears to be under wraps, a new ensemble-led film from Wes Anderson is always something to look forward to. The cast includes Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Adrien Brody, Maya Hawke, Jeffrey Wright, and many more. 

Barbie (7/21/23)
Perhaps the cinematic event of the decade, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is one of the most anticipated releases of 2023. The film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, and the plot is mainly kept hush hush for now. 

Oppenheimer (7/21/23)
Cillian Murphy in a leading role! Enough for me. 

Challengers (8/11/23)
Luca Guadagnino back with a summer film! A tennis drama starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor.

Dune: Part Two (11/3/23)
The second half of Dune will get a full theatrical release and continue Paul Atreides’s origin story. Most of the original cast is returning as well as a newcomer, Austin Butler.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (TBD)
Raven Jackson’s feature debut follows a Black Mississippi woman from cradle to grave, outlining a lifetime of love and loss. Barry Jenkins’ production company, which brought us Aftersun in 2022, is behind this film debuting at Sundance.

MaXXXine (TBD)
As a fan of both X and Pearl, you know I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the end of this trilogy. Ti West is back with star Mia Goth in an 80s themed film. 

Maestro (TBD)
Bradley Cooper filmed this ahead of TÁR fever sweeping the nation, but he’s continuing the conductor trend! Cooper co-wrote the Leonard Bernstein biopic in which he also directs and stars. 

You Hurt My Feelings (TBD)
Another Sundance debut! Nicole Holfocener returns with a new film starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a famous author who discovers her husband is not a fan of her work. 

The Killer (TBD)
David Fincher is coming back, baby! Following his last Netflix project, Mank, we will see Fincher back on Netflix with his Tilda Swinton and Michael Fassbender film, The Killer. 

Beau is Afraid (TBD)
Ari Aster has created quite the hype around any project with his name attached, even as a producer, and his third feature is no different. While the script maybe leaked online last year, details have truly been kept quiet on the film starring Joaquin Phoenix. 

Killers of the Flower Moon (TBD)
Well, hopefully this one releases in 2023 after a year of debating its release date. Not only are Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio back together, but the film will also star Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Robert De Niro, and Brendan Fraser. 

Hot Milk (TBD)
Jessie Buckley takes no time off as she is a new film with Vicky Krieps. Hot Milk is the directorial debut from Rebecca Lenkiewicz, who wrote the screenplay for She Said, Disobedience, and Colette.

Poor Things (TBD)
One of two Yorgos Lanthimos-directed projects that could appear in 2023. It is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The film stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott.

AND (TBD)
The second Yorgos Lanthimos directed project that could appear in 2023. One will most likely get pushed from its IMDb listed intended release year, but we can be greedy. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley are set to star in the film while Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie have also joined the cast.

Blitz (TBD)
Steve McQueen is a director I will always be thrilled to see behind any project. The film follows a group of Londoners during the events of the capital bombing in World War II. The film stars Erin Kellyman, Saoirse Ronan, and Harris Dickinson.

Boston Strangler (TBD)
The film follows Loretta McLaughlin, as she was the reporter who first connected the murders and broke the story of the Boston Strangler. The film stars Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon, so I’m in!

Nightbitch (TBD)
Marielle Heller heads, let me hear ya! In truly what could be the best film in Amy Adams’s filmography in years, Nightbitch is about a stay-at-home mom who begins to worry she is becoming a dog…. 

The Bikeriders (TBD)
While the premise may seem standard as the film follows a Midwestern motorcycle club, the cast truly should get you interested. Austin Butler, Michael Shannon, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, and Mike Faist all in one film! 

Bottoms (TBD)
The log line reads as a pretty basic coming of age story, “Two unpopular queer high school students start a fight club to have sex before graduation.” The co-writers are Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, so you know you’re in for a good time and more than meets the eye!