After a lacking month of January when it comes to major franchise films that Dorkaholics love, the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, kicks off the 2023 slate of the biggest films to look forward to!
February 2023
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
This third Ant-Man film feels tonally different, taking place after the epic resolution of Avengers: Endgame. The mysteries of the Quantum Realm are unraveled as Scott Lang and his closest family members and friends venture into this unknown place in the MCU to meet Kang the Conqueror, a variant of the He Who Remains character featured in Loki, both played by Jonathan Majors. Without seeing the film yet, I’m looking forward to seeing more world-building as well as neat tiebacks to established plot points.
Release Date: February 17
March 2023
- Creed III
Get ready for another dose of a villainous Jonathan Majors as he comes to Creed III as the friend from the past with a score to settle with Michael B. Jordan’s titular character. The Creed films have always been great films to watch that carry the ‘going the distance’ attitude that the original Rocky films made fans fall in love with. That being said, it’ll be worth it for Creed III to go to darker places as Syllvester Stallone has said.
Release Date: March 3
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Shazam! Fury of the Gods features Billy Batson sharing his powers with his foster siblings as seen at the end of the first film. The Daughters of Atlas (or at least 2 out of 3) aren’t pleased at knowing that mortal children are roaming the earth using the powers of the gods so naturally this drives the core conflict of the film. There’s possibly a twist that hasn’t been hinted at yet, which would be surprising seeing as normally by this point toys or figures reveal additional characters that are relevant to a film’s storyline.
Release Date: March 17
- John Wick: Chapter 4
The world can’t get enough of John Wick as Keanu Reeves returns for Chapter 4. I’m excited for the new faces in this franchise such as Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rina Sawayama, which possibly makes this a film the AAPI community should be looking forward to.
Release Date: March 24
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Tabletop gaming fans rejoice as Dungeons & Dragons receives not only a film adaptation, but a reboot. For those unfamiliar with the franchise’s past, there was a film trilogy that started in theaters, then made-for-tv, and finally concluded straight-to-video. This time around let’s hope that Honor Among Thieves results in a successful film franchise that continues to bring fans a theatrical experience.
Release Date: March 31
April 2023
- AIR
Learn about what Nike and Michael Jordan’s family had to go through, in order to bring the iconic AIR Jordan shoeline into existence. The film marks Ben Affleck’s first time directing his close friend and frequent co-star Matt Damon.
Release Date: April 5
- Super Mario Bros.
Mario without his iconic voice and accent for “Itz-a me, Mario” is hard to imagine, but is what fans are getting in the Super Mario Bros. film. Visually it is as colorful, vibrant, and lively as one would expect for this video game adaptation. After a March full of must-see films almost every week, this might be a film that I’ll have to wait for to come to a streaming service.
Release Date: April 7
May 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
After a calm April, we return to the MCU three months after Ant-Man 3 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. I’m looking forward to the appearance of Adam Warlock in this film as well as finding out more about the story behind Rocket Racoon.
Release Date: May 5
- Fast X
Fast cars, family, and explosions. That pretty much sums up the Fast & Furious series, right? But it’s a winning formula that keeps fans coming back for more. This time they’re adding Jason Momoa, Brie Lason, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior and Rita Moreno.
Release Date: May 19
June 2023
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
I’ll be honest, I haven’t kept up with the Transformers films since 2014’s Age of Extinction with the appearance of the Dinobots that I personally loved since seeing them in the animated series Transformers: Energon. But Rise of the Beasts includes another memorable character from my childhood, Optimus Primal, who I first saw in Beast Wars. Here’s to hoping that they do him justice. And who knows if it’s a success, then I might go back and watch the other films I never saw: The Last Knight and Bumblebee.
Release Date: June 9
- The Flash
From how James Gunn has described the film it’s clear that it is not only a masterpiece but a functional and narrative reboot button for the studio to reconcile the films produced before and after the formation of DC Studios.
“The Flash, a fantastic movie that I really love that resets the entire DC Universe,” Gunn, the new cohead of DC Studios, said.
Ezra Miller concerns aside, the film’s plot points will likely deliver on what comic book fans want in a story based on 2011’s Flashpoint to an extent, likely watered down but what is deemed either suitable for mainstream audiences or ties back to existing and past works.
Release Date: June 16
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones is practically a household name, despite personally never having watched one of these films myself. But through multiple trips to Disneyland, including rides on Indiana Jones Adventures, there’s a natural fondness for the franchise and the character played by Harrison Ford. I’m looking forward to seeing the latest film in a series that has become synonymous with the adventure genre.
Release Date: June 30
July 2023
- Barbie
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, okay that works. But Simu Liu is also making an appearance as one of the many variations on the Mattel dolls? Wow! This film is looking to be as impactfully diverse as when Barbie dolls first embraced multiculturalism, and I mean that sincerely. I hope the film is able to appeal to younger audiences fascinated with the toy line as well as give older viewers something worth talking about after the credits roll.
Release Date: July 21
Unfortunately, Barbie is the last of the films on this list with an available trailer out publicly.
- The Marvels
Here comes the sequel to Captain Marvel, which will unite Kamala Khan with her hero Carol Danvers as well as Monica Rambeau as The Marvels.
Release Date: July 28
August 2023
- Blue Beetle
It’s about time that DC introduces mainstream audiences to another superhero who has been a proven success in the pages of comics and animated for television. Blue Beetle can be best described as the teenage experience of Spider-Man with the technological advancement of Iron Man thanks to a special object from space. In the source material, there have been two prior heroes that have used the name Blue Beetle so it will be interesting how much history the film will bring into the story which may play out in other shows or movies (looking at you, Booster Gold!).
Release Date: August 18
September 2023
- The Equalizer 3
As a huge Denzel Washington fan, The Equalizer 1 and 2 are fun films to go back and watch clips of. What’s not to enjoy about Denzel Washington playing a certified badass who kicks the butt of bad people who have it coming? Plus, we get to see Dakota Fanning and Denzel reunite nearly two decades after they starred in Tony Scott’s Man on Fire (2004).
Release Date: September 1
October 2023
- Kraven the Hunter
Another Spider-Man character in a movie by Sony without Spider-Man. Let’s hope this is going to be more Venom than Morbius though.
Release Date: October 6
November 2023
- Dune: Part Two
The first Dune was released straight to HBO Max and was an incredible setup for what the rest of the film franchise can be by taking audiences to another planet and effectively creating another universe with its own political systems, factions, and mythology. With how things ended in the first film, Dune: Part Two has a lot to deliver in terms of what fans will want to see from Timothée Chalamet’s character, especially this time around in theaters.
Release Date: November 3
December 2023
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
After Jason Momoa lives in people’s minds as the villain in Fast X for the first half of 2023, he makes a heroic return on Christmas Day as the titular King of Atlantis in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Release Date: December 25
This concludes Dorkaholics’ official list of films to look forward to in 2023. Which films did we not mention that you’re personally looking forward to seeing this year?
