It’s hard to believe we have just over a month until the end of the year. Perhaps the only thing that can soften that blow is the fact that the remainder there are still a few excellent movies in store for the remainder of the year.
We have awards hopefuls and highly-anticipated sequels, plus a bunch of huge franchise returns. Here are some of the major ones you should keep an eye out for.
Major movie release dates in 2023
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Eight years after the last Hunger Games movie was released, the successful franchise is returning to adapt the prequel book in the series, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
This story follows a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), the future President of Panem, in the early days of the Hunger Games, where he is assigned as a mentor to District 12’s tribute, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler).
Australian movie release date: November 16
Saltburn
If you’ve eagerly been waiting to see what Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell does next, wait no longer. Saltburn is the director’s follow-up film, which stars Barry Keoghan as a student who finds himself drawn into the charming and aristocratic world of his new friend, Felix (Jacob Elordi).
Australian movie release date: November 16
Thanksgiving
Years after the campy fake movie trailer premiered with Grindhouse, Eli Roth has gone ahead and made his Thanksgiving slasher.
The movie takes place during the titular American holiday, where a serial killer terrorises the residents of a small Massachusetts town following a Black Friday tragedy.
Australian movie release date: November 16
Leave the World Behind
Sam Esmail’s new film Leave the World Behind is a psychological thriller following a family on holiday in Long Island, which is interrupted by a mysterious blackout. The film has a stacked cast that includes Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali.
Australian movie release date: November 22 (in cinemas), December 8 (on Netflix)
The Royal Hotel
The Australian thriller The Royal Hotel is a tense drama about two Canadian backpackers who take a job in a remote Australian pub in order to pay for their travels and find themselves in an unnerving situation they cannot control.
Australian movie release date: November 23
Bottoms
Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott’s next team-up following the indie hit Shiva Baby is a queer teen sex comedy, Bottoms. The movie stars Sennott alongside The Bear star Ayo Edeberi, as two teenagers who start a fight club at school to try and land cheerleaders.
The movie debuted to rave reviews in the U.S. in August and is finally hitting Aussie cinema screens this November.
Australian movie release date: November 30
Wonka
If you ever wondered how Willy Wonka came to own his famous chocolate factory, now you can find out in the major blockbuster prequel film, Wonka. Timothée Chalamet stars as the young chocolatier and explores how he goes from a small-scale candy seller to an eccentric genius.
Australian movie release date: December 14
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
23 years after the original movie, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is a sequel to the beloved stop-motion original. This time we pick up with Ginger and Rocky after the arrival of their new daughter. Everything seems perfect until a familiar foe arrives to endanger all of chicken-kind.
Australian movie release date: December 15 on Netflix
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
Zack Snyder’s latest brain child is a mega sci-fi space opera featuring a massive cast and plenty of CGI action. The first part, titled Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, introduces us to a universe controlled by a corrupt government where a former member of the Imperium army seeks redemption for her past by leading a group of warriors from across the galaxy to take a stand.
Australian movie release date: December 22 on Netflix
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Aquaman is once again turning the tides on Boxing Day again with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The sequel sees Jason Momoa return as Arthur Curry, who must protect Atlantis from devastation.
Australian movie release date: December 26
Poor Things
Acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos reteams with his The Favourite star Emma Stone in Poor Things, a fantasy black comedy that follows a young woman who is brought back from the dead into a different time period and runs off on a whirlwind adventure.
Australian movie release date: December 26
Wish
Disney’s flagship animated movie in the year of its 100th anniversary is a big one. Titled Wish, the film combines computer animation with classic watercolour styles. The story follows Asha, a 17-year-old who senses darkness within her kingdom’s ruler. She wishes upon a star, which ends up answering her prayers and gifting her the power to fight the evil in her home.
Australian movie release date: December 26
Recent releases you should catch up on
M3GAN
Bow down to our robot overlords, in particular, everyone’s new best friend M3GAN. Blumhouse’s latest horror movie introduces an AI human doll designed to be the perfect companion for young children. But like any pre-teen, M3GAN has a killer rebellious phase, and we love her for it.
Stream it on Netflix.
Babylon
Damien Chazelle’s (La La Land, Whiplash) newest film is another glitzy look at Hollywood. Babylon is a period piece exploring Hollywood’s transition from silent films to sound, and it stars an appropriate level of Hollywood talent, including Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, and Jean Smart.
Stream it on Binge or Paramount+.
Teen Wolf: The Movie
Teen Wolf’s six-season run didn’t end all that long ago, but time has passed in reality and in Beacon Hills when we catch up with Scott and the pack in Teen Wolf: The Movie. Scott and his friends are now adults, with jobs, kids and even more supernatural beings to fight, but calling it ‘Adult Wolf’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Stream it now on Paramount+.
TAR
Cate Blanchett is receiving high praise (and possibly an Oscar nom) for her role in Tàr as a composer facing a downward spiral during the biggest moment of her career.
Stream it on Netflix or Binge.
The Whale
Brendan Fraser’s getting plenty of talk for his role in The Whale, where he plays a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity. Sadie Sink plays Fraser’s estranged daughter who he is attempting to reconcile with.
Stream it on Stan.
Spoiler Alert
For those needing a good cry, Spoiler Alert is based on Michael Ausellio’s best-selling memoir, documenting his relationship with his partner Kit, which changes drastically after Kit falls ill with terminal cancer.
Stream it on Binge.
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
After a long hiatus, Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike returns for one last dance after a wealthy socialite lures him in with an offer he can’t refuse.
Stream it on Netflix or Binge.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The first of many Marvel movie releases in 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicked off Phase 5 of the MCU with a bang. The film sees Scott, Hope and Cassie thrown into the Quantum Realm once more, where they encounter a very familiar foe: Kang the Conquerer.
Now streaming on Disney+.
Women Talking
There’s no doubt Women Talking is a heavy movie but a powerful one filled with Oscar-worthy performances.
The movie explores the women of an isolated religious colony who learn a terrible secret about the men in their community and must decide what to do about their situation.
Stream it on Prime Video.
Cocaine Bear
In what is probably the wildest movie pitch of the year, Cocaine Bear follows, well, exactly that. After a black bear consumes a significant amount of cocaine it embarks on a drug-fueled rampage and an eccentric group must gather to stop it.
Empire of Light
A powerhouse cast star in Sam Mendes’ (1917) latest film Empire of Light, including Olivia Colman, Colin Firth and Toby Jones. The movie is set in the 1980s and follows the duty manager of a seaside cinema in England who is struggling with her mental health.
Streaming on Disney+ now.
Creed III
The third film in the Rocky spin-off series, Creed III sees Adonis Creed riding high on his success in the ring until a friend from his past (played by Jonathan Majors) returns to challenge his empire. This one is directed by the leading man Michael B. Jordan in his feature directorial debut.
Streaming on Prime Video now.
65
Adam Driver stars in this futuristic yet prehistoric sci-fi that sees him stranded on Earth 65 million years ago – a time when dinosaurs roam the planet and don’t take kindly to their new human prey.
Stream it on Prime Video and Binge.
Scream VI
Another Ghostface may have met their end in Scream (2022), but the knife-wielding serial killer is never down for long. Scream 6 will see the epic slasher move location to New York, where returning cast members Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega and Courteney Cox must fight to survive once more.
Stream it on Paramount+.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
2022 saw the release of Shazam’s greatest foe, Black Adam, hit the screen. How will the hero retaliate? We don’t find out in Shazam: Fury of the Gods, but we do see the hero face a new threat, three of them actually, with Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler starring in the film as the daughters of Atlas.
Buy or rent on VOD services.
John Wick: Chapter 4
Keanu Reeves’ legendary hitman, John Wick, has a price on his head in Chapter 4 and takes his fight with the High Table global as he travels around the world seeking out the most powerful players.
Stream it on Binge.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
The ever-popular role-playing board game Dungeons & Dragons gets the movie treatment in Honour Among Thieves. The film is a chaotic fantasy, with Chris Pine leading a ragtag group on an epic quest to retrieve a long-lost relic.
Buy or rent on VOD services.
Tetris
When you think of a movie about the ever-popular video game Tetris, you probably think of something akin to The Emoji Movie. That is not the case in Apple TV+’s new original, which stars Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers, who teams up with Tetris inventor Alexey Pajitnov to bring the game to the masses in the late 1980s.
Stream it on Apple TV+ now.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Wahoo! The Super Mario brothers have received the movie treatment from the animation studio behind Minions. The movie sees Mario and Princess Peach face off against the all-powerful Bowser on a mission to save the Mushroom Kingdom.
Buy or rent on VOD services.
Air
Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort is Air, the untold story behind the employees of Nike who worked to land a deal with top basketball player Michael Jordan, resulting in one of the world’s most popular sneaker collaborations.
Stream it on Prime Video.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The third film in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy digs deeper into the past of our unlikely band of heroes whilst they also fight to stop another universe-ending threat. We’ve seen Baby Groot, but in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, get ready to meet Baby Rocket.
Stream it now on Disney+.
Fast X
The Fast and Furious franchise continues to get bigger and better. In the tenth instalment, Fast X, Jason Momoa and Brie Larson join the action alongside family members Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and John Cena. Judging by the first trailer, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
Rent or buy it now on VOD services.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
Disney’s trend of revitalising its classic animated films has seen a hit-or-miss response in the past. Some were good (Beauty and the Beast), and some were not so good (Pinocchio). Where does The Little Mermaid fit on that scale?
The CGI-ification of our favourites Flounder, Sebastian and Scuttle may be a bit unnerving, but Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy have won their place in the audience’s hearts.
Stream it on Disney+.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is hands down one of the best Spider-Man films in existence, and it has an Oscar to prove it.
A sequel was inevitable, and fans received Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the second part of a planned trilogy, in May. Miles and Gwen are thrown into the Spider-Verse and join up with a new group of Spider-People to face a new villain.
Stream it on Prime Video or Binge.
The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman is an adaptation of Stephen King’s famed short story, starring Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) and Vivien Lyra Blair (Bird Box) as sisters who are grieving the death of their mother, with a father too devastated to care for them. Then a supernatural entity that preys on their suffering arrives in their house to haunt them.
Stream it on Disney+.
Elemental
The latest movie from Pixar is nothing short of a delight. Set in a city divided between the residents of fire, water, land and air, Elemental stars a fiery young woman who finds herself connecting with a go-with-the-flow water guy.
Stream it on Disney+.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
There are few areas the Transformers franchise hasn’t touched, which is why the series goes back in time to a war between beasts in this pre-sequel. Taking place in 1994, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sees the Autobots come up against the Maximals, Predacons and Terrorcons.
Rent or buy on VOD platforms.
No Hard Feelings
Jennifer Lawrence leads the new edgy comedy No Hard Feelings as a woman so desperate for money to save her childhood home that she agrees to date a wealthy couple’s 19-year-old son before he goes to college.
Rent or buy on VOD platforms.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones is back on the big screen for a new adventure. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny sees Harrison Ford return to his beloved role alongside Indy’s goddaughter Helena, played by the iconic Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Coming to Disney+ on December 1.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One
Tom Cruise has been on a hot streak recently with Top Gun Maverick, and he’s here to blow us away with more death-defying stunts in the new Mission: Impossible film.
Dead Reckoning is the first part of a duology that sees Cruise reunite with Mission: Impossible – Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie. The film also stars Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg. We’ve already copped a look at Ethan Hunt’s latest escapade in trailers, which sees him ride off the side of a cliff on a motorbike (for real).
Buy on VOD platforms.
Barbie
Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) behind the camera. Need I say more?
Barbie follows the famous doll as she enters the live-action human world and it’s basically become the biggest movie of the year.
Buy or rent on VOD platforms.
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s next film after Tenet is explosive (literally) as it explores the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atom bomb. As you’d expect with a Nolan film, Oppenheimer has a top-tier cast with Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich and Kenneth Branagh, all attached.
Currently N/A on streaming services.
Talk to Me
Talk to Me is a new original horror movie from Aussies Michael and Daniel Philippou, who many know from their YouTube days as RackaRacka.
The story stars Sophie Wilde as Mia, a grieving daughter, who becomes hooked on a risky new party trick that allows her to conjure spirits through the use of an embalmed hand.
Buy or rent on VOD platforms.
The Meg 2: The Trench
The Meg 2, aka Big Shark Movie the Second, is chomping its way through more swimmers this year. The second movie sees another research team (featuring Jason Statham) plunge into the deep dark depths of the ocean and find themselves face-to-face with its most fearsome predators.
Buy or rent on VOD now.
Asteroid City
Wes Anderson’s latest movie Asteroid City is a colourful star-studded affair, taking place at a Junior Space Cadet convention in an American desert town in 1955. Just some of the cast list includes Maya Hawke, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie and Jason Schwartzman.
Buy or rent on VOD platforms.
Gran Turismo
A video game adaptation you probably weren’t expecting, Gran Turismo tells the inspiring true story of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him the Nissan competition to become a real professional race car driver. David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Archie Madekwe star.
Buy or rent on VOD platforms.
Red, White & Royal Blue
Based on the bestselling book Red, White & Royal Blue Prime Video’s adaptation of the popular queer rom-com sees the son of the U.S. President and Britain’s Prince turn their public rivalry into a relationship. It’s a perfect fit for fans of Heartstopper or Love, Simon.
Now streaming on Prime Video.
Haunted Mansion
Anyone who has been to Disneyland will be familiar with the infamous Haunted Mansion ride. A movie has already been made about the ghostly adventure, but Disney is trying its hand again at adapting its theme park rides into popular movies and this time the story stars LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Hadish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Dan Levy and Jamie Lee Curtis – just to name a few.
Stream it on Disney+.
Theater Camp
Theater Camp goes out to all the drama kids and adults in the audience. The movie follows a group of eccentric staff members at a New York theatre camp who must band together to keep the camp afloat.
In cinemas now.
Blue Beetle
A new DC superhero makes his way into the spotlight in Blue Beetle, which sees a young man, Jaime Reyes, come into possession of an ancient alien relic known as the Scarab, which gifts him with a powerful exoskeleton with unpredictable powers.
In cinemas now.
The Creator
An intriguing new sci-fi from the director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Creator is set amidst a futuristic war between humans and artificial intelligence (hmm, relevant). John David Washington stars as an ex-Special Forces agent who is recruited to hunt down and kill the creator of the AI.
In cinemas now.
Saw X
Believe it or not, the Saw franchise still hasn’t died and is back in its tenth instalment. This time the movie acts as a prequel, fitting in between the events of the first and second movies.
In Saw X, infamous killer John Kramer undergoes a risky medical procedure in Mexico, only to discover he’s been scammed. He uses his unique and sinister version of justice in order to condemn the con artists.
In cinemas now.
The Exorcist: Believer
Another horror franchise that has been revived this year is The Exorcist. Coming from Halloween (2018) director David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer is a follow-up to the original movie, and sees the parents of two demonically possessed girls seek help from someone who has experienced this before – Chris MacNeil.
In cinemas now.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Those who missed out on tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Australia can now partake by seeing the filmed version of the concert. The movie, which runs almost as long as the concert at 168 minutes, is an immersive experience that Swifties can’t miss.
In cinemas now.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, received rave reviews at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
The movie features Scorsese’s frequent collaborators, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, as well as standout performer Lily Gladstone, and takes place in the 1920s when the FBI decides to investigate the murders of a number of wealthy Native Americans in Osage County.
In cinemas now.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Fans of the horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s will be eager to see the equally creepy horror movie.
Josh Hutcherson stars in the film as a security guard working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria who begins to realise the animatronic mascots move and kill after midnight.
In cinemas now.
Dumb Money
If you remember the internet sensation that gripped the world in 2021 when a group of everyday people decided to get rich by sending GameStop stock skyward, you’ll want to check out Dumb Money.
The movie is just one of a few adaptations tackling the famous short squeeze event with this one based on the book, The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich. It features a massive cast that includes Paul Dano, America Ferrera, Shailene Woodley, Seth Rogen and Dane DeHaan.
In cinemas now.
The Killer
David Fincher’s latest movie stars Michael Fassbender as a solitary methodical killer, who battles his employers and his own mind on an international manhunt after a fatal near miss. The Killer is based on the French graphic novel series of the same name.
Stream it on Netflix.
Scarygirl
Australia is full of delightfully creative stories and that extends to our animation, particularly with the latest film Scarygirl. The animated story is a first for the IP, which has been turned into toys, comics and games. The movie follows a young girl who must travel to a fantastical city to save her father.
In cinemas now.
The Marvels
Rounding out the year for Marvel is its next big team-up event as Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms Marvel discover their powers have become entangled and must work together to fight a Kree revolutionary.
The film gives us location-swapping comedy, kick-ass action and baby flerkens! That’s a movie of the year if we ever saw one.
In cinemas now.
If you’re still catching up on 2022’s movie releases, you can find a list of those here.
This article on 2023 movie releases has been updated since its original publish date.
Lead Image Credit: Universal/Warner Bros/MGM/Lionsgate/Netflix
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