The 10 Most Anticipated Movie Releases for the Second Half of 2023

The second half of the year brings to the big screen the reboot of the DC universe, the most famous doll in history, nuclear explosions, the battle for control of Arrakis, the origin of the Hunger Games, and the musical adaptation of a literary classic. We will tell you about the ten most anticipated movie releases for the second half of 2023.

The year in cinema, he started with ups and downs. Highly anticipated titles such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” disappointed critics and failed at the box office. In contrast, films such as “Super Mario Bros: The Movie” and “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” exceeded expectations. In the first case, for example, “Super Mario” set the box office record for a movie based on a video game.

But it is customary for studios to reserve their most important films for the second half of the year to seek the title of “blockbuster of the summer” and position themselves in the awards season race. This leaves movie lovers with a full calendar until the end of the year, and that’s why, among a massive list of titles, we chose the ten movie releases that are sure to be at the center of the conversation and that you can’t miss.

Flash (June 16)

After multiple delays and controversies due to Ezra Miller’s erratic behavior, the first solo film of DC’s fastest superhero is ready for release. In it, Barry Allen travels back in time to prevent the death of his mother. He then enters a parallel dimension in which he must confront General Zod. There is much anticipation for Michael Keaton’s return to the Batman character and the DECU reboot. Latin talent is prominent with the debut of Colombia’s Sasha Calle as Supergirl and the direction of Argentina’s Andy Muschietti.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30)

The fifth installment of the adventures of cinema’s most famous archaeologist marks Harrison Ford’s retirement from the iconic character. It is the first film in the franchise that is not directed by Steven Spielberg or written by George Lucas, although they remain executive producers. In his latest outing, Jones teams up with his goddaughter, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, to rescue a dial during the Cold War. Initial reactions at the Cannes Film Festival were mixed, describing it as an unnecessary end to the saga.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One (July 14)

It is the seventh film in the franchise that constantly finds new ways to put Tom Cruise’s life at risk. Ethan Hunt and his team once again enter a race against time to prevent a lethal weapon from falling into the wrong hands and destroying humanity. The publicity focused on the scene in which Cruise drives a motorcycle into a ravine to deploy a parachute, a feat he performed six times in one day of filming. The second part will be released in June 2024.

Barbie (July 21)

Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the live-action film of Mattel’s iconic doll promises to subvert all expectations thanks to the direction of Greta Gerwig. Robbie’s Barbie is expelled from Barbieland for not being perfect enough, so she travels to the real world to discover the meaning of life. The specialized press predicts that if reactions to the film are positive, Warner will campaign it for awards season.

Also read: “Barbie” the Movie: Feminism or Marketing?

Oppenheimer (July 21)

Christopher Nolan takes on his former production company at the box office with his biggest project yet: the origin of the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy leads a stellar cast as the titular Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist at the helm of the Manhattan Project. It is the first film to use the IMAX format on black-and-white tape, and practical effects were used for the explosion sequences.

Killers of the Flower Moon (October 6)

Martin Scorsese’s first western received a standing ovation during its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Based on the novel by David Grann, the three-and-a-half-hour adaptation presents a crime epic about a white man’s ambition during the oil boom in the Osage territory in the 1920s. It has already positioned itself as an awards season favorite, especially for its cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. After its theatrical run, it will arrive on the Apple TV+ platform.

Dune Part Two (November 3)

Two years after successfully bringing Frank Herbert’s universe to the screen, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve concludes an epic space odyssey that established him as an essential science fiction director of the 21st century. Joining the cast are Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Léa Seydoux, who face the crusade of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya) for control of Arrakis.

The Killer (November 10)

Master of suspense David Fincher returns to the genre with the adaptation of Alexis Nolent’s comic book, starring Michael Fassbender as a mysterious professional killer facing his greatest enemy: his mind. It’s one of Netflix’s tokens for awards season, so it will likely premiere at fall festivals.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (November 16)

Eight years after its last installment, the franchise that revolutionized young adult literature adaptations returns. This prequel takes place 64 years before the first film and focuses on the political beginnings of President Snow (Tom Blyth) as a mentor to District 12 tribe member Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) during the 10th Hunger Games.

The Color Purple (December 25)

The new musical version of Alice Walker’s classic is Scorsese’s main rival in the Oscar race. The first adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, the film’s producers, holds the record for most Academy Award nominations without a win with 11, so a rematch is expected.