From family-friendly delights to major marquee fare, there are so many cinematic reasons to be thankful this year
Allow us to sum up the theatrical onslaught gracing the screens of theaters this fall and winter into one, tiny, three-letter word: wow. Not only do we have the Hunger Games prequel, The Color Purple in musical form, and a Willy Wonka origin story to look forward to, but Ridley Scott, Nia DaCosta, Martin Scorsese, and Sofia Coppola all have new releases just waiting for their standing ovations.
Heads up: There are a ton of rumored releases out there, like Legally Blonde 3 and the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, but if those films make the fall 2023 movie release cut is anyone’s guess. So for our purposes here, we’re sticking with the fall/winter 2023 movie releases that are not only generating the most buzz but also already have calendar dates pinned. Ahead, 29 movies you don’t want to miss.
New Fall/Winter Movie Releases in 2023 for Families
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Your little ones’ favorite puppers are heading to the big screen next month. But beyond just keeping their home base of Adventure Bay safe and sound, these little guys are getting supa-fied. That’s right: Chase, Skye, Rocky, and the rest of the pack rub paws with a magical meteor, giving them almighty superpowers and another reason to churn out more adorable catchphrases.
Look for it in theaters on September 29
Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow
The arthropods aboard a seaplane headed from Shanghai to San Francisco are totally buggin’. There’s been a murder, and it’s up to Inspector Sun, a crafty spider detective, to solve the case. Equipped with a screenplay that won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award, Spanish director Julio Soto Gúrpide spins a web of animated noir, mystery, and intrigue suitable for spies of all ages.
Look for it in theaters on October 13
Journey to Bethlehem
If a biblical retelling delivered by Josephs and Marys that can seriously carry a tune sounds like your bag, then keep Journey to Bethlehem on your radar. A live-action musical extravaganza, the film is directed by music producer Adam Anders and stars Disney’s Milo Manheim as Joseph and Antonio Banderas as Herod the Great. Word is it’s funny, heartfelt, and full of original pop melodies.
Look for it in theaters on November 10
The Marvels
The Marvel universe is expansive. But when it comes to directorial representation by females, well, there may as well be a black hole. Nia DaCosta, just one of four women to helm a Marvel movie, is working to change that with her contribution, which catches up with Captain Marvel as her superpowers become ensnared with those of Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan.
Look for it in theaters on November 10
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Despite the mouthful of a title, the gist here is simple: Coriolanus Snow wasn’t always an awful tyrant. Set 64 years before the events of the cult-favorite trilogy’s initial chapter, Ballad upholds the action and adventure HG fans love, but also offers a star-crossed lovers’ tale, as an 18-year-old Coriolanus cozies up to the District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray.
Look for it in theaters on November 17
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi is all about heart and humor. After Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Jojo Rabbit, the filmmaker is injecting his trademark style into an underdog sports story, one you can bet will make you cheer and chuckle. Based on a true story, Next Goal Wins tracks the infamously horrible Samoa soccer team’s trek to the 2014 World Cup. And, moms, this one stars a blond Michael Fassbender.
Look for it in theaters on November 17
Trolls Band Together
Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake are lending their tonsils to another installment of the shiny, happy Trolls franchise. This time around, the musically inclined creatures with rainbow coifs that defy gravity are getting the band back together. To be more specific, we learn that Branch has a long-lost brother and that the two were in a boy band. Branch-street’s back, all right!
Look for it in theaters on November 17
Wish
The team behind Frozen are unveiling another dazzling fairy tale come fall. This one, a vibrant Thanksgiving-break release about a girl named Asha who wishes upon a star and then gets a visit from that very cosmic blaze, is sure to exude similar magic. Especially since 2022 Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) will be hitting all the right notes as the voice of Asha.
Look for it in theaters on November 22
Wonka
Before the eccentric and enigmatic chocolatier of Roald Dahl’s classic novel took to the big screen in 1971 sharing his world of pure imagination with theatergoers, he was just a young lad making inventive chocolates and dreaming of selling them in a shop. This origin story, from the guys behind the adorably winsome Paddington movies, gets to the heart of the candy man.
Look for it in theaters on December 15
Migration
Everyone knows birds fly south for the winter. Well, everyone except the flock in this Illumination offering. Round up the little chickadees for a high-flying adventure that follows a family of ducks on their first migration ever. Only problem? They’ve taken a wrong turn. Voices for this one include Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, and Kumail Nanjiani.
Look for it in theaters on December 22
New Fall/Winter Movie Releases in 2023 for Adults
Bottoms
Though Bottoms is technically a summer release, it would be a crime to not alert you to its genius. Hitting theaters at the turn of the season, the campus comedy comes from the biting wit of writer/director Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby) and writer/star Rachel Sennott (Bodies Bodies Bodies) and follows a pair of queer high schoolers who start a fight club.
Look for it in theaters on August 25
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
More than 20 years ago, Toula and Ian said “I do” in a wedding for the ages. Now, they’re heading to the picture-perfect archipelago of Greece for a family reunion that promises to be as over-the-top as the previous two run-ins with the Portokalos brood. Fun fact: The film’s star, Nia Vardalos, who’s written all three films, finally gets a turn at directing with this installment.
Look for it in theaters on September 8
Dumb Money
Remember the stunning headlines about a group of online rebels turning the tables on Wall Street bigwigs with GameStop stocks? Like all great underdog stories, their fortune just got the Hollywood treatment. Starring Paul Dano as the ringleader, Keith Gill, a.k.a. Roaring Kitty, Dumb Money is a comedy from I, Tonya‘s Craig Gillespie that chronicles the bonkers true story.
Look for it in theaters on September 22
The Creator
AI isn’t just coming for our jobs; it’s coming for our existence. Yikes. What a thought. To see it play out, head to Gareth Edwards’s latest, a postapocalyptic thriller that stars John David Washington and Gemma Chan. The gist: Washington’s Joshua is tasked with destroying AI’s superweapon. The conundrum: Said superweapon has taken the form of a sweet little girl.
Look for it in theaters on September 29
Killers of the Flower Moon
Marty and Leo go together like popcorn and butter. This season, the collaborating duo is teaming up again, this time for a biographical drama that offers insight into the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. With Scorsese behind the lens and DiCaprio in front of it, we’re betting this Apple Original gets Oscar attention. Attention streamers: KOTFM hits Apple TV+ on October 20.
Look for it in theaters on October 6
The Exorcist: Believer
After rebooting John Carpenter’s Halloween, David Gordon Green is done messing around. Going straight to the top of the horror crop, Green is taking on William Friedkin’s 1973 gem with a sequel that picks up 50 years after Chris and Regan were visited by Pazuzu. This go-round, two little girls become demon hosts, while their parents seek help from Chris, played again by Ellen Burstyn.
Look for it in theaters on October 13
Priscilla
Based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 biography, Elvis and Me, Sofia Coppola’s biopic stars Cailee Spaeny as the glamorous icon and Jacob Elordi as her younger days Elvis. Chronicling the courtship by and her marriage to the King of Rock and Roll, the slick and stylish film is all Sofia Coppola, and in her words, is very “Marie Antoinette at Graceland.” That makes us want to shake, rattle, and roll for sure.
Look for it in theaters on October 27
Rustin
Netflix’s Rustin will get a limited theatrical release before it hits the streamer on November 17. And those lucky enough to be at the Toronto International Film Festival will get to see George C. Scott’s biopic even sooner, in September. Starring Colman Domingo (Zola) as the titular Bayard Rustin, the film offers a peek into the life of the gay civil rights activist and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr.
Look for it in theaters on November 3
The Holdovers
Sideways director Alexander Payne reteams with Paul Giamatti for another comedy about the human condition. Giamatti plays a professor who gets stuck “babysitting” students who have nowhere to go for the holidays. Called holdovers, the group eventually shrinks to include just him; Angus, a 15-year-old troublemaker; and Mary, the school’s head cook.
Look for it in theaters on November 10
May December
Another Netflix Original that will see the big screen before it streams, this Natalie Portman-Julianne Moore drama from Carol director Todd Haynes can’t come quick enough. About a television actress (Portman) doing research for a role as a woman (Moore) whose romance with a much younger man landed her behind bars, this one has Oscar bait written all over it.
Look for it in theaters on November 17
Napoleon
In more big-director news, Ridley Scott is following up his Gaga Gucci thriller with a wartime epic starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. Charting the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte from nothing to a brutal emperor, the action film lifts the veil on the relationship of the ruler and his wife, Josephine (Kirby), also shedding light on the effects their turmoil had on their country.
Look for it in theaters on November 22
Saltburn
Three years ago, Emerald Fennell (Camilla Shand from The Crown) made her directorial debut with the neon-drenched stunner Promising Young Woman. This fall, she’s back, and so is her star, Carrie Mulligan, for a period thriller about a guy who spends the summer of a lifetime at a fancy estate called Saltburn. Costars include Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, and Barry Keoghan.
Look for it in theaters on November 24
Maestro
Following his directorial debut, A Star Is Born, with another musically inclined film, Bradley Cooper directs and stars in this “love letter” to life and art. Shedding light not only on the work of composer Leonard Bernstein, Cooper’s film will honor the love story between Bernstein and his wife of 25 years, Felicia, played by Carey Mulligan. Also worth noting: Maestro will hit Netflix on December 20.
Look for it in theaters on November 22
The Bikeriders
Just as its apt title suggests, this two-wheeling crime drama is a movie about the rise of a motorcycle club. Now, who better than bearded boys Boyd Holbrook and Tom Hardy to saddle up for such a flick, yeah? Director Jeff Nichols, who has a deft way with the bildungsroman genre, takes the lead here, with Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Norman Reedus adding serious cinematic horsepower.
Look for it in theaters on December 1
Poor Things
Dogtooth. The Lobster. The Favourite. If you’ve seen one Yorgos Lanthimos production, you want to see them all. So get ready for his boldest venture into the bizarre yet with Poor Things. A reworked Frankenstein, the film is a collaboration with Lanthimos vets, including actress Emma Stone and writer Tony McNamara, and promises to blend horror, comedy, and romance to magnificent effect.
Look for it in theaters on December 8
The Iron Claw
Indie film buffs, listen up: Sean Durkin is back in the ring with The Iron Claw. The director behind Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest is answering your call with another emotionally charged drama, this one a simmering take on the Von Erich brothers, whose Texas wrestling dynasty is covered in sweat, spandex, and tragedy. The Bear fans, this bit’s for you: Jeremy Allen White stars.
Look for it in theaters on December 22
The Color Purple
Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg are combining their efforts for another go at adapting Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Their original film, a brutal but necessary watch that’s since become essential Black cinema, isn’t necessarily getting a loyal remake here though. Instead, the two recruited Blitz Bazawule to direct a musical starring Fantasia Barrino and Halle Bailey.
Look for it in theaters on December 25
Ferrari
You don’t have to be a fan of Formula 1 racing or even fancy Italian sports cars to enjoy Michael Mann’s latest. Although, it might help. Starring Adam Driver (fitting for more reasons than his name), the film rides shotgun with Enzo Ferrari, the man who spent his life satisfying a need for speed and building the muscle cars that would dominate racing comps around the globe.
Look for it in theaters on December 25
The Boys in the Boat
Director George Clooney is set to release The Boys in the Boat later this year. It’s a sports drama about the University of Washington’s rowing team who overcame the effects of the Great Depression to win gold at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Adapted from Daniel James Brown’s nonfiction book of the same name, it stars Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, and Jack Mulhern.
Look for it in theaters on December 25
