As 2022 comes to a close and the past year of releases are locked up in the heat of the awards season race, it’s important to look beyond the golden statues of March at what’s in store for 2023 when the Oscar’s race shifts gears once again. While studios and streamers alike continue adjusting to consumer behavior in a post-pandemic landscape where theaters continue to hang on for dear life, a comprehensive view of the release schedule for the next year can provide insight into the major trends while also attempting to shed light on smaller films that may need greater attention to boost their platforms. In order to analyze this year-long slate of 89 films, they have been broken down into six categories described as follows and ordered by the weight of their presence in the year ahead:

1. The Franchise Sequels (and Prequels)

We are undoubtedly in the era of the franchise as this continues to be the safest bet for studios and theaters who stay alive on the backs of expanding what is already familiar to audiences. 2023 will be filled to the brim with sequels, prequels, and everything in between for the MCU and the DCEU, while also seeing new additions to the Fast and Furious (Fast X), The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), and even Saw (Saw X) franchises. If a prominent franchise exists, expect to see anything from its third to tenth iteration in 2023.

2. The Existing IP

While the aforementioned franchises also categorize into “The Existing IP,” to prove even further that familiar stories are the dominant form of studio filmmaking this decade, 2023 also features a hefty number of adaptations utilizing existing intellectual property but are not necessarily “franchise” players (less than a trilogy/not marketed as a series). This ranges from new players such as the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing universe (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) to Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie to the recently made public domain Winnie the Pooh, now receiving its horror adaptation Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey that apparently somebody asked for.

3. The Indies

Alongside the previous two categories, which the Big Five studios dominate, the independent scene represented by studios such as A24, NEON, and IFC will also have excellent representation from a plethora of notable directors, including Brandon Cronenberg (Infinity Pool), Ari Aster (Beau is Afraid), Kelly Reichardt (Showing Up), and Nicole Holofcener (You Hurt My Feelings). Many of the indie/arthouse major players included (and not included) on this list will receive world premieres at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival or premiered at last year’s Sundance but are receiving distribution in 2023. Although this category was arguably the most susceptible to repercussions from the pandemic, it continues to find a prominent place due to the commitment of many boutique studios. Long live the arthouse!

4. The Major Motion In-Betweeners

Somewhere between the tentpole sequels, the existing IP adaptations, and the independent sphere lies “The Major Motion In-Betweeners.” Part dinosaur blockbuster (65), part early-opener camp horror (M3GAN), and part “Is Pixar past its prime?” (Elemental), these films are the most difficult to strictly categorize in today’s landscape as they don’t quite reach the level of the prestige drama held by the few directorial elites, nor do they bring in the box office dollars to remotely compete with the franchises. Still, in this diverse grouping of films, you will certainly find the necessary entertainment to make a theater trip worthwhile before the real Oscar bait shows up next Winter.

5. The Prestige Films

“The Prestige Film” is something easily recognizable to most audiences as they carry with them massive budgets, household name directors, and major award season prospects. These films, however, are a dying breed at the box office, with less and less general movie-goers interested in something like a passion project finally lifted off the ground after 30+ years by Francis Ford Coppola’s name and wallet (Megalopolis). Therefore, these films are reserved solely for the studios with deep enough pockets (Apple) to hire the directors with enough brand recognition (Martin Scorsese) and the actors with huge enough salaries (Leonardo Dicaprio) to make what will be considered an Oscar frontrunner (Killers of the Flower Moon) worth it.

6. The Biographies

Last but not least, often, a subset of “The Prestige Films” is the only genre produced with enough frequency as of late to qualify as a category on its own. That is, of course, “The Biographies,” a genre that has taken Hollywood by storm for the familiarity it presents to audiences who may already have a vested interest in the headlined name, but also for its appeal to Academy voters who have been kind to the genre in recent years. Following in the footsteps of Elvis, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Till, and others, another group of faces are getting the Hollywood biopic treatment in movies such as Oppenheimer, Maestro, and Ferrari. Like it or not, nobody’s name, image, and likeness are safe from Hollywood these days.

This list includes films that have confirmed release dates in 2023, as well as films we expect in 2023 that have yet to announce release dates (labeled TBD). The latter is potentially subject to delay until 2024 but are included to provide a full scope of potential films on the horizon for the upcoming year. The list also includes distribution information that influences their categorization. Major motion studios including the “Big Five” studios (Disney/Fox, Sony, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros.), as well as their smaller branches (Searchlight Pictures and Focus Features) are featured in all categories but “The Indies.” The list also features minor studios (MGM and Lionsgate in “The Franchise Sequels and Prequels,” and “The Major Motion In-Betweeners”), streamers (Netflix and Amazon in “The Prestige Films” and “The Biographies”), and independent distribution companies (A24, Neon, IFC Films, Magnolia Pictures, etc. in “The Indies”).

Some titles may have appeared in 2022 film festivals but are receiving wider distribution in 2023. All titles are (or are expected to be) eligible for the 2024 Academy Awards. All films are listed in order of release date within their categories, with TBD release date films listed alphabetically.

Somewhere in this list may lie the Best Picture winner, the highest-grossing film of the year (I’m looking at you, Franchise Sequels), a modern classic, or even a pop culture hit. But what makes this list exciting is that any of those indelible consignments in the eternal history books of cinema could come from anywhere, maybe even from somewhere in the shadows outside the extent of this list. At this moment, at the turn of the year, all we can do is wait, watch, and witness.

Here are the 89 films included in the 2023 Preview:

The Franchise Sequels (and Prequels)

John Wick: Chapter 4 (March 24, Lionsgate)

dir. Chad Stahelski

Creed III (March 3, MGM)

dir. Michael B. Jordan

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30, Disney)

dir. James Mangold

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 (July 14, Paramount)

dir. Christopher McQuarrie

Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, Disney)

dir. James Gunn

Magic Mike’s Last Dance (February 10, Warner Bros.)

dir. Steven Soderbergh

Fast X (May 19, Universal)

dir. Louis Leterrier

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania (February 17, Disney)

dir. Peyton Reed

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2, Sony)

dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17, Warner Bros.)

dir. David F. Sandberg

Transformers: Rise of The Beasts (June 9, Paramount)

dir. Steven Caple Jr.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25, Warner Bros.)

dir. James Wan

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (November 17, Lionsgate)

dir. Francis Lawrence

The Marvels (July 28, Disney)

dir. Nia DaCosta

Scream VI (March 10, Paramount)

dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Saw X (October 27, Lionsgate)

dir. Kevin Greutert

Evil Dead Rise (April 21, Warner Bros.)

dir. Lee Cronin

Insidious: Fear the Dark (July 7, Sony)

dir. Patrick Wilson

The Existing IP

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (February 15, Fathom Events)

dir. Rhys Frake-Waterfield

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (March 31, Paramount)

dir. John Francis Daley, Johnathan Goldstein

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 7, Universal)

dir. Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic

Renfield (April 14, Universal)

dir. Chris McKay

The Little Mermaid (May 26, Disney)

dir. Rob Marshall

The Flash (June 16, Warner Bros.)

dir. Andy Muschietti

Barbie (July 21, Warner Bros.)

dir. Greta Gerwig

Blue Beetle (August 18, Warner Bros.)

dir. Angel Manuel Soto

Dune: Part Two (November 3, Warner Bros.)

dir. Denis Villeneuve

Wonka (December 15, Warner Bros.)

dir. Paul King

Peter Pan & Wendy (TBD, Disney)

dir. David Lowery

The Indies

Skinamarink (January 13, IFC Films)

dir. Kyle Edward Ball

When You Finish Saving the World (January 20, A24)

dir. Jesse Eisenberg

Infinity Pool (January 27, Neon)

dir. Brandon Cronenberg

Baby Ruby (February 3, Magnolia Pictures)

dir. Bess Wohl

The Blue Caftan (February 10, Strand Releasing)

dir. Maryam Touzani

Sharper (February 10, A24)

dir. Benjamin Caron

Pacifiction (February 17, Grasshopper Film and Gratitude Films)

dir. Albert Serra

Palm Trees and Power Lines (March, Momentum Pictures)

dir. Jamie Dack

Master Gardener (March 30, Magnolia Pictures)

dir. Paul Schrader

Mafia Mamma (April 14, Bleecker Street)

dir. Catherine Hardwicke

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (TBD, A24)

dir. Raven Jackson

Beau Is Afraid (TBD, A24)

dir. Ari Aster

Enys Men (TBD, Neon)

dir. Mark Jenkin

Flora and Son (TBD, Likely Story)

dir. John Carney

The Iron Claw (TBD, A24)

dir. Sean Durkin

Love Lies Bleeding (TBD, A24)

dir. Rose Glass

MaXXXine (TBD, A24)

dir. Ti West

Nightbitch (TBD, TBD)

dir. Marielle Heller

Past Lives (TBD, A24)

dir. Celine Song

Showing Up (TBD, A24)

dir. Kelly Reichardt

You Hurt My Feelings (TBD, A24)

dir. Nicole Holofcener

The Zone of Interest (TBD, A24)

dir. Jonathan Glazer

The Major Motion In-Betweeners

M3GAN (January 6, Universal)

dir. Gerard Johnstone

Plane (January 13, Lionsgate)

dir. Jean-François Richet

Missing (January 20, Sony)

dir. Nicolas D. Johnson, Will Merrick

Knock at the Cabin (February 3, Universal)

dir. M. Night Shyamalan

Cocaine Bear (February 24, Universal)

dir. Elizabeth Banks

Inside (Focus, March 10)

dir. Vasilis Katsoupis

65 (March 17, Sony)

dir. Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

Polite Society (April 28, Focus Features)

dir. Nida Manzoor

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (April 28, Lionsgate)

dir. Kelly Fremon Craig

Strays (June 9, Universal)

dir. Josh Greenbaum

Elemental (June 16, Disney)

dir. Peter Sohn

No Hard Feelings (June 23, Sony)

dir. Gene Stupnitsky

Meg 2: The Trench (August 10, Warner Bros.)

dir. Ben Wheatley

A Haunting in Venice (September 15, 20th Century Studios)

dir. Kenneth Branagh

True Love (October 6, 20th Century Studios)

dir. Gareth Edwards

The Color Purple (December 20, Warner Bros.)

dir. Blitz Bazawule

The Bikeriders (TBD, 20th Century Studios)

dir. Jeff Nichols

May December (TBD, TBD)

dir. Todd Haynes

The Prestige Films

Asteroid City (June 16, Focus Features)

dir. Wes Anderson

Challengers (August 11, Lionsgate)

dir. Luca Guadagnino

Next Goal Wins (September 22, Searchlight Pictures)

dir. Taika Waititi

AND (TBD, Searchlight Pictures)

dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

How Do You Live? (TBD, Studio Ghibli)

dir. Hayao Miyazaki

The Killer (TBD, Netflix)

dir. David Fincher

Killers of the Flower Moon (TBD, Apple)

dir. Martin Scorsese

Megalopolis (TBD)

dir. Francis Ford Coppola

Poor Things (TBD, Searchlight Pictures)

dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

Saltburn (TBD, Amazon)

dir. Emerald Fennell

The Biographies

Emily (February 17, Bleecker Street)

dir. Frances O’Connor

Chevalier (April 7, Searchlight Pictures)

dir. Stephen Williams

Ferrari (TBD, STX Entertainment)

dir. Michael Mann

Lee (TBD, TBD)

dir. Ellen Kuras

Maestro (TBD, Netflix)

dir. Bradley Cooper

Napoleon (TBD 2023, Apple)

dir. Ridley Scott

Oppenheimer (July 21, Universal)

dir. Christopher Nolan

Priscilla (TBD, A24)

dir. Sofia Coppola

Rustin (TBD, Higher Ground/Netflix)

dir. George C. Wlfe

Shirley (TBD, Netflix)

dir. John Ridley