The most anticipated movies for the second half of 2023

From Dune: Part 2 to Wonka to The Color Purple, here are 32 good reasons to spend the next six months in a darkened room

By Ian Spelling, Luke Y. Thompson, Phil Pirrello, Cindy White, and Mark Keizer

The second half of 2023 upon us, which means film lovers can look forward to plenty of plenty of options in the next six months. Yes, there will be more blockbusters, including The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, the highly anticipated superheroine-filled The Marvels, and director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. But even more exciting are the big-budget, big-name dramas that could be the talk of awards season, including Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, David Fincher’s The Killer and Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon. The latter three are heavily indebted to streamers for either their production costs or their distribution, which used to be the sign of the apocalypse. But if the streamers continue to bankroll prestige projects by world class directors, who are we to complain? So whether you’ll be watching in a movie theater (everyone’s first choice) or at home, the remainder of 2023 promises to contain an entertaining assortment of titles.

The Equalizer 3

THE EQUALIZER 3 Official Trailer (2023)

Release Date: September 1 (in theaters only)

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Since we last saw Denzel Washington’s version of Robert McCall on the big screen, there’s been a TV reboot with Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall. It’s unlikely too many viewers will be confused by conflicting canon, as The Equalizer, whether on TV or in the movies, has always been a star-driven action premise first and foremost, rather than any kind of well of deep lore. The newest Washington version will see him travel to Italy on a mission to protect the innocent, and involves a reunion with Washington’s Man On Fire costar Dakota Fanning. [Luke Y. Thompson]