Pertaining to the union strikes, the year 2023 is the final call for unfinished projects. The previous months of 2023 have seen more offscreen assignments than the ones onscreen.
The writers, directors, and producers have raised the bar by films like Barbie, and Oppenheimer. Dune: Part Two, a hugely anticipated project has pushed its release to 2024. This makes holding on to the other films even more interesting. Here’s a list of the biggest movie openings of Fall 2023. The release dates are flexible to change.
1. The Equalizer 3, releasing on September 1
September is when a lot of films are released. It is around this time that the students are back in school and summer hits pave the way to the season of Oscar. This also explains why various horror movies and sequels are frail enough to compete with the gigantic hits of the other season.
The Equalizer 3 is long awaited both for the unrealistic quality of the other parts and the fact that Denzel Washington, the movie hero, is not seen in the movies of such a franchise. But he has nurtured and loved his role as Robert McCall. The third film brings Dakota Fanning back to screen who also happened to be Washington’s co-star in Man on Fire.
2. The Exorcist: Believer, releasing on October 13
The latest creation in the horror franchise has gathered much attention from the audience. Writer/ director David Gordon Green and his team who have successfully brought in a wave of excitement in the audience with their Halloween trilogy deserve the entire credit. The story revolves around a pair of possessed mates, who ignite the horror touches in the first film.
It also involves the return of actor Ellen Burstyn on screen, appearing as Chris MacNeil for the first time since 1973. Fredkin’s passing a few months before the new release has brought the audience’s attention to this franchise. The expectations from the new counterpart will be exceptionally high.
3. The Marvels, releasing on November 10
The undefeated Marvel Cinematic Universe wants to end the year on the note of a good film. It casts the heroines of the three MCU projects, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Spectrum from Wanda Vision. The movie revolves around an act of revenge against Kree with the universe at stake.
Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani are the superhero team, with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Falling back on the union strikes, this is the last big-screen MCU film with a given release date. The Marvels will have to meet the expectations of a larger audience.
4. Napolean, releasing on November 22
Napolean is supposedly Ridley Scott’s last work and the best shot at an Oscar, a long-awaited project that will be released a little after the filmmaker’s 86th birthday. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Bonaparte, it promises to be the biggest hit of the awards season.
Scott has highlighted the rise of power of the French Emperor, and his relationship with Josephine, starring Vanessa Kirby. This changes the dynamics of the film where they select human beings in place of historic legends to work with.
5. Wonka, releasing on December 15
A prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory should serve a good budget. Tim Burton’s adaption of the Roald Dahl book has given birth to a backstory of the mysterious candy maker. But Paul King, who has threaded the previous Paddington movies is still the right choice.
Timothee Chalamet stars as young Willy Wonka, played by Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie. He is at a face-off against sinister rival Mr. Slugworth and a torturous candy cartel, with friends and magic. Hugh Grant as the famous Oompa Loompa is sure to capture hearts.
6. Killers of the Flower Moon, releasing on October 20
Martin Scorsese has brought with him a unique crime story for us this time. It revolves around the real-world murders of the Osage tribal people in Oklahoma in the 1920s. It provides an opportunity to peep into the darkest corners of America’s racial background through the lens of a thriller. The elite cast includes Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.
While Killers of the Flower Moon surrounds the FBI investigation by a nascent J. Edgar Hoover. The filmmakers needed help from the Gen Osage leaders during production. It is sure to bag awards and go into the Oscar season.
7. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, releasing on November 17
The Hunger Games possesses a rigid franchise, with no space to explore the original film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ YA novels. Collins has come up with the sequel where her favorite villain John Snow rises to power and centers it as the development of the Hunger Games. The new film takes from her novels and builds on it.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also looks at the future nation of Panem with a rather different approach. The original saga spoke of revolution, but the new film shows that it is still healing from a 75-year-old wound. Director Francis Lawrence is quite familiar with this world. He has already directed the last three Hunger Games movies. The new one paves the way for him to show how Katniss Everdeen’s future came into being.
8. Poor Things, releasing on December 8
Yorgos Lanthimos, the director of Poor Things has brought in entry to a sci-fi fall. The fantasy speaks of a Victorian woman resurrected by a Frankensteinesque scientist. Emma Stone stars as Bella Baxter, who runs off to discover the world. The supporting cast includes elite actors like Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and Willem Dafoe.
The film has a novel approach and due to Dune being pushed back to next year, it has less competition in spectacle. Poor Things is directed to Tim Burton, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and the admirers of many such surrealists, and is all defined by the review from the audience after its release.
9. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, releasing on December 20
Aquaman is supposedly the last film of the DC universe, where Jason Momoa, Prince of the Sea takes revenge against his long-time foes Black Manta and Ocean Master. Though we do not have much information about the film, with the arrival of James Wan to screen again, the fans can expect a lot easily.
It will surely revolve around fighting scenes against a thick plot. Momoa has served high points in the DC universe but finally passes on the big screen to Arthur Curry, worthy of character. He’s appropriate and can give the franchise a huge ending blow.
10. Five Nights at Freddy’s, releasing on October 27
Inspired by the omnipresent video game, Five Nights at Freddy’s is expected to be the most captivating movie of the fall. Josh Hutcherson stars as security guard Mike Schmidt, who is on his night shift at a deserted Chuck-E-Cheese-style pizzeria with an extremely dark past. Writer-director Emma Tammi has made an attempt to explore the game’s dark humor, as well as the lifeless cartoon characters possessed by evil spirits.
The movie also adds a twist to the video game’s plot where Schmidt brings his daughter along so that he can watch him while he works. Pertaining to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop making a monster charity, fans can well expect a tale of unsettling nightmares through the Uncanny Valley.
11. The Creator, releasing on September 29
The director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Gareth Edwards has come back with a real sci-fi. We have very little information regarding the plot. But publicity has explained it to be a future war between humanity and a man killing AI. John David Washington stars as a human as a part of the enemy troop in order to destroy a hidden weapon, who finally discovers that it is a child.
Edwards is a master in making sci-fi conceptual movies. But he can also introduce a wave of melancholy through his films when it comes to future wars. The Creator is expected to follow the same pattern.