Still from Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse
Source: SonyPictures
Movie fans can’t seem to get enough of superheroes.
A trio of upcoming Marvel films – the latest installments in the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man and Ant-Man franchises − are the top three most anticipated films of 2023, according to a new poll by Fandango.
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According to the poll, conducted in early December and based on responses from more than 5,000 movie fans who bought at least one ticket in 2022, moviegoers also said they plan to go to the cinemas more often than this year.
“Anyone who says there’s Marvel fatigue or superhero fatigue at this point is clearly not going to the movies,” said Erik Davis, executive director of Fandango, the film and television information and ticketing company. site.
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The poll shows a big appetite for well-known characters and universes. Many of the most anticipated films are prequels, sequels, or films otherwise connected to a well-known franchise. It’s the second year in a row that franchises have dominated fandango’s most anticipated list.
The top 10 most anticipated films of 2023 in all categories
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (Disney)
2. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony)
3. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (Disney)
4. “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
5. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (Disney)
6. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (Warner Bros.)
7. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount)
8. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents” (Lionsgate)
9. “Creed III” (MGM)
10. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal)
In the top 10 most anticipated films, only The Super Mario Bros. Movie is not part of an established film series. But this film also comes with the notoriety of the popular video game franchise and coincides with the opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in California.
Some non-franchise films with more mid-range budgets, like “Cocaine Bear” and “M3gan,” still made it onto some of the separate, category-specific lists. “Cocaine Bear,” a dark comedy about a bear who uses cocaine and goes on a murderous rampage, is the third most anticipated live-action comedy. “M3gan,” which is about a life-size AI doll that turns evil, is the fifth most anticipated horror film.
“I definitely think there’s room for smaller films to make a lot of noise,” Davis said. “But I think as we get into a brand new year — and that’s nothing new — it’s these bigger movies, these big sequels, these big anticipated franchises that people are really looking forward to the most.”
For Hollywood, the wave of major franchise releases in 2023 could signal a desire for stability after the industry was rocked by the disruptions of the Covid pandemic.
Franchises and legacy films are “health insurance,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “I think studios are always risk-averse and the best insurance is that at least people know what the movie is about.”
Most cinema-goers also said they plan to go to the cinema more often in 2023 than this year, with 84% saying they plan to see at least six films in a cinema. Last year, 80% said they wanted to see at least five films in cinemas.
The poll results are promising for cinemas, which have struggled with a shortage of new releases since the pandemic, when people settled at home to stream films instead. Forty fewer films were released in 2022 than in 2019, according to data from Comscore.
This year, Avatar: The Way of Water is the latest major blockbuster hitting theaters. The film opened on Sunday and grossed $134 million at the domestic box office, down from the $175 million analysts were expecting.
The drought of new releases in theaters could be less severe in 2023 as Davis says more than 100 new films are due for release, including the highest number of blockbusters since 2019.
“The good news for the next year is that you will be releasing many more films on a regular basis,” Dergarabedian reiterated.
Some big players in the entertainment industry want to re-establish watching movies as a personal experience. When Warner Media and Discovery merged in April, the new regime recommitted to theatrical-only releases and scaled back its production of direct-to-stream films.
For example, Warner Bros. Discovery reversed course on “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which was originally slated to release exclusively on HBO Max but is now coming to the big screens in February. The turning point came after Warner Bros. Discovery had already scrapped Batgirl, which was also slated to be an HBO Max debut exclusive.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of CNBC and NBCUniversal, which own Fandango. NBCUniversal is the distributor of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Cocaine Bear, and M3gan.