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SYFY WIRE Fandango

'Super Mario,' 'Fast X,' 'M3GAN,' 'Cocaine Bear' & more top Fandango's most-anticipated films of 2023

From drug-fueled apex predators to pipe-warping plumbers, 2023 is going to be a big year for Universal!

By Josh Weiss
Fandango movies 2023 header UNIVERSAL PRESS
Courtesy of Universal Pictures & Illumination Entertainment

From drug-addled apex predators, to pipe-warping plumbers, to Dominic Toretto's undying love of family, 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for Universal Pictures. According to a new survey undertaken by Fandango, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Cocaine Bear, Fast X, and M3GAN are among the most anticipated theatrical releases of the new year. Out of the 5,000 ticket-buyers polled, a staggering 99 percent stated that they were eager to check out more movies in the theater in 2023.

"With more than a hundred new releases heading into theaters, fans are excited to see movies back on the big screen where they belong,” Fandango Managing Director Erik Davis said in a statement. "The new year promises a significant increase of movies that people want to see in theaters, from returning franchises like Indiana Jones, Creed, Hunger Games and Mission Impossible, to highly-anticipated re-imaginings like The Little Mermaid and Haunted Mansion, to off-the-wall entertainment like Cocaine Bear and M3GAN. 2023 boasts one of the most exciting movie line-ups in years."

"If the box office year of 2022 was a confounding rollercoaster of highs and lows — slow periods followed by a feast of riches and around 40 fewer wide release titles than in 2019 — then get ready, because 2023 looks to be a killer year for movie theaters," Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore, told SYFY WIRE over email. "There are a lot of movies to get excited about and moviegoers are clearly pumped up for the incredibly diverse lineup of films on the release calendar. With a greater number of films being released more consistently, this is a blueprint for what could be a fantastic year for movie theaters and for movie fans around the world."

See below for the full results:

2023’s Most Anticipated Blockbusters:

Most Anticipated New Performance on the Big Screen:

  • Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid)
  • Viola Davis (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)
  • Jonathan Majors (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
  • Christopher Walken (Dune: Part 2)
  • Margot Robbie (Barbie)

Most Anticipated Hero:

  • Chris Pratt as Star Lord (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
  • Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)
  • Keanu Reeves as John Wick (John Wick 4)
  • Zoe Saldana as Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
  • Paul Rudd as Ant-Man (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)

Most Anticipated Villain:

  • Melissa McCarthy as Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
  • Bill Skarsgård as the Marquis (John Wick 4)
  • Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
  • Jack Black (voice) as Bowser (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)
  • Jason Momoa as Dante (Fast X)     

Most Anticipated Family Film:

 Most Anticipated Horror Film:

  • Salem’s Lot
  • Insidious: Fear the Dark
  • The Exorcist
  • Scream 6
  • M3gan

 Most Anticipated Live-Action Comedy:

  • Magic Mike’s Last Dance
  • Barbie
  • Cocaine Bear
  • House Party
  • 80 for Brady

Most Anticipated Action/Adventure (Non-Superhero) Movie:

  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
  • Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
  • The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Songbirds and Snakes
  • Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
  • Fast X

 Most Anticipated Superhero Movies:

Favorite Genre:

  • Action/Adventure/Superhero
  • Comedy
  • Animated/Family
  • Drama
  • Horror/Thriller

Looking for more blockbuster content in the meantime? Jurassic World Dominion and Nope are now streaming on Peacock.

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