So far, 2023 hasn’t seen many theatrical releases from the House of Mouse. But not to worry—there’s plenty of good stuff on the way.
Disney recently unveiled their 11-movie release slate at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, which will fill out the remaining months of 2023. While some films will get a theatrical run, many others will be sent directly to Disney+ and Hulu.
The studio released Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February, which rang in the MCU’s Phase Five. Other movies like Disney+’s Chang Can Dunk (2023) and Prom Pact (2023) have already made their way to the little screen, leaving 11 more exciting releases that will span across the rest of the year—including some major blockbusters. Here’s what you can expect to see in the coming months:
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” – May 5
Perhaps one of Disney’s most highly-anticipated Marvel Studios collaborations to date, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see the titular team reuniting for one last ride—this time, to take down a dangerous new threat known as the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). The movie will mark the second instillation in the MCU’s Phase Five, and sees Chris Pratt (Star-Lord/Peter Quill), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), and Pom Klementieff (Mantis) reprising their roles alongside Iwuji and franchise newcomer Will Poulter (Adam Warlock).
“The Little Mermaid” – May 26
The latest in Disney Studios’ ongoing efforts to bring their animated classics to live action, the Halle Bailey-led The Little Mermaid swims into theaters next month—and anticipation is through the roof. A reimagined take on the original story of the same name, the film stars an A-list cast from the likes of Melissa McCarthy, who plays the infamously evil Ursula, Awkwafina as a gender-flipped Scuttle, Antonio Banderas as King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, among others. Bailey’s goosebump-inducing take on “Part of Your World” is available on music streaming platforms now.
“The Boogeyman” – June 2
Originally set to premiere on Hulu, the latest Stephen King adaptation, The Boogeyman, will now get a summer theatrical release, promising haunts and horrors galore. The original short story follows a troubled man named Lester Billings, who believes that “The Boogeyman” is terrorizing him by killing all three of his children. In the upcoming movie, directed by Rob Savage, the plot will deviate slightly from the source material, focusing rather on Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher) and her little sister, Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair), still reeling from the unexpected death of their mother. Things get stranger when a desperate patient shows up at their house, begging for help from their psychiatrist father (David Dastmalchian).
“Elemental” – June 16
Pixar is going all-out for their upcoming collaboration with Disney, the animated Elemental. Directed by Peter Sohn, the film takes place in Element City, a place where anthropomorphic fire, water, land, and air residents live together. Things start to heat up when fire elemental Ember (Leah Lewis) is forced to form an unlikely relationship with water elemental Wade (Mamoudou Athie) in a world where “elements don’t mix.” Elemental will premiere early at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release on June 16.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” – June 30
Perhaps the most anticipated project on Disney’s 2023 film slate, the final installment of the beloved Indiana Jones franchise is coming to theaters this summer. After a decades-long partnership with Disney and Lucasfilm, its star, Harrison Ford, will be hanging up his hat and bullwhip after Dial of Destiny. But there’s still plenty to be excited about, from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays Indy’s equally as adventurous goddaughter, to Mads Mikkelsen, who stars as the villainous ex-Naxi, Jürgen Voller. The James Mangold-directed movie is sure to be a fitting goodbye to such an iconic character, and will also premiere early at Cannes in May.
“Haunted Mansion” – July 28
Yet another Disney remake, 2023’s The Haunted Mansion will refresh the Halloween classic audiences were first introduced to nearly 20 years ago. Starring a truly impressive cast, from Owen Wilson, to Tiffany Haddish, to Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, the film will see the ensemble of spiritual “experts” attempting to fight off strange, supernatural entities—with lots of laughs along the way.
“A Haunting in Venice” – September 15
Based on Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mystery series, A Haunting in Venice will see Oscar nominated director Kenneth Branagh and a new cast consisting of Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh, and Kyle Allen working together to solve a truly head-scratching murder-mystery. Distributed by 20th Century Studios, the movie is scheduled to be released this fall.
“The Creator” – September 29
Directed by Rogue One’s Gareth Edwards, the upcoming sci-fi action movie The Creator, has earned rave reviews after footage was screened at CinemaCon. Starring John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ralph Ineson, Allison Janney, and other talented performers, the movie is scheduled to be released this fall by 20th Century Studios.
“The Marvels” – November 10
Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson, WandaVision breakout star Teyonah Parris, and Ms. Marvel‘s Iman Vellani are teaming up for the MCU’s next major crossover event in The Marvels. Picking up sometime after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the story will follow the trio of superheroes as they try to figure out why their powers are interconnected with each other. The movie has been postponed and delayed several times by Marvel Studios, but after waiting patiently for the better part of a year, fans can finally look forward to seeing it in theaters this fall.
“Next Goal Wins” – November 17
The sports comedy Next Goal Wins has a very famous director attached to it: none other than Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Taika Waititi. Set to follow a football coach (Michael Fassbender) who tries to turn a fledgling footabll team into superstars, the movie is based on a real-life documentary of the same name. It arrives in theaters this November.
“Wish” – November 22
At CinemaCon, it was revealed that Chris Pine would lend his voice to Disney Animation’s Wish, a movie that will explore how the legend of the wishing star came to be. Pine will play King Magnifico alongside West Side Story‘s Ariana DeBose, who voices Asha. Set in the magical kingdom of Rosas, Asha, a witty and compassionate young woman, finds her plea answered by a far-off, cosmic force after wishing on a star. With the help of the cosmos, Asha sets off face on an adventure to stop the most formidable of foes in order to save her community.
