Germain Lussier is a senior reporter covering entertainment on the io9 section of Gizmodo. He lives in Los Angeles, specializes in film coverage, and is also our lead film critic. You can follow his coverage here, and email story ideas and tips to germain.lussier@gizmodo.com.
Nine of the ten highest-grossing films of 2022 were all sequels. Five of those ten were superhero movies. And all of that might sound incredibly depressing, but it’s been the status quo for over a decade. People go to the movies to see big, blockbuster franchises they are familiar with. But last year even some of those couldn’t break through. How does a Toy Story spinoff only make $118 million? A Harry Potter movie less than $100 million? With home viewing windows shrinking, and streaming services improving, is the theatrical film experience dying? In 2023 we’ll find out if anyone can save the experience of going to the movies.
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Many factors are contributing to people not going to theaters as much. The ongoing covid-19 pandemic, shrinking home release windows, rising price of tickets, etc. But while many would bet on those trends continuing and theatrical attendance dwindling, I say the opposite. This 2023 slate is impressive. It has so many big-name movies, things even your grandparents have heard of, that it could help bring the entire industry back.
While the top ten highest-grossing movies will, again, all be franchise pictures, 2023 might be the year a streaming service finally cracks through and wins the Oscar for Best Picture. (Which would happen in 2024, but, for 2023 movies.) Also, the highest-grossing film of the year won’t be from Marvel or DC.
Source: Gizmodo