Entertainment

LIST: Movies, series to watch in 2023

January 3, 2023 | 6:00pm

Some of the much-anticipated projects of 2023 include (from left, clockwise) "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Barbie," "John Wick: Chapter 4" and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

STAR / file

MANILA, Philippines — The new year brings a fresh start and new beginnings for opportunities, and this includes an array of movies and television shows that will delight viewers at every turn.

From binge-worthy content on streaming platforms to must-see blockbusters at the cinema, 2023 is jam-packed with titles to watch.

Read on to see Philstar.com's watchlist for 2023:

Mega-hit films

Kicking off the list are a huge variety of movies to catch in theaters that range from different genres such as "M3GAN," "Shotgun Wedding," "65," "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," "Renfield," "Gran Turismo" and "Wonka."

Perhaps the most exciting box office battle will be between Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," a film about the inventor of the atomic bomb, and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll. Both films are set for a July 21 release date.

A number of franchises will be continuing their hot streak of films like "Magic Mike's Last Dance," "Creed III," "Scream VI," "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," "Insidious: Fear the Dark," "Saw X" and "Trolls 3."

Perhaps the most exciting of these franchise films are blockbusters like "John Wick: Chapter 4," "Fast X," "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One," and "Dune: Part Two." Long returnees such as "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "The Expendables 4" and "The Hunger Games" prequel "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" are also going to hit theaters this year.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics will be hoping to bounce back from a tumultuous 2022 with the releases of "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "The Flash," "Blue Beetle," "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" while Sony will capitalize on comics favorites "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "Kraven the Hunter."

Rival Disney and Marvel will be aiming straight for record numbers again with "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," "The Marvels," "The Little Mermaid" and "Elemental."

Television shows and series

Whether it's on cable or via streaming platform, shows will always have a way of grabbing viewers' attention that may eventually end up with them binge-watching at ungodly hours.

Netflix, for example, is off to a great start with "Kaleidescope," where episodes can be watched in any order, "That '70s Show" spin-off sequel "That '90s Show," a spin-off of "Bling Empire" set in New York, and the second season of "Vikings: Valhalla."

Unfortunately, the streaming platform is expecting to see the end of some popular shows such as "The Crown," "Riverdale," "Manifest," "The Umbrella Academy," "Never Have I Ever" and "Snowpiercer."

Elsewhere, "The Handmaid's Tale," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "Ted Lasso" are expected to wrap their runs this year, while revived shows include "X-Men '97" and "Dora the Explorer."

Here in the Philippines, 2023 will see the undated arrivals of "FPJ's Batang Quiapo," "Almost Paradise," the fifth season of "I Can See Your Voice," the seventh season of "Pilipinas Got Talent," and the fifth season of "The Voice Kids" in ABS-CBN.

GMA-7, meanwhile, is set to premiere "Voltes V: Legacy" in the second quarter, the second season of John Lloyd Cruz's sitcom "Happy ToGetHer," "Hearts on Ice," "Underage," "Magandang Dilag," "The Seed of Love," "Luv is Caught in His Arms," "The Write One" and "Fast Talk wtih Boy Abunda."

K-dramas

Of course, what would a watchlist be without the K-dramas that make hearts melt and eyes bawling with tears?

Some new series coming out in 2023 include historical drama "The Forbidden Marriage," "Welcome to NCT Universe," the second season of "Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist" and reality dating show "The Skip Dating."

There are still ongoing shows like the travel show "Birdie Boys" and the newest season of the dating show "Love Catcher in Bali," and surely more underrated favorites will be coming along as the year goes by.

On the film side, Netflix will finally be releasing the sci-fi flick "JUNG_E," starring the late Kang Soo-yeon, a posthumous release of the actress' last-ever project that came nine years after her previous one.