Ever since the trend of comic book movies started, it has been hard not to find Marvel movies in the top highest-grossing movie lists for quite some years now. However, there have been occasions in the last ten years or so where some ended up not making it into the top three, and this year yet again, the top three movies of this year ought to surprise everyone.
Here are the Top 3 Highest-Grossing Movies of 2023:
3. Oppenheimer, $911 Million
A no-brainer, Oppenheimer was bound to be on this list. With an exceptional cast along with Christopher Nolan‘s versatile and exceptional filmmaking talent, it is a compelling story about one of the most significant events in Human history. With the deep emotional storytelling and philosophical themes with Cillian Murphy in the center, it is now Nolan’s third-highest movie ever and labeled by critics as one of the best movies of the century.
2. The Super Mario Bros, $1.36 Billion
The Super Mario Bros carries the nostalgia of childhood, helping it become the highest-grossing video game movie ever. From the exceptional media campaign to fans themselves hyping up the movie with countless memes and the perfect timing of it being released around Easter, all the stars were lined up for the movie. But the movie’s inspirational tale to the original videogame tracks and even Chris Pratt‘s casting helped the movie hit the ball out of the park.
1. Barbie, $1.42 Billion
An obviously non-surprising entry, Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie broke the box office, shocked the critics, and amazed the viewers with its excellent yet thought-provoking narrative. Everything about the movie was exceptional, from its cast to the marketing campaign to the storyline and the characters. An immaculately inventive tale, it hit the mark where it was supposed to and talked about things that are meant to be talked about most intuitively and appealingly possible, making the Margot Robbie-starrer movie one of the biggest in the century.
How Can Marvel Reclaim Its Throne?
Ever since Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel cinematic universe has been facing trouble hitting the box-office charts. While they continue to be successful, many end up only making it into the top 5 list instead of donning the number one crown like their predecessors. Even this year, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 ranked fourth despite a stellar cast.
These box-office performances have been disappointing for Marvel compared to its past performances. This inevitably brings the question, of whether should MCU have Robert Downey Jr. come back to shake things up at the box office. Fans have been for years commenting on how it would be difficult for the MCU to reach its past glory because of the absence of iconic characters like Iron Man and Captain America.
Not only would Downey’s return help Marvel regain its title, but it might also help the studios to revive and bring forth a fresh storyline that attracts viewers instead of just appealing to their nostalgia.
Meanwhile, this year’s top movie, Barbie can be rented on Amazon Prime.
Source: X (previously Twitter)
