The 12 most popular movies of the year, ranked from worst to best

Kirsten AcunaJan 14, 2024, 22:27 IST

"Five Nights at Freddy's," "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," "Barbie," and a third "Ant-Man" were all high-grossing movies in 2023.Patti Perret/Universal Pictures; Paramount Pictures and Skydance; Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.; Jay Maidment/Marvel

Many highly anticipated movies and sequels came out in 2023. Some were better than others.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" and "Across the Spider-Verse" were the best of this year's highest-grossers.

The most popular theatrical releases of 2023 included superhero movies, sequels, and video-game adaptations.

To determine the most popular movies of the year, Insider looked at the top 20 performers at the worldwide box office. We then selected 12, and ranked them from worst to best.

Keep reading to see our favorite highest-grossing films of the year.

12. "Meg 2: The Trench" should've been a Jason Statham banger.

"Meg 2: The Trench" should've featured more of Jason Statham fighting sharks like this.Warner Bros.

11. "Five Nights at Freddy's" is pretty boring.

Foxy, Chica, Freddy Fazbear and Bonnie in "Five Nights at Freddy's."Patti Perret/Universal Pictures

10. "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" was a skippable Marvel entry.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" barely featured a lot of time with Evangeline Lilly's Wasp, instead focusing on Michelle Pfeiffer's version of the character. Marvel Studios

9. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was a relatively safe and cookie-cutter adaptation.

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" became the first movie of 2023 to cross $1 billion worldwide, but that didn't mean it was superb.Nintendo/Universal

8. Jason Momoa was the best thing about "Fast X."

An antithesis to Dom, Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes is the MVP of "Fast X."Universal Pictures

7. Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy were the best parts of "The Little Mermaid."

Halle Bailey as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid."Walt Disney Studios

6. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" was a heartfelt send-off to the franchise without any real stakes.

Chris Pratt and the Guardians bid farewell in "Vol. 3."Jessica Miglio/Marvel Studios

5. Christopher Nolan delivered a masterpiece with "Oppenheimer."

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."Universal Pictures

4. "John Wick: Chapter 4" provided some of the year's best action scenes.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in "John Wick: Chapter 4."Murray Close/Moviepix/Getty Images

3. Tom Cruise reminded us, yet again, why we go to the movies with "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One."

Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One."Paramount/Skydance

2. "Barbie" is the biggest surprise and delight of 2023.

Margot Robbie as Barbie in "Barbie."Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.

1. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is one of the year's best movies.

Miles Morales/Spider-Man (voiced by Shameik Moore) in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."Sony Pictures Animation

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