The Marvels, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Among Fandango’s Most Anticipated Holiday Movies

Fandango’s Most Anticipated Holiday Movies Survey is led by two films from Marvel and DC.

October 31, 2023, 8:20pm

We’re heading into the holiday season, which means we only have a few more movies to land before 2023 comes to a close. Not surprisingly, two of the most anticipated movies for the 2023 holiday season are superhero films: The Marvels and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Both movies are sequels, but that hasn’t stopped fans and moviegoers from wanting to see what their favorite heroes are up to now. Fandango held a survey for its 2023 Most Anticipated Holiday Movies, with nearly 2,000 ticket buyers surveyed. 83% of moviegoers plan to watch at least one wide-release film in theater, with nearly three-quarters of responders planning to see at least two films in theaters. 66% said they’re interested in seeing new movies with their families as well.

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The final results of Fandango’s 2023 Most Anticipated Holiday Movies Survey had The Marvels in first place, followed by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in second place, with Wonka coming in third. There was also a Top 10 for movies that are going to be purchased digitally on platforms such as Vudu, with The Marvels and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in their same first and second places, with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes leapfrogging Wonka to take the third spot.

In The Marvels, which arrives in theaters on November 10th, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” The Marvels will also see the franchise returns of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan. New cast members include Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Shamier Anderson. Produced by Marvel Studios, The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta with a script from DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik.

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters on December 25th, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman. Pilou Asbaek has also joined the cast in a mystery role.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.

As you continue to read, you can see the Top 10 Favorite Thanksgiving-themed Movies, and Top 10 Favorite Christmas-Themed Movies. 73% and 65% of responders confirmed that The Nightmare Before Christmas and Die Hard, respectively, are in fact, Christmas films. We’ll leave that debate up to our readers in the comments, but you can find the results of each Fandango survey below.