As 2023 draws to a close, Daily Info’s film guru looks back at the year in cinema.
There have been cinematic highs. Terrific multiverse dramedy Everything Everywhere All at Once dominated the Oscars. Barbenheimer was the cultural moment that lived up to the hype, with two of the year’s best (Barbie and Oppenheimer) releasing on the same day and finding room for box office glory. And animation continued to be a glorious space of creativity, with brilliant films in the form of Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Nimona, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, The Boy and the Heron and Elemental.
But there were lows as well. The writers’ and actors’ strikes led to a muted second half of the summer and autumn at the box office, with several much anticipated films moved back to next year (we’re still mourning not being able to watch Dune Part Two until 2024). Outside of afformentioned Barbenheimer and a return to the Spider-verse, studios struggled for compelling blockbusters. Disney’s 100th year was one filled with underperformers and flops, Warner Bros continued to cancel their already made films (fingers crossed Coyote vs. Acme sees the light of day), cinemas were clogged with unsatisfactory part ones, and superhero fatigue has properly set in. The industry is still seeking to regain the energy of pre-Covid times and find balance in the streaming landscape. In Oxford terms the loss of a cinema is always a sad footnote for a year and Daily Info morns the closure of Odeon Magdalen Street.
And yet 2023 had dozens of gem, making the act of compiling a top ten a tricky one. See what made our list and let us know what would make your best of the year.
Welcome to Daily Info’s 2023 Advent Calendar – 24 days of festive tips, free activities & local shopping suggestions!
This year's calendar offers a mix of Christmas suggestions, taking in traditions in Oxford and the wider area, and free activities & events in the build up to the big day.
