Lionsgate is planning a major return to movie theaters in 2023 with a slate of 14 theatrical titles that Adam Fogelson, the Vice Chair of the Motion Picture Group, believes caters to a segment of “important and frequently underserved customers.” The studio’s diverse slate of titles—covering a range of genres through a mix of sequels and original films—will play a crucial role in filling out the release calendar to help boost the 2023 box office to new post-pandemic heights. “You’ve told us repeatedly how important it is to have a wide variety of quality movies, and the business cannot and will not thrive on tentpoles alone,” said Fogelson before announcing several of the films Lionsgate will be bringing to theaters this year.
The studio will spend the summer releasing a trio of comedies, each of them a month apart. In May, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco will pair with Robert De Niro for About My Father. In June, The Blackening will hit theaters, descibred by Fogelson as “a raucous, communal theatrical experience,” while July will see the release of Joy Ride, a raunchy R-rated comedy headlined by an Asian-American cast. Joy Ride screened in its entirety immediately following the presentation, a reflection of the confidence Lionsgate has on the title following its warm reception at the SXSW Film Festival last month.
The second half of the year will see Lionsgate release dramas White Bird, which will be part of a film series launched by 2018’s surprise hit Wonder, on August 25. Sylvester Stallone and his ever-growing cast of co-stars will be back for Expendables 4 on September 22. Hilary Swank will headline the faith-based drama Ordinary Angels on October 13, while the decidedly-not-faith-based Saw X hits theaters two weeks later—just in time for Halloween.
The Lionsgate presentation closed with the trailer premiere of the upcoming prequel to The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songs and Snakes, scheduled for a November 17 release. The film, set 64 years before the story of the first Hunger Games movie, will seek to launch a new series of films for the studio.
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