Most Anticipated Movies of July 2023: Barbie, Mission Impossible
”Oppenheimer,“ Christopher Nolan’s film about the development of the atomic bomb, rounds out the top three
You might as well paint Hollywood pink for the month, because “Barbie,” the upcoming fantasy-comedy flick starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is the most anticipated movie of July, according to Whip Media’s latest anticipation report based on viewer data from TV Time, its TV and movie tracking app with more than 26 million global registered users.
That’s a good sign, obviously, especially when you consider “Barbie” is facing stiff competition at the box office this month.
Much has been made about the Greta Gerwig-directed flick releasing on the same day as “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s new movie on the development of the atomic bomb. (Both movies will hit theaters on July 21 in the U.S.) Fans are clearly looking forward to seeing Nolan’s new biographical movie, which stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who spearheaded the Manhattan Project.
But fans are slightly more interested in seeing Tom Cruise return for his seventh “Mission Impossible” movie, it turns out. “Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” came in as the second most-anticipated movie of July, while “Oppenheimer” landed in third place.
Back to “Barbie” for a moment. If you’re interested in how its potential audience breaks down, 60.8% of its followers heading into its release are women, according to Whip Media’s viewership data. And its audience leans young, with 25% of its followers being 24 or younger. The 25-29 age cohort is its second biggest slice, with about 18% of its pre-release followers falling into that bucket.
Moving on, “Haunted Mansion,” the star-studded horror-comedy movie that’s set to come out July 28, is the fourth most-anticipated movie of the month. The movie will star LaKeith Stanfield as a paranormal tour guide, while Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson and Jamie Lee Curtis are also set to appear in the flick.
The horror theme continues with “Insidious: The Red Door,” the fifth most-anticipated movie of July. The fifth film in the “Insidious” franchise will star Patrick Wilson in his directorial debut. Wilson will be joined onscreen by Rose Byrne and “Insidious” veteran Ty Simpkins, as well.
It’s worth noting “Bird Box Barcelona,” the Spanish spin-off to 2018’s “Bird Box,” came in as the 10th most anticipated movie of the month. That’s pretty impressive, considering the new flick doesn’t have Sandra Bullock. “Bird Box Barcelona” will debut on Netflix on July 14.