It always feels like movie season, but 2023’s winter offerings are already destroying a decades-old idea about cinema. January was rather eventful for theatrical releases, with the debuts of the horror film M3GAN, Gerard Butler’s Plane, and the thriller Missing, the standalone sequel to 2018’s Searching. February continues with the release of M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin and the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
When it comes to winter theatrical releases, there has long been this idea — often a proven one — that movies released between January through March (but especially January) are just not that good. Historically, the month of January has been a dumping ground for poor quality films. The winter movie season is overshadowed by a number of awards shows, too, including the Golden Globes and Oscars, honoring the previous year’s film achievements. There’s also a lot of rollover: December’s limited releases begin rolling out to nationwide theaters, but audiences don’t flock to see them as much as high-profile films. In 2023, January being a dumping ground for movies has changed drastically.
Jan & Feb 2023's Movies Have Good Reviews & Box Office
From Missing to M3GAN and Knock at the Cabin, January and February movies have had their share of critical acclaim and the box office numbers to back up the interest of viewers. These films, including Plane, have achieved something previous years’ films have not — they have the approval of critics and audiences alike, and they’re all considered solid films that are not to be missed, offering entertainment value in the months movie studios haven’t considered releasing quality movies. M3GAN has been in theaters nearly a month, and it’s made over $83 million at the box office, and it’s helped that the horror film’s marketing has elevated it to become an internet sensation.
With 288 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, M3GAN has an incredibly high score of 94% and an audience score of 78%. The Gerard Butler and Mike Colter-starring Plane has made over $26 million at the box office, with a 76% (based on 148 reviews) critical consensus and a 94% audience score. Missing has also done well, and Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin bumped Avatar: The Way of Water from its top spot. These movies aren’t only making money, but they’re decent, enjoyable films that engage with their viewers. These films make people want to go to the movies in what has typically been a dry season for a quality theatrical experience.
Why January-March Is No Longer A Dumping Ground For Expected Flops
With so many major studio films crammed into the spring and summer months, and awards movies rolling out in the fall, there’s a lot of competition and dwindling space and time for other films to make an impact. Releasing quality films during the winter months of January through March not only subverts expectations, but avoids competing with big tentpole movies, including Warner Bros.’s upcoming Barbie movie or the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Box office numbers have shown that audiences will go to theaters if the movie has good word of mouth and entertainment potential. The slate of 2023 films so far shows that winter releases can do well and have quality.
It’s no surprise that Scream VI is being released once more in the winter instead of being pushed to a summer release. The winter months are especially good for films that have smaller budgets but are simply done well. There is breathing room where there isn’t elsewhere. M3GAN and Plane have already proven as much, and Shyamalan’s latest continues that trend. The lack of competition gives these quality films the opportunity to do even better at the box office over time instead of relying solely on their opening weekend numbers. Winter months’ movie reputation is historically bad, but studios have an incentive to surprise audiences now with good films on a consistent basis.