2023 may be the year that several major movie franchises come to an end including series such as Magic Mike and Indiana Jones. Franchise films continue to dominate the box office, with all 10 of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2022 being entries into a larger franchise including Top Gun: Maverick and multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. While those franchises and others like Fast & Furious are poised to continue, studios can't cash in on every franchise forever.
While the year did see the release of several blockbuster films connected to existing IP, several ongoing movie franchises were missing from 2022 that will make a return in 2023. Despite fans' continued insistence on supporting franchise films at the box office, Hollywood studios have come under renewed pressure to move away from their IP obsessions in favor of more original offerings. While there are no signs that the movie franchise train will be slowing down any time soon, there are several notable series expected to come to an end. Here are six movie franchises confirmed or rumored to end in 2023.
Indiana Jones
As of yet, it hasn't been officially stated that Indiana Jones 5 will be the final film in the Indiana Jones franchise. However, by the time Indiana Jones 5 releases the series' star Harrison Ford will be 80 years old. Kathleen Kennedy, the outgoing President of Lucasfilm, has previously stated that the company won't make a film in the series without Ford, hinting that Indiana Jones 5 will be the last movie of the franchise. Whether Kennedy's eventual replacement at Lucasfilm sticks by her pledge to Harrison Ford and the franchise remains to be seen, but ultimately the most likely outcome is that Indiana Jones ends in 2023.
Magic Mike
Nearly 8 years after the release of Magic Mike XXL, Channing Tatum will be returning for a final encore as Magic Mike in 2023 with Magic Mike's Last Dance. Eternals star Salma Hayek is joining the cast in place of Thandiwe Newton, who was initially cast in an unknown role for the third and final movie in the Magic Mike trilogy but had to drop out. Although the film's teaser trailer reveals sparingly few details about the plot of the final installment, fans are excited for the return of original Magic Mike director Steven Soderbergh. Warner Bros. updates confirm Magic Mike's Last Dance will release exclusively in theaters on February 8, 2023 internationally and on February 10, 2023 in North America.
Legally Blonde
Originally scheduled to release during the summer of 2022, Reese Witherspoon's return as the iconic Elle Woods for Legally Blonde 3 has been delayed for an expected 2023 release. A new, official Legally Blonde 3 release date hasn't been given as of yet. However, considering that 2023 will mark 20 years since the release of Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde a 2023 premiere makes sense.
The third film in the Legally Blonde franchise has been in development since 2018 when Reese Witherspoon entered negotiations to return. Back in 2020, it was announced that comedian Mindy Kaling and Parks and Recreation writer Dan Goor would serve as screenwriters. Given how long it's taken to get Legally Blonde 3 off the ground, it's unlikely that another follow-up would ever happen, meaning 2023 could mark the end of the classic comedy franchise.
The Expendables
The Expendables, an ensemble-led action movie franchise that began in 2010 as an homage to the blockbuster franchises of the 1980s and 90s, is returning for a fourth and likely final installment in 2023. Much of the main cast is returning for Expendables 4 including Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone who quit before deciding to rejoin the film. New actors including Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox, and The Godfather Part III star Andy Garcia will be joining the latest film from The Expendables franchise as well. It wasn't a sure thing that a fourth movie would happen after The Expendables 3 underperformed commercially, but nearly a decade later Stallone has confirmed the series will make one final appearance in 2023.
The Meg
Another Jason Statham action franchise is getting a 2023 sequel that is likely to be its last with the release of The Meg 2: The Trench. The shark-themed horror franchise's first film, 2018's The Meg, was a surprising box office success, raking in over $530 million at the worldwide box office against a $178 million budget despite mixed reviews. The Meg 2 promises more insane large-scale action than the first and is scheduled to be released on August 4, 2023. The film has been in development since the fall of 2018, shortly after the release of The Meg. In light of the gap between the first film's release and The Meg 2: The Trench's release date and the changing viewership habits of audiences it's unlikely that the second film will be able to repeat the surprising success of the first Meg movie and will be the final installment.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled to release on May 5, 2023 and will likely end the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy era. Director James Gunn is now leading the DCU and has stated that Guardians 3 will be the end of his storytelling arc with the characters and Gamora actress Zoe Saldana has openly admitted she "wouldn't be upset" if she never played the character again. All of this indicates that Vol. 3 will be the final installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy series before the characters split up to join other teams within the MCU.
2023 is likely to be the end of these six movie franchises but lovers of mega-movie series will have a lot to look forward to in other major sequels like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Creed 3, and others. Still, it will be bittersweet to see these departing movie franchises make their final entries on the big screen. Hopefully, film studios can do their stories justice in the last installments.
