The UK’s Top 10 Most Popular Movies of the Year (2023)

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It has been an incredible year for film in 2023. Despite the turbulence in Hollywood during the SAG-AFTRA strike, the industry has firmly found its feet after the coronavirus pandemic. From family franchises to breath-taking animation, movie musicals and gore-filled horrors, cinema has soared higher, further and faster to make sure there has been something for everyone.

While Barbie broke the box-office, established franchises released some of the most popular films of the year in the UK such as the live action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Pixar’s Elemental and another action-packed instalment in John Wick: Chapter 4.

However, JustWatch found that the top film of 2023 was Marvel’s final outing for the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. James Gunn’s epic threequel was the most popular film according to our UK user. This was calculated using JustWatch’s popularity score, which includes user activity such as clicks on streaming offers, adding a title to a watchlist or marking it as ‘seen’.

Disney+ was home to half of the most popular films of the year, including James Cameron’s long-awaited return to Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water. Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also made the top ten, after its release in cinemas back in February.

The fan-favourite board game adapted to the big-screen in Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves also made the elite list. The Chris Pine-led film resonated with audiences as it captured the friendship and camaraderie found at the heart of the game, and its players. Alongside this, families sought out Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, while adults gorged on raucous comedies and horror in M3GAN and Cocaine Bear.

Here’s the 10 most popular films of the year and where to stream them from the United Kingdom.

Netflix
Disney Plus
Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV Plus
MGM Amazon Channel
Apple TV
Crunchyroll
Amazon Video
Paramount Plus
Channel 4
Sky Go
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
BBC iPlayer
MUBI
Google Play Movies
BFI Player
Sky Store
Microsoft Store
Freevee
Curzon Home Cinema
ITVX
YouTube
Shudder
ARROW
Arrow Video Amazon Channel
Talk Talk TV
UKTV Play
Rakuten TV
GuideDoc
Movietickets
Netflix Kids
YouTube Premium
BFI Player Amazon Channel
Hayu
Hayu Amazon Channel
My5
BritBox Amazon Channel
MUBI Amazon Channel
STUDIOCANAL PRESENTS Apple TV Channel
STV Player
Curiosity Stream
Flix Premiere
Hotstar
Revry
DOCSVILLE
Now TV
Spamflix
Dogwoof On Demand
Plex
WOW Presents Plus
Magellan TV
BroadwayHD
Filmzie
MovieSaints
Acorn TV
AcornTV Amazon Channel
Dekkoo
True Story
DocAlliance Films
Hoichoi
Now TV Cinema
CuriosityStream Amazon Channel
DocuBay Amazon Channel
Discovery+ Amazon Channel
Fandor Amazon Channel
Full Moon Amazon Channel
ITV Amazon Channel
Pokémon Amazon Channel
Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
Shudder Amazon Channel
Eros Now Amazon Channel
FilmBox Live Amazon Channel
MotorTrend Amazon Channel
W4free
Paus
Pluto TV
Eventive
ShortsTV Amazon Channel
Cultpix
FilmBox+
Yupp TV
Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Discovery+
Icon Film Amazon Channel
Curzon Amazon Channel
Hallmark TV Amazon Channel
Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel
Sundance Now Amazon Channel
Classix
Sooner Amazon Channel
Takflix
Klassiki
Sun Nxt
Viaplay
Netflix basic with Ads
Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Runtime
OUTtv Amazon Channel
HistoryPlay Amazon Channel
Crime+ Investigation Play Amazon Channel
Shahid VIP
Univer Video
Acorn TV Apple TV
Tastemade Apple TV Channel
CuriosityStream Apple TV Channel
BFI Player Apple TV Channel
Kocowa
Chili
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
ODEON Cinemas
Cineworld
Vue
Arte
Filters
  1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

    #1

    Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

  2. Avatar: The Way of Water

    #2

    Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, learn the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.

  3. John Wick: Chapter 4

    John Wick: Chapter 4

    2023

    IMDB 7.7 (337k)

    #3

    With the price on his head ever increasing, John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

  4. The Little Mermaid

    The Little Mermaid

    2023

    IMDB 7.2 (157k)

    #4

    The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

  5. Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical

    #5

    An extraordinary young girl discovers her superpower and summons the remarkable courage, against all odds, to help others change their stories, whilst also taking charge of her own destiny. Standing up for what's right, she's met with miraculous results.

  6. M3GAN

    M3GAN

    2022

    IMDB 6.3 (143k)

    #6

    A brilliant toy company roboticist uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll's programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend with terrifying results.

  7. Cocaine Bear

    Cocaine Bear

    2023

    IMDB 5.9 (108k)

    #7

    An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge on a Georgia forest where a huge black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.

  8. Elemental

    Elemental

    2023

    IMDB 7.0 (128k)

    #8

    In a city where fire, water, land and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy will discover something elemental: how much they have in common.

  9. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

    #9

    A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.

  10. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

    #10

    Super-Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, along with with Hope's parents Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym, and Scott's daughter Cassie Lang, find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.