You have had a busy week at work and fancy a couple of hours of escapism – what better way could you achieve the feat than by watching a comedy movie?
Generally speaking, it is fair to say that the comedy genre tends not to lend itself to multiple movies – for instance, everyone loves The Hangover, but the sequels were not up to much.
That point is hammered home by a recent Betway study, which took an in-depth look at film franchises to determine which were the most successful of all time.
On the index they created of 20 famous film franchises, not a single one fell into the comedy category despite the worldwide popularity of the genre.
With that in mind, we take a look at what comedy film fans can look forward to in 2023, starting with a movie that stars one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
A Man Called Otto
The lead role in A Man Called Otto is the type of ‘everyman character’ Tom Hanks shines with and may well see him gain recognition at the Academy Awards.
The 66-year-old has received six Best Actor nominations during his illustrious career, winning Oscars for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994).
Hanks plays a grumpy widower who wants to kills himself in A Man Called Otto, but his life is turned on its head when a larger-than-life family moves in nearby.
Barbie
The social media buzz around the new Barbie movie has undoubtedly made it one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2023. If it lives up to the hype, it should be a cracker.
Margot Robbie will play Barbie, while Ryan Gosling is Ken. However, there has been speculation that other actors are also booked to play the iconic title roles.
Will Ferrell has joined the cast as the Chief Executive Officer of Mattel, while former Cheers legend Rhea Perlman will bring her considerable acting presence to the movie.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
The heroes of Chicken Run will make a triumphant return next year as the long-awaited sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is aired on Netflix.
The original Chicken Run became the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time in 2000 and subsequently won a ton of awards at major ceremonies across the world.
Zachary Levi, Thandiwe Newton, Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays have joined the voice cast, while Imelda Staunton and Jane Horrocks will reprise their original roles.
Legally Blonde 3
The first two Legally Blonde movies were massive commercial successes worldwide, although the second edition in the series was widely hammered by film critics.
However, with the scriptwriters working overtime to ensure that Reese Witherspoon can successfully reprise her role as Elle Woods, the third movie could be a big hit.
With several of the original cast also returning including Jennifer Coolidge, Selma Blair, Luke Wilson and Holland Taylor, Legally Blonde 3 should provide people with an entertaining film night.