2022 was a long year, but it’s finally ended. It was a great year for cinema. Plenty of fantastic and memorable films were released, and many will be remembered for years. For a lot of moviegoers, their favorites were undoubtedly the slate of romance films, which included the likes of Bros, Ticket to Paradise, I Want You Back, Bones and All, and more. Movie studios really went all out in creating stories that gave fans all the feels, and it looks like they’re going to be keeping up the good work into 2023.
The year may have just started, but Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. The loveliest time of the year wouldn’t be complete without a fresh slate of rom-coms and tear-jerking love stories, and there are plenty on the way to ring in the season of love. Don’t worry, though, because this isn’t just a list covering everything coming out before February 14th. These are the top 10 romance movies that fans can expect in 2023.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
10 Prom Pact — Spring 2023
Disney Channel
Coming out just in time for prom season, Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Limo Manheim star in the upcoming Disney+ original, Prom Pact, that shows why ambition can be risky business (via Deadline). High school senior Mandy Coleman has big dreams for when she finally graduates. She plans on attending Harvard and kick-starting a successful law career. However, her dreams are put in jeopardy when her application is deferred. Mandy won’t let that stop her because she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her name off the waitlist, even if that means striking a deal with popular jock Graham Lansing, who happens to be her worst enemy. His father is a powerful senator and a distinguished Harvard alum, so by becoming Graham’s tutor, she can hopefully get the ball rolling. She doesn’t at all think that she may have misjudged Graham, let alone that she would fall for him. What could go wrong? Don’t miss Prom Pact when it drops on Disney+ this Spring.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Shotgun Wedding — January 27 (Prime Video)
8 Love Again — May 12 (Theatrical Release)
Screen Gems
Here is a film looking to prove that love can be born again from the unlikeliest of places. All it takes is a little bit of chance. In Love Again, Mira Ray (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) is still reeling from the death of her fiancé, but finds solace in sending romantic text messages to his old phone number. What she doesn’t realize is that his number has been reassigned to journalist Rob Burns (Sam Heughan). He could have told her she was texting an active number, but he finds himself charmed by her passionate honesty. One day, Rob is assigned to write a profile on megastar Celine Dion, but he ends up surprised when she helps him meet Mira in person. But is Mira ready to move forward with her life? Don’t miss Love Again when it lands in theaters on May 12.
7 What About Love — February 14 (Theatrical Release)
Quality Films
What About Love features a couple of cinema icons as parents who take inspiration from their children to embrace true love. This heart-wrenching film will see love-wary couple Christian and Tanner travel to Europe to document attitudes towards love. They only realize after a tragic event leaves Christian in the hospital that the movie was actually about them. It’s a documentation of true romance that may save his life. It may also spark in their parents (Sharon Stone and Andy Garcia) a revelation that they too can embrace love in their lives, and it’s a journey that the older pair have a chance to take together. Get the tissues ready because this movie from director Klaus Menzel is sure to pull a lot of heartstrings. What About Love was filmed in 2012, and after over a decade, it will finally release on February 14th.
6 Your Place or Mine — February 10 (Netflix)
Netflix
Two romantic comedy all-stars team up for a brand-new friends-to-lovers story that reveals that what you want isn’t always what you need. Long-distance friends Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) couldn’t be any more different. Debbie craves a set routine as a single mother to her son in Los Angeles, while Peter thrives on change in New York. Both their worlds change for the better when they agree to swap lives for a week. It’s through this experience that they find that stepping outside the norm isn’t always bad, while also discovering what they were searching for was waiting just across the country. Don’t miss the next big Netflix romantic joy when Your Place or Mine hits Netflix on February 10.
5 You People — January 27 (Netflix)
In another hilarious romantic comedy coming to everyone’s favorite streamer, this one sees two comedy icons go head-to-head over the love of a girl. Ezra (Jonah Hill) and Amira (Lauren London) fall head over heels in love with one another and want nothing more than to spend their lives together. But before they can get married, they’re going to have to meet each other’s families first. Here’s where the fun really begins. Both come from two entirely different backgrounds and cultures, and generational differences clash when Amira’s parents (Eddie Murphy and Nia Long) and Ezra’s parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny) come face to face in this hilarious examination of generational differences. You People lands on Netflix this month on the 27th.
4 Of an Age — February 10 (Theatrical Release)
Focus Features
From director Goran Stolevski comes the story of an intense romance that forever leaves a mark on all those involved. Love blooms in the most surprising places, but sometimes it’s over before it begins. Set in 1999, the film follows Kol, a 17-year-old ballroom dancer with dreams of exploring the world and making a name for himself in his profession. However, his life is forever changed by the surprising yet intense romance that blossoms between him and his best friend’s brother, Adam. It’s almost love at first sight, but unfortunately, it only lasts 24 hours as Adam is about to leave the country. No one can anticipate the impact a person can have on their life. Fortunately, their story may not be over as they meet again sometime later, but is it too late to save the romance they once had? Of an Age will be in theaters on February 10.
3 Red, White, & Royal Blue — Release Date TBD (Prime Video)
Based on the hit Casey McQuiston novel of the same name, director Matthew Lopez is bringing a romance film of royal proportions. Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of the United States president with a big-time rivalry against Henry, The Prince of Wales, and things heat up when Alex inadvertently causes an uproar at the wedding of Henry’s brother. To avoid a national incident, the two are forced to pretend to be friends on a goodwill trip to the UK. Neither of them could have anticipated the way their feud would evolve, going from bitter rivals to secret lovers. And a secret it will have to remain unless they want their personal affairs getting in the way of Alex’s mom getting reelected as president. Red, White, & Royal Blue will be premiering on Prime Video later this year. The date has yet to be revealed, but stars Nicholas Galitzine, and Taylor Zakhar Perez have confirmed that filming has wrapped, so it won’t be long now.
2 Elemental — June 16 (Theatrical Release)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/ Pixar
Disney and Pixar know how to bring the feels, and this year things will be heating up in an all-new animated film about love between two literal opposites. In Elemental City, a place where people of all elements live in harmony, love blooms between the fiery Ember and the go-with-the-flow Wade. They’re two polar opposites, but after randomly meeting on the subway train, they soon realize they have more in common than they would have suspected. Not much else is known about Elemental so far, but as it’s scheduled to release on June 16, more information will likely start to come out before long.
1 The Little Mermaid — May 26 (Theatrical Release)
Disney
This is a tale as old as time in the form of a highly anticipated live-action remake. Fans have been waiting for this re-imagining for a long time now, and it’ll finally be released in theaters at long last this summer. All Ariel has ever known is life under the sea as the princess of King Trident’s mermaid kingdom, but she dreams of seeing the world that her people have never ventured to. She will finally get her chance when she happens upon a handsome young prince during an at-sea voyage, making Ariel’s curiosity go wilder than ever. She’ll do anything to see the surface world. Unfortunately, her desires give Ursula the opportunity she’s been looking for to take everything from Trident. This is the tale everyone knows but has never seen before on such a grand scale. Don’t miss this highly anticipated musical romance adventure when The Little Mermaid swims its way into theaters this summer on May 26.
