One of the best feelings in the world is getting out of a movie and immediately needing to know more about it. What was that ending supposed to mean? What song was playing during that one scene? Was that an homage to John Woo during that big action sequence? Was there really a pregnant Midge doll?!
While these entrants may not all have the history or staying power to make Fandom’s 10 Most Popular Movie Wikis of 2023 list, they do mark releases that caused a notable spike in traffic in the window following their release in theaters or streaming. So what was it that had people wanting to know more? Let’s take a look!
10. Elemental
Disney/Pixar’s sole release of 2023, Elemental was slow to get rolling at the box-office and was deemed, prematurely, to be a bomb. Much to-do was made about Pixar’s demise, but the commentary didn’t quite match reality as the feature picked up steam and wound up raking in nearly half a billion dollars.
What viewers locked into was Elemental’s charming blend of adventure and romantic comedy, introducing us to a world made up of elemental forces of nature (fire, water, earth, air) where a romance buds between two elements that don’t traditionally go together: fire and water.
The heartfelt nature of the story seemed to resonate with Fandom readers as well, catapulting it into the Top 10 for the year.
9. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part One
Adapting the popular series of DC comic books, Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes and Huntsman, Part One unites two massively popular worlds: the DC Universe and the hit anime-style web series, RWBY. In this first chapter of a planned trilogy, the Justice League finds itself stuck in RWBY’s land of Remnant, de-aged into teens, and separated. Meanwhile, they meet Team RWBY and must work together to figure out how they got there while protecting Remnant from a terrible threat.
The world of RWBY is a vast one, featuring not only the originating web series but manga, comics, games, and novels. This means there are a lot of potential Easter eggs to discover and continuity gaps to fill in, something a robust Wiki page is always good for, so naturally the spike in traffic here makes perfect sense.
8. The Little Mermaid
Disney’s latest live-action remake of an animated classic brought in big numbers at the box office — and a huge jump in traffic at Fandom’s wikis, including the corresponding live-action Little Mermaid wiki page. Any beloved classic that gets a remake is ripe for discussion, but Disney fans in particular love to get extremely granular: just check out the “Differences from the 1989 film” section of this wiki! Did you know Flotsam and Jetsam weren’t electric eels in the original? I sure didn’t.
Whatever the small differences might be, Ariel’s journey to become a part of our world left Fandom readers with a thirst to read up on The Little Mermaid’s arc from the instigator of Disney’s animation renaissance in the late–80s to the latest in a line of live-action remakes for a whole new generation.
7. Dungeons and Dragons:
Honor Among Thieves
Based on the last time the perennial roleplaying classic Dungeons and Dragons was adapted to film, you’d be forgiven for having low expectations for this new rendition. And yet, low or expectations or high, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves defied them with a clever usage of tried-and-true D&D tropes (gelatinous cube!!), memorable characters, exciting action set pieces, and legitimately funny jokes. Despite a disappointing box office return, the word of mouth buzz and popularity on streaming sparks hope for the sequel we’re pining for.
Plus, how the heck did Bradley Cooper wind up in an uncredited appearance? It seems many Fandom readers had similar questions, because Fandom’s wiki pages jumped 42% in traffic after the movie’s release and buzzworthy word of mouth ensued.
6. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
While perhaps not the most well-regarded movie in the MCU’s history, or even in the Ant-Man franchise itself, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania nonetheless has no shortage of Easter eggs and wild characters to plunder the depths of. The third film in the Ant-Man trilogy was a family affair, as Scott and Cassie Lang, along with Hank Pym, Janet VanDyne, and Hope VanDyne all went subatomic in a battle against a new big bad.
Like Scott Lang exploring the Quantum Realm, Fandom readers engaged the wikis in full force following its release, bringing a 43% jump in traffic, probably trying to figure out if M.O.D.O.K. is even considered a real threat in the Marvel Comics (he is) or how exactly Kang the Conqueror relates to He Who Remains from Loki, as we now ponder if any version of the character will continue, with Jonathan Majors now let go from the MCU in the wake of his recent conviction.
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(Disney+ Release)
Fandom readers might recall Black Panther: Wakanda Forever making an appearance on this very same list after its theatrical release in 2022, so it speaks to Black Panther’s cultural significance that Fandom’s wikis experienced another big 47% traffic bump following Wakanda Forever’s streaming debut on Disney+ earlier this year.
Wakanda Forever manages the tricky balancing act of honoring the too-soon loss of Chadwick Boseman while still forging a path forward for the Black Panther mantle in the MCU, not to mention introducing some future players like Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, soon to star in her own Disney+ series, Ironheart. Crucially, Wakanda Forever was nominated for five Academy Awards, including the MCU’s first-ever acting nomination thanks to Angela Bassett’s riveting performance as Queen Ramonda.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The anticipated conclusion to James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy—not to mention his career at Marvel in general—got fans fired up to dig into Fandom’s wikis with a 72% jump, including the Guardians Vol. 3 wiki page, probably to double check the song titles for all the sick needle drops. Gunn’s tone for the Guardians films arguably changed the disposition of the entire MCU, and its concluding chapter set the bar high for its send off of these beloved characters.
Gunn’s always had a way to sneak in moments of poignancy and heartbreak into his superhero fare, but GOTG Vol. 3 takes it to a new level with the flashbacks to Rocket’s tortured past. It’s an affecting story that manages to bring the established team full circle while also setting the stage for a new one to form in its wake. Plus, it’s probable a whole lot of people needed to investigate just what the heck Adam Warlock was all about.
3. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
After years of delays, the Maximals finally arrived on the big screen in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and reader interest spiked 78% along with it. Continuing the revamp of the series that began in 2018’s Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts is a period piece set in 1994 as Optimus Prime and his Autobots team up with the animal-like Maximals to defend their adopted home from the planet-eating Unicron.
Longtime Transformers fans no doubt navigated to the wikis to pontificate about their love for the inclusion of Unicron, the big bad of 1986’s much-beloved Transformers: The Movie, while younger fans perhaps just wanted to continue the ongoing debate over whether or not the post-Bumblebee Transformers movies are actually a reboot of the franchise Michael Bay launched in 2007 or exist in the same continuity. The answer remains unclear.
2. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
An experience like The Super Mario Bros. Movie is built for the Wiki experience: loaded with Easter eggs and game references, there is so much to unpack upon a first viewing, it’s no wonder that readers boosted the Mushroom Kingdom gang to #2 on this list, with a 155% increase in viewership at the wikis as the movie opened. If you’re in need of a comprehensive collection of all the power-ups that appear in this movie, look no further.
In the Mario Bros.’ first cinematic outing since 1993’s ill-fated live-action adaptation, the animated film introduces Chris Pratt as Mario and Charlie Day as Luigi, as the well-meaning but hapless brothers are sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom where they become embroiled in a battle against the evil (and hilarious) Bowser, teaming up with Princess Peach to save her kingdom.
1. Barbie
It’s likely no surprise that the most buzzworthy movie of the year finds itself at the top of this list. A unique blend of oddball comedy, golden age Hollywood set design, poignant social commentary, and bold direction, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a triumph of skillful filmmaker meeting big budget studio moviemaking.
Between its incredible trailers and the Barbenheimer phenomenon stoking the flames ever higher, the fact that Barbie actually delivered on its hype is almost as incredible an accomplishment as the film itself. As if Barbie dominating both the box office and the social conversation for the entire summer wasn’t Kenough, it bringing Fandom’s wikis a big 256% spike in traffic in the wake of its release just cements it as the defining film of 2023.