August 2023: all new movies to watch in theaters this month, from Bottoms, Meg 2 and Problemista to more new releases!

The summer is often light on new releases, but many new movies are coming to theaters in August 2023, from festival hits like Bottoms, Problemista, and Shortcomings to fun films like Meg 2 and superhero flicks like Blue Beetle! So what are the films to watch this month? Let’s take a look!

We’ve made a list of all the new movies coming to theaters in August 2023! You’ll find all the upcoming releases below, in order of release and divided by films you’ll be able to see in U.S. theaters and in U.K. cinemas. We’ve also included global release dates where available. Read our list of most anticipated movies of 2023 and scroll till the end for the hottest 2024 releases. Happy watching!

1. August 2023: New Movies in U.S. Theaters (and Global)
2. August 2023: New Movies in U.K. Cinemas

AUGUST 2023 MOVIES: IN U.S. THEATERS & GLOBAL

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM

Director: Jeff Rowe
Global Release: August 2

Official synopsis: After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.

A COMPASSIONATE SPY

Director: Steve James
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release:

Official synopsis: Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to be the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, Hall didn’t share his colleagues’ elation after the successful detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb. Increasingly concerned during 1944—with Germany clearly losing the war—that a U.S. post-war monopoly on such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe, he decided beginning that October to start passing key information about the bomb’s construction to the Soviet Union.

After the war, at the University of Chicago, he met and married Joan, a fellow student with whom he shared a passion for classical music and socialist causes — and the explosive secret of his espionage. Living under a cloud of suspicion and years of FBI surveillance and intimidation, the pair raised a family while Ted refocused his scientific brilliance on groundbreaking biophysics research. A Compassionate Spy, two-time Oscar® nominee Steve James’ nuanced documentary, reveals the twists and turns of this real-life spy story, its profound impact on nuclear history, and the couple’s remarkable love and life together during more than 50 years of marriage. 

BROTHER

Director: Clement Virgo
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: September 29
Full Review: Brother (Film Review): A Perfect Literary Adaptation

Official synopsis: Adapted from David Chariandy’s award-winning novel of the same name, Brother is propelled by the pulsing beats of Toronto’s early hip hop scene following the story of Francis (Lamar Johnson) and Michael (Aaron Pierre), sons of Caribbean immigrants maturing into young men. A mystery unfolds during the sweltering summer of 1991, and escalating tensions set off a series of events that change the course of these brothers’ lives forever. Brother crafts a timely story about the profound bond between siblings, the resilience of community and the irrepressible power of music.

THE COLLECTIVE

Director: Tom Denucci
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: A group of righteous assassins called The Collective take aim at a highly sophisticated human trafficking ring backed by a network of untouchable billionaires. With their backs against the wall, The Collective has no choice but to put their most important mission in the hands of rookie assassin Sam Alexander.

CORNER OFFICE (LIMITED)

Director: Joachim Back
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: In this workplace comedy reminiscent of Office Space and Severance, misfit Orson (Jon Hamm) finds himself trapped in the absurdities of corporate life. As The Authority’s newest employee, Orson finds it difficult to connect with his enigmatic desk mate, Rakesh (Danny Pudi), as well as with the rest of his colleagues. His alienation deepens when he discovers a room he’s told doesn’t exist – a place that unleashes his true potential, leading to an ascent up the corporate ladder. Buoyed by his newfound confidence, Orson invites a receptionist (Sarah Gadon) into his sanctuary, sparking a climactic clash between the corporate world’s harsh realities and his own wild fantasies

DREAMIN’ WILD

Director: Bill Pohlad
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Dreamin’ Wild, the true story of love and redemption, is about what happened to singer/songwriter Donnie Emerson and his family when the album he and his brother recorded as teens was rediscovered after thirty years of obscurity and was suddenly hailed by music critics as a lost masterpiece. While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, it also brings long-buried emotions as Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. come to terms with the past and their newly found fame. 

KLONDIKE

Director: Maryna Er Gorbach
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: July 2014. Expectant parents Irka and Tolik live in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, disputed territory in the early days of the Donbas war. Their nervous anticipation of their first child’s birth is violently disrupted as the vicinal crash of flight MH17 elevates the forbidding tension enveloping their village. The looming wreckage of the downed airliner and an incoming parade of mourners emphasize the surreal trauma of the moment.

LADY KILLER: NEW RESTORATION (LIMITED)

Director: Jean Grémillon
U.S. Release: August 4

Official synopsis: Grémillon was still in the employ of Berlin’s UFA Studios when he began shooting this adaptation of an André Boucler novel which stars Jean Gabin as a Don Juan of the French Foreign Legion who sets his sights on seducing Mireille Balin—and accidentally falls in love for real. The atmospheric work of cinematographer Günther Rittau (The Blue Angel) connects Grémillon’s film to the legacy of German expressionism, while the electric reunion of Pépé le Moko co-stars Gabin and Balin and the film’s pervasive air of tragic romantic fatalism show an affinity with French poetic realism.

LOLA

Director: Andrew Legge
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: March 3

Official synopsis: In 1941 England, two sisters invent a machine that intercepts broadcasts from the future. With World War II dawning, they use it to change history.

MEG 2 THE TRENCH

Director: Ben Wheatley
Global Release: August 4

Official synopsis: Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time.

MOB LAND

Director: Nicholas Maggio
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: August 25

Official synopsis: Deep in the heart of Dixie, in a small town struggling with the ravages of addiction, a local sheriff (John Travolta) tries to maintain the peace when desperate family man Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez) robs a pill mill with his reckless brother-in-law, Trey (Kevin Dillon). But the supposedly easy score takes a violent turn, alerting the New Orleans mafia’s revenge-seeking enforcer (Stephen Dorff), who threatens Shelby’s wife (Ashley Benson) and daughter. With its unpredictable twists and turns, Mob Land is a heart-pounding, action thriller. 

OUR BODY (LIMITED)

Director: Claire Simon
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: French documentary titan Claire Simon observes the everyday operations of the gynecological ward in a public hospital in Paris. In the process, she questions what it means to live in a woman’s body, filming the diversity, singularity and beauty of patients in all stages of life. Through these many encounters, the specific fears, desires and struggles of these individuals become the health challenges we all face, even the filmmaker herself.

PASSAGES (LIMITED)

Director: Ira Sachs
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: September 1
MUBI Release: soon

Official synopsis: Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story of Tomas (Rogowski) and Martin (Whishaw), a gay couple whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe (Exarchopoulos), a younger woman he meets after completing his latest film.

PROBLEMISTA

Director: Julio Torres
U.S. Release: August 4 (limited), August 25 (nationwide)
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. From writer/director Julio Torres comes a surreal adventure through the equally treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system.

SHORTCOMINGS

Director: Randall Park
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Ben (Justin H. Min), a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko, who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his free time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice, a queer grad student with her own serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben is left to his own devices, and begins to explore what he thinks he might want.

TIL DEATH DO US PART

Director: Timothy Woodward Jr.
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: From the creator of Final Destination and Directed by Emmy® Award Winner Timothy Woodward Jr., Til Death Do Us Part portrays the grim reality that not every romance story ends with happily ever after.  After running away on her wedding day, a bride-to-be must fight for survival against her former fiancé and his seven deadly groomsmen. In the ultimate horror showdown, the groomsmen soon discover that she has no intention of going back to the life she left behind.

TOKYO POP: 4K RESTORATION

Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui
U.S. Release: August 4

Official synopsis: Bleach-blonde wannabe rocker Wendy (Carrie Hamilton) is disillusioned with her life in New York City. After receiving a postcard from Japan saying “wish you were here,” she spontaneously hops on a plane to Tokyo with dreams of making it big as a singer. Quickly finding herself broke and a fish out of water, she moves into a youth hostel for gaijin (foreigners) and takes up work as a hostess at a karaoke bar. Just when she’s at her breaking point, she meets Hiro (Diamond Yukai), a rock ‘n’ roller whose band is looking for their big break.

They form a romantic and musical connection and Hiro convinces Wendy to become their lead singer. Through a combination of hustle and luck, they stumble into their 15 minutes of fame, but Wendy soon comes to realize that being a gaijin rocker may be nothing more than a passing fad. An underseen gem of ‘80s American independent cinema by Fran Rubel Kuzui (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Tokyo Pop takes us on a breezy tour through bubble era Tokyo, replete with knowing nods to the city’s vibrant pop culture.

WHAT COMES AROUND

Director: Amy Redford
U.S. Release: August 4
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: When teenager Anna (Grace Van Dien) befriends an online stranger (Kyle Gallner), her mom Beth (Summer Phoenix) struggles to defend their new life as past is made present. WHAT COMES AROUND is an immersive thriller, where a young love affair becomes a menacing game of cat and mouse, and nothing and no one are as they seem.

APORIA (LIMITED)

Director: Jared Moshé
U.S. Release: August 11
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Sophie (Judy Greer) is virtually drowning in grief after losing her husband (Edi Gathegi) in an accident, but after learning of a top-secret time-bending machine, she will be faced with an impossible choice—and unforeseeable consequences.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS (LIMITED)

Director: Emmanuel Carrère
U.S. Release: August 11
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Renowned reporter Marianne Winckler (Juliette Binoche) goes undercover, immersing herself in the crowd of job seekers without special qualifications, eventually landing a job as a night cleaner on a ferry that crosses the English Channel. As she learns more about the plight of these workers living on the margins, Marianne grows closer to her new female comrades, particularly single mother of three Christèle (non-professional actress Hélène Lambert, nominated for a César), while simultaneously beginning to harbor ethical concerns that she will be complicit in their exploitation when she returns to Paris and writes a book about her experiences.

GRAN TURISMO

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Global Release: August 11

Official synopsis: Synopsis: Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, the film is the ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.

JULES

Director: Marc Turtletaub
U.S. Release: August 11
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Jules follows Milton (Ben Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.” Things become complicated when two neighbors (Harris and Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors find meaning and connection later in life – thanks to this unlikely stranger.

KING ON SCREEN

Director: Daphné Baiwir
U.S. Release: August 11
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: 1976, Brian de Palma directs Carrie, the first novel by Stephen King. Since then, more than 50 directors have adapted the master of horror’s books, in more than 80 films and series, making him the most adapted author alive in the world . What’s so fascinating about him that filmmakers cannot stop adapting his works? KING ON SCREEN reunites the filmmakers that have adapted Stephen King’s books for cinema and TV, including Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Walking Dead), Tom Holland (The Langoliers, Chucky), Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers) and Taylor Hackford (Dolores Claiborne, Ray). It is a movie made for the fans and with the fans, led by an international ambition.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

Director: André Øvredal
Global Release: August 11

Official synopsis: Based on a single chapter, the Captain’s Log, from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel Dracula, the story is set aboard the Russian schooner Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo – twenty-four unmarked wooden crates – from Carpathia to London. Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew. 

LOVE LIFE (LIMITED)

Director: Kōji Fukada
U.S. Release: August 11 (NY) / 18 (LA)
U.K. Release: September 15

Official synopsis: Taeko (Fumino Kimura) and her husband Jiro (Kento Nagayama) are living a peaceful existence with her young son, when a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father Park (Atom Sunada) back into her life. To cope with her pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping her ex-husband, who is deaf and homeless. Written and directed by Koji Fukada (A GIRL MISSING, HARMONIUM), LOVE LIFE is a moving meditation on grief and acceptance, with a touch of humor and melodrama in the vein of filmmakers Pedro Almodóvar and Douglas Sirk.

MEDUSA DELUXE (LIMITED)

Director: Thomas Hardiman
U.S. Release: August 11
U.K. Release: June 9 (theatrical), August 4 (MUBI)

Official synopsis: Talented, ambitious, and backstabbing hairstylists gather for a competition in England, only to find one of their own murdered before judging can begin. Winding through neon-lit halls and backstage dressing rooms, competitors unspool long-simmering resentments and secrets as they search for the killer among them, in this devilishly funny whodunit from debut filmmaker Thomas Hardiman.

OPERATION NAPOLEON (LIMITED)

Director: Óskar Thór Axelsson
U.S. Release: August 11
U.K. Release:

Official synopsis: Icelandic lawyer Kristin gets drawn into the vortex of an international conspiracy when she receives footage of an airplane wreck, recently revealed by the melting of one of Iceland’s largest glaciers. The old German World War II plane not only brings ruthless criminals onto the scene, but also CIA director William Carr, who has been secretly trying to remove the wreck for a long time. Kristin refuses to rest until the key has been discovered that will solve the riddle of Operation Napoleon.

OLDBOY: NEW 4K RESTORATION

Director: Park Chan-wook
U.S. Release: August 16

Official synopsis: After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.

BACK ON THE STRIP

Director: Chris Spencer
U.S. Release: August 18 (NY & LA)
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: After losing the woman of his dreams, Merlin moves to Las Vegas to pursue work as a magician, only to get hired as the front man in a revival of the notorious black male stripper crew, The Chocolate Chips. Led by Luther – now broke and broken – the old, domesticated, out-of-shape Chips put aside former conflicts and reunite to save the hotel they used to perform in while helping Merlin win back his girl.

BIRTH/REBIRTH

Director: Laura Moss
U.S. Release: August 18
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: A single mother and a childless morgue technician are bound together by their relationship to a little girl they have reanimated from the dead. 

BLUE BEETLE

Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Global Release: August 18

Official synopsis: Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HANDS

Director: Cory Finley
U.S. Release: August 18
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: When an occupying alien species’ bureaucratic rule and advanced technology leaves most of Earth impoverished and unemployed, two teenagers hatch a risky plan to ensure their families’ futures.

MADELEINE COLLINS (LIMITED)

Director: Antoine Barraud
U.S. Release: August 18 (NY & LA)
U.K. Release: TBA

Official synopsis: Judith (Virginie Efira)’s life is split between two households in two countries. In Switzerland, she is Margot, a translator who lives with Abdel (Quim Gutierrez) and the little girl they are raising. In France, she is known as Judith and lives a glamorous life with acclaimed orchestra conductor Melvil (Bruno Salomone) and their two older boys. This fragile balance, based on complex lies and tightly scheduled back-and-forth trips, gradually begins to crack and veer dangerously off the rails. The mysterious reasons for her lies, and the complications that ensue from her efforts to keep the two lives separate, propel the third