The 5 Most-Viewed 2023 Movies On Wikipedia
Our teachers may have told us to stay away from it, but there's something undeniably addictive about Wikipedia. While it may not always be the most reliable source, there's no doubt that the famed online encyclopedia makes for a solid first stop for research, given its free and convenient access to a wealth of information. The over 20-year-old platform remains as popular now as ever, with a study by Semrush listing Wikipedia as the fourth most-viewed website in 2023, beating out other giants such as Instagram, Twitter, and Amazon.
And if you're a movie fan, chances are you've all gone down your fair share of film-related rabbit holes on Wikipedia. Few other resources provide such thorough accounts of a film's plot, cast, crew, production history, critical reception, box office, and so on in such a simple, labor-saving package. The website has lost little of its bite, with several movies making it into Wikipedia's 25 most-viewed articles of the year. Here are the five films that had the most eyes on them in 2023.
Avatar The Way of Water -- 14.3 million
Not all of 2023's top-performing film articles on Wikipedia concerned movies from that year, as is the case for "Avatar: The Way of Water." While the long-awaited sequel to James Cameron's 2009 game-changing hit "Avatar" was released in December 2022, it's clear that fans still had Na'vi on their mind entering the new year as the movie's Wikipedia page gathered 14,303,116 visits throughout 2023.
Taking place over a decade after the events of the first film, "The Way of Water" sees Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family leave their forest home of Pandora to join the ocean-based Metkayina tribe to evade the returning threat of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his gang, now inhabiting the bodies of Na'vi avatars. Given that "The Way of Water" was released 13 years after its predecessor, some predicted that the film would be a box-office disaster, feeling that the interest in both the original "Avatar" and 3D technology was no longer there.
Its eventual performance threw these predictions out of the water. The film brought in $2.3 billion globally, becoming 2022's highest-grossing title and the third-highest-grossing film of all time. Similar to its predecessor, critics and audiences largely agreed that the simplistic narrative of "The Way of Water" took a back seat to the movie's jaw-dropping visuals and lengthy runtime, with the film currently sporting a 76% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for four Academy Awards and swam away with a win for best visual effects.
Don't be surprised to find "Avatar" making the rounds on Wikipedia again soon, as at least three other sequels are in development, with the next installment planned for a 2025 release.
Barbie -- 18 million
It should come as no surprise that 2023's biggest money maker also struck gold (or should we say pink) on Wikipedia. Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy "Barbie" is the 13th most-viewed article on Wikipedia this year with 18,051,077 total eyeballs landing on the page.
The film sees the plastic fantastic heroine (Margot Robbie) venture into the real world following an existential crisis and eventually have to deal with a rising patriarchy in Barbieland. As one-half of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon sprung up across social media (more on the other half later), "Barbie" was set to take the box office by storm, becoming the ultimate victor of the two releases. Its $155 million opening weekend shattered records as the year's biggest opening and stayed in the top spot for four consecutive weeks. By the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed $1.4 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing movie of the year and the most lucrative helmed by a solo female director.
The cheeky and at times surreal tone advertised in "Barbie" helped it stand out in a sea of by-the-number summer releases. However, it was Gerwig's self-aware and heartfelt approach, a set of fantastic performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, a chart-topping soundtrack, and its exploration of themes surrounding feminism and existentialism that earned the film its rightful spot as one of the year's most acclaimed titles.
Pathaan -- 19.9 million
"Pathaan" marked the triumphant return of Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan to the big screen following a four-year hiatus. His comeback was not only notable at the box office but also online, including Wikipedia where its respective article garnered a total of 19,932,509 page visits.
The thrilling escapade sees formerly exiled Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent Pathaan (Khan) team up with an Inter-Services Intelligence agent (Deepika Padukone) to take down the villainous Jim (John Abraham), who plans to let loose chaos across India. As Khan's first action movie role and the fourth installment of the financially successful Yash Raj Films Spy Universe, "Pathaan" was set to be a must-see blockbuster. In its first four days, the film became the fastest Indian release to accumulate ₹400 crore, or around $48 million. With a final gross of ₹1,050.30 crore ($126 million), the film became India's second highest-grossing film of the year and its sixth of all time.
While one of the higher-rated entries of the YRF Spy Universe on Rotten Tomatoes with an 84% Tomatometer score, many still found the narrative of "Pathaan" to be convoluted and reliant on various tropes. What elevated the film for many was Khan's grizzled performance, showcasing his versatility as a performer, and the barrage of over-the-top and inventive action sequences. Khan's titular hero went on to make a cameo in the next YRF Spy Universe installment, "Tiger 3."
Jawan -- 21.7 million
If "Pathaan" gave audiences a taste of Shah Rukh Khan's potential as an action lead, his following film, "Jawan," solidified his place as a genre superstar. It went on to beat his previous film both in box office receipts and internet searches. With 21,791,126 reads, "Jawan" ranks as Wikipedia's second most-viewed film article.
The Atlee-directed flick follows a father and son (both played by Shah Rukh Khan) who, as a way of unmasking corruption in society, team up to take down crime and cause a little trouble of their own in the process. Following its release in September, "Jawan" broke numerous box office records for a Hindi-language release. With a total gross of ₹1,148.32 crore, or about $138 million, it beat out previous records by "Pathaan," becoming India's top-performing film of the year, the second-highest-grossing Hindi movie, and the fifth-highest-grossing Indian release.
Similar to "Pathaan," critics found the plot of "Jawan" paper-thin in places and jam-packed in others. Nevertheless, teaming up Khan with director Atlee, who is best known for his grand-scaled action flicks such as "Theri" and "Mersal," proved to be a brilliant move. Khan once again received praise for his various performances and the film's many high-octane action and music set pieces were also well-received. If the success of both "Pathaan" and "Jawan" is any indicator, audiences can expect to see Khan headlining more action titles shortly.
Oppenheimer -- 28.3 million
Topping the list of most-viewed movies on Wikipedia is one of the year's biggest blockbusters. The critical and financial reception to Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" aided the epic biopic in becoming a winner on the reference site with 28,348,248 page views. Along with topping Wikipedia's film articles, it also ranks as its fifth overall most-read piece overall.
The film recounts physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer's (Cillian Murphy) time as director of the Manhattan Project and the controversy that followed during the 1954 security hearings. Bringing in a worldwide total of over $950 million, "Oppenheimer" broke records as 2023's third-highest grosser, the second-highest grossing R-rated film of all time after 2019's "Joker," and the highest-grossing biopic ever made. Being a Christopher Nolan-directed film with an A-list ensemble cast certainly helped it find success, but much of its box office greatness can be attributed to its simultaneous release with "Barbie" on July 21, birthing the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon that saw moviegoers flood theaters to view the two blockbusters with disparate themes. This resulted in the fourth-biggest box office weekend ever.
In line with its financial performance, "Oppenheimer" has also been a knockout with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% Tomatometer score, with viewers responding positively to Nolan's masterful direction and the powerhouse performances of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt. The film garnered some controversy regarding its historical accuracy and the omission of Japanese or Native American points of view within its narrative. Nevertheless, as any good biopic should do, "Oppenheimer" got many viewers interested in the movie's real-world subject. Not far off from the film itself, J. Robert Oppenheimer's Wikipedia article ranks as the seventh most-viewed piece of the year with over 25.6 million reads.