Surprise? The most popular film on Letterboxd in 2023 is perfectly predictable

In a true Barbenheimer moment, Christopher Nolan was the most-watched director.
By Elena Cavender  on 
Ken and Barbie driving away from an atomic bomb.
The year of 'Barbie' continues. Credit: Alisa Stern; Shutterstock / Brenda Rocha - Blossom, Alones, Juice Dash

In 2023, cinema was so back with cultural moments like Barbenheimer and new releases from Greta Gerwig, Martin Scorsese, and Yorgos Lanthimos, making it a busy year for Letterboxd's 11 million users.

The social media platform used by online cinephiles to log, rate, and review films just dropped its Year in Review, revealing which movies its users watched and loved the most. Unsurprisingly, Gerwig's Barbie was the most popular "based on volume of activity" and the most obsessively rewatched. Its star Margot Robbie had the most eyes on her, as she was the platform's most-watched actress.

But fear not, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer got its flowers too: It was the third highest-rated film, highest-rated drama, and Nolan was the most watched director for the third year in a row.

The second animated Spider-Verse movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, was the highest-rated flick followed by Poor Things. The highest-rated directorial debut and romance movie was Celine Song's gorgeous Past Lives. The most watched actor was Jason Schwartzman — who certainly got a boost from his starring role in Wes Anderson's latest, Asteroid City.

Poor Things was the highest-rated comedy, fantasy, and sci-fi movie and Talk To Me the highest rated horror film. And Beyoncé beat out Taylor Swift for the highest-rated concert film.

Despite Scorsese joining Letterboxd to promote it, Killers of the Flower Moon didn't rank in any category, but this data only speaks to the kind of person attracted to the platform.

And what are Letterboxd users are most looking forward to in 2024? Dune: Part Two, of course.

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Elena Cavender

Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable. She covers TikTok and digital trends. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American History. Email her at [email protected] or follow her @ecaviar_.


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