What a year it was. 2023 was filled with big Hollywood headlines, from box office smashes to Academy Awards breakthroughs, hotly anticipated books and one sexy Super Bowl halftime show. Here’s a look back at the last year in entertainment.
In 2023, writers and actors took to the picket lines for a Hollywood double strike. It shut down the entertainment industry for months.
The Writers Guild of America started May 2, SAG-AFTRA on July 14. It was the first time in more than 60 years both guilds were on strike together.
The unions were negotiating contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The issues included wage increases, streaming residuals and protections over artificial intelligence.
WGA reached a deal Sept. 27. SAG-AFTRA’s was signed Dec. 5.
Matt Damon (as Gen. Leslie Groves: “Let’s go recruit some scientists.”
But right before the strike, the double feature of the summer — “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” aka “Barbenheimer” — took over almost everything, but especially social media, pushing fans to watch the movies back to back, which only added to their box office successes.
“Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig, became the biggest movie of the year, topping $1.4 billion globally. Gerwig became the first solo female director to bring in a billion dollars.
Michelle Yeoh (as Evelyn Wang): “I’m very busy today. I have no time to help you.”
At the Oscars, multiverse sci-fi adventure “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took Best Picture. Lead Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win Best Actress.
Rihanna, or RiRi if you nasty, performed at the Super Bowl halftime show — revealing not just an incredible set list, but also that she was pregnant.
James Corden: ‘We are witnessing history tonight.”
At the Grammys, Beyoncé collected four more trophies. Now she’s got 32, breaking the record for the artist with the most Grammy wins ever.
Britney Spears told her story in her memoir, “The Woman in Me.” It became a best-seller, with 1.1 million copies sold in just its first week.
In celebrity legal news, Gwyneth Paltrow won in court after an eight-day, livestreamed trial over a 2016 ski accident in Utah.
A retired optometrist claimed the accident led to a traumatic brain injury. He sued for more than $300,000, but a jury found the movie star not at fault, and she was awarded her symbolic $1 in damages.
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was also sued, but for copyright infringement. It was by heirs of the late songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.”
They claimed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” had striking similarities, but Sheeran’s attorney’s said those are frequently used versions of unprotectable chord progression. A jury ruled in Sheeran’s favor.
Beyoncé: “Reality holds no power.”
Big tours premiered on the big screen. Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, which grossed $580 million, was released in theaters Dec. 1.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour made more than $1 billion. It was in theaters Oct. 13, and it became the highest-grossing concert film ever in the U.S.
Fans shared their joy over her personal news this year, too. Taylor went public over her high profile relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.
Swifties also celebrated the release of “1989 Taylor’s Version,” helping her earn the Spotify title of artist with the most streams in a single day.
Taylor Swift then rounded out 2023 with another title: Time Magazine’s Person of the Year.
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