Best Latino Films of 2023
12/21/2023
By Aliana Ramos
Latinos dominated at the box office in 2023 in movies like Barbie, Fast X, Super Mario Bros. and Spider-man Across the Spider-Verse, while also wracking up critical approval in films like Rustin, Blue Beetle, Cassandro and The Eternal Memory.
We’ve compiled the list of best films of 2023 across 14 movie categories. In each category, you’ll find the top three movies with honorable mentions. The list includes indie flicks, blockbusters and foreign films released in theaters and via streaming.
Best Action Movies
No. 1 - Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Pt. 1
The top-grossing U.S. action movie, Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning, Pt. 1 stars Puerto Rican actor Esai Morales’s as criminal mastermind Gabriel. The movie raked in $172.1 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
Runner ups: Brazilian-Italian actress Morena Baccarin stars as a widow helping an aging hitman in Fast Charlie. Latinas Michelle Rodríguez and Jordana Brewster return as Letty and Mia in Fast X, the highest grossing action movie worldwide for 2023 with $704 million according to Box Office Mojo. Puerto Rican film icon Rita Moreno makes a cameo.
Honorable mentions: Netflix’s The Mother starring Jennifer Lopez, Plane starring Daniella Pineda, Freelance starring Juan Pablo Raba and indie Chilean martial arts flick Fist of the Condor. Marcelo Zarvos wrote the musical score for The Equalizer 3.
No. 2 - Fast Charlie
No. 3 - Fast X
Best Adventure & Fantasy Movies
No. 1 - The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Anya Taylor-Joy, who is of Argentine and Spanish descent, stars as Princess Peach in The Super Mario Bros. The animated flick and video game adaptation was the second highest grossing movie of 2023. (Note: The 1993 live action Super Mario Bros. starred Colombian American actor John Leguizamo)
Runner ups: Colombian and Polish American actress Rachel Zegler co-leads the prequel movie Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, as Lucy, as the titular songbird and a tribute for a death-by-combat competition. Dominican American and Puerto Rican actress Michelle Rodríguez stars as a barbarian warrior and surrogate mother in this adaptation of the role-playing game in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Honorable mentions: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny featuring Antonio Banderas and Nimona featuring Indya Moore and Julio Torres.
No. 2 - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
No. 3 - Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Best Biopics
No. 1 - A Million Miles Away
Mexican American actor Michael Peña gives an inspiring performance in Prime Video’s A Million Miles Away, which chronicles the journey of José M. Hernández from farmworker to NASA engineer and astronaut. The movie was directed and co-written by Alejandra Marquez Abella and co-stars Peruvian American actress Rosa Salazar.
Runner ups: Eva Longoria directed Flamin’ Hot, the biopic about Richard Montañez, a Frito-Lay janitor, his role in the creation of the popular Doritos flavor and his rise to becoming a marketing director for the company. Stars Jessie Garcia and Annie Gonzalez as well as film legend Pepe Serna. Belizean and Guatemalan American actor Colman Domingo has received a Golden Globes nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture for his starring role in Rustin about civil right activist Bayard Rustin.
Honorable mentions: Mexican film Radical, starring Eugenio Derbez and Iron Claw featuring Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
No. 2 - Flamin’ Hot
No. 3 - Rustin
Best Comedy Movies
No. 1 - Barbie
Coming in at number one for comedy movies is Barbie. The record-breaking movie —which grossed $1.4 billion globally (via Box Office Mojo) — stars Honduran American actress America Ferrera, as a Mattel employee and mom, who helps Barbie. Ferrera picked up a Critic’s Choice Award nomination for best supporting actress for the role. The film also stars Puerto Rican and Jewish actress Ariana Greenblatt. Cinematography was done by Rodrigo Prieto, who is Mexican. Barbie was named as one of the American Film Institute’s Top 10 Movies of 2023.
Runner ups: No Hard Feelings, starring Cuban American actress Natalie Morales, which ranked among top 50 films at the U.S. box office in 2023. The movie was nominated for Best Comedy for the Critics Choice Awards. Streaming flick Miguel Wants to Fight directed by Oz Rodriguez, co-written by Shea Serrano, and starring Tyler Dean Flores, was one of the few Latino-led comedies of 2023.
Honorable mentions: American Fiction staring John Ortiz, Dumb Money starring Anthony Ramos and America Ferrera, and How the Gringo Stole Christmas starring George Lopez and Emily Tosta.
No. 2 - No Hard Feelings
No. 3 - Miguel Wants to Fight
Best Documentary Films
No. 1 - Carlos
Music and guitar legend Carlos Santana, who is Mexican, gives new interviews in this documentary about his life. The film has been nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award for best Music Documentary. Carlos is directed and produced by two-time Emmy winner Rudy Valdez, who is Mexican American.
Runner ups: Joan Baez: I am a Noise, about Mexican and English American folk singer and activist Joan Baez. The film was nominated for best music documentary feature at the Nashville Film Festival and won Cinema Eye Honors in the U.S. The Eternal Memory which follows famous Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora as he struggles though Alzeheimer’s won the 2023 Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
Honorable mentions: Little Richard: I am Everything directed by Lisa Cortés, You Were My First Boyfriend by filmaker Cecilia Aldarondo, Mexican documentary The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders, and Higuita: The Way of the Scorpion about Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita.
No. 2 - Joan Baez: I am a Noise
No. 3 - The Eternal Memory
Best Drama Movies
No. 1 - Society of the Snow
Netflix’s Society of the Snow, chronicles of the survival of a rugby team that crashes in the Andes mountains in this remake of Alive. This version features a predominately Latino cast. The film has been nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film and nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Picture, Non-English Language.
Runner ups: Story Ave. stars Puerto Rican actor Luis Guzmán as an NYC transit worker who gets held up by a teenage graffiti artist and forms a bond with him. The film won a Special Jury Award for Cinematography at SXSW. Dominican actress Coral Peña is also part of the cast. Mutt follows a transgender man, played by Puerto Rican and Greek actor Lío Mehiel, through a day where he confronts his past and his relationships. The film won a special mention award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Honorable mentions: Goya Award-winner La Pecera directed by Glorimar Marrero Sánchez and starring Isel Rodriguez, The Holdovers featuring actor Naheem Garcia, Killers of the Flower Moon with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, A Man Called Otto starring Mariana Treviño and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.
No. 2 - Story Ave.
No. 3 - Mutt
Best Family Films
No. 1 - Haunted Mansion
Disney’s Haunted Mansion remake stars Afro-Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress Rosario Dawson as a widowed mom who hires a team of people to exorcise the ghosts of a house she wants to turn into a bed and breakfast. The film ended the year as one of the top 50 highest grossing U.S. films, according to Box Office Mojo.
Runner ups: Netflix’s Chupa follows a Kansas City boy visiting his family in Mexico, who discovers and befriends a baby chupacabra. The film stars Mexican American actor Evan Whitten and Mexican actor Demián Bichir. It’s directed by Mexican director Jonás Cuarón. Driector Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids Armaggeddon reboots his franchise, with Gina Rodriguez as a spy mom and Everly Carganilla as her daughter.
Honorable mentions: Mexican, Spanish, French and Lebanese voice actress Christina Vee provides the English-dubbed voice for Ladybug in Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie, Candy Cane Lane featuring Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie featuring Brice Gonzalez.
No. 2 - Chupa
No. 3 - Spy Kids Armageddon
Best Horror Films
No. 1 - When Evil Lurks
Spanish-language film When Evil Lurks starring Ezequiel Rodríguez and Demián Salomón follows the residents of a small rural town who discover that a demon is about to be born among them. The film was nominated for a Golden Scythe Horror Award for Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay.
Runner ups: Scream IV starring Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega as sisters and survivors of the Ghostface in the Scream franchise won a MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Movie and Best Fight. Saw X starring Renata Vaca, Octavio Hinojosa, Paulette Hernández and Jorge Briseño was among the top 50 movies at the U.S. Box office according to Box Office Mojo.
Honorable mentions: M3GAN featuring Brian Jordan Alvarez, and Mexican-Peruvian film Husera: The Bone Woman.
No. 2 - Scream VI
No. 3 - Saw X
Best Mystery & Thriller Movies
No. 1 - At the Gates
At the Gates—an indie thriller about a Salvadorean housekeeper and her son staying at her employer’s home after being told immigration agents are looking for her— won best U.S. Narrative Feature at the NY Latino Film Festival and Savannah Film Festival. It stars Ezekiel Pacheco and Vanessa Benavente. Paulo Torres is a producer on the film.
Runner ups: Indie flick Deadland starring Roberto Urbina, Julieth Restrepo, Luis Chávez and Julio Cedillo and surprise blockbuster Sound of Freedom starring Cristal Aparicio, Javier Godino, and Lúcas Ávila. Directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde.
Honorable mentions: Reptile starring Benicio del Toro, Your Lucky Day starring Jessica Garza and Spanish-language film Rotting in the Sun by co-written and directed Sebastián Silva.
No. 2 - Deadland
No. 3 - Sound of Freedom
Best Musical Films
No. 1 - The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid was one of the highest grossing movies worldwide at the box office and it stars Spanish actor Javier Bardem as King Triton. Puerto Rican songwriter and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda was a producer on the film.
Runner ups: Animated movie Trolls Band Together starring Cuban and Mexican musician/actress Camila Cabello and Black and Mexican musician/actor Kid Cudi and Disney’s Wish starring Ariana DeBose, who is of Puerto Rican descent and Angelique Cabral, who is of Mexican descent.
Honorable mentions: The Color Purple starring Colman Domingo and Journey to Bethlehem starring Antonio Banderas.
No. 2 - Trolls Band Together
No. 3 - Wish
Best Romance Movies
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the film adaptation of the award-winning book, follows two Chicano teenage boys coming of age and falling in love in 1980s Texas. It stars Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales, Verónica Falcón, Kevin Alejandro, Eva Longoria and Eugenio Derbez. The film is directed and co-written by Cuban American and trans filmmaker Aitch Alberto. Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez and Puerto Rican actor and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda were producers on the film. The movie became a critical darling, getting praise from the L.A. Times, Variety, Houston Chronicle and first director award nods for Alberto.
Runner ups: Apple TV’s spy romance Ghosted starring Cuban and Spanish actress Ana de Armas and Shotgun Wedding starring Jennifer Lopez, Sônia Braga, Cheech Marin and Callie Hernandez. Lopez and Benny Medina are producers on the film.
Honorable mentions: Red, White & Royal Blue directed by Matthew Lopez, starring Taylor Zakhar Perez and Sarah Shahi, If You Were the Last directed by Kristian Mercado and starring Natalie Morales and At Midnight starring Monica Barbaro and Diego Boneta.
No. 2 - Ghosted
No. 3 - Shotgun Wedding
Best Sci-Fi Movies
No. 1 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 starring Dominican and Puerto Rican actress Zoe Saldaña, was the third installment of the franchise and it ranked at No. 4, for highest grossing films worldwide for 2023 according to Box Office Mojo. The film has also been nominated for Critic’s Choice and Golden Globe awards.
Runner ups: Transformers Rise of the Beasts starring Anthony Ramos, Luna Lauren Vélez, Dean Scott Vazquez and Lucas Huarancca. The indie black and white sci-fi film Divinity was directed and written by Eddie Alcazar. The film, starring Latinos Moises Arias, Jason Genao and Bella Thorne, generated a lot of buzz for its trippy vibe.
Honorable mentions: The Creator featuring Marc Menchaca, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire featuring Alfonso Herrera and Asteroid City featuring Tony Revelori.
No. 2 - Transformers Rise of the Beasts
No. 3 - Divinity
Best Sports Movies
No. 1 - Cassandro
Amazon Prime’s Cassandro, the biopic about the famous, gay Mexican American luchador Saúl “Cassandro” Armendáriz— stars Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl Castillo, El Hijo del Santo and Bad Bunny. The film was released in limited theaters before hitting streaming. The flick earned top reviews from critics including The Boston Globe and TIME Magazine.
Runner ups: Wrestling film and Rocky spin-off Creed III starring Tessa Thompson and racing car biopic Ferrari starring Penelope Cruz.
Honorable mentions: Champions starring Cheech Marin, 80 for Brady starring Rita Moreno and Gran Tourismo starring Pepe Barroso and Mariano González.
Best Superhero Movies
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse, not only ranked No. 6 at the worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo, but it has been nominated for multiple film awards including Critics Choice and Golden Globe. It was named by the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 Films for 2023. It stars Puerto Rican actress Lauren Vélez and Guatemalan American actor Oscar Isaac with a big cameo from Dominican and Haitian American actor Jharrel Jerome.
Runner ups: DC’s Blue Beetle, is the first-ever, live-action, major studio-backed superhero film led by a Latino actor. The film stars Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, George Lopez, Belissa Escobedo and Harvey Guillén and was directed by Angel Soto. It finished the year ranking No. 34 at the U.S. Box Office and No. 39 at the worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem starring Latino voice actor Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo also did well at the U.S. Box Office and landed multiple award nominations.
Honorable mentions: The Flash starring Sasha Calle and Maribel Verdú, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom featuring Indya Moore and and Shazam! Fury of the Gods starring Rachel Zegler and Meagan Good.
No. 2 - Blue Beetle
