12 New Movies Out This Week: ‘Gran Turismo,’ ‘Bottoms,’ and More!

Gear up for another thrilling week at the movie theaters with an impressive array of new movies coming out this week!

Dive into the inspiring true story of a gamer who finds himself behind the wheel of a real race car in Gran Turismo. We also have a film about two high school friends starting a female fight club. And the inspiring story of a young man who overcomes incredible odds to become a major-league baseball player.

We also get a bio-pic about a courageous woman who leads her country into a war that no one thinks they can win. And lastly, a comedy starring Adam Sandler’s daughters about two friends whose lives are changed by a kiss.

Check out the new movies coming out this week in theaters and streaming in the complete list below!

New Movies Coming Out This Week: August 21, 2023 – August 27, 2023

Gran Turismo  (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: Gran Turismo is about Jann (Archie Madekwe), a gamer who excels at the Gran Turismo video game. Jann beats 90,000 other participants in a tourney and is rewarded with an opportunity to drive a race car for real. It’s up to a failed former race car driver (David Harbour) and an idealistic motorsport executive (Orlando Bloom) to turn Jann from a gamer to a genuine sports car driver.

What to Watch For: The film is based on a true story.

Word on the Street: The film has an impressive team guiding the film. Academy Award nominee Neill Blomkamp (District 9) is directing the film, and the screenplay is from Academy Award-nominated screenwriters Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard).

My Take: I love that the real-life Jann Mardenborough did the driving for the film’s stunt work.

Bottoms   (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: In Bottoms two lesbian high school friends (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) decide to start a girls’ club after school. It’s all to impress their crushes, Isabel (Havana Rose Lui) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber), two of the most popular girls in school. What starts as a club for girl power becomes a fight club, and then things get really weird.

What to Watch For: The film is from Emma Seligman, whose film Shiva Baby (2020) became a big Indie hit.

Word on the Street: Rachel Sennot starred in Seligman’s Shiva Baby film, and just to make things even more fun, Sennot and Edebiri were roommates at NYU.

My Take: I can’t wait to see this film. The trailer is hilarious and looks like it deserves its R rating.

The Hill   (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: The Hill is about Ricky (Colin Ford), who when he was a boy, he was told he would never walk without braces because of a degenerative spinal disease. Ricky loved baseball and was determined to play the game. In his teens, he becomes a baseball sensation and had the chance to try out for the big leagues. Despite what his father (Dennis Quaid) thinks, Ricky is determined to follow his dreams, no matter the cost.

What to Watch For: The film is based on a true story.

Word on the Street: The movie is co-written by Angelo Pizzo, known for his screenplays for Hoosiers (1986) and Rudy (1993).

My Take: A favorite actor of mine, Bonnie Bedelia (Heart Like a Wheel, Die Hard), plays Ricky’s grandmother in the film.

Golda   (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: In Golda, Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) is known as the ‘Iron Lady of Israel’ during her time as the Prime Minister of a country struggling to stay alive. She will need that iron will to lead her country during the Yom Kippur War.

What to Watch For: Helen Mirren spent three and a half hours in the makeup chair every day to portray Golda Meir.

Word on the Street: The film made its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival.

My Take: Director Guy Nattiv directed the Academy Award-winning Live Action Short Skin in 2018.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah  (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: Premieres on Netflix on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is about Stacey (Sunny Sandler), who is trying to survive her teens and her parents (Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler) until it’s her Bat Mitzvah. Her best friend, Lydia (Samantha Lorraine), has her back, or at least Stacey thought she did. Things change when Stacy catches Lydia kissing Stacey’s crush, and things go from bad to worse from there.

What to Watch For: The film is produced by Adam Sandler, and his daughters Sadie and Sunny, along with Sandler’s wife Jackie, appear in the movie.

Word on the Street: The film is based on the Fiona Rosenbloom book of the same name.

My Take: This is the second movie that Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler have portrayed husband and wife. The first was the 2019 film Uncut Gems.

BS High  (2023)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: Premiering on Max on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

Summary: BS High is a documentary that takes place In 2021, when ESPN televised a high school football game between the prestigious IMB Academy and a little-known high school named Bishop Sycamore. The game was an embarrassment, and it turns out that Bishop Sycamore isn’t even a high school. The documentary explores how one man duped so many people and hurt the players he was showcasing.

What to Watch For: Pro Football Hall of Fame and GMA host Michael Strahan is executive producer of the film.

Word on the Street: The film is from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free (Two Distant Strangers (2021)).

My Take: I can’t wait to see how this game came about.

Retribution  (2023)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: In Retribution a bank executive named Matt (Liam Neeson) gets a phone call while driving his children to school. The caller tells Matt that if they stop, the car will explode. Now Matt has to do what the caller says or die.

What to Watch For: This is a remake of the award-winning Spanish film El Desconocido.

Word on the Street: The film is directed by Nimród Antal, whose 2004 film Control won over ten awards, including the Award of the Youth award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

My Take: Watching Liam Neeson beat the bad guys is always fun.

The Retirement Plan   (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: The Retirement Plan is about Ashley (Ashley Greene) and her young daughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell) who get caught up with some bad guys who put their lives at risk, Ashley turns to the only person who can help, her estranged father, Matt (Nicolas Cage). Matt may look like a retired beach bum, but he has a past that the bad guys will soon learn about with their lives.

What to Watch For: The cast includes Ron Perlman, Jackie Earle Haley, Rick Fox, Lynn Whitfield, and Ernie Hudson.

Word on the Street: Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman became friends while shooting the 2011 film Season of the Witch, and both did this film so they could hang out while making the movie.

My Take: Nicolas Cage as a beach bum with a ‘special set of skills’? I’m in!

Scrapper  (2023)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: In select theatres on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: Scrappper is about Georgie (Lola Campbell), a young girl who lives on her own, spending her time pilfering bikes with a friend and evading family services. Georgie’s mom died, and she is barely surviving. Suddenly, the father she never knew, Jason (Harris Dickinson), appears at her doorstep and wants to start a relationship. This is going to be an interesting pair.

What to Watch For: The film won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Word on the Street: The film is from filmmaker Charlotte Regan, known for her award-winning shorts and music videos.

My Take: Harris Dickinson is best known for his role as Carl in last year’s Triangle of Sadness.

The Elephant 6 Recording Co.  (2022)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: In select theatres on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: The Elephant 6 Recording Co. is a documentary that takes place in Athens, Georgia,  which in the 1990s became the hotbed of one of the most unusual musical movements in pop culture. It produced a brand of psychedelic rock under the collective name of The Elephant 6 Recording Co., bringing us the bands Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples in Stereo, The Olivia Tremor Control, and Elf Power.

What to Watch For: The film won the Indie Music Schweppes Award at the 2023 IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival.

Word on the Street: This is the debut film of director Chad Stockfleth.

My Take: I love that the home of The B-52s and R.E.M. was home to these bands as well.

Vacation Friends 2  (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: Premieres on Hulu on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: In Vacation Friends 2, Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) couldn’t get enough of their vacation friends Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner), so they’ve gone on another trip with them. The only problem, Marcus’ business meeting is happening three days early, and Ron and Kyla are going to help him close the deal, any way they can.

What to Watch For: This is a sequel to the 2021 film Vacation Friends.

Word on the Street: Clay Tarver directs the film, who also directed the first film. John Francis Daley (Freaks and Geeks) is one of the film’s co-writers.

My Take: I love that Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs, Fargo) shows up in this one.

Warrior King  (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Summary: Warrior King is about Gesar, who it is said was born to a divine lineage and is destined to become a great ruler. But first, he must take on menacing demons and monsters who threaten his home, taking on a heroic journey to save his people and fulfill his destiny.

What to Watch For: Central Asians have considered the story of Gesar one of their great tales for over 1000 years and have passed it down from generation to generation.

Word on the Street: A Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting has inspired the film’s visual style.

My Take: I am always ready to see a good animated action film.

Which New Movies Coming Out This Week Are You Excited to Watch?

Let us know below what new movies you plan to see this week!