The year 2023 will go down as a very successful one for many people, and a forgettable one for others. It was the year when Australia won the Cricket World Cup for the record sixth time, Pakistan entered the 3D film arena with its first 3D flick and Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem further strengthened his credentials with an impressive show at the World Athletics Championship.

It was also the year when Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic went past Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s record of most Grand Slam titles, and he has all the chances in the world to extend his lead with the Australian Open in January 2024.

However, it wasn’t a successful year for superheroes, whose films failed more than they succeeded in cinemas. The same fate followed the Pakistan cricket team, which failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup as well as the World Cup, despite reaching the World No. 1 position in One-Day Internationals.

The upcoming year promises to be an exciting one in the world of sports, since a lot of happenings will be taking place during the next 12 months, such as the Olympic Games, the T20 World Cup, the Euro football championship known as Euro 24, besides the African Cup of Nations and Copa America, where the best footballers will represent their countries.

Not just that, a lot of big-budget films will grace a cinema screen near you; you can mark your calendars before the clock strikes 12 and January 1 rolls in, because the Minions, Garfield, Kung Fu Panda and Sonic the Hedgehog will be waiting for you in 2024.

The year which was 2023!

The one memory of 2023 that will remain etched in the minds will be the failure of the once-invincible superhero genre. In a year when The Flash finally made it to the screens, Indiana Jones returned for one last assignment, and Shazam! saved the world, the superhero genre was on the decline.

Neither was the small-sized Ant-Man able to save the genre, nor could The Marvels. And even though the Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse were able to keep the flag high enough for others to follow, it wasn’t high enough.

Yes, Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were able to infuse a new life into the cinema industry, but it will take more than a doll and a plumber to maintain that graph in the coming years.

It was a memorable year for Pakistani cinema since the first completely made in Pakistan 3D animated film Allahyar and the 100 Flowers of God was released during this year. Sadly, it was the only film aimed at........

© Dawn Young Magazine