50 Fun Facts About 2023 Pop Culture

On what date did Barbie and Oppenheimer open on the same day, creating the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon?

Both opened on July 21, 2023; the combined weekend was the fourth-largest in US box office history, and between them the two films won eight Oscars.

Who directed Barbie, the highest-grossing film of 2023?

Greta Gerwig directed Barbie and co-wrote it with Noah Baumbach; it grossed about $1.45 billion, the biggest film of 2023 and Warner Bros.' highest-grossing ever.

Which Barbie song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?

'What Was I Made For?', written by Billie Eilish and Finneas, won Best Original Song at the March 2024 Oscars, beating Barbie's own 'I'm Just Ken'.

Which actor played J. Robert Oppenheimer and won the Best Actor Oscar for it?

Murphy was the first cast member Christopher Nolan signed, and the film won seven Oscars including Best Picture.

Why was Oppenheimer the first Christopher Nolan film since Memento not released by Warner Bros.?

Universal gave him a $100 million budget, an equal marketing spend and 20 percent of first-dollar gross.

In which US city did the Eras Tour open on March 17, 2023?

The Eras Tour opened at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on March 17, 2023; it ran to 149 shows and became the first tour to gross $2 billion.

Which fast-food mascot's 52nd birthday was marked by a purple milkshake that spawned a horror TikTok trend?

Grimace, the purple McDonald's character introduced in 1971, got a birthday meal with a berry-flavored shake from June 12, 2023; TikTokers filmed themselves collapsing after sipping it.

Who voiced Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the first video-game film to gross a billion dollars?

Jack Black's Bowser sang "Peaches", and the film ended 2023 as the second-highest-grossing release of the year.

Which Meta app gained 100 million users in five days in July 2023?

Threads, Meta's text-based rival to Twitter, launched on July 5, 2023 and passed 100 million sign-ups within five days, beating ChatGPT's pace to that mark.

Twitter was rebranded to what on July 23, 2023?

Musk announced the X rebrand on July 23, 2023; the bird logo went the next day, though twitter.com did not redirect to x.com until May 2024.

Who replaced Elon Musk as CEO of Twitter in June 2023?

Linda Yaccarino, formerly NBCUniversal's advertising chief, took over as CEO on June 5, 2023, with Musk staying on as chairman and CTO; she stepped down in July 2025.

Which company operated the Titan submersible that imploded on June 18, 2023 on a dive to the Titanic?

All five aboard died, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush; the debris was found about 500 metres from the Titanic's bow.

What was the name of the Titan's support ship, which lost contact during the dive?

The MV Polar Prince, a former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, lost contact with Titan about an hour and 45 minutes into the dive; the search lasted four days before debris was found.

On what date were Charles III and Camilla crowned at Westminster Abbey?

The coronation took place on Saturday 6 May 2023, the first in Britain since 1953 and the 40th at Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.

Which Miley Cyrus single, released in January 2023, became the best-selling global single of the year?

'Flowers' was IFPI's Global Single of 2023 with 2.7 billion subscription-stream equivalents; it spent eight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

At the 2023 Grammys, Beyoncé passed which conductor as the most-awarded artist ever?

Beyoncé's 32nd Grammy, for Best Dance/Electronic Album, took her past conductor Georg Solti's 31; Harry Styles took Album of the Year for Harry's House.

Which film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, at the March 2023 ceremony?

Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and three acting awards, a feat only A Streetcar Named Desire and Network had managed before.

Who was the 72-year-old lead of the first season of The Golden Bachelor?

Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old widower from Indiana, was announced in July 2023; the season premiered on September 28 and ended with him proposing to Theresa Nist.

The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ran from July 14 to which date?

SAG-AFTRA's strike ended on November 9, 2023, after 118 days, with a deal covering AI protections and streaming bonuses; the writers had settled on September 27.

Which HBO series based on a video game premiered on January 15, 2023 with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey?

The Last of Us, adapted from Naughty Dog's 2013 game, premiered on HBO on January 15, 2023; its first season earned 24 Emmy nominations.

Which Friends star died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54?

Matthew Perry, Friends' Chandler Bing, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023; his 2022 memoir had laid out his long struggle with addiction.

In which city did Beyoncé open her Renaissance World Tour on May 10, 2023?

The Renaissance World Tour opened at Friends Arena in Stockholm on May 10, 2023, and closed in Kansas City that October as the highest-grossing tour ever by a Black artist.

Which podcast does Travis Kelce co-host with his brother Jason?

New Heights, launched in September 2022, pairs Travis and Jason Kelce, who faced each other in Super Bowl LVII in February 2023 as the first brothers to play against each other in the game.

Which singer headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in 2023, her first live performance in five years?

Rihanna headlined Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023, her first live show since the 2018 Grammys, and revealed her second pregnancy on stage.

Which unknown singer debuted at number one on the Hot 100 in August 2023 with "Rich Men North of Richmond"?

Oliver Anthony, a Virginia singer, was the first artist ever to debut at number one with no prior chart history; the song opened that month's Republican debate.

Off which state's coast was the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down on February 4, 2023?

An F-22 shot it down off South Carolina near Myrtle Beach after it had crossed the continent; three more unidentified objects were downed within days.

Who ghostwrote Prince Harry's memoir Spare, the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever on its release day?

J. R. Moehringer, the Pulitzer-winning journalist who also ghostwrote Andre Agassi's Open, wrote Spare; it sold 1.43 million copies on its first day in January 2023.

Who was Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2023?

Taylor Swift was named Person of the Year in December 2023, the first entertainer chosen for achievements in the arts, in the year of the Eras Tour and its concert film.

Which band opened the Las Vegas Sphere with a residency on September 29, 2023?

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live ran 40 shows inside the world's largest LED screen; the venue cost more than $2 billion.

Which 2023 Larian Studios RPG first won Game of the Year at all five major awards shows?

Baldur's Gate 3 swept Game of the Year at The Game Awards, the Golden Joysticks, DICE, GDC and BAFTA; Larian had moved its PC release up four weeks to dodge Starfield.

Which Netflix series about a road-rage feud between Steven Yeun and Ali Wong won eight Emmys?

Beef, created by Lee Sung Jin, won Outstanding Limited Series plus lead-acting Emmys for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong at the strike-delayed ceremony in January 2024.

Which real person sat through Jury Duty's fake trial without knowing everyone else was an actor?

Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, believed he was serving on a real jury; James Marsden played a heightened version of himself, and the show was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Which Scorsese film about the Osage murders premiered at Cannes in 2023 with Lily Gladstone?

Killers of the Flower Moon, adapted from David Grann's 2017 book, premiered at Cannes in May 2023; Gladstone became the first Native American to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama.

Which Irish singer, famous for "Nothing Compares 2 U", died on 26 July 2023?

Sinéad O'Connor died in London on 26 July 2023, aged 56; her 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, carrying the Prince-written hit, sold more than seven million copies.

Which "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" died in Switzerland on May 24, 2023, aged 83?

Tina Turner died at her home in Küsnacht, near Zurich, on May 24, 2023, aged 83; in 1967 she had been the first woman and first Black artist on a Rolling Stone cover.

Which HBO drama about the Roy family aired its series finale on May 28, 2023?

Succession, created by Jesse Armstrong, ended after four seasons with the episode 'With Open Eyes'; Logan Roy's death in 'Connor's Wedding' came earlier that final season.

A promotion with which TikTok personality triggered the boycott of Bud Light in April 2023?

Dylan Mulvaney posted a sponsored Instagram video with a personalized Bud Light can on April 1, 2023; sales fell by roughly a quarter and Modelo Especial overtook it as America's top-selling beer.

Which 2023 Elizabeth Banks horror comedy was inspired by a real 1985 drug-smuggling incident?

Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks, riffs on a 1985 case in which a black bear died in Georgia after eating cocaine dropped by smuggler Andrew Thornton; the real bear was nicknamed Pablo Eskobear.

Jeremy Allen White plays a chef running his late brother's Italian beef shop in which FX series?

The Bear's second season arrived in June 2023; its Christmas flashback episode 'Fishes' packed in Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Paulson as guest stars.

Which MLS club announced the signing of Lionel Messi on July 15, 2023?

Inter Miami confirmed Messi's signing on July 15, 2023; he debuted six days later with a stoppage-time winner and led the club to the Leagues Cup title in August.

Which Welsh club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney returned to the Football League in 2023?

Wrexham won the 2022-23 National League to end a 15-year absence from the Football League, the first of three straight promotions filmed for Welcome to Wrexham.

Which director made the four-part Netflix documentary Beckham, released in October 2023?

Fisher Stevens, the actor-director who won an Oscar for the documentary The Cove, made Beckham; its 'be honest' Rolls-Royce exchange between David and Victoria went viral.

Which fictional Florida-based US state is the setting of Grand Theft Auto VI?

Leonida, a fictional take on Florida with Vice City as its main city, was revealed in the December 2023 trailer, which drew more than 90 million YouTube views in 24 hours.

Which independent film, released by Angel Studios in July 2023, grossed $251 million on a $14.5 million budget?

Sound of Freedom starred Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard; Angel Studios' pay-it-forward ticket scheme helped it outgross Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the US box office.

Which video-game horror adaptation starring Josh Hutcherson hit cinemas and Peacock simultaneously on October 27, 2023?

Five Nights at Freddy's, from Blumhouse, starred Josh Hutcherson as a night guard at a haunted pizzeria; critics panned it, but it made $297 million on a $20 million budget.

Which May 2023 Marvel film closed James Gunn's trilogy by telling Rocket's origin story?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opened on May 5, 2023; Disney had fired Gunn from it in 2018 over old tweets before rehiring him, and he left afterwards to run DC Studios.

Which English city hosted Eurovision 2023 on behalf of war-hit Ukraine?

Liverpool hosted at the M&S Bank Arena in May 2023 after the UK, the 2022 runner-up, stepped in for Ukraine; Sweden's Loreen won with 'Tattoo' on 583 points.

How many days did the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike last?

The strike ran 148 days, from May 2 to September 27, 2023, tying 1960 as the WGA's second-longest stoppage behind the 153-day strike of 1988.

How much was Gwyneth Paltrow awarded when she won her 2023 Utah ski-crash trial?

Paltrow had countersued for a symbolic $1 plus legal fees and got exactly that in March 2023, after the jury found retired optometrist Terry Sanderson at fault for the 2016 collision.

Which Marvin Gaye song did a 2023 jury clear Ed Sheeran of copying?

The jury found in May 2023 that 'Thinking Out Loud' did not copy 'Let's Get It On'; Sheeran argued the shared chord progression was a common building block of pop.