2000s in film


The decade of the 2000s in film involved many significant developments in the film industries around the world, especially in the technology used. Building on developments in the 1990s, computers were used to create effects that would have previously been more expensive, from the subtle erasing of surrounding islands in Cast Away to the vast battle scenes such as those in The Matrix sequels and 300.
The 2000s saw the resurgence of several genres. Fantasy film franchises dominated the box office with The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc. Comic book superhero films became a mainstream blockbuster genre following the releases of X-Men, Unbreakable, and Spider-Man. Gladiator similarly sparked the revival of epic films, while the Bollywood-inspired Moulin Rouge! did the same for musical films in the Western world, where Indian musicals such as Lagaan and Devdas also began gaining mainstream exposure. The battle royale genre also began with the release of the Japanese film Battle Royale.
In addition, film genres not known for their popular appeal in North America became increasingly attractive to filmgoers: films in foreign languages like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Passion of the Christ and Letters from Iwo Jima; and documentary films like An Inconvenient Truth, March of the Penguins, Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 9/11, became very successful.
Computer animation replaced traditional animation as the dominant medium for animated feature films in American cinema : DreamWorks Animation was the dominant animation studio in that decade. Pixar and 20th Century Fox Animation followed close behind. Further extending to the exploration of motion capture technology in films such as ', ' and The Polar Express. Additionally, hand-drawn anime films gained more exposure outside of Japan with the release of Spirited Away. Stop-motion animated films regained popularity with the release of Chicken Run, and Coraline.

Highest-grossing films

The list has more 2008 and 2007 films in the top 50 than any other year, each with eight. They are followed by 2009, 2005 and 2004, each with six. Figures are given in United States dollars.
RankTitleStudiosWorldwide grossYearRef.
1Avatar20th Century Fox$2,713,395,0002009
2'New Line Cinema$1,119,110,9412003
3'Walt Disney Studios$1,066,179,7252006
4The Dark KnightWarner Bros. Pictures$1,001,921,8252008
5Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneWarner Bros. Pictures$974,733,5502001
6'Walt Disney Studios$960,996,4922007
7Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixWarner Bros. Pictures$938,212,7382007
8Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceWarner Bros. Pictures$929,359,4012009
9'New Line Cinema$925,282,5042002
10Shrek 2DreamWorks Animation$919,838,7582004
11Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireWarner Bros. Pictures$895,921,0362005
12Spider-Man 3Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures$890,871,6262007
13'20th Century Fox/Blue Sky$887,566,0242009
14Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsWarner Bros. Pictures$878,643,4822002
15'New Line Cinema$870,761,7442001
16Finding NemoWalt Disney Studios/Pixar$864,625,9782003
17'20th Century Fox$848,754,7682005
18'Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures$834,969,8072009
19Spider-ManSony Pictures/Columbia Pictures$821,708,5512002
20Shrek the ThirdParamount Pictures/Dreamworks Animation$798,958,1622007
21Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanWarner Bros. Pictures$795,634,0692004
22Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullParamount Pictures/Lucasfilm$786,636,0332008
23Spider-Man 2Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures$783,766,3412004
24The Da Vinci CodeSony Pictures/Columbia Pictures$758,239,8512006
25'Buena Vista Pictures/Walden Media$745,011,2722005
26The Matrix ReloadedWarner Bros. Pictures$742,128,4612003
272012Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures$736,257,8422009
28TransformersParamount Pictures/Dreamworks Pictures$709,709,7802007
29UpWalt Disney Studios/Pixar$683,004,1642009
30'Summit Entertainment$669,259,9612009
31'20th Century Fox/Blue Sky$655,388,1582006
32'Walt Disney Studios$654,264,0152003
33'20th Century Fox$649,398,3282002
34Kung Fu PandaParamount Pictures/Dreamworks Animation$631,744,5602008
35The IncrediblesWalt Disney Studios/Pixar$631,442,0922004
36HancockSony Pictures/Columbia Pictures$624,386,7462008
37RatatouilleWalt Disney Studios/Pixar$623,707,3972007
38The Passion of the ChristIcon Productions$611,899,4202004
39Mamma Mia!Universal Pictures$609,841,6372008
40'Paramount Pictures/Dreamworks Animation$603,900,3442008
41Casino RoyaleSony Pictures/MGM/Columbia Pictures$594,239,0662006
42War of the WorldsParamount Pictures/Dreamworks Pictures$591,745,5402005
43Quantum of SolaceSony Pictures/MGM/Columbia Pictures$586,090,7272008
44I Am LegendWarner Bros. Pictures$585,349,0102007
45Iron ManParamount Pictures/Marvel Studios$585,133,2872008
46Night at the Museum20th Century Fox$574,480,4502006
47King KongUniversal Pictures$550,517,3572005
48Paramount Pictures$546,388,1052000
49The Day After Tomorrow20th Century Fox$544,272,4022004
50MadagascarDreamWorks Animation$532,680,6712005

Highest-grossing film per year

Most acclaimed films of the decade

According to They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?, a site which numerically calculates reception among critics, the most acclaimed films of the 2000s are:
  1. In the Mood for Love
  2. Mulholland Drive
  3. Yi Yi
  4. There Will Be Blood
  5. Spirited Away
  6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  7. Caché/Hidden
  8. Tropical Malady
  9. Lost in Translation
  10. City of God
  11. Brokeback Mountain
  12. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
  13. WALL-E
  14. Talk to Her
  15. Dogville
  16. '
  17. Russian Ark
  18. The White Ribbon
  19. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
  20. No Country for Old Men
According to Metacritic, which analysed many of the notable 'best films of the decade' lists to compile the results, the top twenty films most often and most notably included in these lists are:
  1. There Will Be Blood
  2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  3. Mulholland Drive
  4. No Country for Old Men
  5. '
  6. '
  7. Spirited Away
  8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
  9. '
  10. The Dark Knight
  11. Amélie
  12. Children of Men
  13. Memento
  14. Pan's Labyrinth
  15. United 93
  16. Wall-E
  17. Almost Famous
  18. Brokeback Mountain
  19. Far from Heaven
  20. Lost in Translation
As well as this, the ten films released in the 2000s which got the highest average critic scores according to Metacritic are:
  1. Pan's Labyrinth
  2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
  3. Ratatouille
  4. Spirited Away
  5. The Hurt Locker
  6. '
  7. Sideways
  8. Wall-E
  9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
  10. 35 Shots of Rum
BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century poll of film critics listed the following as the top ten best films of the 2000s:
  1. Mulholland Drive
  2. In the Mood for Love
  3. There Will Be Blood
  4. Spirited Away
  5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  6. Yi Yi
  7. No Country for Old Men
  8. Zodiac
  9. Children of Men
  10. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The New York Times list of "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far" selected the following as the top five best films of the 2000s:
  1. There Will Be Blood
  2. Spirited Away
  3. Million Dollar Baby
  4. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
  5. Yi Yi
Moviefone's list of "50 Best Movies of the Decade" included the following films in the top five:
  1. Kill Bill
  2. City of God
  3. Battle Royale
  4. No Country for Old Men
  5. The Dark Knight
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino selected the following as the best and most influential films of the decade:
  1. Battle Royale
  2. Anything Else
  3. Dogville
  4. The Host
  5. Joint Security Area
  6. Lost in Translation
  7. Memories of Murder
  8. Shaun of the Dead
  9. '
  10. Unbreakable

    List of films