2000s in film

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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 are used to create effects that would have previously been more expensive, from the subtle erasing of surrounding islands in Cast Away (leaving Tom Hanks' character stranded with no other land in sight) to the vast battle scenes such as those in Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Matrix and 300.

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.

Also gaining popularity was the use of Computer-generated imagery (CGI) to produce films. These types of films were originally seen in the 1990s with the likes of Toy Story and its sequel Toy Story 2, but CGI films became more popular in 2001 with the release of Shrek. Other popular CGI films include Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc. and Ratatouille. In addition, Up became the second animated feature ever to receive an Oscar nomination for The Best Picture.

The 2000s also saw a resurgence of several genres. For example, Gladiator, Moulin Rouge!, and X-Men increased the popularity of the Epic, Musical, and comic book genres, respectively.

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 (USD).

List of worldwide highest-grossing films

Rank	Title	Studios	Worldwide gross	Year	Ref.
1	Avatar	20th Century Fox	$2,713,395,000	2009	[# 1]
2	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	New Line Cinema	$1,119,110,941	2003	[# 2]
3	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	Walt Disney Pictures	$1,066,179,725	2006	[# 3]
4	The Dark Knight	Warner Bros.	$1,001,921,825	2008	[# 4]
5	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Warner Bros.	$974,733,550	2001	[# 5]
6	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End	Walt Disney Pictures	$960,996,492	2007	[# 6]
7	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	Warner Bros.	$938,212,738	2007	[# 7]
8	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	Warner Bros.	$929,359,401	2009	[# 8]
9	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	New Line Cinema	$925,282,504	2002	[# 9]
10	Shrek 2	DreamWorks Animation	$919,838,758	2004	[# 10]
11	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	Warner Bros.	$895,921,036	2005	[# 11]
12	Spider-Man 3	Sony Pictures/Columbia	$890,871,626	2007	[# 12]
13	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	20th Century Fox/Blue Sky	$887,566,024	2009	[# 13]
14	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	Warner Bros.	$878,643,482	2002	[# 14]
15	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	New Line Cinema	$870,761,744	2001	[# 15]
16	Finding Nemo	Disney/Pixar	$864,625,978	2003	[# 16]
17	Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	20th Century Fox	$848,754,768	2005	[# 17]
18	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures	$834,969,807	2009	[# 18]
19	Spider-Man	Columbia Pictures	$821,708,551	2002	[# 19]
20	Shrek the Third	DreamWorks Animation	$798,958,162	2007	[# 20]
21	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Warner Bros.	$795,634,069	2004	[# 21]
22	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	Paramount Pictures	$786,636,033	2008	[# 22]
23	Spider-Man 2	Sony Pictures	$783,766,341	2004	[# 23]
24	The Da Vinci Code	Columbia	$758,239,851	2006	[# 24]
25	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	Walden Media/Disney	$745,011,272	2005	[# 25]
26	The Matrix Reloaded	Warner Bros.	$742,128,461	2003	[# 26]
27	2012	Sony Pictures/Columbia	$736,257,842	2009	[# 27]
28	Transformers	DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures	$709,709,780	2007	[# 28]
29	Up	Disney/Pixar	$683,004,164	2009	[# 29]
30	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Summit Entertainment	$669,259,961	2009	[# 30]
31	Ice Age: The Meltdown	20th Century Fox/Blue Sky	$655,388,158	2006	[# 31]
32	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl	Walt Disney Pictures	$654,264,015	2003	[# 32]
33	Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones	20th Century Fox	$649,398,328	2002	[# 33]
34	Kung Fu Panda	DreamWorks Animation	$631,744,560	2008	[# 34]
35	The Incredibles	Disney/Pixar	$631,442,092	2004	[# 35]
36	Hancock	Columbia Pictures	$624,386,746	2008	[# 36]
37	Ratatouille	Disney/Pixar	$623,707,397	2007	[# 37]
38	The Passion of the Christ	Icon Productions	$611,899,420	2004	[# 38]
39	Mamma Mia!	Universal Pictures	$609,841,637	2008	[# 39]
40	Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	DreamWorks Animation	$603,900,344	2008	[# 40]
41	Casino Royale	Sony/MGM/Columbia	$594,239,066	2006	[# 41]
42	War of the Worlds	DreamWorks / Paramount	$591,745,540	2005	[# 42]
43	Quantum of Solace	MGM / Columbia	$586,090,727	2008	[# 43]
44	I Am Legend	Warner Bros.	$585,349,010	2007	[# 44]
45	Iron Man	Paramount	$585,133,287	2008	[# 45]
46	Night at the Museum	20th Century Fox	$574,480,450	2006	[# 46]
47	King Kong	Universal	$550,517,357	2005	[# 47]
48	Mission: Impossible II	Paramount	$546,388,105	2000	[# 48]
49	The Day After Tomorrow	20th Century Fox	$544,272,402	2004	[# 49]
50	Madagascar	DreamWorks SKG	$532,680,671	2005	[# 50]

Highest-grossing film per year

Year	Title	Studio(s)	Worldwide Gross	Ref.
2000	Mission: Impossible II	Paramount	$546,288,105	[# 48]
2001	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Warner Bros.	$974,733,550	[# 5]
2002	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	New Line Cinema	$925,282,504	[# 9]
2003	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	New Line Cinema	$1,119,110,941	[# 2]
2004	Shrek 2	DreamWorks SKG	$919,838,758	[# 10]
2005	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	Warner Bros.	$895,921,036	[# 11]
2006	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	Disney	$1,066,179,725	[# 3]
2007	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End	Disney	$960,996,492	[# 6]
2008	The Dark Knight	Warner Bros.	$1,001,842,429	[# 4]
2009	Avatar	20th Century Fox	$2,713,395,000	[# 1]

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. Spirited Away
5. Werckmeister Harmonies
6. There Will Be Blood
7. Russian Ark
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
9. Caché/Hidden
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
11. The Gleaners & I
12. Tropical Malady
13. Talk to Her
14. Punch-Drunk Love
15. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks
16. Platform
17. Blissfully Yours
18. Lost in Translation
19. Dancer in the Dark
20. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

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. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
7. Spirited Away
8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
7. Sideways
8. Wall-E
9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
10. 35 Shots of Rum

List of films

• 2000 in film
• 2001 in film
• 2002 in film
• 2003 in film
• 2004 in film
• 2005 in film
• 2006 in film
• 2007 in film
• 2008 in film
• 2009 in film

See also

• Film
• History of film
• Lists of films
• Popular culture: 2000s in music, 2000s in sports, 2000s in television

References

Highest-grossing films

1. "Avatar (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
3. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
4. "The Dark Knight (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
6. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
7. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2793007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
8. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
9. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
10. "Shrek 2 (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
11. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
12. "Spider-Man 3 (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
13. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
14. "Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
15. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
16. "Finding Nemo (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
17. "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
18. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
19. "Spider-Man (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
20. "Shrek the Third (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
21. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
22. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
23. "Spider-Man 2 (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
24. "The Da Vinci Code (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
25. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
26. "The Matrix Reloaded (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
27. "2012 (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
28. "Transformers (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
29. "Up (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
30. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
31. "Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
32. "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Peal (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
33. "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
34. "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
35. "The Incredibles (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
36. "Hancock (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
37. "Ratatouille (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
38. "The Passion of the Christ (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
39. "Mamma Mia! (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
40. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
41. "Casino Royale (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
42. "War of the Worlds (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
43. "Quantum of Solace (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
44. "I Am Legend (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
45. "Iron Man (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
46. "Night at the Museum (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
47. "King Kong (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
48. "Mission: Impossible II (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
49. "The Day After Tomorrow (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
50. "Madagascar (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.