The year 2008 involved many major film events. '' The Dark Knight'' was the year's highest-grossing film, while '' Slumdog Millionaire'' won the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

(out of eight Academy Awards).

Evaluation of the year

2008 has been widely considered to be a very significant year for cinema. The entertainment agency website IGN described 2008 as "one of the biggest years ever for movies." It stated, "2008 was the year when the comic book movie genre not only hits its zenith, but also gained critical respectability thanks to '' The Dark Knight''. Animated films also proved a huge draw for filmgoers, with Pixar's '' WALL-E'' becoming not only the highest grossing toon but also the most lauded. Things got off on the right foot with the monster movie madness of '' Cloverfield''. Marvel got down to business laying the groundwork for their superhero team-up ''The Avengers'' with the blockbuster hit ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...

'' and their respectable attempt at rebooting '' The Incredible Hulk''. The games-to-film genre took a hit this year, with only

Max Payne ''Max Payne'' is a neo-noir third-person shooter video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment (''Max Payne'' and ''Max Payne 2'') and Rockstar Studios (''Max Payne 3''). The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York C ...

proving to be a worthy adaptation of the source material. We also saw the highly anticipated big-screen returns of iconic characters like ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'', ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

'', and ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

'' – some were more successful than others." The film industry and review website

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

described 2008 as "a stellar year for movies" that "gave us tons of unforgettable classics" such as '' The Wrestler'', '' 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days'' and ''

Che Che, Ché, Chè or CHE may refer to: People * Ché Ahn, (born 1956), American Christian pastor * Che Guevara (1928–1967), Argentine Marxist revolutionary * Che (surname) (车), Chinese surname * Che Lovelace (born 1969), Trinidadian artist Ar ...

''.

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 2008 by worldwide gross are as follows: For 2008, the top ten films consisted of three superhero films, three animated films, three

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

s and one

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

Box office records

* In the domestic box office, 2008 came very close in passing 2007 as the highest-grossing year, falling short by just $30 million. * On August 4, ''The Dark Knight'' reached a $400 million domestic gross in a record time of 18 days. The previous record was held by '' Shrek 2'', which reached it in 43 days. On August 31, after 45 days in release, ''The Dark Knight'' reached $500 million domestically, becoming only the second film in history after ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'' to cross the half-billion-dollar domestic milestone, as well as the first film of the 2000s decade. Worldwide, it grossed $997 million on its initial release, and an

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme ...

reissue in 2009 saw it become the fourth film to gross $1 billion at the global box office. * ''

Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

'' became the highest-grossing film in UK history until it was surpassed by ''

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

'' in 2010. * '' Slumdog Millionaire'' set several records. At the worldwide box office, it became the most successful British

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

of all time. At the UK box office, it became the highest-grossing British independent film (surpassing '' Four Weddings and a Funeral''), the highest-grossing British film without US studio investment, and the biggest ever weekly "increase for a UK saturation release" (surpassing '' Billy Elliot'')''.''

Events

Awards

2008 films

The list of films released in 2008, arranged by country, are as follows: *

American films This is a list of films produced by the American film industry from the earliest films of the 1890s to the present. Films are listed by year of release on separate pages, either in alphabetical order (1900–2013) or in chronological order ( ...

* Argentine films * Australian films * Bengali films * Bollywood films * Brazilian films *

British films The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors D ...

French films This is a list of films produced in the French cinema, ordered by year and decade of release on separate pages. Before 1910 * List of French films before 1910 1910s * List of French films of 1910 * List of French films of 1911 * List of Fre ...

* Hong Kong films *

Italian films Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...

Japanese films The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. In 2011 Japan produced 411 feature films that ea ...

* Mexican films * Pakistani films *

Russian films A list of the most notable films produced in the Cinema of Russia. Russia, since beginning to produce films in the late 1890s, has experienced three political regimes; the Russian Empire, Pre-1917; the Soviet Union, 1917–1991; and the Russian Fe ...

* South Korean films *

Spanish films Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

* List of Kannada films of 2008 *

Malayalam films Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam ...

Tamil films Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

Telugu films Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, H ...

Births

*January 24 -

Chlaui Malayao Maria Chlaui Denise T. Malayao (born January 24, 2008) is a Filipino actress known for her roles on '' Yagit'' and ''Little Nanay''. Personal life Maria Chlaui Denise Malayao was born to a family of 5 in Imus, Cavite Cavite, officially ...

, Filipina child actress *March 14 - Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress *June 3 -

Harshaali Malhotra Harshaali Malhotra (born 3 June 2008) is an Indian actress and model who appears in Hindi-language films and television series. Early life Harshaali was born on 3 June 2008 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India into a Punjabi Hindu family. Career ...

, Indian actress *July 15 - Iain Armitage, American actor *August 1 - Emma Berman, American actress *November 23 -

Asher Blinkoff Asher Blinkoff (born November 23, 2008) is an American teen actor. He is best known for his role as Dennis in the ''Hotel Transylvania'' film franchise for Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation. Career Asher Blinkoff is the son of ...

, American actor *December 27 -

Faithe Herman Faithe Herman (born December 27, 2007) is an American actress, best known for her work in ''This Is Us'' (2016) and '' Shazam!'' (2019). Career After appearing as Annie Pearson in the 2016 television show ''This Is Us'', Herman landed her firs ...

, American actress

Deaths

Film debuts

* Chadwick Boseman – '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'' *

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...

– '' Jolene'' * Boyd Holbrook – ''

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

'' * Felicity Jones – '' Flashbacks of a Fool'' *

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people ...

– '' Garden Party'' * Riyadh Mahmood – '' Aduri'' * Rooney Mara – ''

Dream Boy ''Dream Boy'' is a 1995 novel by Jim Grimsley. Plot summary Nathan is an intelligent but shy teenage boy who wants to escape from his abusive and violent father, and fantasizes about a relationship with Roy, the boy who lives next door. Roy i ...

'' * Margot Robbie – ''Vigilante'' * Davide Sordella, Pablo Benedetti – '' Woman's Hearts''

References

{{Portal bar, Film Film by year