2012 in film


2012 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2012, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths. Most notably, Universal and Paramount, the two of America's oldest surviving film studios, celebrated their centennial anniversaries, marking the first time that two major film studios celebrate 100 years. The Dolby Atmos sound format was launched for the premiere of Brave. The James Bond film series celebrated its 50th anniversary and released its 23rd film, Skyfall. Six box-office blockbusters from previous years were re-released in 3D and IMAX. Also, the year marked the debut for high frame rate technology. The first film using 48 F.P.S., a higher frame rate than the film industry standard 24 F.P.S., was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Evaluation of the year

of The New Yorker said, "2012 has been a good year for Hollywood and off-Hollywood. Note, once more, the remarkable Hollywood nexus of the Gotham and Independent Spirit nominees, as the path of independent financing becomes ever more significant for filmmakers whose work doesn't fit into franchise formatting. And that's a good thing, from the perspective of filmmaking—whether it means that directors and actors share producers' risks in getting their work made, or that complicit producers give a director's vision free rein. But the latter notion makes some critics uneasy. There's an undercurrent of thought—one rooted in an antiquated and nostalgic vision of a halcyon classic Hollywood that supposedly both reached the masses and made modest and un-self-conscious art—that looks to producers to restrain the idiosyncrasies of directors and fit them into a readily marketable package of popular appeal. These critics yearn for the adversarial relationship of producer and director, seeing the producer as the supporter of democratic values and the director as a sort of egomaniacal élitist who, unrestrained, would spend someone else's money frivolously to make a movie that would please himself and his friends. Of course, that relationship becomes adversarial only if the producer doesn't see himself as a sort of benefactor, a patron of the arts whose very role is to finance and to foster individual expression—and, as ever, it all depends on who the individual is and what the nature of the vision is. It's fairly obvious that strong producers improve films made by mediocre directors but often constrain or dilute the distinctiveness and individuality of the work of good ones. There is a political agenda hidden within the critics' aesthetic preference for the strong hand of the producer, as critics demagogically put themselves in the position of defenders of the people—defending them from radical outliers and finding popular tastes with which to align themselves. It's another case of left and right agreeing without common ground and leading to bad policy—and, in this case, bad art." In August 2012 BFI announced their 2012 Sight & Sound Greatest films of all Time survey which was topped for the first time by Vertigo.

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 2012 by worldwide gross are as follows:
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1The AvengersDisney$1,518,812,988
2SkyfallSony/MGM$1,108,561,013
3The Dark Knight RisesWarner Bros.$1,081,041,287
4The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyWarner Bros/MGM$1,017,003,568
5Ice Age: Continental Drift20th Century Fox$877,244,782
6The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2Lionsgate$829,746,820
7The Amazing Spider-ManSony$757,930,663
8Madagascar 3: Europe's Most WantedParamount$746,921,274
9The Hunger GamesLionsgate$694,394,724
10Men in Black 3Sony$654,213,485

The Avengers grossed over $1.5 billion and it became the third highest-grossing film of all time. Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have each grossed over $1 billion, making them among the highest-grossing films of all time.

2012 box office records

Palme d'Or :
Golden Lion :
'''Golden Bear :'''

2012 films

By country/region

MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January1Bob Anderson89UKStuntman, Choreographer
January2Silvana Gallardo58USActress
January3Joaquín Martínez81MexicoActor
January4Harry Fowler85UKActor
January5Frederica Sagor Maas111USScreenwriter
January10Lila Kaye82UKActress
January11Richard Bruno87USCostume Designer
January11David Whitaker81UKComposer
January13Morgan Jones83USActor
January14Mila Parely94FranceActress
January21Eiko Ishioka73JapanCostume Designer
January23Bingham Ray57USStudio Executive
January24Theo Angelopoulos76GreeceDirector, Screenwriter
January24James Farentino82USActor
January26Ian Abercrombie77UKActor
January26Dimitra Arliss79USActress
January29John Rich86USDirector
February3Ben Gazzara81USActor
February3Zalman King69USDirector, Screenwriter, Actor
February4Andrew Wight51AustraliaScreenwriter, Producer
February5Sam Coppola79USActor
February6Peter Breck82USActor
February8Phil Bruns80USActor
February8Laurie Main89AustraliaActor
February11Whitney Houston48USSinger, Actress, Producer
February12Zina Bethune66USActress
February12David Kelly82IrelandActor
February13Russell Arms92USActor, Singer
February14Dory Previn86USLyricist
February16Elyse Knox94USActress
February16Dick Anthony Williams77USActor
February18Peter Halliday87UKActor
February18Ric Waite78USCinematographer
February23Bruce Surtees74USCinematographer
February25Erland Josephson88SwedenActor
February26Richard Carpenter82UKActor
February29Davy Jones66UKActor, Singer
March1Phillip R. Allen72USActor
March1Jerome Courtland85USActor, Producer
March3Leonardo Cimino94USActor
March3Ralph McQuarrie82USDesigner, Illustrator
March4Joan Taylor82USActress
March5Philip Madoc77UKActor
March6Robert B. Sherman86USSongwriter
March9Terry Teene70USActor, Singer
March10Jean Giraud73FranceDesigner, Illustrator
March11Faith Brook90UKActress
March19Ulu Grosbard83BelgiumDirector, Producer
March21Robert Fuest84UKDirector, Screenwriter
March21Tonino Guerra92ItalyScreenwriter
March25Hal E. Chester91USProducer, Screenwriter, Actor
March25Bill Weston70UKStuntman, Actor
March27Warren Stevens92USActor
March28Neil Travis73USFilm Editor
March29Luke Askew80USActor
April1Jamaa Fanaka69USDirector, Screenwriter
April9Carol Adams94USActress
April9Barry Cahill90CanadaActor
April10Grant Tilly74AustraliaActor
April11Rainer Penkert90GermanyActor
April14William Finley71USActor
April14Jonathan Frid87CanadaActor
April14Martin Poll89USProducer
April15Paul Bogart92USDirector
April15Murray Rose73AustraliaActor
April17Ron Karabatsos78USActor
April18Dick Clark82USActor, Producer
April18Robert O. Ragland80USComposer
April19Levon Helm71USActor, Singer
April20Peter Carsten83GermanyActor
April25Paul L. Smith75USActor
April28Patricia Medina92UKActress
April29Joel Goldsmith54USComposer
April30George Murdock81USActor
May2Tracy Reed69UKActress
May4Mort Lindsey89USComposer
May6James Isaac51USDirector, Special Effects Artist
May6George Lindsey83USActor
May7Andrea Crisanti75ItalyProduction Designer
May7Virgil Frye81USActor
May9Vidal Sassoon84UKHairstylist
May10Joyce Redman93UKActress
May11Roland Shaw91UKComposer, Arranger
May15Henry Denker99USScreenwriter
May22Janet Carroll71USActress
May24Lee Rich93USProducer
May27Dee Caruso83USScreenwriter
May28Matthew Yuricich89USSpecial Effects Artist
May29Kaneto Shindo100JapanScreenwriter, Director
May31Christopher Challis91UKCinematographer
June2Richard Dawson79UKActor
June2Kathryn Joosten72USActress
June2Marco Onorato59ItalyCinematographer
June3Jean-Louis Richard85FranceScreenwriter
June4Stan Jolley86USProduction Designer
June5Caroline John71UKActress
June5Ray Bradbury90USScreenwriter
June7J. Michael Riva63USProduction Designer
June8Frank Cady96USActor
June11Ann Rutherford94CanadaActress
June14Yvette Wilson48USActress
June16Giuseppe Bertolucci65ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
June16Susan Tyrrell67USActress
June18Victor Spinetti82UKActor
June19Richard Lynch72USActor
June26Nora Ephron71USDirector, Screenwriter, Producer
June26Charles Rosen81USProduction Designer
June27Bruce Guerin93USActor
June28Paul Stassino81GreeceActor
July2Ben Davidson72USActor
July2Ben Van Os67NetherlandsProduction Designer
July3Andy Griffith86USActor
July4Eric Sykes89UKActor
July8Ernest Borgnine95USActor
July13Sage Stallone36USActor
July13Ginny Tyler86USVoice Actress
July13Richard D. Zanuck77USProducer
July15Celeste Holm95USActress
July16William Asher90USDirector, Screenwriter
July17Morgan Paull67USActor
July18Rajesh Khanna69IndiaActor
July19Tom Davis59USActor, Screenwriter
July20Tony Epper73USStuntman, Actor
July20Simon Ward70UKActor
July21Angharad Rees63UKActress
July22Fern Persons101USActress
July22Frank Pierson87USScreenwriter, Director
July24Chad Everett76USActor
July24Sherman Hemsley74USActor
July26Walter Goss84New ZealandSound Engineer
July26Lupe Ontiveros69USActress
July26Mary Tamm62UKActress
July27Norman Alden87USActor
July27R. G. Armstrong95USActor
July27Geoffrey Hughes68UKActor
July27Tony Martin98USActor, Singer
July29John P. Finnegan86USActor
July29Chris Marker91FranceDirector
July30Jonathan Hardy71New ZealandActor, Director
July31Gore Vidal86USActor, Screenwriter
August6Marvin Hamlisch68USComposer
August8Sancho Gracia75SpainActor
August9Al Freeman Jr.78USActor
August9Mel Stuart83USDirector, Producer
August10Irving Fein101USProducer
August10Carlo Rambaldi86ItalySpecial Effects Artist
August13Joan Roberts94USActress
August14Ron Palillo63USActor
August14Phyllis Thaxter92USActress
August15Biff Elliot89USActor
August16William Windom88USActor
August18George Bowers68USFilm Editor, Director
August19Tony Scott68UKDirector, Producer
August20Phyllis Diller95USActress, Comedian
August23Jerry Nelson78USPuppeteer, Actor
August24Steve Franken80USActor
August31Max Bygraves89UKActor, Singer
September1Hal David91USLyricist
September3Michael Clarke Duncan54USActor
September6Jake Eberts71CanadaProducer
September6Frank Godwin95UKProducer
September8Leigh Hamilton62New ZealandActress
September10Vondell Darr93USActress
September10Lance LeGault75USActor
September10Stanley Long78UKDirector, Screenwriter, Producer
September10John Moffatt89UKActor
September13Edgar Metcalfe78UKActor
September14Stephen Dunham48USActor
September14Winston Rekert63CanadaActor
September16John Ingle84USActor
September16Roman Kroitor85CanadaDirector, Producer
September24Edward A. Biery92USFilm Editor
September25Andy Williams84USActor, Singer
September26Johnny Lewis28USActor
September27Herbert Lom95Czech RepublicActor
September28Michael O'Hare60USActor
September30Turhan Bey90AustriaActor
September30Stephen Frankfurt80USTitle Designer
October2Marjorie Lane100USActress, Singer
October7Larry Block69USActor
October7Hank Moonjean82USProducer
October8Ken Sansom85USActor
October9Harris Savides55USCinematographer
October10Alex Karras77USActor
October10Leo O'Brien41USActor
October12Norm Grabowski79USActor
October13Gary Collins74USActor
October14John Clive79UKActor
October18Sylvia Kristel60NetherlandsActress
October20Joe Melia77UKActor
October21Yash Chopra80IndiaDirector, Producer
October22Russell Means72USActor
October24Peggy Ahern95USActress
October24Anita Bjork89SwedenActress
October26Mac Ahlberg81SwedenCinematographer
October26Natina Reed32USActress, Singer
October27Robert W. Castle81USActor
October28Merry Anders78USActress
October28Bob Brunner78USScreenwriter
October29Bounty52CanadaShip, Film Prop
October30Leonard Termo77USActor
November5Olympe Bradna93FranceActress
November6Clive Dunn92UKActor
November7Richard Robbins71USComposer
November8Lucille Bliss96USVoice Actress
November8Roger Hammond76UKActor
November17Katherine Kath92UKActress
November21Dann Cahn89USFilm Editor
November21Deborah Raffin59USActress
November23Larry Hagman81USActor, Director
November23John Kemeny87CanadaProducer
November25Dinah Sheridan92UKActress
November26Martin Richards80USProducer
November27Bob Kellett84UKDirector, Producer, Screenwriter
November28Don Rhymer51USScreenwriter
November29Susan Luckey74USActress
November29Benjamin Tatar82USActor
December3Eileen Moran60USVisual Effects Artist
December4Rozina Cambos60RomaniaActress
December7Jeni Le Gon96USActress, Dancer
December8Hal Schaefer87USComposer
December10Marla English77USActress
December10Ed Grady89USActor
December10Patricia Kennedy96AustraliaActress
December11Ravi Shankar92IndiaComposer
December12Don Medford95USDirector
December13Gil Friesen75USProducer
December16Avraham Mor77IsraelActor
December18Danny Steinmann70USDirector, Screenwriter
December19Bud Alper82USSound Engineer
December22Cliff Osmond75USActor
December23Ha Nguyen57VietnamCostume Designer
December24Richard Rodney Bennett76UKComposer
December24Charles Durning89USActor
December24Jack Klugman90USActor
December26Gerry Anderson83UKDirector, Producer, Screenwriter
December27Harry Carey Jr.91USActor
December28Jon Finch70UKActor
December30Mike Hopkins53New ZealandSound Engineer