2015 in film


2015 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, and a list of films released and notable deaths.
Fox Film, Universal City, California and Universal Studios Lot celebrated their 100th anniversaries; The Sound of Music and Dolby celebrated their 50th anniversaries.

Evaluation of the year

Richard Brody of The New Yorker described 2015 as, "one of Hollywood's worst years" but also stated that it was also "a terrific year for movies over all". He emphasized that, "The anticipated Oscarizables have mainly ranged from the blandly enjoyable to the droningly disastrous. Partly, the problem is merely one of scheduling: most of Hollywood's inspired directors, the ones whose images have a natural musical sublimity and complexity, weren't on call this year. My list reflects the unfortunate accident of a calendar year with no release by many of the best American directors working in or out of the Hollywood system, such as Martin Scorsese, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, Miranda July, Terrence Malick, James Gray, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh, and Paul Thomas Anderson."

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 2015 by worldwide gross are as follows:
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1Star Wars: [The Force Awakens]Disney$2,068,223,624
2Furious 7Universal$1,765,047,671
3Jurassic WorldUniversal$1,670,400,637
4Avengers: Age of UltronDisney$1,402,809,540
5MinionsUniversal$1,159,398,397
6SpectreSony$880,674,609
7Inside OutDisney$858,811,174
8Mission: Impossible – Rogue NationParamount$682,714,267
9The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2Lionsgate$653,428,261
10The Martian20th Century Fox$630,161,890

Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed over $2 billion, becoming the third film to surpass that milestone, and the third highest-grossing film of all time. Jurassic World, Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Minions have each grossed over $1 billion, making them among the highest-grossing films of all time. Spectre and Inside Out grossed more than $850 million.
Minions became the first non-Disney animated film and the third animated film overall after Toy Story 3 and Frozen to gross over $1 billion, and is currently the sixth highest-grossing animated film of all time.

2015 notable box office records

Studio records

2015 is the first year that a single studio released three films that each grossed over $1 billion, the first year that a single studio released two films that both grossed over $1.5 billion, and the first year that a single studio released two films that both grossed over $1 billion outside of North America.
  • Universal also generated $2 billion and $3 billion in a single year at the international box office faster than any studio before, doing so on June 10, June 14, and July 17, 2015, respectively. The previous records was held by 20th Century Fox when it reached $2 and $3 billion on June 15 and July 30, 2010, respectively. Universal previously grossed $2 billion in 2013, reaching the milestone on September 17 of that year. Furthermore, the studio also broke the record for fastest studio to generate $1 billion in the United States and Canada, beating the previous record ascendance achieved by Paramount Pictures on June 22, 2008, and $2 billion, beating the previous speed record of December 25, 2009, held by Warner Bros., and the fastest to $3, $4, and $5 billion worldwide. Universal is also the first studio to achieve $6 billion at the global box office in one year.
  • Walt Disney Studios became the first studio to release three films within a single franchise – the Marvel Cinematic Universe – that each grossed over $1 billion, with Avengers: Age of Ultron joining 2012's The Avengers and 2013's Iron Man 3. The MCU also became the highest-grossing film franchise with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, surpassing the Harry Potter film franchise, and becoming the first franchise to gross over $8 billion. With the subsequent release of Ant-Man, the MCU also became the first franchise to gross over $9 billion.Furious 7 became the highest-grossing film ever distributed by Universal, surpassing the 22-year-old record set by Jurassic Park in 1993. However it shortly lost the record to Jurassic World in June, just two months later. It was also the first film distributed by Universal to gross $1 billion in its initial release, since Jurassic Park did so after it was re-released in 2013.

Film records

Furious 7 became the fastest film to reach $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide, doing so in 17 days; this record was later surpassed by Universal's own Jurassic World two months later, accruing the same amount in 13 days; this record was in turn surpassed six months later by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which accrued $1 billion in 12 days. Furious 7 also became the first American film ever to gross over ¥2 billion at the Chinese box office.Jurassic World grossed $524.4 million worldwide in its opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time, surpassing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Jurassic World also grossed $208.8 million in North America in its opening weekend, beating the previous record held by The Avengers. Both records were later surpassed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the same year. It also became the highest-grossing film that was not the highest-grossing film of its year, surpassing Iron Man 3.Terminator Genisys became the first American film to earn $400 million worldwide without also grossing $100 million in North America. The only other production to hit that threshold before was the French film The Intouchables.Minions became the fastest animated film to $1 billion in 49 days, surpassing Toy Story 3. It also becomes the first Non-Disney animated film to gross over $1 billion, and is the highest-grossing spinoff film, as well as the highest-grossing prequel.Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke all pre-sale ticket records and grossed $529 million in its opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time, surpassing Jurassic World. The Force Awakens also grossed $248 million in North America in its opening weekend, beating the previous record held by Jurassic World. The film subsequently became the first to exceed $800 million in the domestic box office on January 9 and $900 million on February 5. It also became Disney's first film to gross over $1 billion at the foreign box office, as well as the third film to ever gross over $2 billion worldwide. This makes it the third highest-grossing film of all time.
  • 2015 is tied with 2018 for the greatest number of films to gross more than $1 billion with five, surpassing 2012's record of four, but later was surpassed in 2019 to have nine films with that milestone. It has also set the record for the greatest number of films crossing the $1.5 billion mark with three.

Events

Awards

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

2015 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

Deaths

MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January1Donna Douglas81USActress
January4Bernard Williams72UKProducer
January5Khan Bonfils42UKActor
January6Lance Percival81UKActor
January7Rod Taylor84AustraliaActor
January9Samuel Goldwyn Jr.88USProducer, Director
January10Brian Clemens83UKScreenwriter
January10George Dickerson81USActor
January10Taylor Negron57USActor
January10Francesco Rosi92ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
January11Anita Ekberg83SwedenActress
January13Frank Mazzola79USActor, Film Editor
January14Darren Shahlavi42UKActor, Stuntman
January14Layne Tom Jr.87USActor
January15Alan Hirschfield79USStudio Executive
January16Walter Peregoy89USAnimator
January17Faten Hamama83EgyptActress
January17Don Harron90CanadaActor
January23Barrie Ingham82UKActor
January29Rod McKuen81USComposer, Singer
January30Geraldine McEwan82UKActress
January31Robert Blees96USScreenwriter
January31Lizabeth Scott92USActress, Singer
February2Stewart Stern92USScreenwriter
February3Mary Healy96USActress, Singer
February4Monica Scattini59ItalyActress
February11Roger Hanin89FranceActor, Director, Screenwriter
February12Movita Castaneda98USActress
February14Louis Jourdan93FranceActor, Singer
February15Eileen Essell92UKActress
February16Lesley Gore68USSinger, Songwriter
February17June Fairchild68USActress
February19Frank Ramírez65ColombiaActor
February20Patricia Norris83USCostume Designer, Production Designer
February21Bruce Sinofsky58USDocumentarian
February27Richard Bakalyan84USActor
February27Leonard Nimoy83USActor, Director
March1Daniel von Bargen64USActor
March3Lynn Borden77USActress
March5Albert Maysles88USDocumentarian
March10Richard Glatzer63USDirector, Screenwriter
March11Ralph Taeger78USActor
March13Vincent Wong87UKActor
March14Ib Melchior97DenmarkDirector, Screenwriter
March15Sally Forrest86USActress, Dancer
March20Walter Grauman93USDirector, Producer
March20Gregory Walcott87USActor
March21Alberta Watson60CanadaActress
March24Monte Merrick65USScreenwriter
March25Ivo Garrani91ItalyActor
March27Rik Battaglia88ItalyActor
March28Richard L. Bare101USDirector, Screenwriter
March28Miroslav Ondříček80Czech RepublicCinematographer
March28Gene Saks93USActor, Director
March30Robert Z'Dar64USActor
April1Robert Walker54CanadaAnimator, Director
April2Manoel de Oliveira106PortugalDirector, Screenwriter
April3Vivian Nathan98USActress
April3Robert Rietti91UKActor
April5Richard Dysart86USActor
April5Richard LaSalle97USComposer
April5Tom Towles65USActor
April5Julie Wilson90USActress, Singer
April6James Best88USActor
April7Eugene Louis Faccuito90USDancer
April7Stan Freberg88USVoice Actor
April7Geoffrey Lewis79USActor
April10Paul Almond83CanadaDirector
April10Judith Malina88USActress
April13Claire Gordon74UKActress
April22Gennadi Vengerov55BelarusActor
April23Richard Corliss71USFilm CriticNone; critiqued films for Time Magazine
April25Don Mankiewicz93GermanyScreenwriter
April26Jayne Meadows95USActress
April27Andrew Lesnie59AustraliaCinematographer
April30Nigel Terry69UKActor
May1Stephen Milburn Anderson67USDirector, Screenwriter
May1Grace Lee Whitney85USActress
May2Michael Blake69USScreenwriter
May2Norman Thaddeus Vane86USDirector, Screenwriter
May4William Bast83USScreenwriter
May4Ellen Albertini Dow101USActress
May6William Bronder84USActor
May7Arieh Elias94IsraelActor
May9Elizabeth Wilson94USActress
May9Christopher Wood79UKScreenwriter
May13Gill Dennis74USScreenwriter
May14B.B. King89USSinger, Actor
May15Michael Campus80USDirector
May15John Stephenson91USActor
May15Donald Wrye80USDirector
May16Jackie Basehart63USActor
May17Claude Carliez90FranceStuntman
May20Mary Ellen Trainor62USActress
May23John Carter87USActor
May23Anne Meara85USActress
May26Vicente Aranda88SpainDirector
May26Claudio Caligari67ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
May25Russell Wolfe50USProducer
May28Reynaldo Rey75USActor
May29Betsy Palmer88USActress
May30Jake D'Arcy60UKActor
May30Julie Harris94UKCostume Designer
June2Alberto De Martino85ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
June4Hugh Johnson69IrelandCinematographer, Director
June5Richard Johnson87UKActor
June5Seth Winston64USDirector, Producer, Screenwriter
June7Christopher Lee93UKActor
June9Jean Gruault90FranceScreenwriter
June10Robert Chartoff81USProducer
June10Julie Kirkham61USProducer
June11Ron Moody91UKActor
June12Rick Ducommun62CanadaActor
June12Monica Lewis93USActress, Singer
June13Junix Inocian64PhilippinesActor
June13George Winslow69USActor
June15Kirk Kerkorian98USStudio Executive
June16Stephen Blauner81USProducer
June17Nicola Badalucco86ItalyScreenwriter
June18Jack Rollins100USProducer
June18John M. Stephens82USCinematographer
June21Tony Longo53USActor
June22Laura Antonelli73ItalyActress
June22James Horner61USComposer
June23Magali Noël83FranceActress, Singer
June23Dick Van Patten86USActor
June25Patrick Macnee93UKActor
June28Jack Carter93USActor
June30Edward Burnham98UKActor
July1Sergio Sollima94ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
July3Diana Douglas92USActress
July3Amanda Peterson43USActress
July3Jacques Sernas89LithuaniaActor
July6Jerry Weintraub77USProducer
July8Irwin Keyes63USActor
July9Michael Masser74USComposer, Songwriter
July10Roger Rees71UKActor
July10Omar Sharif83EgyptActor
July15Aubrey Morris89UKActor
July17Nova Pilbeam95UKActress
July18George Coe86USActor
July18Alex Rocco79USActor
July19Van Alexander100USComposer
July19Douglas S. Cook56USScreenwriter
July21Theodore Bikel91AustriaActor, Singer
July22Natasha Parry84UKActress
July25Robin Phillips75UKActor
July27Tony Vogel73UKActor
July28Shawn Robinson41USStuntman
July29Antony Holland95UKActor
July31Roddy Piper61CanadaActor
August3Coleen Gray92USActress
August5George Cole90UKActor
August5Joyce Ingalls65USActress
August7Terrence Evans81USActor
August7Uggie13USActor
August9Jack Gold85UKDirector
August13Danford B. Greene87USFilm Editor
August16Anna Kashfi80IndiaActress
August17Yvonne Craig78USActress, Singer
August18Bud Yorkin89USDirector, Producer
August20Melody Patterson66USActress
August26Peter Kern66AustriaActor, Director, Screenwriter
August30Wes Craven76USDirector, Producer, Screenwriter
September1Dean Jones84USActor
September4Jean Darling93USActress
September4Warren Murphy81USScreenwriter
September5Setsuko Hara95JapanActress
September5Alan Steel79ItalyActor
September6Martin Milner83USActor
September7Merv Adelson85USProducer
September7Dickie Moore89USActor
September10Franco Interlenghi83ItalyActor
September12Frank D. Gilroy89USDirector, Screenwriter
September17D. M. Marshman Jr.92USScreenwriter
September18Nancy Bernstein55USVisual Effects Artist, Producer
September20Jack Larson87USActor, Producer
September21Yoram Gross88PolandDirector
September22Derek Ware77UKActor, Stuntman
September27Howard A. Anderson, Jr.95USVisual Effects Artist
September27John Guillermin89UKDirector, Producer
September29Pat Woodell71USActress
October4Yves Barsacq84FranceActor
October5Chantal Akerman65BelgiumDirector, Screenwriter
October5Larry Brezner73USProducer
October5Andrew Rubin69USActor
October6Kevin Corcoran66USActor, Producer
October7Gene Allen97USArt Director, Production Designer
October8Richard Davies89UKActor
October9Jean Badal88HungaryCinematographer
October10Penelope Houston88UKFilm Critic
October10Tex Rudloff89USSound Engineer
October11Bob Minkler78USSound Engineer
October12Joan Leslie90USActress
October21Marty Ingels79USActor
October23Leon Bibb93USSinger, Actor
October24Christopher Chapman88CanadaDirector
October24Maureen O'Hara95IrelandActress
October27Betsy Drake92USActress
October31Charles Herbert66USActor
November1Fred Thompson73USActor
November2Colin Welland81UKActor, Screenwriter
November3David Graham91USCasting Director
November4Melissa Mathison65USScreenwriter
November5Ritch Brinkley71USActor
November7Gunnar Hansen68IcelandActor
November8Angad Paul45UKProducer
November14Warren Mitchell89UKActor
November15Dora Doll93FranceActress
November15Saeed Jaffrey86IndiaActor
November15Nicoletta Machiavelli71ItalyActress
November15Moira Orfei83ItalyActress
November16Michael C. Gross86USProducer
November19Rex Reason86USActor
November20Keith Michell88AustraliaActor
November25Beth Rogan84UKActress
November25Elmo Williams102USFilm Editor, Director, Producer
November27Barbro Hiort af Ornäs94SwedenActress
November28Marjorie Lord97USActress
November30Eldar Ryazanov88RussiaDirector, Screenwriter
November30Steve Shagan88USScreenwriter
December2Gabriele Ferzetti90ItalyActor
December4Robert Loggia85USActor
December5Marília Pêra72BrazilActress
December6Nicholas Smith81UKActor
December6Holly Woodlawn69USActress
December7Shirley Stelfox74UKActress
December10Denis Héroux75CanadaProducer, Director
December14Edmund Lyndeck90USActor
December15Ken Pogue81CanadaActor
December19Louis DiGiaimo77USCasting Director, Producer
December22Brooke McCarter52USActor
December25Jason Wingreen95USActor
December27Franco Giacobini89ItalyActor
December27Haskell Wexler93USCinematographer, Director
December31Wayne Rogers82USActor
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Film debuts