2021 in film


2021 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and movie programming.

Evaluation of the year

In his article highlighting the best movies of 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, "From an artistic perspective, 2021 has been an excellent cinematic vintage, yet the bounty is shadowed by an air of doom. The reopening of theatres has brought many great movies—some of which were postponed from last year—to the big screen, but fewer people to see them. The biggest successes, as usual, have been superhero and franchise films. The French Dispatch has done respectably in wide release, and Licorice Pizza is doing superbly on four screens in New York and Los Angeles, but few, if any, of the year's best films are likely to reach high on the box-office charts. The shift toward streaming was already under way when the pandemic struck, and as the trend has accelerated it's had a paradoxical effect on movies. On the one hand, a streaming release is a wide release, happily accessible to all. On the other, an online release usually registers as a nonevent, and many of the great movies hardly make a blip on the mediascape despite being more accessible than ever."

Highest-grossing films

RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1Spider-Man: No Way HomeSony$1,921,426,073
2The Battle at Lake ChangjinBona$909,596,236
3Hi, MomLian Ray$841,674,419
4No Time to DieMGM / Universal$774,253,007
5F9Universal$726,229,501
6Detective Chinatown 3Wanda$686,257,563
7Venom: Let There Be CarnageSony$506,863,592
8Godzilla vs. KongWarner Bros. / Toho$470,116,094
9Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsDisney$432,243,292
10 DuneWarner Bros.$410,668,500

2021 box office records

  • Worldwide, the global box office ended the year at $21.4 billion, a figure 78% higher than 2020.
  • China was the highest-grossing country of 2021 with $7.3 billion.
  • In the United States and Canada, theaters earned an estimated $4.55 billion throughout 2021, a statistic 100% higher than 2020's $2.28 billion and 60% lower than 2019's $11.4 billion.

    Film records

  • The Marvel Cinematic Universe became the first film franchise to gross $23 billion, $24 billion, and $25 billion with the releases of Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Additionally, the MCU became the first film franchise to have ten films gross over $1 billion with the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home became the 48th film to gross $1 billion worldwide, surpassed Spider-Man: Far From Home as Sony's highest-grossing film of all time, and attained the distinction of being the highest-grossing film not to be released in China.
  • * Also, it is the third film to surpass the $800 million mark in North America.
  • * In Latin America, No Way Home became the all-time highest-grossing film in Mexico, and the second all-time highest in Brazil, Central America and Ecuador.
  • The Battle at Lake Changjin became the highest-grossing non-English film of all time as well as highest-grossing Chinese film of all time.
  • * The Battle at Lake Changjin also became the second highest-grossing film in a single market, after Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the United States.
  • Hi, Mom became the highest-grossing film by a solo female director, surpassing the record set by Wonder Woman.
  • Detective Chinatown 3 set the record for the biggest opening weekend in a single territory, surpassing the record set by Avengers: Endgame in 2019, and had the tenth highest-grossing opening weekend on release.
  • Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time again after a re-release in China increased its gross past $2.8 billion.
  • The anime film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train released in North America in April 2021, with its opening weekend gross of setting the record as the biggest opening for any foreign-language film released in North America.

    Events

Award ceremonies

Film festivals

for 2021 that have been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations.
DateEventHostLocation
January 28 – February 32021 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalPark City, Utah, United States
March 1–571st Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalBerlin, Germany
July 6–172021 Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalCannes, France
August 4–1474th Locarno Film FestivalLocarno Film FestivalLocarno, Switzerland
September 1–1178th Venice International Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalVenice, Italy
September 9–182021 Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalToronto, Ontario, Canada
September 17–2569th San Sebastián International Film FestivalSan Sebastián International Film FestivalSan Sebastián, Spain
October 6–1526th Busan International Film FestivalBusan International Film FestivalBusan, South Korea
November 20–2852nd International Film Festival of IndiaDirectorate of Film FestivalsGoa, India

Awards

Palme d'Or :
Golden Lion :
Golden Bear :
'''People's Choice Award :'''

2021 films

By country/region

MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January3Barbara Shelley88UKActress
January4Tanya Roberts71USActress
January4Gregory Sierra83USActor
January5James Greene89IrelandActor
January5John Richardson86UKActor
January6Antonio Sabàto Sr.77ItalyActor
January7Michael Apted79UKDirector
January7Val Bettin97USVoice Actor
January7Marion Ramsey73USActress, Singer
January8Steve Carver75USDirector
January8Mike Henry84USActor
January9John Reilly86USActor
January11Tord Peterson94SwedenActor
January11Stacy Title56USDirector
January12Mona Malm85SwedenActress
January14Peter Mark Richman93USActor
January15Dale Baer70USAnimator
January16Charlotte Cornwell71UKActress
January18Jean-Pierre Bacri69FranceActor, Screenwriter
January18Perry Botkin Jr.87USComposer
January18Juan Carlos Tabío77CubaDirector, Screenwriter
January20Ian Wilson81UKCinematographer
January21Nathalie Delon79FranceActress
January21Rémy Julienne90FranceStuntman
January23Walter Bernstein101USScreenwriter, Director
January23Tony Ferrer86PhilippinesActor
January23Alberto Grimaldi95ItalyProducer
January23Hal Holbrook95USActor
January23Trisha Noble76AustraliaActress, Singer
January24Bruce Kirby95USActor
January24Gunnel Lindblom89SwedenActress
January27Cloris Leachman94USActress
January28Vasily Lanovoy87RussiaActor
January28Cicely Tyson96USActress
January30Allan Burns85USScreenwriter
February1Jonas Gricius92LithuaniaCinematographer
February1Robert C. Jones84USFilm Editor, Screenwriter
February3Haya Harareet89IsraelActress
February5Christopher Plummer91CanadaActor
February7Giuseppe Rotunno97ItalyCinematographer
February7Moufida Tlatli73TunisiaDirector, Film Editor
February8Jean-Claude Carrière89FranceScreenwriter, Actor
February9John Hora80USCinematographer
February11Joan Weldon90USActress
February12Antonio Giménez-Rico82SpainDirector, Screenwriter
February12Christopher Pennock76USActor
February12Lynn Stalmaster93USCasting Director
February15Lucía Guilmáin83MexicoActress
February17Martha Stewart98USActress
February18Andrey Myagkov82RussiaActor
February20David de Keyser93UKActor
February22Giancarlo Santi81ItalyDirector
February24Alan Robert Murray66USSound Engineer
February24Ronald Pickup80UKActor
February27Ng Man-tat70Hong KongActor
March1Enrique San Francisco65SpainActor
March2Gil Rogers87USActor
March3Nicola Pagett75EgyptActress
March4Tony Hendra79UKScreenwriter
March6David Bailie83South AfricaActor
March8Leon Gast85USDocumentarian
March8Trevor Peacock89UKActor
March9Biff McGuire94USActor
March9Isela Vega81MexicoActress
March11Isidore Mankofsky89USCinematographer
March11Peter Patzak76AustriaDirector, Screenwriter
March11Norman J. Warren78UKDirector
March14Henry Darrow87USActor
March15Yaphet Kotto81USActor
March17Antón García Abril87SpainComposer
March18Richard Gilliland71USActor
March22Susana Canales87SpainActress
March22Tatyana Lolova87BulgariaActress
March22May Wynn93USActress
March23George Segal87USActor
March24Craig Grant52USActor
March24Kunie Tanaka88JapanActor
March24Jessica Walter80USActress
March25Larry McMurtry84USScreenwriter
March25Bertrand Tavernier79FranceDirector, Screenwriter
March28Liu Kai-chi67Hong KongActor
April1Lee Aaker77USActor
April3Lois de Banzie90USActress
April3Gloria Henry98USActress
April3John Paragon66USActor, Director
April4Zygmunt Malanowicz83PolandActor
April5Robert Fletcher98USCostume Designer
April5Paul Ritter54UKActor
April6Walter Olkewicz72USActor
April7James Hampton84USActor
April8Richard Rush91USDirector, Screenwriter
April9Earl "DMX" Simmons50USActor, Rapper
April11Giannetto De Rossi78ItalyMakeup Artist
April11Joseph Siravo66USActor
April12André Maranne94FranceActor
April16Helen McCrory52UKActress
April16Anthony Powell85UKCostume Designer
April16Felix Silla84ItalyStuntman, Actor
April16Mari Törőcsik85HungaryActress
April19Emília Došeková83SlovakiaActress, Screenwriter, Singer
April20Monte Hellman91USDirector, Film Editor
April22Charles Fries92USProducer, Executive
April29Johnny Crawford75USActor, Singer
April29Billie Hayes96USActress
April29Frank McRae80USActor
May1Olympia Dukakis89USActress
May1Willy Kurant87BelgiumCinematographer
May2Jacques d'Amboise86USChoreographer, Actor
May4Chuck Hicks93USStuntman, Actor
May7Tawny Kitaen59USActress
May8Graeme Ferguson91CanadaProducer, Cinematographer
May9Neil Connery83UKActor
May11Norman Lloyd106USActor
May11Buddy Van Horn92USStuntman, Director
May15Roy Scammell88UKStuntman
May18Charles Grodin86USActor
May19Paul Mooney79USActor
May24Desiree Gould76USActress
May24Robert Green Hall47USMakeup Artist
May24Samuel E. Wright74USActor, Singer
May26Jerome Hellman92USProducer
May26Paul Soles90CanadaActor
May27Lorina Kamburova29BulgariaActress
May27Shane Briant74UKActor
May29Gavin MacLeod90USActor
May31Peter Del Monte77ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
May31Arlene Golonka85USActress
June3Ernie Lively74USActor
June4Clarence Williams III81USActor
June5Paulo Thiago75BrazilDirector, Screenwriter
June9Cynthia Hargrave64USProducer
June9Libuše Šafránková68Czech RepublicActress
June10Joyce MacKenzie95USActress
June11John Gabriel90USActor
June12Dennis Berry76USActor, Director
June13Ned Beatty83USActor
June13David Lightfoot61AustraliaProducer
June14Lisa Banes65USActress
June16Frank Bonner79USActor
June16Allen Midgette82USActor
June19Leon Greene89UKActor
June20Joanne Linville93USActress
June21Nina Divíšková84Czech RepublicActress
June22Antonio Salines84ItalyActor
June23Clare Peploe79TanzaniaScreenwriter, Director
June23Robert Sacchi89USActor
June25Olga Barnet69RussiaActress
June25John Erman85USActor, Director
June25June Kenney87USActress
June27Alison Greenspan48USProducer
July4Luminița Gheorghiu71RomaniaActress
July5Raffaella Carrà78ItalyActress, Singer
July5Richard Donner91USDirector, Producer
July5Vladimir Menshov81RussiaDirector, Actor
July5William Smith88USActor
July6Suzzanne Douglas64USActress
July7Dilip Kumar98IndiaActor
July7Robert Downey Sr.85USDirector, Screenwriter, Actor
July7Chick Vennera74USActor
July11Charlie Robinson75USActor
July15Libero De Rienzo44ItalyActor
July17Pilar Bardem82SpainActress
July17Jacqueline Sassard81FranceActress
July20Françoise Arnoul90FranceActress
July23John Cornell80AustraliaScreenwriter, Producer, Director
July24Jackie Mason93USActor, Comedian
July25Doug Falconer69CanadaProducer
July26Rick Aiello65USActor
July27Saginaw Grant85USActor
July27Jean-François Stévenin77FranceActor, Director, Screenwriter
July30Jack Couffer96USCinematographer
July31Alvin Ing89USActor
July31Mark Tarlov69USProducer, Director
August3Jean Hale82USActress
August3Jørgen Langhelle55NorwayActor
August3Marcia Nasatir95USProducer, Executive
August7Brad Allan48AustraliaStuntman
August7Markie Post70USActress
August7Jane Withers95USActress
August9Alex Cord88USActor
August9Pat Hitchcock93UKActress
August9Ken Hutchison72UKActor
August12Una Stubbs84UKActress
August14Piera Degli Esposti83ItalyActress
August15Gianfranco D'Angelo84ItalyActor
August17Rock Demers87CanadaProducer
August19Sonny Chiba82JapanActor
August19Li Hsing91TaiwanDirector
August23Brick Bronsky57USActor
August23Michael Nader76USActor
August23Rosita Quintana96ArgentinaActress, Singer
August25Zdenka Procházková95Czech RepublicActress
August29Ed Asner91USActor
August29Peggy Farrell89USCostume Designer
August31Michael Constantine94USActor
August31Ferhan Şensoy70TurkeyActor
September1George Martin83SpainActor
September2Mikis Theodorakis96GreeceComposer
September4Mort Ransen88CanadaDirector, Screenwriter, Producer
September5Ion Caramitru79RomaniaActor
September6Jean-Paul Belmondo88FranceActor
September6Nino Castelnuovo84ItalyActor
September6Anthony Johnson56USActor
September6Michael K. Williams54USActor
September7Eiichi Yamamoto80JapanDirector, Screenwriter
September8Art Metrano84USActor
September9Jon Gregory77UKFilm Editor
September11Fran Bennett84USActress
September11Gloria Warren95USActress, Singer
September12Ben Best46USActor, Screenwriter
September12Sondra James82USActress, Casting Director
September13Don Collier92USActor
September14Norm Macdonald61CanadaActor
September15Gavan O'Herlihy70USActor
September16Jane Powell92USActress, Singer
September17Basil Hoffman83USActor
September18Mario Camus86SpainDirector, Screenwriter
September21Willie Garson57USActor
September21Melvin Van Peebles89USDirector, Actor, Screenwriter
September22Roger Michell65UKDirector
September23David H. DePatie91USProducer
September26Kjersti Holmen65NorwayActress
September27Heinz Lieven93GermanyActor
September28Tommy Kirk79USActor
September29Ravil Isyanov59RussiaActor
October3Cynthia Harris87USActress
October3Tomas Norström65SwedenActor
October3Marc Pilcher53UKMakeup Artist
October8Chang Yung-hsiang91TaiwanScreenwriter
October10Bob Herron97USStuntman
October10Luis de Pablo91SpainComposer
October10Ruthie Tompson111USAnimator
October12Brian Goldner58USProducer
October14Diane Weyermann66USProducer
October15Dorothy Steel95USActress
October16Felipe Cazals84MexicoDirector, Screenwriter
October16Geoffrey Chater100UKActor
October16Betty Lynn95USActress
October18Val Bisoglio95USActor
October18Ralph Carmichael94USComposer
October18Jo-Carroll Dennison97USActress
October18William Lucking80USActor
October19Leslie Bricusse90UKComposer
October19Jack Angel90USVoice Actor
October20Michael Laughlin82USDirector, Screenwriter, Producer
October21George Butler78UKDocumentarian
October21Halyna Hutchins42UkraineCinematographer
October22Peter Scolari66USActor
October26Mort Sahl94USActor
October28Camille Saviola71USActress
October29Puneeth Rajkumar46IndiaActor
October31Dean Shek72Hong KongActor, Producer
November1Yuri Klepikov86RussiaScreenwriter
November4Lionel Blair92UKActor
November6Peter Aykroyd65CanadaActor
November6Clifford Rose92UKActor
November7Dean Stockwell85USActor
November9Jerry Douglas88USActor
November9Roy Holder75UKActor
November11Henry Woolf91UKActor
November13Emi Wada84JapanCostume Designer
November14Bobby Clark77USActor
November17Art LaFleur78USActor
November17Igor Savochkin58RussiaActor
November19Will Ryan72USVoice Actor
November21Lou Cutell91USActor
November22Marie Versini81FranceActress
November24Yvonne Wilder84USActress
November25Don Phillips80USCasting Director, Producer
November26Stephen Sondheim91USComposer, Songwriter
November27Eddie Mekka69USActor
November29Arlene Dahl96USActress
November29David Gulpilil68AustraliaActor
December2Antony Sher72UKActor
December3Denis O'Brien80USProducer
December4Martha De Laurentiis67USProducer
December5Mirelle Hernández46MexicoMakeup artist
December9Carmen Salinas82MexicoActress
December9Larry Sellers72USActor
December9Lina Wertmüller93ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
December9Cara Williams96USActress
December10Michael Nesmith78USSinger, Actor, Producer
December11Jack Hedley92UKActor
December12Vicente Fernández81MexicoSinger, Actor
December13Verónica Forqué66SpainActress
December13Sergei Solovyov77RussiaDirector, Screenwriter
December17Chen Sung-young80TaiwanActor
December19Sally Ann Howes91UKActress, Singer
December20Pierre Cassignard56FranceActor
December21Jaime Comas85SpainScreenwriter, Producer
December22Richard Conway79USSpecial Effects Artist
December23Joan Didion87USScreenwriter
December24Harvey Evans83USActor, Dancer
December25Jean-Marc Vallée58CanadaDirector, Producer, Film Editor
December30Stephen J. Lawrence82USComposer
December30Denis O'Dell98UKProducer
December30Renato Scarpa82ItalyActor
December31Betty White99USActress