2002 in film


2002 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country- and genre- specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures celebrated their 90th anniversaries in 2002.

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 2002 by worldwide gross are as follows:
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersNew Line$936,689,735
2Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsWarner Bros.$878,979,634
3Spider-ManSony$821,708,551
4Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones20th Century Fox$653,741,940
5Men in Black IISony$441,818,803
6Die Another DayMGM / 20th Century Fox$431,971,116
7SignsBuena Vista$408,247,917
8Ice Age20th Century Fox$383,257,136
9My Big Fat Greek WeddingIFC$368,744,044
10Minority Report20th Century Fox / DreamWorks$358,372,926

2002 was the first year to see three films cross the eight-hundred-million-dollar milestone, surpassing the previous year's record of two eight-hundred-million-dollar films. It also surpasses the previous year's record of having the most ticket sales in a single year.

Events

  • March 1 — Paramount Pictures reveals a new-on screen logo that was used until December 2011 to celebrate its 90th anniversary.
  • MayThe Pianist directed by Roman Polanski wins the "Palme d'Or" at the Cannes Film Festival.
  • May 3–5 – Spider-Man becomes the first film to earn $100 million in one weekend. This surpassed the previous all-time opening weekend record held by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as well as the previous May opening weekend record held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The film went on to earn over $800 million worldwide, surpassing Batman to become the highest-grossing superhero film of all time and Men in Black to become Sony's most successful film.
  • May 16 – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones opens in theaters. Although a huge success, it was the first Star Wars film not to be the highest-grossing of the year.
  • Amélie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet wins the 2002 César Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Music, and Best Art Direction. Amélie also became the highest-grossing French-language film in the United States ever.
  • Another French-language film Brotherhood of the Wolf also became the second-highest-grossing French-language film in the United States in the last two decades.

    Awards

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

2002 films

By country/region

MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January1Carol Ohmart74USActress
January1Julia Phillips57USProducer
January6Mario Nascimbene88ItalyComposer
January7Avery Schreiber66USActor
January9Bill McCutcheon77USActor
January11Henri Verneuil81TurkeyDirector, Screenwriter
January12Stanley Unwin90UKActor
January13Ted Demme38USDirector, Producer
January15Jeremy Hawk83UKActor
January17Queenie Leonard96UKActress
January19Roy Conrad61USActor
January20Harold Kasket75UKActor
January21Peggy Lee81USSinger, Actress
January23Howard A. Smith89USFilm Editor
January29Stratford Johns76UKActor
January29Harold Russell88CanadaActor
February1Hildegard Knef76GermanyActress
February4George Nader80USActor
February6Guy Stockwell68USActor
February7Diane Hart75UKActress
February11Barry Foster74UKActor
February13Waylon Jennings64USSinger, Actor
February15Lucille Lund88USActress
February18Giustino Durano78ItalyActor
February18Jack Lambert81USActor
February18Byrne Piven72USActor
February19Gene Ruggiero91USFilm Editor
February20Fredric Steinkamp73USFilm Editor
February21John Thaw60UKActor
February22Chuck Jones89USAnimator, Director
February25Claire Davenport68UKActress
February26Lawrence Tierney82USActor
February27Spike Milligan83IndiaActor
February28Mary Stuart75USActress
March2Mary Grant85UKCostume Designer
March4Eric Flynn62ChinaActor
March4Shirley Russell66UKCostume Designer
March10Irene Worth85USActress
March16Carmelo Bene64ItalyActor, Director
March17Rosetta LeNoire90USActress
March17William Witney86USDirector
March18Denis Forest41CanadaActor
March23Richard Sylbert73USProduction Designer
March23James Culliford74UKActor
March26Louis M. Heyward81USProducer, Screenwriter
March27Milton Berle93USActor, Comedian
March27Dudley Moore66UKActor
March27Billy Wilder95AustriaDirector, Screenwriter
April2Jack Kruschen80CanadaActor
April3Roy Huggins87USScreenwriter
April4Harry O'Connor44USStuntman
April6Nobu McCarthy67CanadaActress
April7John Agar81USActor
April8María Félix88MexicoActress
April15Dave King72UKActor
April16Alexander Doré78UKActor
April16Robert Urich55USActor
April17James Copeland84UKActor
April19Reginald Rose81USScreenwriter
April21Terry Walsh62UKStuntman, Actor
April22Linda Lovelace53USPorn Actress
April23Carla Fry40USProducer, Executive
April25Michael Bryant74UKActor
April28John Wilkinson82USSound Engineer
May2Ron Soble74USActor
May5George Sidney85USDirector
May8Lou Lombardo91USFilm Editor
May10Linda Francis62USCasting Director
May11Bill Peet87USScreenwriter
May14Ray Stricklyn73USActor
May15Bryan Pringle67UKActor
May23Dorothy Spencer93USFilm Editor
May25Pat Coombs75UKActress
June2Herman Cohen76USProducer
June3Lew Wasserman89USStudio Executive
June3Sam Whipple41USActor
June7Signe Hasso86SwedenActress
June21Sidney Armus77USActor
June22Chang Cheh79ChinaDirector, Screenwriter
June25Charles C. Bennett62USProduction Designer
June26Dolores Gray78USActress
June28François Périer82FranceActor
June29Rosemary Clooney74USSinger, Actress
July4Ivan Moffat84CubaScreenwriter
July5Katy Jurado78MexicoActress
July6John Frankenheimer72USDirector, Producer
July8Ward Kimball88USAnimator
July9Gerald Campion81UKActor
July9Rod Steiger77USActor
July15Phil Roth72USActor
July17Harry W. Gerstad93USFilm Editor
July23Leo McKern82AustraliaActor
July24Maurice Denham92UKActor
July26Buddy Baker84USComposer
August3Peter Miles64USActor
August9Peter Matz73USComposer, Arranger, Conductor
August14Peter R. Hunt77UKFilm Editor, Director
August15Henry Batista88USFilm Editor
August15Yuriy Yakovlev71BulgariaActor
August16Jeff Corey88USActor
August18Dean Riesner83USScreenwriter
August23Dennis Fimple78USActor
August25Stanley R. Greenberg74USScreenwriter
August30J. Lee Thompson88UKDirector
September3Ted Ross68USActor
September5Cliff Gorman65USActor
September7Katrin Cartlidge41UKActress
September7Michael Elphick55UKActor
September11Kim Hunter79USActress
September14LaWanda Page81USActress
September16James Gregory90USActor
September18Hazel Brooks78South AfricaActress
September22Carmen Phillips65USActress
September27P.A. Lundgren91SwedenArt Director, Production Designer
September28Whitney Blake76USActress
October3Tad Horino81USActor
October4André Delvaux76BelgiumDirector
October4Buddy Lester85USActor
October8Phyllis Calvert87UKActress
October9Charles Guggenheim78USDocumentarian
October12Hilyard M. Brown92USArt Director
October13Keene Curtis79USActor
October13Dennis Patrick84USActor
October18Chuck Domanico58USMusician
October21George Hall85CanadaActor
October23Adolph Green87USScreenwriter, Lyricist, Actor
October23Nathan Juran95RomaniaDirector
October24Charmian May65UKActress
October24Peggy Moran84USActress
October24Scott Plank43USActor
October25Micheline Cheirel85FranceActress
October25Richard Harris72UKActor
October27André de Toth90HungaryDirector, Screenwriter
October28Margaret Booth104USFilm Editor
October28Lawrence Dobkin83USActor, Director
October29Marina Berti78ItalyActress
October29Glenn McQueen41CanadaAnimator
October30Lee H. Katzin67USDirector
October31Raf Vallone86ItalyActor
November1Keith A. Wester62USSound Engineer
November2Lo Lieh63IndonesiaActor
November4Antonio Margheriti72ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
November14Eddie Bracken87USActor
November17Marvin Mirisch84USProducer
November18James Coburn74USActor
November22Parley Baer88USActor
November22Joan Barclay88USActress
November22Adele Jergens84USActress
November24Noel Davis75UKCasting Director
November25Karel Reisz76Czech RepublicDirector, Producer
November26Stanley Black89UKComposer, Conductor
November27Billie Bird94USActress
November27Wolfgang Preiss92GermanyActor
November29Daniel Gélin81FranceActor
November29John Justin85UKActor
December2Edgar Scherick78USProducer
December3Glenn Quinn32IrelandActor
December10Peter Tanner88UKFilm Editor
December12Brad Dexter85USActor
December14Sidney Glazier86USProducer
December14Ruth Kobart78USActress
December15Arthur Jeph Parker79USSet Decorator
December17James Hazeldine55UKActor
December18Edward Norris91USActor
December22Duke Callaghan88USCinematographer
December22Susan Fleming94USActress
December22Clay Tanner71USActor
December22Kenneth Tobey85USActor
December27George Roy Hill81USDirector
December30Mary Brian96USActress
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