2008 in film

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 (out of eight Academy Awards).

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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 and their respectable attempt at rebooting The Incredible Hulk. The games-to-film genre took a hit this year, with only Max Payne proving to be a worthy adaptation of the source material. We also saw the highly anticipated big-screen returns of iconic characters like Batman, James Bond, and Indiana Jones – some were more successful than others."[1]

The film industry and review website IndieWire 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.[2]

Highest-grossing films
See also: Lists of box office number-one films § 2008

The top 10 films released in 2008 by worldwide gross are as follows:[3]

Highest-grossing films of 2008
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1 The Dark Knight Warner Bros. $997,000,000[4][nb 1]
2 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Paramount $790,653,942
3 Kung Fu Panda $631,744,560
4 Hancock Sony Pictures $629,443,428
5 Mamma Mia! Universal $609,841,637
6 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Paramount $603,900,354
7 Quantum of Solace Sony Pictures / MGM $589,580,482
8 Iron Man Paramount $585,796,247
9 WALL-E Disney $521,311,860
10 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian $419,665,568
  1. Excludes grosses from subsequent re-releases.

For 2008, the top ten films consisted of three superhero films, three animated films, three action films and one musical film.

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.[5] On August 31, after 45 days in release, The Dark Knight reached $500 million domestically, becoming only the second film in history after Titanic 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,[4] and an IMAX reissue[6] in 2009 saw it become the fourth film to gross $1 billion at the global box office.[7][8]
  • Mamma Mia! became the highest-grossing film in UK history until it was surpassed by Avatar in 2010.
  • Slumdog Millionaire set several records. At the worldwide box office, it became the most successful British independent film of all time.[9] At the UK box office, it became the highest-grossing British independent film (surpassing Four Weddings and a Funeral),[9][10] the highest-grossing British film without US studio investment,[10] and the biggest ever weekly "increase for a UK saturation release" (surpassing Billy Elliot).[11]

Events
MonthDayEvent
January 7Due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America Strike, NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association scrap plans to hold its 65th Golden Globe Awards ceremony and instead hold a press conference announcing the winners
13The 65th Golden Globe Awards winners were announced.
16The 61st BAFTA Awards nominations were announced with Atonement the leading film with 14 nominations closely followed by No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, both with 7 nominations
17 – 27The 26th Sundance Film Festival is opened with the world premiere of Martin McDonagh's In Bruges and screens over 120 films. The Grand Jury and Audience Award prizes are awarded to Frozen River and The Wackness, respectively. The festival is closed by the world premiere of Bernard Shakey's CSNY/Déjà Vu
22The 80th Academy Awards nominations were announced with No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood the leading films with 8 nominations each, closely followed by Atonement and Michael Clayton, both with 7
The Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger, 28, is found dead at his home in Manhattan, New York City, from an accidental prescription pills overdose.
23 – 3The 37th Rotterdam International Film Festival is opened with the world premiere of Lucía Cedrón's narrative feature-film debut Lamb of God (Cordero de Dios).
26The 60th Directors Guild of America Award dinner is held in the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles. The Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film prize is awarded to Joel and Ethan Coen
27The 14th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony is held in the Shrine Exposition Center, Los Angeles.
February 7 – 17The 58th Berlin International Film Festival is opened with the world premiere of Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light and screens over 350 films. The Golden Bear prize is awarded to Elite Squad. The Silver Bear prizes are awarded to Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Director, Reza Naji, Best Actor and Sally Hawkins, Best Actress. The festival is closed by the international premiere of Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind
8The 35th Annie Awards ceremony is held in the UCLA's Royce Hall, Los Angeles. The Best Animated Feature prize is awarded to Ratatouille
9The 60th Writers Guild of America Awards are announced in a brief statement. The Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay prizes are awarded to Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) and Diablo Cody (Juno), respectively
10The 61st BAFTA Awards ceremony is held in the Royal Opera House, London. Anthony Hopkins is honoured with the Academy Fellowship.
12The members of the WGA agree a three-year deal with the AMPTP and vote to end the 3-month 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America Strike
23The 28th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony is held in Santa Monica, California.
The 23rd Independent Spirit Awards ceremony is broadcast. The Best Film award is given to Juno. The Best Actor and Best Actress awards are given to Philip Seymour Hoffman and Elliot Page respectively
24The 80th Academy Awards ceremony is held in the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood.
March 3The 28th Genie Awards
9The 13th Empire Awards is held in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, England.
13 – 217th Tiburon International Film Festival
April 4 – 1310th Sarasota Film Festival
23 – 47th Tribeca Film Festival
24 – 851st San Francisco International Film Festival
May
14 – 25Entre les murs wins the Palme d'Or while Gomorrah receives the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
22 – 1534th Seattle International Film Festival
26Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earns $126 million in the United States and Canada, becoming the highest-grossing debut of 2008 and the second-highest-grossing for a Memorial Day weekend debut behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
June 1The 2008 MTV Movie Awards winners were announced
A massive fire destroys portions of facilities at Universal Studios in Universal City near Los Angeles, California.
14 – 2211th Shanghai International Film Festival
18Iron Man becomes the first movie of 2008 to earn $300 million in the United States and Canada.
18 – 2962nd Edinburgh International Film Festival. The festival launches a new sidebar celebrating the spirit of discovery, including selections Bigga than Ben, Blood Car, Crack Willow, Spike, Strange Girls, and The Third Pint.[12]
July 17 – 268th Era New Horizons Film Festival
August 4The Dark Knight reached $400 million in record time at 18 days. The previous record was held by Shrek 2, which reached it in 43 days.[5]
6 – 1661st Locarno International Film Festival
21 – 132nd Montreal World Film Festival
27 – 665th Venice International Film Festival
September 4 – 1333rd Toronto International Film Festival
15 – 20 33rd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia
18 – 2756th San Sebastián International Film Festival
23 – 30 6th Bangkok International Film Festival
October 1 – 1216th Raindance Film Festival
15 – 3052nd London Film Festival
18 – 2621st Tokyo International Film Festival
November 18 – 2832nd Cairo International Film Festival
December 5 – 1410th Jakarta International Film Festival
4 – 1423rd Mar del Plata International Film Festival

Awards
Category/Organization14th Critics' Choice Awards
January 8, 2009		66th Golden Globe Awards
January 11, 2009		Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards62nd BAFTA Awards
February 8, 2009		81st Academy Awards
February 22, 2009
DramaMusical or Comedy
Best FilmSlumdog MillionaireVicky Cristina BarcelonaSlumdog Millionaire
Best DirectorDanny Boyle
Slumdog Millionaire
Best ActorSean Penn
Milk		Mickey Rourke
The Wrestler		Colin Farrell
In Bruges		Sean Penn
Milk		Mickey Rourke
The Wrestler		Sean Penn
Milk
Best ActressAnne Hathaway
Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep
Doubt		Kate Winslet
Revolutionary Road		Sally Hawkins
Happy-Go-Lucky		Meryl Streep
Doubt		Kate Winslet
The Reader
Best Supporting ActorHeath Ledger
The Dark Knight
Best Supporting ActressKate Winslet
The Reader		Penélope Cruz
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Screenplay, AdaptedSimon Beaufoy
Slumdog Millionaire		Simon Beaufoy
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Screenplay, OriginalDustin Lance Black
Milk		Martin McDonagh
In Bruges		Dustin Lance Black
Milk
Best Animated FilmWALL-E
Best Original ScoreSlumdog Millionaire
A. R. Rahman		N/ASlumdog Millionaire
A. R. Rahman
Best Original Song"The Wrestler"
The Wrestler		N/AN/A"Jai Ho"
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Foreign Language FilmWaltz with BashirN/AI've Loved You So LongDepartures

2008 films

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

Births

Deaths
MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January 1Peter Caffrey58IrelandActor
2George MacDonald Fraser82UKScreenwriter
2Brice Mack90USBackground Artist
10Maila "Vampira" Nurmi86USActress
15Brad Renfro25USActor
18Lois Nettleton80USActress
19Suzanne Pleshette70USActress
21Russell Lloyd92UKFilm Editor
22Kenneth Higgins88UKCinematographer
22Heath Ledger28AustraliaActor
22Kevin Stoney87UKActor
25Christopher Allport60USActor
25Louisa Horton87USActress
February 2Barry Morse89UKActor
3Charles Fawcett92USActor
4Augusta Dabney89USActress
6John Alvin59USPoster Artist
7Tamara Desni94GermanyActress
8Eva Dahlbeck87SwedenActress
9Robert DoQui73USActor
10Roy Scheider75USActor
11James Quinn88UKProducer
12Oscar Brodney100USScreenwriter
12David Groh68USActor
13Kon Ichikawa92JapanDirector
13Lionel Mark Smith62USActor
14Perry Lopez76USActor
14Trevor Williams76UKProduction Designer
19Mary Barclay91UKActress
19David Hildyard91UKSound Engineer
19David Watkin82UKCinematographer
22Dennis Letts73USActor
23Carl Pingitore84USFilm Editor
25Sidney Beckerman87USProducer
28John Bliss77USActor
29Gayne Rescher83USCinematographer
March 4Leonard Rosenman83USComposer
5Ronald Pierce98USSound Engineer
6Alex Sharp86USStuntman, Actor
6Malvin Wald90USScreenwriter
7Kay Callard84CanadaActress
16Ivan Dixon76USActor, Director
18Anthony Minghella54UKDirector, Screenwriter, Producer
19Arthur C. Clarke90UKScreenwriter
19Paul Scofield86UKActor
24Rafael Azcona81SpainScreenwriter
24Richard Widmark93USActor
25Art Aragon80USActor
25Abby Mann80USScreenwriter
31Jules Dassin96USDirector
April 1Mosko Alkalai77IsraelActor
1Floyd Simmons84USActor
1Maury Winetrobe85USFilm Editor
2Guy McElwaine71USProducer, Executive
5Charlton Heston84USActor
8Stanley Kamel65USActor
11Willoughby Goddard81UKActor
14Ollie Johnston95USAnimator
14June Travis93USActress
15Hazel Court93UKActress
18Kay Linaker94USActress, Screenwriter
18Joy Page83USActress
23Dave Atkins67UKActor
24Tristram Cary82UKComposer
28Alan Jaggs90UKFilm Editor
29Julie Ege64NorwayActress
May 1Bernard Archard91UKActor
1Terry Duggan76UKActor
2Beverlee McKinsey72USActress
4Fred Haines72USScreenwriter, Director
12Robert Russell71UKActor
12Claudio Undari73ItalyActor
13Jill Adams77UKActress
13John Phillip Law70USActor
14John Forbes-Robertson80UKActor
15Alexander Courage88USOrchestrator, Composer
15Hanna Hertelendy88HungaryActress
16Sandy Howard80USDirector, Producer
18Joseph Pevney96USDirector
22Harry Lange77GermanyProduction Designer
24Dick Martin86USActor
26Sydney Pollack73USDirector, Producer, Actor
28Earle Hagen88USComposer, Orchestrator
29Harvey Korman81USActor
June 2Bo Diddley79USActor, Musician
2Mel Ferrer90USActor, Director
7Dino Risi91ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
11Jean Desailly87FranceActor
15Sydney J. Bartholomew Jr.54USProduction Designer
15Stan Winston62USMakeup Artist
17Henry Beckman86CanadaActor
17Cyd Charisse86USActress, Dancer
18Jean Delannoy100FranceDirector
22George Carlin71USActor, Comedian
22Dody Goodman93USActress
23John Furlong75USActor
24William Vince45CanadaProducer
26Lilyan Chauvin82FranceActress
29Don S. Davis67USActor
July 1Adele Palmer92USCostume Designer
2Elizabeth Spriggs78UKActress
4Evelyn Keyes91USActress
6Nonna Mordyukova82RussiaActress
7Bruce Conner74USDirector
9Charles H. Joffe78USProducer
22Patrick Connor81UKActor
22Estelle Getty84USActress
27Youssef Chahine82EgyptDirector
27Marisa Merlini84ItalyActress
29Luther Davis91USScreenwriter
August 1Gertan Klauber76UKActor
7Bernie Brillstein77USProducer
9Bernie Mac50USActor, Comedian
10Isaac Hayes65USActor, Singer, Songwriter
11George Furth75USActor
11Terence Rigby71UKActor
14Robert Jessup78USCinematographer
15Molly McClure89USActress
16Roberta Collins63USActress
19Julius Carry56USActor
24Morris Sullivan91USProducer
24Peter Sutton65UKSound Engineer
25Marpessa Dawn74USActor
25Rita Quigley85USActress
31Ken Campbell66UKActor
31Jerry Reed71USActor, Singer, Songwriter
September 1Michael Pate88AustraliaActor, Director
2Bill Melendez91MexicoAnimator, Director, Producer
6Anita Page98USActress
8Celia Gregory58UKActress
18Florestano Vancini82ItalyDirector, Screenwriter
19David Jones74UKDirector
20William Fox97UKActor
24Irene Dailey88USActress
26Paul Newman83USActor, Director
29Louis Guss90USActor
October 1Robert Arthur87USActor
5Kim Chan90ChinaActor
5Ken Ogata71JapanActor
7Peter Copley93UKActor
8Eileen Herlie90UKActress
11Vija Artmane79LatviaActress
11Neal Hefti85USComposer
11Mark Shivas70UKProducer
11Gil Stratton86USActor
13Guillaume Depardieu37FranceActor
15Edie Adams81USActress
15Nathan Davis91USActor
15Vicki Graef58USCostume Designer
18Xie Jin84ChinaDirector
19Rudy Ray Moore81USActor
23Gianluigi Braschi45ItalyProducer
24Milton Katselas75USDirector
27Roy Stewart83JamaicaActor
31Jonathan Bates68UKSound Engineer
31John Daly71UKProducer
November 1Yma Sumac85PeruSinger, Actress
5Michael Crichton66USScreenwriter, Director
5Michael Higgins88USActor
8Arthur A. Ross88USScreenwriter
17Irving Brecher94USScreenwriter, Director
17Ennio de Concini84ItalyScreenwriter
19John Michael Hayes89USScreenwriter
20June Vincent89USActress
26De'Angelo Wilson29USActor
December 1Paul Benedict70USActor
2Malcolm Cooke79UKFilm Editor
5Nina Foch84NetherlandsActress
5Beverly Garland82USActress
8Robert Prosky77USActor
8Bob Spiers63UKDirector
12Van Johnson92USActor
16Sam Bottoms53USActor
16Richard Coleman78UKActor
17Paul Greco53USActor
18John Costelloe47USActor
18Jack Douglas81UKActor
20Robert Mulligan83USDirector
24Harold Pinter78UKScreenwriter, Actor, Director
25Eartha Kitt81USActress, Singer
25Ann Savage87USActress
30Bernie Hamilton80USActor
31Brad Sullivan77USActor
31Donald E. Westlake75MexicoScreenwriter

Film debuts

See also

References
  1. "Movies 2008 Year in Review". IGN. 2008-12-17. Archived from the original on 2023-04-17.
  2. 10 Best Films of 2008
  3. "2008 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  4. "Warner Bros. Entertainment Wraps Record-Breaking Year" (Press release). Warner Bros. January 8, 2009. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016.
  5. "The Dark Knight Breaks $400 Million in Record Time". 2008-08-05. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  6. "The Dark Knight Re-Release IMAX Locations". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  7. Gray, Brandon (February 20, 2009). "Billion Dollar Batman". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  8. "All Time Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009.
  9. "Statistical Yearbook 10" (PDF). UK Film Council. 2010. pp. 6, 16–9, 24–6, 32–7, 46–7, 83–9, 112–8. Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via British Film Institute.
  10. "Statistical Yearbook 11" (PDF). UK Film Council. 2011. pp. 25–6, 109. Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via British Film Institute.
  11. "Slumdog Mauls Box Office Record". Sky News. 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  12. Adam Dawtrey (2008-04-28). "Edinburgh Launches Cult Film Sidebar". Variety. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
  13. Frey (April 28, 2008). "Film Premiere Of "Aduri" An Independent Film May 16th At University of MD, Hoff Theater". Maryland Films. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  14. "Woman's Hearts". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
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