2008 in film

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).
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."
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.
Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2008 by worldwide gross are as follows:
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. 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, and an IMAX reissue in 2009 saw it become the fourth film to gross $1 billion at the global box office.
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. At the UK box office, it became the highest-grossing British independent film (surpassing Four Weddings and a Funeral), the highest-grossing British film without US studio investment, and the biggest ever weekly "increase for a UK saturation release" (surpassing Billy Elliot).
Events
Awards
2008 films
The list of films released in 2008, arranged by country, are as follows:
American films
Argentine films
Australian films
Bengali films
Bhojpuri films
Bollywood films
Brazilian films
British films
French films
Hong Kong films
Italian films
Japanese films
Mexican films
Pakistani films
Russian films
South Korean films
Spanish films
List of Kannada films of 2008
Malayalam films
Tamil films
Telugu films
Births
January 24 - Chlaui Malayao, Filipina child actress
March 14 - Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress
June 3 - Harshaali Malhotra, Indian actress
June 14 - Giulia Benite, Brazilian actress
July 15 - Iain Armitage, American actor
July 31 - Banks Repeta, American actor
August 1 - Emma Berman, American actress
August 13 - Dante Pereira-Olson, American actor
September 18 - Jackson Robert Scott, American actor
November 23 - Asher Blinkoff, American actor
December 22 - Madeleine McGraw, American actress
December - Chloe Coleman, American actress
Deaths
Film debuts
Chadwick Boseman – The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Nerea Camacho – Camino
Jessica Chastain – Jolene
Todd Hanson – The Onion Movie
Boyd Holbrook – Milk
Felicity Jones – Flashbacks of a Fool
Nick Kroll – Adventures of Power
Jennifer Lawrence – Garden Party
Riyadh Mahmood – Aduri
Rooney Mara – Dream Boy
John Oliver – The Love Guru
Martiño Rivas – The Blind Sunflowers
Margot Robbie – Vigilante
Gina Rodriguez – Calling It Quits
Davide Sordella, Pablo Benedetti – Woman's Hearts
Blanca Suárez – Shiver
Jeremy Strong – Humboldt County
Tessa Thompson – Make It Happen
See also
2008
References
External links
List of 2008 films at IMDb
2008 Domestic Grosses at Box Office Mojo
List of 2008 deaths at IMDb
List of 2008 births at IMDb
Film by year