Rewinding 2024 - The Year in Film

How to assess 2024? In terms of movies, seemingly everything about it felt strange. Inside Out came seemingly out-of-nowhere to become not only the highest grossing movie of the year (in terms of domestic box office) but the biggest animated film of all time. On the other side of the coin, one of the year’s expected blockbusters, Joker 2, bombed. At one time, the first sequel was expected to reach or exceed the total of its predecessor ($335M domestic, $1.08B worldwide) but it fell almost an order of magnitude short ($58M domestic, $206M worldwide).

The resounding success of Deadpool and Wolverine, which closed out the year in the #2 position with a domestic gross of >$600M, illustrated that the comic book movie genre isn’t dead. However, viewers have become more selective when it comes to superhero films. No longer is it simply good enough to label something as being “from DC” or “from Marvel.” Those labels, which were gold a decade ago, have lost their luster. Of the several comic book-inspired films released in 2024, the only one to appear on the Top 10 box office chart is the third Deadpool production.

If one uses the $200M marker as the gateway to genuine blockbuster territory, eight titles made the cut. (That seems to be a fair number since $100M was the gold standard back when tickets were about half the price they are today.) Seven of the eight are sequels. The other, Wicked, could arguably be considered a prequel (to The Wizard of Oz), but even if one chooses not to apply that label, it has a well-established pedigree as a long-running and much-loved Broadway production. The first truly original property to find its way onto the money chart is in position #14, It Ends with Us (which is currently fodder for countless gossip columns). In fact, of the Top 20, 17 of the 20 are sequels/prequels/reboots/etc. This reinforces the narrative that the big money is in providing consumers with familiar characters & settings. There are two obvious issues with this approach: choosing the right material (more an art than a science) and figuring out how to get new material into the pipeline so it can eventually bear fruit with its own sequels.

2024 was front-loaded, which is often not the case. Once July expired, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about unless you’re under the age of 12. Putting aside family-friendly fare (Moana 2 and Wicked in particular), only one of the Top 10 was released after August 1 (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice). The biggest movies of the year arrived during the summer months. This isn’t surprising. What is surprising is how weak November/December proved to be with only Gladiator II making a dent for viewers in the market to see something without their kids. As for the family fare, there’s a sense that oversaturation may have diminished the market somewhat for the quartet of Wicked, Moana 2, Mufasa, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. That’s too many movies to see in too short a time span. The biggest loser would seem to be Mufasa; it’s surprising Disney didn’t either move that up to October or move it back to February, both of which might have been more opportune. Family films are proven draws – provided they are sufficiently shiny to captivate kids – but they need to be spaced out or they will cannibalize one another. Some of that is evident in the current box office. And, because they are taking up so many screens, those who want to see something else – anything – might have to travel to a less-convenient theater. Or wait until streaming.

Although one could conveniently place the blame for the tepid end-of-the-year schedule on the 2023 dual strike (I’m not sure that’s nearly as culpable as some have argued – it feels at least in part to be a scapegoat), it was an unwelcome surprise that the indie roster was as lackluster as the mainstream one. Oh, there were good films to be found in the weeds but not as many nuggets of gold as in years past. Many of the indies with the hottest buzz failed to deliver at the expected level. How many of these end-of-the-year darlings found a place on my personal Top 10? Two (and that’s assuming one considers Nosferatu to be an indie production, which is debatable). A lot of the November/December/January releases were stamped with three stars – perfectly watchable but hardly transformative.

In the final analysis, it’s hard to find much to differentiate 2024 from 2023 – an indication that we may now be fully entrenched in the “new normal.” By the numbers, using my reviews:

4 stars: 0 (2023), 0 (2024)
3.5 stars: 9 (2023), 10 (2024)
3 stars: 40 (2023), 37 (2024)
2.5 stars: 26 (2023), 23 (2024)
2 stars: 22 (2023), 26 (2024)
1.5 stars: 3 (2023), 8 (2024)
1 star: 3 (2023), 2 (2024)

Although 2024 showed a higher number of 1.5/2 star titles, the overall profile of both years was comparable with 49 solid recommendations in 2023 and 47 in 2024. So this is where we are. And, although the titles will change, I don’t think we can expect another big shift in the near future.

What about 2025? The roster looks similar when it comes to the big titles, with both Marvel and DC making plays for stronger relevancy. With the latter, the focus is on the new Superman, which is being hyped through the roof (with – get this – a teaser for the teaser). So there’s a lot riding on its July 11 release. Marvel has three MCU movies in the wings: February’s Captain America: Brave New World (which could bomb based on negative pre-release buzz), May’s Thunderbolts* (which is positioned to open the summer season), and July 24’s The Fantastic Four (which is hugely anticipated). Other notable titles: the live-action Snow White (March), A Minecraft Movie (April), Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning (May), live-action Lilo & Stitch (May), Ballerina (June), live-action How to Train Your Dragon (June), Jurassic World Rebirth (July), Tron: Ares (October), The Running Man (November), Wicked 2 (November), and Zootopia 2 (November). Pretty much nothing is being in released in December to avoid conflicting with the December 19 monster: Avatar 3. It wouldn’t surprise me if, a year from now, I was writing a column showing strong similarities in the numbers between 2025 and 2024. Like I said, “this is where we are.”

Notable Performances

My process for determining which performances to highlight is different from that of most critics. Without relying on any list or other written material, I reflect on all the movies I can remember from the year and think of which performances have stuck with me. I don’t differentiate between men and women or leading actors and supporting ones. A performance is a performance is a performance. Here are the ten most memorable for me, presented alphabetically by last name.

Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown: The movie is merely good (as opposed to great), and some without an affinity for Bob Dylan’s oeuvre might consider it to be less than that. But it’s hard to argue that Chalamet doesn’t become the singer/songwriter for the better part of two hours. The only outstanding question relates to whether this is more acting or impersonation/imitation. Regardless, it’s damn effective

Lily-Rose Depp, Nosferatu: I still don’t know of Depp can act. She has been pretty bad in almost everything else in which she has appeared but her work in Nosferatu is off-the-charts unsettling. Is this the case of her finding the one role she can nail or has a wellspring of talent been unlocked? I don’t know; time will tell. But she’s excellent here.

Hugh Grant, Heretic: His performance in Heretic has caused me to reevaluate Grant as an actor. He has played villainous types before but has never used the full force of his considerable charisma to this effect. I know Chalamet and Adrien Brody (who didn’t make my list) are considered the Oscar front-runners but when I think back on 2024, Grant’s turn in Heretic is one I can’t shake.

Nicholas Hoult, The Order: Holt had three high-profile turns in 2024 (also Nosferatu and Juror #2) and has been featured recently as Lex Luthor in the 2025 Superman trailer. But his work in The Order is perhaps the most arresting thing he has done. He is riveting and frightening – a seemingly ordinary man whose creed of hatred and intolerance has transformed him into something monstrous. This is all done without a hint of overacting or campiness.

Hugh Jackman, Deadpool and Wolverine: Yes, it’s a pure popcorn flick, but I’m going to give Jackman some love, even over his co-star, Ryan Reynolds. Jackman knows the character so well that he has been able to play various versions of Wolverine over the years, from the comic book action flavor to the beaten-down dystopian one. Here, the multiverse (my most despised plot device of recent years) gives him a chance to try another kind of Wolverine (with nods to all the others). He takes it and runs with it as only an accomplished actor can do.

Nicole Kidman, Babygirl: Well into her 50s, Kidman plays a role that might have challenged actors 20 years her junior, but perhaps a younger performer wouldn’t have been able to give such a lived-in portrayal: a controlling CEO in public and a sexually submissive woman with a variety of kinks in private. It’s racy material, played openly and honestly by an actress who can present vulnerability, eroticism, and manipulation. For this, I’ll forgive that godawful AMC opening bit that I have probably seen 200 times too many.

Mikey Madison, Anora: Speaking of “vulnerability” and “eroticism,” both of descriptors could be applied to Mikey Madison’s Anora, which earned my vote in both the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle awards (she won) and the CCA (pending). Unashamedly naked throughout the first 45 minutes, she shows a gift for physical comedy during the middle act and a strength of character down the final stretch. She’s not an unknown but this qualifies as a breakthrough performance.

Jesse Plemons, Civil War: Plemons’ role in Civil War amounted to little more than a cameo, but what a riveting cameo it was! This is proof that an actor sometimes doesn’t need a lot of time to leave an impression. Of all the things I can recall about Civil War, Plemons’ brief appearance as an amoral, sadistic loyalist is the clearest. I’ll re-iterate what I wrote in the review: “Plemons is so good in this role that, despite having minimal screen time, he steals the entire movie.”

Margo Qualley, The Substance: Everyone wants to praise Demi Moore for her work in The Substance and, although I’ll admit her performance is fearless (that’s a code word for “she has nude scenes”), I found Qualley to be far more forceful and compelling. She has also oddly been overlooked in Kinds of Kindness, where Emma Stone is more frequently mentioned. Without question, Moore and Stone are better known, but Qualley outshines them both.

Saoirse Ronan, The Outrun: Most of the Oscar buzz surrounding Saoirse Ronan, to the extent that there’s any, relates to Blitz. But it’s only her second-best performance of 2024 and there’s a gulf between her work in the World War II drama and what she provided in The Outrun. Had she been nominated, I would have picked her over Madison in both the PFCC awards and the CCA. Here’s what I wrote in the review and it summarizes how I felt then and how I feel now: “The Outrun’s greatness comes…from the performance of Ronan, which may represent the best work she has done in a rich and varied career. She is, simply put, phenomenal… Ronan inhabits Rona with such absolute conviction that we never get the sense that she is acting. We are pulled into her world. We feel her pain. We endure her spiral. And we are with her on the cold, lonely Orkney Islands where she finds a slice of peace.”

The Top 10

Before I get to the Top 10, I’ll start off with the Bottom 5. One thing to keep in mind with this list is that I intentionally avoid movies I think might be awful – I’m getting old enough that I hate giving away two hours of my life. So the list is skewed. But there are still plenty of films about which I am cautiously hopeful that don’t validate the optimism. I may have softened a little when it comes to really bad movies. I probably gave a few deserving 1.5-star films two stars but these are the worst five. (#1 is the worst-worst, so #5 is the least-worst, if that makes any sense.)

1. Trap
2. Borderlands
3. The Crow
4. Argylle
5. Imaginary

Now, it’s time for the Top 10. This year, there were ten 3.5-star movies, which makes guessing the Top 10 easy. The only mystery, therefore, relates to the specific order. No honorable mentions – those are typically reserved for 3.5-star movies that don’t make the Top 10 and this year, there were none of them. (For anyone curious, the top 3-star movie was The Substance.)

1. The Outrun
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Anora
4. September 5
5. Hit Man
6. Heretic
7. The Wild Robot
8. Nosferatu
9. Origin
10. My Old Ass

The Outrun is an excellent movie, but #1 for the year? Somehow that doesn’t feel right. Yet, when I look at the rest of the Top 10, I can’t find a movie that impacted me as deeply. I’d say that #1, #2, and #3 were close. What this illustrates, I think, is that although 2024 offered its share of worthwhile films, it lacked one that delivered the kind of transformative experience one expects from a #1. The problem is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make a movie of that sort. Blockbusters are too expensive to take the necessary risks, because those risks could fail. (Making Vader Luke’s father was one such risk that no director would attempt today in a big-budget film.) Indies have become increasingly experimental and focused on niche issues. And mid-level movies, which once provided many Top 10 titles, are a dying breed. (They are mostly being expanded and made into streaming series – overall not a bad thing but a loss to those who appreciated this sort of fare in theaters.)

The list has a couple of oddities. Hit Man is technically a theatrical release because Netflix dumped it into a few theaters but this is generally thought of as a streaming title. Best thing I streamed all year. Then there’s Origin, which got a NY/LA December 25, 2023 opening to officially make it a 2023 film. As a result, most people are ignoring it for 2024 even though it opened wide in January (“wide” being relative – it  was never in more than a few hundred theaters). There are a few such movies every year. The class of 2024/25 doesn’t look to have any standouts. I’ve seen most of them and those I haven’t seen don’t look promising.

So that’s the 2024 Top 10. Not the best Top 10 I have ever compiled but I can only work with what’s out there. I don’t expect 2025 to be a transformative year but I retain enough optimism to hope for a few stronger titles at the top and a more robust November/December than the one we got this year.

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