From Pixar's biggest opening ever to Denis Villeneuve's sand-swept epic and a record-breaking R-rated team-up — CineVault's definitive ranking of the 15 best films that hit screens in 2024.
2024 was a year that rewarded scale. Legacy franchises returned with bigger ambitions instead of playing it safe — an animated sequel outgrossed its already-massive predecessor, an R-rated superhero crossover proved that adult-oriented comic book films could still be event cinema, and a sprawling sci-fi sequel demonstrated that patient, visually ambitious world-building could still fill theaters in an era dominated by quick-turnaround content. At the same time, mid-budget original films and animated features carved out real staying power alongside the blockbusters, a reminder that "best of the year" isn't only decided by opening weekend numbers.
This list ranks films using four criteria: box office performance, audience and critical reception, technical or storytelling ambition relative to genre expectations, and cultural staying power beyond the release window. A film lands in the top 15 not because it topped the charts for one weekend, but because it shaped how the rest of the year in film got talked about.
Ranked by worldwide box office performance, critical reception, audience scores, and cultural impact across the 2024 theatrical calendar.
2024 · Kelsey Mann · 1h 36m
Riley hits her teenage years and a chaotic new set of emotions barges into headquarters to challenge Joy. Pixar's biggest opening ever — and the first animated film to cross a billion dollars worldwide.
2024 · Shawn Levy · 2h 8m
Deadpool drags a reluctant Wolverine into a multiverse-saving detour. The biggest R-rated opening of all time and Hugh Jackman's long-awaited, foul-mouthed return to the claws.
2024 · David Derrick Jr. · 1h 40m
A call from her wayfinding ancestors sends Moana back out to sea with a new crew. Retooled from a planned streaming series into a theatrical release, it sailed past a billion dollars worldwide.
2024 · Chris Renaud · 1h 34m
Gru takes on a vengeful new supervillain while adjusting to fatherhood with baby Gru Jr. The minions keep the cash registers ringing, pushing the franchise past five billion dollars lifetime.
2024 · Jon M. Chu · 2h 40m
A green-skinned outcast and a popular golden girl forge an unlikely friendship at Shiz University. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande anchor a lavish first half that became Broadway's biggest screen adaptation yet.
2024 · Barry Jenkins · 1h 58m
An orphaned cub crosses paths with a sympathetic young outsider named Taka, heir to a royal bloodline. Barry Jenkins brings surprising emotional depth to this photoreal prequel.
2024 · Denis Villeneuve · 2h 46m
Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen on a path of vengeance against the conspirators who destroyed his family. A towering, sand-swept sequel widely hailed as one of the best blockbusters of the decade.
2024 · Adam Wingard · 1h 55m
Godzilla and Kong team up against a colossal new threat surfacing from Hollow Earth. Pure kaiju spectacle that pushed the Monsterverse franchise past two and a half billion dollars lifetime.
2024 · Mike Mitchell · 1h 34m
Po must choose a successor while facing a shapeshifting sorceress known as the Chameleon. A lighter, family-friendly closer for the saga's fourth chapter.
2024 · Jeff Fowler · 1h 50m
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles face Shadow, a mysterious new rival unlike anything they've fought before. Jim Carrey doubles up in dual roles, and many fans call it the franchise's strongest entry yet.
2024 · Kelly Marcel · 1h 49m
Eddie and Venom go on the run from both Earth's authorities and otherworldly forces hunting the symbiote. A bittersweet send-off that closes Sony's trilogy on its own chaotic terms.
2024 · Tim Burton · 1h 44m
A family tragedy pulls the Deetz women back to Winter River — and back into Beetlejuice's orbit. Tim Burton's long-awaited sequel leans hard into gleeful, gothic chaos.
2024 · Lee Isaac Chung · 2h 2m
A reluctant storm tracker is pulled back into tornado-chasing season by a flashy rival crew. A loud, earnest legacy sequel built for the biggest screen you can find.
2024 · Justin Baldoni · 2h 10m
A woman's first love re-enters her life just as her relationship with a charming but volatile surgeon unravels. Adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestseller, it became one of the year's biggest non-franchise hits.
2024 · Fede Álvarez · 1h 59m
Young colonists scavenging a derelict space station awaken something far deadlier than they bargained for. Fede Álvarez delivers the franchise's most purely terrifying entry in decades.