2020 in film is a history of events, which includes the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2020, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths.
Evaluation of the year
The year was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with numerous films originally scheduled for theatrical release postponed or released on video-on-demand or streaming services. However, several film companies stopped reporting box-office numbers during this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and several films were still in theaters where guidelines were in place.[1] As a result, film grosses will increase if they are re-released in the future. This was also the first year since 2007 that no film grossed $1 billion.
Highest-grossing films
The top films released in 2020 by worldwide gross are as follows:[2]
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train | Toho / Aniplex | $507,127,293[4] |
| 2 | The Eight Hundred | CMC Pictures | $461,421,559 |
| 3 | My People, My Homeland | China Lion | $433,241,288[5] |
| 4 | Bad Boys for Life | Sony | $426,505,244 |
| 5 | Tenet | Warner Bros. | $365,309,519 |
| 6 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Paramount | $319,715,683 |
| 7 | Dolittle | Universal | $251,410,631 |
| 8 | Jiang Ziya | Beijing Enlight | $243,883,429 |
| 9 | A Little Red Flower | HG Entertainment | $238,600,000[6][7] |
| 10 | Shock Wave 2 | Universe Films | $226,400,000 |
After being re-released in 4K in China, earning $26.4 million, the overall gross for the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone increased to over $1.008 billion, becoming the 47th film overall and the second billion-dollar film in the Wizarding World franchise, after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, at $1.342 billion.
2020 box office records
- China overtook North America as the world's largest box office market for the first time in 2020. China generated US$2.7 billion in theatrical revenue compared to North America's US$2.3 billion, the lowest for the North American box office in at least 40 years.[8] This has been largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a greater negative impact in North America than in Asia.[9]
- Because of the relatively smaller impact of the pandemic on Asian film markets, the majority (6) of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year are East Asian (Chinese and Japanese) productions for the first time in history, as the rankings were previously dominated by North American productions.[10]
Film records
- At the end of 2020, The Eight Hundred became the first Chinese and first non-Hollywood film to top the global box office with more than $450 million in gross.[11] It was later overtaken by Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train in May 2021.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, a Japanese anime film based on the manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, broke a number of box office records.
- It became the first ever non-Hollywood film production to become the highest-grossing film of the year[12] and the first 2D-animated feature to become the highest grossing movie of the year since Disney's The Lion King in 1994.
- It set the all-time box office records for the highest-grossing Japanese film, the highest-grossing anime film, and the highest-grossing R-rated animated film.[13]
- In Japan, Mugen Train set the first-day opening record with ¥1.2 billion (US$11.3 million),[14] before breaking the opening weekend record with ¥4.6 billion (US$43.8 million) over three days.[15] It went on to have the highest-grossing second weekend and, in ten days, became the fastest film to cross ¥10 billion (US$96.7 million), surpassing Spirited Away (2001), which had previously crossed the ¥10 billion milestone in 19 days and held the record for 19 years.[16] Mugen Train also became the fastest film to cross ¥20 billion in Japan, again faster than Spirited Away.[17] It also set the record for the highest-grossing IMAX release in Japan, surpassing the previous record holder, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).[18] In 59 days, Mugen Train set another record as the fastest film to cross the ¥30 billion milestone,[19] faster than Spirited Away, which took 253 days to reach the same milestone.[20] In 66 days, the film set another record as the first film to top the Japanese box office charts for ten straight weekends (since the charts began publication in 2004).[21] In 73 days, Mugen Train grossed ¥32.48 billion to become the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, surpassing Spirited Away, which held the record for 19 years.[22]
- In Taiwan, Mugen Train grossed NT$360 million (US$12.6 million) in 17 days, setting the record for the highest-grossing animated film of all time in Taiwan, surpassing the previous record holders Frozen 2 (2019) and Your Name (2016).[23][24] In 20 days, Mugen Train became the first animated film to cross NT$400 million in Taiwan,[25] before later crossing the NT$500 million milestone.[26]
- The film was also the first R-rated film since Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995 to be the highest-grossing film of the year overall.
- The film was also the first animated film since The Jungle Book in 1967 to be the highest-grossing film of the year overall and not the highest-grossing animated film of all time at the time.
- Sonic the Hedgehog broke Pokémon: Detective Pikachu's record for the highest opening weekend for a film based on a video game, with $70 million in domestic gross in the United States and Canada.[27] It went on to become the highest-grossing film based on a video game in the United States and Canada, surpassing Detective Pikachu, although it did not beat it in the worldwide box office.[28] Sonic the Hedgehog is also the highest-grossing superhero film of 2020, ending the Marvel Cinematic Universe's decade-long run of having the highest-grossing superhero film of the year (from 2010 to 2019).[29][30]
- For the first time in box office history, two non-American animated film productions (Asian films), Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train from Japan and Jiang Ziya from China, have become the highest-grossing animated films of the year. This has been partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] It is also the first time since 1987 that a non-American animated film (Japanese anime), Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, became the highest-grossing animated film of the year, and the first time an anime has made it to the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year worldwide.
- 2020 was the first year since 2007 not to have a film gross $1 billion during its theatrical run, the first year since 2005 not to have a film gross over $900 million, and the first year since 2000 not to have a film gross over $600 million, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2020 was the first year since 1995 in which no film was among the 20 highest-grossing films of all time at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Events
- April 28, 2020 - AMC Theaters announces they will not carry films from Universal Pictures following the premium video on demand release of DreamWorks Animation's Trolls World Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell commented in The Wall Street Journal that the studio wanted to release films via premium video-on-demand simultaneously with theatrical releases.[32]
- July 28, 2020 - AMC and Universal resolves their dispute, with AMC agreeing to a shorter theatrical window of 17 days before Universal could release their films via premium VOD, as well as revenue sharing on the premium VOD window.[33]
Award ceremonies
Festivals
List of some of the film festivals for 2020 that have been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).
| Date | Event | Host | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 23–February 2 | 2020 Sundance Film Festival | Sundance Film Festival | Park City, Utah, United States |
| February 20–March 1 | 70th Berlin International Film Festival | Berlin International Film Festival | Berlin, Germany |
| Cancelled | 2020 Cannes Film Festival | Cannes Film Festival | Cannes, France |
| September 2–12 | 77th Venice International Film Festival | Venice Film Festival | Venice, Italy |
| September 10–21 | 2020 Toronto International Film Festival | Toronto International Film Festival | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Awards
Palme d'Or (73rd Cannes Film Festival): Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Golden Lion (77th Venice International Film Festival):
- Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao, United States
Golden Bear (70th Berlin International Film Festival):
- There Is No Evil (شیطان وجود ندارد), directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran
People's Choice Award (45th Toronto International Film Festival):
- Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao, United States
2020 films
By country/region
- List of American films of 2020
- List of Australian films of 2020
- List of Bangladeshi films of 2020
- List of British films of 2020
- List of Canadian films of 2020
- List of Chinese films of 2020
- List of Filipino films of 2020
- List of Hong Kong films of 2020
- List of Indian films of 2020
- List of Japanese films of 2020
- List of Pakistani films of 2020
- List of Portuguese films of 2020
- List of Russian films of 2020
- List of South Korean films of 2020
- List of Spanish films of 2020
By genre/medium
Deaths
Film debuts
- Jon Beavers – The Only One
- Alyla Browne – Children of the Corn
- Alan Kim – Minari
- Jayme Lawson – Farewell Amor
- Jay Lycurgo – Listen
- Talia Ryder – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
- Kiran Sonia Sawar – Mogul Mowgli
- Rachel Sennott – Tahara
- Shelby Simmons – Stargirl
- Milena Smit – Cross the Line
Notes
- ^ The ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, winners announced online.
- ^ The ceremony was held and broadcast live online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ The ceremony was held live at RAI Studios and broadcast by Rai 1 while the candidates were connected via video due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ From 2020 onward, the category was shifted from the Critics' Choice Awards to the ancillary Critics' Choice Super Awards.
- ^ From 2016 onward, the category was shifted from the Critics' Choice Awards to the ancillary Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.
References
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- ^ "2020 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived October 26, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Worldwide Box Office". Archived 2020-02-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- ^ "Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-Hen (2020)". The Numbers. Archived 2020-12-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Wo He Wo De Jia Xiang (2020)". The Numbers. Archived 2023-04-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
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- ^ "Song Ni Yi Duo Xiao Hong Hua (2021)". The Numbers. Archived 2021-01-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (1 January 2021). "It's Official: 2020 Domestic Box Office Fell 80 Percent to $2.3B Behind China's $2.7B". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived 4 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ "China overtakes US as world's biggest movie box office in 2020". Sky News. Sky Group. 19 October 2020. Archived 29 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Fuster, Jeremy (15 December 2020). "China, Japan Delivered Half of 2020's Top 10 Box Office Hits". TheWrap. Archived 4 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "China's the Eight Hundred Becomes First Non-Hollywood Film to Top Yearly Global Box Office w/ $450.4M". 29 January 2021.
- ^ Adkins, Frankie (2021-05-13). "The 50 highest-grossing R-Rated movies of all time". Newsweek. Archived 2021-06-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Alt, Matt (18 June 2021). ""Demon Slayer": The Viral Blockbuster from Japan". The New Yorker. Archived 19 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Harding, Daryl (October 18, 2020). "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Continues to Charge Through Japanese Box Office, Over 1 Billion Yen Made in One Day". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ Harding, Daryl (October 19, 2020). "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Anime Film Exceeds 4.6 Billion Yen in 3-Day Opening Weekend, Biggest Opening Weekend Ever in Japan". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Archived 20 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ Harding, Daryl (October 26, 2020). "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Crosses 10 Billion Yen at Japanese Box Office, Beating Spirited Away's Record". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ Harding, Daryl. "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Exceeds 20 Billion Yen at Japan's Box Office, Now 5th Biggest Film in Japan Ever". Crunchyroll. Archived 2020-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (15 November 2020). "'Demon Slayer' Now Biggest IMAX Title Ever In Japan As Anime Smash Trains Sights On More Records; 'Freaky' Shows Strong In Australia – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived 24 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (14 December 2020). "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Anime Film Is the 2nd Film Ever to Cross 30 Billion Yen at Japanese Box Office". Crunchyroll. Archived 15 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (13 December 2020). "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Film Is 1st Since Spirited Away to Earn 30 Billion Yen". Anime News Network. Archived 15 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (22 December 2020). "Japan Box Office: Demon Slayer's Non-stop Domination Finally Reaches Its 10th Week". Crunchyroll. Archived 22 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Harding, Daryl. "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Dethrones Spirited Away to Become the No. 1 Film in Japan of All Time". Crunchyroll. Archived 29 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Harding, Daryl (16 November 2020). "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Anime Film Dominates Making 23.3 Billion Yen in Japan in Just 1 Month". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Loo, Egan (17 November 2020). "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Film Is #1 Film in Taiwan in 2020, #1 All-Time Animated Film in Taiwan". Anime News Network. Archived 17 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
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- ^ "全國電影票房2020年11/23-11/29統計資訊" (in Chinese). Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. 29 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 17, 2020). "'Sonic The Hedgehog' Breaks Videogame Game Pic Opening Record With $70M & Reps 4th Best Presidents' Weekend Debut – Monday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived February 15, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
- ^ Mendelson, Scott. "'Sonic The Hedgehog' Just Raced Past A Major Box Office Milestone". Forbes. Archived 2020-03-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
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- ^ Wit, Alex Dudok de (2 November 2020). "Two Asian Features Are Now Competing To Top The Global Animation Box Office In 2020". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Pallotta, Frank (April 29, 2020). "AMC bans Universal films from its theaters over ‘Trolls World Tour’ spat". CNN. Archived July 29, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
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