2010 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2010, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths. There was a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After and numerous other titles being released in 3D formats. 20th Century Fox and Republic Pictures celebrated their 75th anniversaries.
Evaluation of the year In his article highlighting the best movies of 2010, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said: "At times it feels as if we’re living in something of a cinematic golden age, but one that’s altogether different from earlier halcyon days. Where some celebrate the former genius of the system to explain an earlier day’s proliferation of fine movies, now the system is something of a blunderer that often flings itself into follies or even crushes inspiration under its weight, but sometimes gets carried away, for reasons good or bad, and hands surprising control of vast resources over to artists who make stunningly audacious and personal use of them. The best filmmakers working in Hollywood have a passionate grasp of the cinematic past, but they don’t swoon over its polish or emulate its styles, they excavate it for its raw materials. There’s also a ferment here of independent filmmaking that liberates young people who, in earlier times, might have had to scuffle or supplicate for years while angling for a practical chance that now, with video, and with adequate effort, they can seize for themselves. Some of these independents have developed distinctive methods as well as aesthetics—regarding subject matter, picture, and performance—that are apt for the means of production. They make their lives, their homes, their families, their problems, and even their art the focus of their movies, and because, in their individuality, they share much with others in their generation, their stories, at their best—reflecting the age-old clashes and strivings of talented and ambitious youths in life, love, and art—reverberate deeply and widely. Meanwhile, the proliferation of arthouse cinemas and the sudden availability of classics on DVD and via Netflix go hand in hand with the rise of their art: their fierce focus on the immediate and the intimate includes the intensely personal experience of movies—whether treasures from the history of cinema or instant classics newly arrived from around the world. And, thanks to the Internet’s rapidity of ripple-effects that carry word from bloggers and enthusiasts to the world at large, the independent aesthetic and its artists have quickly had an impact on the Hollywood mainstream, in salutary ways."
Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2010 by worldwide gross are as follows:
+ Highest-grossing films of 2010 Rank Title Distributor Worldwide gross 1 Toy Story 3Disney $1,066,969,703 2 Alice in Wonderland $1,025,467,110 3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Warner Bros. $960,897,696 4 Inception $828,258,695 5 Shrek Forever After Paramount $752,600,867 6 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Summit $698,491,347 7 Iron Man 2 Paramount $623,933,331 8 Tangled Disney $592,461,732 9 Despicable Me Universal $543,113,985 10How to Train Your Dragon Paramount $494,878,759
Box office records 2010 was the first year to have two films cross the billion-dollar milestone. Toy Story 3 was the first animated film to gross $1 billion, and is currently the twelfth highest-grossing animated film ever worldwide. This is also the first time that five animated films have been present in the Top 10 highest-grossing films of the year; two of them are in the Top 5. Toy Story 3 surpassed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) as the highest-grossing film ever distributed by Disney. It was later surpassed by The Avengers in 2012.
The year saw four films debut with more than $100 million, breaking the opening record of 2007 with three releases, and 2004 with two.
Events January 17 – The 67th Golden Globe Awards winners were announced. 21 – The nominations of the 63rd BAFTA Awards were announced. 23 – The 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards winners were announced.
February 1 – The nominations of the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards were announced. 2 – The nominations of the 82nd Academy Awards were announced. 11 to 21 – The 60th Berlin International Film Festival was held. 21 – The 64th BAFTA Awards winners were announced
March 6 – The 30th Golden Raspberry Awards winners were announced. 7 – The 82nd Academy Awards winners were announced. 28 – The 15th Empire Awards winners were announced.
May 12 to 23 – The 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held.
June 6 – The 2010 MTV Movie Awards winners were announced.
July 9 – Despicable Me is released in theaters, launching one of the highest-grossing franchises in film history. 22 to August 1 – The 10th Era New Horizons Film Festival was held.
September 1 to 11 – The 67th annual Venice Film Festival was held. 9 to 19 – The 35th annual Toronto Film Festival was held.
October 8 to 17 – The 26th Warsaw International Film Festival was held. 20 to 24 – The 1st American Film Festival was held in Wrocław.
November 26 to 28 – The 4th Dawn Breakers International Film Festival was held. 26 to December 5 – The 12th Jakarta International Film Festival was held.
December 4 – The 23rd European Film Awards was held. 11 – The 52nd Australian Film Institute Awards winners were announced.
Awards Category/Organization 16th Critics' Choice AwardsJanuary 14, 2011 68th Golden Globe AwardsJanuary 16, 2011 Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards 64th BAFTA AwardsFebruary 13, 2011 83rd Academy AwardsFebruary 27, 2011 Drama Musical or Comedy Best Film The Social Network The Kids Are All Right The King's Speech Best Director David FincherThe Social Network Tom HooperThe King's Speech David FincherThe Social Network Tom HooperThe King's Speech Best Actor Colin FirthThe King's Speech Paul GiamattiBarney's Version Colin FirthThe King's Speech Best Actress Natalie PortmanBlack Swan Annette BeningThe Kids Are All Right Natalie PortmanBlack Swan Best Supporting Actor Christian BaleThe Fighter Geoffrey RushThe King's Speech Christian BaleThe Fighter Best Supporting Actress Melissa LeoThe Fighter Helena Bonham CarterThe King's Speech Melissa LeoThe Fighter Best Screenplay, Adapted Aaron SorkinThe Social Network Aaron SorkinThe Social Network Aaron SorkinThe Social Network Best Screenplay, Original David SeidlerThe King's Speech Christopher NolanInception David SeidlerThe King's Speech Best Animated Film Toy Story 3 Best Original Score The Social NetworkTrent Reznor and Atticus Ross The King's SpeechAlexandre Desplat The Social NetworkTrent Reznor and Atticus Ross Best Original Song "If I Rise"127 Hours "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"Burlesque colspan=2 "We Belong Together"Toy Story 3 Best Foreign Language Film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo In a Better World The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo In a Better World Best Documentary Waiting for "Superman" colspan=2 Waiting for "Superman" Inside Job
Palme d'Or (63rd Cannes Film Festival): Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ), directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand
Golden Lion (67th Venice International Film Festival): Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola, United States
Golden Bear (60th Berlin International Film Festival): Honey (Bal), directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu, Turkey
2010 films By country/region List of American films of 2010 List of Argentine films of 2010 List of Australian films of 2010 List of Bangladeshi films of 2010 List of Brazilian films of 2010 List of British films of 2010 List of Canadian films of 2010 List of Chinese films of 2010 List of Egyptian films of 2010 List of French films of 2010 List of Hong Kong films of 2010 List of Italian films of 2010 List of Indian films of 2010 List of Assamese films List of Bengali films of 2010 List of Hindi films of 2010 List of Gujarati films List of Kannada films of 2010 List of Malayalam films of 2010 List of Marathi films of 2010 List of Odia films of 2010 List of Punjabi films of 2010 List of Tamil films of 2010 List of Telugu films of 2010 List of Tulu films List of Japanese films of 2010 List of Lebanese films List of Mexican films of 2010 List of Pakistani films of 2010 List of Swedish films of the 2000s List of South Korean films of 2010 List of Spanish films of 2010 List of Turkish films of 2010
By genre/medium List of action films of 2010 List of animated feature films of 2010 List of avant-garde films of 2010 List of comedy films of 2010 List of drama films of 2010 List of horror films of 2010 List of science fiction films of 2010 List of thriller films of 2010 List of western films of 2010
Births March 10 - Ryan Kiera Armstrong, American actress April 7 - Alyla Browne, Australian actress May 4 - Brooklynn Prince, American actress and director June 25 - Shrinivas Pokale, Indian actor July 3 - Olivia Booth-Ford, English actress July 7 - Frankie Corio, Scottish actress July 12 - Federico Ielapi, Italian actor August 1 - Jude Hill, Northern Irish actor October 18 - Andrey Andreev, Russian actor Unknown - Amie Donald, New Zealand actress and dancer
Deaths