2019 in film

Overview of the events of 2019 in film

2019 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2019, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and movie programming. Avengers Endgame was the year's highest grossing film and the highest-grossing of all-time until Avatar regained the top spot in 2021.

Evaluation of the year

In his article highlighting the best movies of 2019, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, "It's the year of apocalyptic cinema of the highest order, the year in which three of our best filmmakers have responded with vast ambition, invention, and inspiration to the crises at hand, including the threats to American democracy, the catastrophic menaces arising from global warming, the corrosive cruelty of ethnic hatreds and nationalist prejudices, and the poisonous overconcentration of money and power. At the same time, it's a year of inside-movies practicalities, of special attention to the business at hand, because of the structural threats to the movie business from new and powerful players. The major crisis specific to cinema outleaps even the great merits of individual movies and invokes basic and comprehensive questions of which movies can be seen and how those movies are acknowledged. It's a terrific year for movies, but it would seem much less so if we only considered movies in wide release. Versions of that refrain come up every year, but what used to be merely a gap between the multiplexes and limited releases has now become an abyss."^[1]

Highest-grossing films

The top films released in 2019 by worldwide gross are as follows:^[2]

Avengers: Endgame became the fifth film to gross $2 billion worldwide and the highest-grossing film of all time. The Lion King, Frozen II, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Captain Marvel, Joker, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Toy Story 4, and Aladdin all grossed $1 billion, with the second, third, and eighth as the first, second, and fifth highest-grossing animated films, respectively. Joker became the first R-rated film in history to surpass $1 billion.

2019 box office records

• The Marvel Cinematic Universe became the first film franchise to gross $18 billion, $19 billion, $20 billion, $21 billion, and $22 billion with the release of Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.^[3]
• The Star Wars franchise became the second film franchise to gross $10 billion with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
• China set the all-time biggest global one-month record in February 2019 with CN¥11.09 billion ($1.63 billion), as a result of Chinese New Year season, surpassing the previous record set by China in February 2018. The month's highest-grossing film was the domestic Chinese film The Wandering Earth, while the highest-grossing foreign film that month was Alita: Battle Angel.^[4]
• Toy Story 4, The Lion King, and Frozen II all earned over $1 billion in the same year, making it the first time three animated films surpassed $1 billion in the same year.

Studio records

• Walt Disney Studios became the first studio in history to surpass $10 billion in worldwide box office grosses in a year.^[5]
• Spider-Man: Far From Home became Sony Pictures' highest-grossing film. The record would be surpassed by 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
• With Toy Story 4, Pixar became the first animation studio to have four animated films (along with Toy Story 3, Finding Dory, and Incredibles 2) each surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box office,^[6] and also the second animated film series to have two installments surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box office, after the Despicable Me franchise in 2017.

Film records

• The Wandering Earth set the all-time opening record in China, grossing $349 million in its first seven days, which also made it the second biggest opening in any territory (after Star Wars: The Force Awakens in North America).^[7]
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu earned the best North American opening for a film based on a video game, with a $58 million debut.^[8] By June 14, 2019, Detective Pikachu became the highest-grossing video game film adaptation in North America, surpassing Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).^[9][10]
• Avengers: Endgame set numerous box office records,^[11][12] including becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.^[13]
• Capernaum became the highest-grossing Middle-Eastern film of all time, having earned more than $50 million worldwide (including $43.5 million in China) by 16 May 2019.^[14]
• Aladdin became the highest-grossing release of all time in the Middle East,^[15] and had the year's biggest opening weekend for a foreign film as well as this year's highest-grossing foreign film in Japan to date. The film has also surpassed Independence Day (1996) to become the highest-grossing film of Will Smith's career.^[16] The film also became the highest-grossing Disney film ever in South Korea, not including films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• In June, Toy Story 4 set the record for the biggest opening for an animated film, with $244.5 million. However, the record was surpassed the following month by The Lion King, which grossed $246 million.^{[dubious – discuss]} The latter then became the fastest animated film to gross $1 billion worldwide, doing so in 21 days, surpassing Incredibles 2 (46 days). The Lion King then surpassed Frozen (2013) to become the highest-grossing animated film and highest-grossing musical film of all time in only 31 days.^[17] On the other hand, Toy Story 4 surpassed Toy Story 3 to become the highest-grossing film of the series.
• The Lion King set the record for the widest opening weekend and widest release ever for North American film history, with 4,725 and 4,802 theaters, respectively.^[18] On August 11, the film surpassed Beauty and the Beast (2017) as the highest-grossing remake of all time worldwide.^[19] On August 26, the film become the first animated film to grossed $1 billion at overseas box office outside North America.
• Ne Zha set the record for the biggest opening for an animated film in China, with $91.5 million, this was also the highest for a non-Hollywood animated film. It later became the first non-Hollywood animated film to earn $500 million (in 17 days), $600 million (in 25 days), and $700 million (in 46 days) and the first animated film not released by Universal, Disney, or Fox to do so.
• Joker became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, and the first R-rated film to pass the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office.^[20]
• In November, Frozen II surpassed the record set by The Lion King earlier in July, as the biggest opening weekend for an animated and musical film with $358.5 million worldwide.
• 2019 is the first year to have nine films cross the billion-dollar milestone, surpassing 2015's and 2018's record of five billion-dollar films.^{[6][21][22][23]}

Events

• March 20 – The Walt Disney Company completes its acquisition of the assets of 21st Century Fox, which includes 20th Century Fox and its subsidiaries.
• April 26 – Avengers: Endgame is released in theatres worldwide, breaking many box-office records, including becoming the second highest grossing movie of all time.^[24]
• November 23 – After a disorder following the screening of the gang-themed British film Blue Story (released the previous day) at Star City, in Birmingham, England, UK cinema chains cancel all screenings of the film.^[25][26]
• December 4 - CBS and Viacom agreed to merge back into one entity after 13 years.^[27] Both companies came to an agreement on the management team for the merger. The reunited company's new name is ViacomCBS.

Award ceremonies

Festivals

List of some of the film festivals for 2019 that have been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF).

Awards

2019 films

By country/region

• List of American films of 2019
• List of Argentine films of 2019
• List of Australian films of 2019
• List of Bangladeshi films of 2019
• List of British films of 2019
• List of Canadian films of 2019
• List of Chinese films of 2019
• List of Filipino films of 2019
• List of French films of 2019
• List of Hong Kong films of 2019
• List of Indian films of 2019
  • List of Assamese films of 2019
  • List of Bengali films of 2019
  • List of Gujarati films of 2019
  • List of Hindi films of 2019
  • List of Kannada films of 2019
  • List of Malayalam films of 2019
  • List of Marathi films of 2019
  • List of Odia films of 2019
  • List of Punjabi films of 2019
  • List of Tamil films of 2019
  • List of Telugu films of 2019
  • List of Tulu films of 2019
• List of Indonesian films
• List of Japanese films of 2019
• List of Malaysian films of 2019
• List of Maldivian films of 2019
• List of Pakistani films of 2019
• List of Portuguese films of 2019
• List of Russian films of 2019
• List of South Korean films of 2019
• List of Spanish films of 2019
• List of Turkish films

By genre/medium

• List of action films of 2019
• List of animated feature films of 2019
• List of avant-garde films of 2019
• List of comedy films of 2019
• List of drama films of 2019
• List of horror films of 2019
• List of science fiction films of 2019
• List of thriller films of 2019
• List of western films of 2019

Deaths

Film debuts

• Carmen Arrufat – The Innocence
• Chloe East – Next Level
• Stéphanie Magnin – Advantages of Travelling by Train
• Tom Mercier – Synonyms
• Rosalía – Pain and Glory
• Nacho Sánchez – Seventeen

Notes

1. From 2016 onward, the category was shifted from the Critics' Choice Awards to the ancillary Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.

References

1. Brody, Richard (4 December 2019). "The Best Movies of 2019". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
2. "2019 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
3. "2019 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo.
4. Wong, Silvia (4 March 2019). "China box office: 'Alita: Battle Angel' tops chart at end of record-breaking month". Screen. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
5. Rubin, Rebecca (December 8, 2019). "Disney Crushes Own Global Box Office Record With Historic $10 Billion". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
6. McClintock, Pamela (August 15, 2019). "Box Office: Toy Story 4 Soars Past $1B Globally". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
7. Sandwell, Ian (21 February 2019). "Netflix has picked up the year's biggest movie (that you've never heard of)". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
8. Mendelson, Scott (May 12, 2019). "Box Office: 'Pokemon: Detective Pikachu' Nabs Record $58 Million Weekend". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
9. Oller, Jacob (14 June 2019). "Pokémon Detective Pikachu is now the highest-grossing video game adaptation ever". Syfy Wire. Syfy. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
10. "Video Game Adaptation Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
11. McClintock, Pamela (April 28, 2019). "Avengers: Endgame Box Office: All the Records Broken in $1.2B Global Bow". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
12. D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 29, 2019). "Russo Brothers Break More Records With 'Avengers: Endgame' As FandangoNOW Reports All-Time Home Presales: A List Of All B.O. Benchmarks For Marvel Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
13. McClintock, Pamela (July 20, 2019). "Box Office: 'Avengers: Endgame' Passes 'Avatar' to Become No. 1 Film of All Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
14. "'Capernaum' Director Nadine Labaki Celebrates $40M+ Chinese Box Office: "It's a Big Surprise"". The Hollywood Reporter. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
15. Tartaglione, Nancy (26 July 2019). "'Aladdin' Rides Magic Carpet Past $1B At Worldwide Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
16. "Will Smith Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
17. "'Scary Stories' Leads Newcomers with $20.8M Debut as 'Hobbs & Shaw' Repeats at #1 - Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on 2019-08-11. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
18. Grauso, Alisha (22 July 2019). "Box Office Insider: 'Lion King' Scores Roaring Debut; 'Endgame' Tops All-Time Box Office". Atom Tickets. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
19. "Lion King is Disney's Highest Grossing Non-Marvel/Star Wars Movie Ever". Screen Rant. 11 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
20. "'Joker' is now the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
21. McClintock, Pamela (January 10, 2020). "2019 Global Box Office Revenue Hit Record $42.5B Despite 4 Percent Dip in U.S." The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
22. "2015 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
23. "2018 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
24. Clark, Travis. "The 10 highest-grossing movies of all time at the worldwide box office". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
25. Young, Graham; Chamberlain, Zoe; Balloo, Stephanie (2019-11-24). "Vue bans Blue Story film from all its cinemas after Star City riots". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
26. Walawalkar, Aaron; Halliday, Josh (2019-11-24). "Film about warring gangs is pulled after machete brawl at Birmingham cinema". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
27. Csathy, Peter. "Viacom-CBS Merger Closes Today: A Smart, Practical Marriage of Necessity". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
28. Andreeva, Nellie (September 14, 2018). "NBC To Remain Golden Globes Home With New 8-Year Deal". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
29. Belinchón, Gregorio (13 January 2019). "'Campeones' triunfa en los Forqué, los premios de cine de los productores". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
30. McNary, Dave (November 20, 2018). "'Won't You Be My Neighbor,' 'RBG' Nab Producers Guild Documentary Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
31. "Submissions for 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Close on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018". SAG-AFTRA. October 18, 2018. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
32. Heyrendt, Hubert (11 January 2019). "Les nommés aux Magritte 2019 sont connus". La Libre Belgique (in French). Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
33. "39TH ANNUAL RAZZIE® CALENDAR - The Razzies!". razzies.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
34. "34th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced". Film Independent. November 16, 2018. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
35. McNary, Dave (October 22, 2018). "Oscars: Donna Gigliotti, Glenn Weiss to Produce Telecast". Variety. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
36. "The Saturn Awards". thesaturnawards.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2019-07-12.

External links

• List of 2019 films at IMDb
• 2019 Domestic Grosses at Box Office Mojo
• List of 2019 deaths at IMDb
• List of 2019 births at IMDb