2008 in film
The year 2008 involved many major movie events. The Dark Knight was the year's highest-grossing film, while Slumdog Millionaire won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Evaluation of the year
2008 has been widely considered to be a very significant year for cinema.
The entertainment agency website IGN described 2008 as "one of the biggest years ever for movies." It stated, "2008 was the year when the comic book movie genre not only hits its zenith, but also gained critical respectability thanks to The Dark Knight. Animated films also proved a huge draw for filmgoers, with Pixar's WALL-E becoming not only the highest grossing toon but also the most lauded. Things got off on the right foot with the monster movie madness of Cloverfield. Marvel got down to business laying the groundwork for their superhero team-up The Avengers with the blockbuster hit Iron Man and their respectable attempt at rebooting The Incredible Hulk. The games-to-film genre took a hit this year, with only Max Payne proving to be a worthy adaptation of the source material. We also saw the highly anticipated big-screen returns of iconic characters like Batman, James Bond, and Indiana Jones – some were more successful than others."[1]
The film industry and review website IndieWire described 2008 as "a stellar year for movies" that "gave us tons of unforgettable classics" such as The Wrestler, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Che.[2]
Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2008 by worldwide gross are as follows:[3]
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dark Knight | Warner Bros. | $997,000,000[4] |
| 2 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Paramount | $790,653,942 |
| 3 | Kung Fu Panda | Paramount / DreamWorks | $631,744,560 |
| 4 | Hancock | Sony Pictures / Columbia | $629,443,428 |
| 5 | Mamma Mia! | Universal | $609,841,637 |
| 6 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Paramount / DreamWorks | $603,900,354 |
| 7 | Quantum of Solace | Sony Pictures / Columbia / MGM | $589,580,482 |
| 8 | Iron Man | Paramount | $585,366,247 |
| 9 | WALL-E | Disney | $521,311,860 |
| 10 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | $419,665,568 |
On August 4, The Dark Knight reached a $400 million domestic gross in a record time of 18 days. The previous record was held by Shrek 2, which reached it in 43 days.[5] On August 31, after 45 days in release, The Dark Knight reached $500 million domestically, becoming only the second film in history after Titanic to cross the half-billion-dollar domestic milestone, as well as the first film of the 2000s decade. Worldwide, it grossed $997 million on its initial release,[4] and an IMAX reissue[6] in 2009 saw it become the fourth film to gross $1 billion at the global box office.[7][8] For 2008, the top ten films consisted of three superhero films, three animated films, three action films and one musical film. Mamma Mia! became the highest-grossing film in UK history until it was surpassed by Avatar in 2010. In the domestic box office, 2008 came very close in passing 2007 as the highest-grossing year, falling short by just $30 million.
Events
| Month | Day | Event |
| January | 7 | Due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America Strike, NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association scrap plans to hold its 65th Golden Globe Awards ceremony and instead hold a press conference announcing the winners |
| 13 | The 65th Golden Globe Awards winners were announced. | |
| 16 | The 61st BAFTA Awards nominations were announced with Atonement the leading film with 14 nominations closely followed by No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, both with 7 nominations | |
| 17 – 27 | The 26th Sundance Film Festival is opened with the world premiere of Martin McDonagh's In Bruges and screens over 120 films. The Grand Jury and Audience Award prizes are awarded to Frozen River and The Wackness, respectively. The festival is closed by the world premiere of Bernard Shakey's CSNY/Déjà Vu | |
| 22 | The 80th Academy Awards nominations were announced with No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood the leading films with 8 nominations each, closely followed by Atonement and Michael Clayton, both with 7 | |
| The Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger, 28, is found dead at his home in Manhattan, New York City, from an accidental prescription pills overdose. | ||
| 23 – 3 | The 37th Rotterdam International Film Festival is opened with the world premiere of Lucía Cedrón's narrative feature-film debut Lamb of God (Cordero de Dios). | |
| 26 | The 60th Directors Guild of America Award dinner is held in the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles. The Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film prize is awarded to Joel and Ethan Coen | |
| 27 | The 14th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony is held in the Shrine Exposition Center, Los Angeles. | |
| February | 7 – 17 | The 58th Berlin International Film Festival is opened with the world premiere of Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light and screens over 350 films. The Golden Bear prize is awarded to Elite Squad. The Silver Bear prizes are awarded to Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Director, Reza Naji, Best Actor and Sally Hawkins, Best Actress. The festival is closed by the international premiere of Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind |
| 8 | The 35th Annie Awards ceremony is held in the UCLA's Royce Hall, Los Angeles. The Best Animated Feature prize is awarded to Ratatouille | |
| 9 | The 60th Writers Guild of America Awards are announced in a brief statement. The Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay prizes are awarded to Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) and Diablo Cody (Juno), respectively | |
| 10 | The 61st BAFTA Awards ceremony is held in the Royal Opera House, London. Anthony Hopkins is honoured with the Academy Fellowship. | |
| 12 | The members of the WGA agree a three-year deal with the AMPTP and vote to end the 3-month 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America Strike | |
| 23 | The 28th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony is held in Santa Monica, California. | |
| The 23rd Independent Spirit Awards ceremony is broadcast. The Best Film award is given to Juno. The Best Actor and Best Actress awards are given to Philip Seymour Hoffman and Elliot Page respectively | ||
| 24 | The 80th Academy Awards ceremony is held in the Kodak Theater, Hollywood. | |
| March | 3 | The 28th Genie Awards |
| 9 | The 13th Empire Awards is held in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, England. | |
| 13 – 21 | 7th Tiburon International Film Festival | |
| April | 4 – 13 | 10th Sarasota Film Festival |
| 23 – 4 | 7th Tribeca Film Festival
| |
| 24 – 8 | 51st San Francisco International Film Festival | |
| May | ? – ? | 8th Silver Lake Film Festival |
| 14 – 25 | Entre les murs wins the Palme d'Or while Gomorrah receives the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. | |
| 22 – 15 | 34th Seattle International Film Festival | |
| 26 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earns $126 million in the United States and Canada, becoming the highest-grossing debut of 2008 and the second-highest-grossing for a Memorial Day weekend debut behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. | |
| June | 1 | The 2008 MTV Movie Awards winners were announced |
| A massive fire destroys portions of facilities at Universal Studios in Universal City near Los Angeles, California. | ||
| 14 – 22 | 11th Shanghai International Film Festival | |
| 18 | Iron Man becomes the first movie of 2008 to earn $300 million in the United States and Canada. | |
| 18 – 29 | 62nd Edinburgh International Film Festival. The festival launches a new sidebar celebrating the spirit of discovery, including selections Bigga than Ben, Blood Car, Crack Willow, Spike, Strange Girls, and The Third Pint.[9] | |
| July | 17 – 26 | 8th Era New Horizons Film Festival |
| August | 4 | The Dark Knight reached $400 million in record time at 18 days. The previous record was held by Shrek 2, which reached it in 43 days.[5] |
| 6 – 16 | 61st Locarno International Film Festival | |
| 21 – 1 | 32nd Montreal World Film Festival | |
| 27 – 6 | 65th Venice International Film Festival | |
| September | 4 – 13 | 33rd Toronto International Film Festival |
| 15 – 20 | 33rd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia | |
| 18 – 27 | 56th San Sebastián International Film Festival | |
| 23 – 30 | 6th Bangkok International Film Festival | |
| October | 1 – 12 | 16th Raindance Film Festival |
| 15 – 30 | 52nd London Film Festival | |
| 18 – 26 | 21st Tokyo International Film Festival | |
| November | 18 – 28 | 32nd Cairo International Film Festival |
| December | 5 – 14 | 10th Jakarta International Film Festival |
| 4 – 14 | 23rd Mar del Plata International Film Festival |
Awards
2008 films
The list of films released in 2008, arranged by country, are as follows:
Notable deaths
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 1 | Peter Caffrey | 58 | UK | Actor | |
| 2 | George MacDonald Fraser | 82 | UK | Screenwriter | ||
| 2 | Brice Mack | 90 | US | Background Artist | ||
| 10 | Vampira | 86 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Brad Renfro | 25 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Lois Nettleton | 80 | US | Actress | ||
| 19 | Suzanne Pleshette | 70 | US | Actress | ||
| 22 | Roberto Gari | 88 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Heath Ledger | 28 | Australia | Actor | ||
| 22 | Kevin Stoney | 87 | UK | Actor | ||
| 25 | Christopher Allport | 60 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Louisa Horton | 87 | US | Actress | ||
| February | 2 | Barry Morse | 89 | Canada | Actor | |
| 3 | Charles Fawcett | 92 | UK | Actor | ||
| 4 | Augusta Dabney | 89 | US | Actress | ||
| 6 | John Alvin | 59 | US | Poster Artist | ||
| 7 | Tamara Desni | 94 | Germany-UK | Actress | ||
| 8 | Eva Dahlbeck | 87 | Sweden | Actress | ||
| 8 | Jane Lumb | 65 | UK | Actress | ||
| 9 | Robert DoQui | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 10 | Roy Scheider | 75 | US | Actor | ||
| 11 | James Quinn | 88 | UK | Producer | ||
| 12 | Oscar Brodney | 100 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 12 | David Groh | 68 | US | Actor | ||
| 13 | Kon Ichikawa | 92 | Japan | Director | ||
| 13 | Lionel Mark Smith | 62 | US | Actor | ||
| 14 | Perry Lopez | 76 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Alain Robbe-Grillet | 85 | France | Screenwriter, Director | Last Year at Marienbad | |
| 19 | Mary Barclay | 91 | UK | Actress | ||
| 19 | David Watkin | 82 | UK | Cinematographer | ||
| 21 | Ben Chapman | 82 | US | Actor | Creature from the Black Lagoon | |
| 22 | Dennis Letts | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 28 | John Bliss | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 29 | Gayne Rescher | 83 | US | Cinematographer | ||
| March | 4 | Leonard Rosenman | 83 | US | Composer | |
| 6 | Gustaw Holoubek | 84 | Poland | Actor | ||
| 6 | Alex Sharp | 86 | US | Stuntman, Actor | ||
| 7 | Kay Callard | 84 | Canada | Actress | ||
| 8 | Carol Barnes | 63 | UK | Actress | Shaun of the Dead | |
| 11 | David Nettheim | 83 | Australia | Actor | Paws | |
| 11 | Dave Stevens | 52 | US | Illustrator, Producer | The Rocketeer | |
| 12 | Erwin Geschonneck | 101 | Germany | Actor | Jacob the Liar | |
| 16 | Ivan Dixon | 76 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 18 | Philip Jones Griffiths | 72 | UK | Photographer | The Deer Hunter | |
| 18 | Anthony Minghella | 54 | UK | Director, Screenwriter, Producer | ||
| 19 | Arthur C. Clarke | 90 | Sri Lanka | Writer, Actor | ||
| 19 | Paul Scofield | 86 | UK | Actor | ||
| 24 | Rafael Azcona | 81 | Spain | Screenwriter | ||
| 24 | Richard Widmark | 93 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Art Aragon | 80 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Tony Church | 77 | UK | Actor | ||
| 25 | Abby Mann | 80 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 31 | Jules Dassin | 96 | US | Director | ||
| April | 1 | Floyd Simmons | 84 | US | Actor | |
| 3 | Frosty Freeze | 44 | US | Singer, Actor | Flashdance | |
| 5 | Alex Grasshoff | 79 | US | Director | Young Americans | |
| 5 | Charlton Heston | 84 | US | Actor | ||
| 8 | Stanley Kamel | 65 | US | Actor | ||
| 9 | Lloyd Lamble | 94 | Australia | Actor | The Belles of St Trinian's | |
| 11 | Willoughby Goddard | 81 | UK | Actor | ||
| 14 | Ollie Johnston | 95 | US | Animator | ||
| 14 | June Travis | 93 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Hazel Court | 93 | UK | Actress | ||
| 18 | Kay Linaker | 94 | US | Actress | ||
| 18 | Joy Page | 83 | US | Actress | ||
| 20 | Bebe Barron | 82 | US | Composer | Forbidden Planet | |
| 23 | Dave Atkins | 67 | UK | Actor | ||
| 24 | Tristram Cary | 82 | UK | Composer | ||
| 29 | Lewis Croft | 88 | US | Actor | The Wizard of Oz | |
| 29 | Julie Ege | 64 | Norway | Actress | ||
| May | 1 | Bernard Archard | 91 | UK | Actor | |
| 1 | Terry Duggan | 76 | UK | Actor, Wrangler | ||
| 2 | Beverlee McKinsey | 72 | US | Actress | ||
| 4 | Fred Haines | 72 | US | Screenwriter, Director | ||
| 12 | Robert Russell | 71 | UK | Actor | ||
| 12 | Burton Zucker | 91 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Claudio Undari | 73 | Italy | Actor | ||
| 13 | Jill Adams | 77 | UK | Actress | ||
| 13 | John Phillip Law | 70 | US | Actor | ||
| 14 | John Forbes-Robertson | 80 | UK | Actor | ||
| 15 | Alexander Courage | 88 | US | Composer, Orchestrator | ||
| 16 | Sandy Howard | 80 | US | Director, Producer | ||
| 16 | David Mitton | 69 | UK | Writer, Director | ||
| 18 | Irma Córdoba | 94 | Argentina | Actor | ||
| 18 | Joseph Pevney | 96 | US | Director | ||
| 19 | Vijay Tendulkar | 80 | India | Screenwriter | ||
| 22 | Harry Lange | 77 | Germany | Production Designer | ||
| 24 | Rob Knox | 18 | UK | Actor | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | |
| 24 | Dick Martin | 86 | US | Actor | ||
| 26 | Sydney Pollack | 73 | US | Actor, Director, Producer | ||
| 28 | Earle Hagen | 88 | US | Composer, Orchestrator | ||
| 29 | Harvey Korman | 81 | US | Actor | ||
| June | 1 | Ted Manson | 81 | US | Actor | |
| 2 | Bo Diddley | 79 | US | Actor, Musician | ||
| 2 | Mel Ferrer | 90 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 5 | Bruce Purchase | 69 | UK | Actor | Macbeth | |
| 6 | Bobby Anderson | 75 | US | Actor | It's a Wonderful Life | |
| 7 | Dino Risi | 91 | Italy | Director, Writer | ||
| 11 | Jean Desailly | 87 | France | Actor | ||
| 15 | Stan Winston | 62 | US | Director, Makeup Artist | ||
| 17 | Henry Beckman | 86 | Spain | Actor | ||
| 17 | Cyd Charisse | 86 | US | Actress, Dancer | ||
| 18 | Jean Delannoy | 100 | France | Director | ||
| 21 | Kermit Love | 91 | US | Puppeteer, Costume Designer | The Muppet Movie | |
| 22 | George Carlin | 71 | US | Actor, Comedian | ||
| 22 | Dody Goodman | 93 | US | Actress | ||
| 23 | John Furlong | 75 | US | Actor | ||
| 24 | William Vince | 45 | Canada | Producer | ||
| 26 | Lilyan Chauvin | 82 | France | Actress | ||
| 29 | Don S. Davis | 67 | US | Actor | ||
| July | 2 | Elizabeth Spriggs | 78 | UK | Actress | |
| 4 | Evelyn Keyes | 91 | US | Actress | ||
| 6 | Nonna Mordyukova | 82 | Russia | Actress | ||
| 7 | Bruce Conner | 74 | US | Director | ||
| 9 | Charles H. Joffe | 78 | US | Producer | ||
| 11 | Breno Mello | 76 | Brazil | Actor | Black Orpheus | |
| 14 | Hugh Lloyd | 85 | UK | Actor | Quadrophenia | |
| 17 | Paul Sorensen | 82 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Patrick Connor | 81 | UK | Actor | ||
| 22 | Estelle Getty | 84 | US | Actress | ||
| 25 | Randy Pausch | 47 | US | Professor, Actor | Star Trek | |
| 25 | Mikhail Pugovkin | 85 | Russia | Actor | ||
| 27 | Youssef Chahine | 82 | Egypt | Director | ||
| 27 | Marisa Merlini | 84 | Italy | Actress | ||
| 29 | Luther Davis | 91 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| August | 1 | Gertan Klauber | 76 | Actor | ||
| 7 | Bernie Brillstein | 77 | US | Producer | ||
| 9 | Bernie Mac | 50 | US | Actor | ||
| 10 | Isaac Hayes | 65 | US | Actor, Songwriter | ||
| 11 | George Furth | 75 | US | Actor | ||
| 11 | Terence Rigby | 71 | UK | Actor | ||
| 15 | Molly McClure | 89 | US | Actress | ||
| 21 | Fred Crane | 90 | US | Actor | Gone with the Wind | |
| 24 | Peter Sutton | 65 | British | Sound Mixer | ||
| 25 | Marpessa Dawn | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Rita Quigley | 85 | US | Actress | ||
| 31 | Ken Campbell | 66 | UK | Actor, Writer | ||
| 31 | Jerry Reed | 71 | US | Actor, Singer, Songwriter | ||
| September | 1 | Don LaFontaine | 68 | US | Voice actor | Prolific and iconic voice-over actor featured in over 5,000 movie trailers |
| 1 | Michael Pate | 88 | Australia | Actor, Director | ||
| 2 | Bill Melendez | 91 | Mexico | Animator, Director | ||
| 6 | Anita Page | 98 | US | Actress | ||
| 8 | Celia Gregory | 58 | UK | Actress | ||
| 17 | Humberto Solás | 67 | Cuba | Director | Lucía | |
| 18 | Florestano Vancini | 82 | Italy | Director, Writer | ||
| 19 | Jun Ichikawa | 59 | Japan | Director | Tony Takitani | |
| 19 | David Jones | 74 | UK | Director | ||
| 20 | William Fox | 97 | UK | Actor | ||
| 26 | Paul Newman | 83 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 27 | Mahendra Kapoor | 74 | India | Playback Artist | ||
| 29 | Louis Guss | 90 | US | Actor | ||
| October | 1 | Robert Arthur | 87 | US | Actor | |
| 5 | Kim Chan | 90 | US | Actor, Producer | ||
| 5 | Ken Ogata | 71 | Japan | Actor | ||
| 7 | Peter Copley | 93 | UK | Actor | ||
| 8 | Bob Friend | 70 | UK | Actor | ||
| 8 | Eileen Herlie | 90 | UK | Actress | ||
| 11 | Neal Hefti | 85 | US | Composer | ||
| 11 | Mark Shivas | 70 | UK | Producer | ||
| 11 | Gil Stratton | 86 | US | Actor | ||
| 13 | Guillaume Depardieu | 37 | France | Actor | ||
| 15 | Edie Adams | 81 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Nathan Davis | 91 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Peter Gordeno | 69 | UK | Actor, Choreographer | Carry On Columbus | |
| 18 | Xie Jin | 84 | China | Director | ||
| 19 | Rudy Ray Moore | 81 | US | Actor | ||
| 20 | John Ringham | 80 | UK | Actor | V for Vendetta | |
| 22 | John Axon | 48 | UK | Actor | ||
| 24 | Milton Katselas | 75 | US | Director | ||
| 26 | Delmar Watson | 82 | US | Actor | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | |
| 27 | Roy Stewart | 83 | UK | Actor | ||
| 31 | Jonathan Bates | 68 | UK | Supervising Sound Editor | ||
| 31 | John Daly | 71 | UK | Producer | ||
| November | 1 | Yma Sumac | 85 | Peru | Singer, Actress | |
| 5 | Michael Crichton | 66 | US | Writer, Director | ||
| 5 | Michael Higgins | 88 | US | Actor | ||
| 16 | Reg Varney | 92 | UK | Actor | ||
| 17 | Ennio de Concini | 84 | Italy | Screenwriter | ||
| 19 | John Michael Hayes | 89 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 20 | June Vincent | 89 | US | Actress | ||
| 26 | De'Angelo Wilson | 29 | US | Actor | ||
| December | 1 | Paul Benedict | 70 | US | Actor | |
| 1 | James Bree | 85 | UK | Actor | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | |
| 5 | Nina Foch | 84 | Netherlands–US | Actress | ||
| 5 | Beverly Garland | 82 | US | Actress | ||
| 8 | Robert Prosky | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 8 | Bob Spiers | 63 | UK | Director, Producer | ||
| 11 | Maddie Blaustein | 48 | US | Actress | ||
| 12 | Van Johnson | 92 | US | Actor | ||
| 16 | Sam Bottoms | 53 | US | Actor, Producer, Soundtrack | ||
| 16 | Richard Coleman | 78 | France | Actor | ||
| 18 | Majel Barrett-Roddenberry | 76 | US | Actress | ||
| 18 | John Costelloe | 47 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Jack Douglas | 81 | UK | Actor | ||
| 20 | Robert Mulligan | 83 | US | Director | ||
| 24 | Harold Pinter | 78 | UK | Writer, Actor, Director | ||
| 25 | Eartha Kitt | 81 | US | Actress, Singer | ||
| 25 | Ann Savage | 87 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Patricia Kneale | 83 | UK | Actress | A for Andromeda | |
| 30 | Bernie Hamilton | 80 | US | Actor | ||
| 31 | Brad Sullivan | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 31 | Donald E. Westlake | 75 | Mexico | Writer |
See also
References
- Movies 2008 Year in Review
- 10 Best Films of 2008
- "2008 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- "Warner Bros. Entertainment Wraps Record-Breaking Year" (Press release). Warner Bros. January 8, 2009. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016.
- "The Dark Knight Breaks $400 Million in Record Time". 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- "The Dark Knight Re-Release IMAX Locations". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Gray, Brandon (February 20, 2009). "Billion Dollar Batman". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- "All Time Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009.
- Adam Dawtrey (2008-04-28). "Edinburgh Launches Cult Film Sidebar". Variety. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
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