#1 of 22 ranked Language · Europe
Icelandic Movies: New Releases, Best-Rated Films & Box Office
242 Icelandic-language films are on What’s After the Movie, 86 of them (36%) from the 2010s. Drama leads with 147, then comedy (74) and family (22). The best-rated is Echo (2020) with an Echo Score of 85; the newest release is Time and Water, out May 29, 2026. 91 films have reported box office, $32.7M worldwide in all.
- Icelandic films on the site
- 242
- ranked by rating
- 22
- worldwide gross of 91 films
- $32.7M
- busiest decade (86 films)
- 2010s
#1 of 22 ranked New releases
What Are the Newest Icelandic Movies?
The 6 most recent Icelandic-language releases, newest first: Time and Water came out on May 29, 2026. 2 Icelandic films have come out in 2026 so far. The full list below has all 236 released Icelandic films, newest first.
Best-rated
What Are the Best Icelandic Movies?
With an Echo Score of 85, Echo (2020) ranks first of the 22 ranked Icelandic films, ahead of Woman at War (2019) and The Seer and the Unseen (2021). 7 of the top 10 are from the 2020s. Ranked by Echo Score; 1 of these 10 films has none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and is ranked by a blend of its Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
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2. Woman at War 82 Echo (Echo Score 82 out of 100)2019 · Action, Adventure · 1h 41m
Dir. Benedikt Erlingsson
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2. The Seer and the Unseen 82 Echo (Echo Score 82 out of 100)2021 · Documentary · 1h 20m
Dir. Sara Dosa
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4. Heartstone 78 Echo (Echo Score 78 out of 100)2017 · Drama · 2h 9m
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6. Time and Water 77 Echo (Echo Score 77 out of 100)2026 · Documentary, Family · 1h 33m
Dir. Sara Dosa
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6. The Love That Remains 77 Echo (Echo Score 77 out of 100)2025 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 49m
Dir. Hlynur Pálmason
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8. Cop Secret 76 Echo (Echo Score 76 out of 100)2022 · Action, Comedy · 1h 38m
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9. Metalhead 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))2015 · Drama · 1h 37m
Dir. Ragnar Bragason No Echo Score: ranked 75/100 on critics & audiences
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Genres
What Kinds of Icelandic Movies Are There?
Drama is part of 61% of Icelandic films (147); comedy (74) and family (22) follow. Compared with the whole catalogue, Icelandic films lean most towards family: 9% of them, against 6% of all films. Films can have several genres. Each bar opens the full list filtered to that genre, with its best-rated film underneath.
- Drama 147 · 61%Best-rated: Echo (2020)
- Comedy 74 · 31%Best-rated: The Love That Remains (2025)
- Family 22 · 9%Best-rated: Time and Water (2026)
- Thriller 21 · 9%Best-rated: I Remember You (2017)
- Crime 19 · 8%Best-rated: Jar City (2008)
- Documentary 19 · 8%Best-rated: The Seer and the Unseen (2021)
- Horror 15 · 6%
- Action 14 · 6%Best-rated: Woman at War (2019)
- Romance 13 · 5%
- Adventure 9 · 4%
Smaller genres: Music (9), Animation (7), Mystery (7), Fantasy (4), History (3), Sci-Fi (2), Musical (1), Sport (1), War (1).
Decade by decade
Icelandic Cinema, Decade by Decade
The 2010s are the busiest decade with 86 films (36%); the earliest Icelandic film on the site is from 1950. The best-rated of the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s: Noi the Albino (2004), Woman at War (2019) and Echo (2020). No Icelandic film from before the 2000s is ranked.
- 19 Icelandic films from the 1980s 1980sNo ranked film
- 21 Icelandic films from the 1990s 1990sNo ranked film
- 49 Icelandic films from the 2000s 2000s
Noi the Albino 68 Metascore - 86 Icelandic films from the 2010s 2010s Woman at War 82 Echo
- 56 Icelandic films from the 2020s 2020s Echo 85 Echo
Box office
Which Icelandic Movies Earned the Most?
Woman at War (2019) leads with $4.5M worldwide. The top 5 together took $12.9M, 39% of the $32.7M earned by the 91 Icelandic films with reported box office. Grosses that look like data errors, and films stored with the wrong language, are left out.
- worldwide gross, all Icelandic films
- $32.7M
- films with reported box office
- 91
- share of the top 5
- 39%
- 1. Woman at War $4.5M worldwide
2019 · Action
- 2. Lamb $3.2M worldwide
2021 · Drama
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3. I Remember You $2.8M worldwide2015 · Drama
- 4. Noi the Albino $1.3M worldwide
2004 · Drama
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5. Last Dance $1M worldwide2002 · Documentary
People
Who Are the Top Icelandic Directors and Actors?
Rúnar Rúnarsson and Bragi Thor Hinriksson share the lead with 5 notable Icelandic films each, ahead of Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (4) and Ragnar Bragason (4). Hilmir Snær Guðnason and Ingvar E. Sigurðsson share the lead in the cast lists with 17 Icelandic films each, ahead of Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson (16) and Þorsteinn Bachmann (16). Counted over notable features: films with ratings, box office, awards or a plot summary on the site.
Directors with the most Icelandic films
- Rúnar Rúnarsson 5 filmsBest-rated: Echo (2020)
- Bragi Thor Hinriksson 5 filmsBest-rated: The Falcons (2018)
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Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson 4 filmsBest-rated: Under the Tree (2018) - Ragnar Bragason 4 filmsBest-rated: Metalhead (2015)
- Óskar Thór Axelsson 3 filmsBest-rated: I Remember You (2017)
- Dagur Kári 3 filmsBest-rated: Noi the Albino (2004)
Most-cast actors in Icelandic films
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Hilmir Snær Guðnason 17 filmsBest-rated: A White, White Day (2020) - Ingvar E. Sigurðsson 17 filmsBest-rated: The Love That Remains (2025)
- Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson 16 filmsBest-rated: Noi the Albino (2004)
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Þorsteinn Bachmann 16 filmsBest-rated: Under the Tree (2018) - Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir 13 filmsBest-rated: Heartstone (2017)
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Sigurður Sigurjónsson 12 filmsBest-rated: A White, White Day (2020)
Explained
Icelandic Movies Explained: Plot Summaries & Endings
26 Icelandic films have a full plot summary on the site and 7 have the ending explained. The newest are When the Light Breaks (2024) and Beautiful Beings (2023).
Full list
Browse All 242 Icelandic Movies
Filter all 242 Icelandic films by genre, decade or year and sort them by rating, box office, release date or title. The list starts with the 236 released Icelandic films, newest first.
236 released Icelandic films
Icelandic movies, newest first. Page 1 of 5.
Related languages
Movies in Other Languages From Europe
Europe has 56 languages on the site, English aside. Besides Icelandic, the biggest are French (12,503 films), Spanish (11,829 films) and German (6,511 films).
FAQ
Icelandic Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the 242 Icelandic films on the site: their ranking, box office and directors.
How many Icelandic movies are there?
242 Icelandic-language films are on What’s After the Movie, released from 1950 to 2026. 22 are ranked by rating and 91 have reported box office.
Browse all Icelandic movies What is the best Icelandic movie?
Echo (2020) ranks highest (Echo Score 85), followed by Woman at War (2019) and The Seer and the Unseen (2021). Ranked by Echo Score, our 0–100 rating.
About Echo What is the highest-grossing Icelandic movie?
Woman at War (2019), with $4.5M worldwide, ahead of Lamb (2021) at $3.2M.
Icelandic box office charts Which decade had the most Icelandic films?
The 2010s, with 86 films (36% of all Icelandic films on the site). Its best-rated film is Woman at War (2019).
Who has directed the most Icelandic films?
Rúnar Rúnarsson and Bragi Thor Hinriksson share the lead with 5 notable Icelandic films each, ahead of Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (4) and Ragnar Bragason (4). Rúnar Rúnarsson's best-rated is Echo (2020).
Rúnar Rúnarsson's films What are the newest Icelandic movies?
Time and Water (released May 29, 2026), The Love That Remains (released Jan 30, 2026) and The Love That Remains (released May 18, 2025).
New Icelandic releases