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Best of 2006

Best Movies of 2006, Ranked

3,838 films on the site were released in 2006, and 584 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. Army of Shadows tops the list, ahead of Pan's Labyrinth and The Lives of Others. The biggest hit was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest with $1.1B worldwide, and The Departed won Best Picture at the 2007 Oscars.

films released in 2006
3,838
ranked by rating
584
worldwide, top 10 hits
$5.8B
award wins
97
  1. Army of Shadows (2006) movie poster #1 Army of Shadows 99 Metascore
  2. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) movie poster #2 Pan's Labyrinth 98 Metascore
  3. The Lives of Others (2006) movie poster #3 The Lives of Others 89 Metascore
#1 of 2006

What Is the Best Movie of 2006?

Army of Shadows is the best-rated film of 2006, with a rank value of 90/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Pan's Labyrinth (89/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 2006, Ranked

Pan's Labyrinth and The Lives of Others follow Army of Shadows. Drama is the most common genre in the top 25 (15 films). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Best of the 2000s
  1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) movie poster
    2. Pan's Labyrinth 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100 (37 critic reviews))

    2006 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 58m

    Dir. Guillermo del Toro No Echo Score: ranked 89/100 on critics & audiences

  2. The Lives of Others (2006) movie poster
    3. The Lives of Others 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100)

    2006 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 17m

    Dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences

  3. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film (2006) movie poster
    4. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (9 critic reviews))

    2006 · Documentary · 4h

    Dir. Ric Burns No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  4. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) movie poster
    5. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (38 critic reviews))

    2006 · Comedy · 1h 24m

    Dir. Larry Charles No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  5. The Departed (2006) movie poster
    6. The Departed 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100)

    2006 · Mystery, Thriller · 2h 31m

    Dir. Martin Scorsese No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  6. L'Enfant (The Child) (2006) movie poster
    7. L'Enfant (The Child) 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (34 critic reviews))

    2006 · Crime, Drama · 1h 35m

    Dir. Jean-Pierre Dardenne No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  7. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2006) movie poster
    8. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100)

    2006 · Comedy, Drama · 2h 33m

    Dir. Cristi Puiu No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  8. Mutual Appreciation (2006) movie poster
    8. Mutual Appreciation 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))

    2006 · Comedy · 1h 50m

    Dir. Andrew Bujalski No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  9. Our Daily Bread (2006) movie poster
    8. Our Daily Bread 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (10 critic reviews))

    2006 · Documentary · 1h 32m

    Dir. Nikolaus Geyrhalter No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  10. Deliver Us from Evil (2006) movie poster
    11. Deliver Us from Evil 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (23 critic reviews))

    2006 · Crime, Documentary · 1h 41m

    Dir. Amy Berg No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  11. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) movie poster
    12. Letters from Iwo Jima 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (37 critic reviews))

    2006 · Drama, History · 2h 21m

    No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  12. The Spirit of the Beehive (2006) movie poster
    13. The Spirit of the Beehive 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100)

    2006 · Drama · 1h 35m

    Dir. Víctor Erice No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  13. 49 Up (2006) movie poster
    14. 49 Up 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (25 critic reviews))

    2006 · Biography, Documentary

    Dir. Michael Apted No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  14. Children of Men (2006) movie poster
    15. Children of Men 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (38 critic reviews))

    2006 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 49m

    Dir. Alfonso Cuarón No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  15. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) movie poster
    16. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100)

    2006 · Documentary · 4h 15m

    Dir. Spike Lee No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  16. United 93 (2006) movie poster
    17. United 93 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)

    2006 · Drama, History · 1h 51m

    Dir. Paul Greengrass No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  17. The Devil's Miner (2006) movie poster
    18. The Devil's Miner 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100)

    2006 · Documentary · 1h 22m

    Dir. Kief Davidson No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  18. Casino Royale (2006) movie poster
    19. Casino Royale 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (46 critic reviews))

    2006 · Action, Adventure · 2h 24m

    Dir. Martin Campbell No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  19. The Queen (2006) movie poster
    20. The Queen 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)

    2006 · Biography, Drama · 1h 43m

    Dir. Stephen Frears No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  20. Three Times (2006) movie poster
    21. Three Times 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100)

    2006 · Drama, Romance · 2h

    Dir. Hsiao-hsien Hou No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  21. Black Orpheus (2006) movie poster
    22. Black Orpheus 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (8 critic reviews))

    2006 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 40m

    Dir. Marcel Camus No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  22. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) movie poster
    23. Little Miss Sunshine 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (36 critic reviews))

    2006 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 41m

    Dir. Jonathan Dayton No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  23. Volver (2006) movie poster
    24. Volver 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100)

    2006 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 1m

    Dir. Pedro Almodóvar No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  24. Little Fish (2006) movie poster
    24. Little Fish 77 Metascore (Metascore 77 out of 100 (9 critic reviews))

    2006 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 54m

    Dir. Rowan Woods No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 2006?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest earned $1.1B worldwide, ahead of The Da Vinci Code ($760M). The top 10 took $5.8B together; 1,141 films released in 2006 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 2006 box office
  1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) movie poster #1 $1.1B worldwide Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $423.3M domestic · Action
  2. The Da Vinci Code (2006) movie poster #2 $760M worldwide The Da Vinci Code $217.5M domestic · Mystery
  3. Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) movie poster #3 $667.1M worldwide Ice Age: The Meltdown $195.3M domestic · Adventure
  4. Casino Royale (2006) movie poster #4 $616.6M worldwide Casino Royale $167.4M domestic · Action
  5. Night at the Museum (2006) movie poster #5 $574.5M worldwide Night at the Museum $250.9M domestic · Action
  6. Cars (2006) movie poster #6 $462M worldwide Cars $244.1M domestic · Sport
  7. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) movie poster #7 $460.4M worldwide X-Men: The Last Stand $234.4M domestic · Action
  8. Mission: Impossible III (2006) movie poster #8 $398.5M worldwide Mission: Impossible III $134M domestic · Action
  9. Superman Returns (2006) movie poster #9 $391.1M worldwide Superman Returns $200.1M domestic · Action
  10. Happy Feet (2006) movie poster #10 $384.3M worldwide Happy Feet $198M domestic · Adventure
Awards

Which 2006 Movies Won the Most Awards?

Little Miss Sunshine leads with 14 wins from 29 nominations, then Dreamgirls with 11 wins. The Departed won Best Picture at the 2007 Oscars. In all, 103 films released in 2006 have award nominations on the site, with 97 wins between them.

2007 awards season
  1. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) movie poster
    Little Miss Sunshine 14 / 29
    2006 · Adventure, Drama · 14 wins from 29 nominations
  2. Dreamgirls (2006) movie poster
    Dreamgirls 11 / 24
    2006 · Drama, Musical · 11 wins from 24 nominations
  3. The Departed (2006) movie poster
    The Departed 8 / 27
    2006 · Mystery, Thriller · 8 wins from 27 nominations
  4. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) movie poster
    Pan's Labyrinth 8 / 21
    2006 · Drama, Mystery · 8 wins from 21 nominations
  5. The Last King of Scotland (2006) movie poster
    The Last King of Scotland 7 / 9
    2006 · Biography, Drama · 7 wins from 9 nominations
  6. Babel (2006) movie poster
    Babel 5 / 32
    2006 · Drama · 5 wins from 32 nominations
  7. The Queen (2006) movie poster
    The Queen 4 / 20
    2006 · Biography, Drama · 4 wins from 20 nominations
  8. The Lives of Others (2006) movie poster
    The Lives of Others 3 / 9
    2006 · Drama, Thriller · 3 wins from 9 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 2006 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 2006 film of 12 genres, from Drama (Army of Shadows) to Music (Black Orpheus). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 2006's Movies Released?

January was the busiest month of 2006 with 479 releases; its best-rated film is The Spirit of the Beehive.

  • January Best: The Spirit of the Beehive
    479
  • February Best: Black Orpheus
    240
  • March Best: L'Enfant (The Child)
    340
  • April Best: Army of Shadows
    307
  • May Best: Twelve and Holding
    272
  • June Best: The Hidden Blade
    305
  • July Best: Little Miss Sunshine
    227
  • August Best: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
    261
  • September Best: Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
    373
  • October Best: The Departed
    387
  • November Best: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
    361
  • December Best: Pan's Labyrinth
    286
Languages

Which Languages Were 2006's Movies In?

53% of 2006's films with a known language are in English (2,007). French comes next with 201 films, out of 66 languages in all.

Every year

Best Movies by Year

A best-of page for each of 55 years, from 1900 to 2026 (so far). Before 1980 there is one page per decade, for its first year (1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970); from 1980 every year has its own.

2020s
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1900–1970
FAQ

Best Movies of 2006: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 2006's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 2006?

Army of Shadows is the best-rated film of 2006 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 90/100 from critics and audiences. Pan's Labyrinth is second and The Lives of Others third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About Army of Shadows

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2006?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest earned $1.1B worldwide, the most of any 2006 release on the site. The Da Vinci Code follows with $760M.

2006 box office

Which 2006 movie won the Oscar for Best Picture?

The Departed (2006) won Best Picture at the 2007 Academy Awards.

The Departed

Which 2006 film won the most awards?

Little Miss Sunshine has the best award record of the 2006 releases on the site: 14 wins from 29 nominations.

2007 awards season

How many movies were released in 2006?

The site lists 3,838 films released in 2006. 584 of them are ranked, and January had the most releases with a known day (479).

How are the best movies of 2006 ranked?

Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases). Only feature films count (60 minutes or longer, no concert recordings), and a film needs enough ratings, box office or award attention to be ranked.