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Best of 2008

Best Movies of 2008, Ranked

3,528 films on the site were released in 2008, and 474 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days tops the list, ahead of WALL-E and The Dark Knight. The biggest hit was The Dark Knight with $1B worldwide, and Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture at the 2009 Oscars.

films released in 2008
3,528
ranked by rating
474
worldwide, top 10 hits
$6.5B
award wins
111
  1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2008) movie poster #1 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days 97 Metascore
  2. WALL-E (2008) movie poster #2 WALL-E 95 Metascore
  3. The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster #3 The Dark Knight 85 Metascore
#1 of 2008

What Is the Best Movie of 2008?

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is the best-rated film of 2008, with a rank value of 91/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of WALL-E (89/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 2008, Ranked

WALL-E and The Dark Knight follow 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Drama is the most common genre in the top 25 (17 films). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Best of the 2000s
  1. WALL-E (2008) movie poster
    2. WALL-E 95 Metascore (Metascore 95 out of 100 (39 critic reviews))

    2008 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 38m

    Dir. Andrew Stanton No Echo Score: ranked 89/100 on critics & audiences

  2. The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster
    3. The Dark Knight 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2008 · Action, Drama · 2h 32m

    Dir. Christopher Nolan No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences

  3. The Class (2008) movie poster
    4. The Class 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (31 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama · 2h 8m

    Dir. Laurent Cantet No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences

  4. The Edge of Heaven (2008) movie poster
    5. The Edge of Heaven 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (26 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama · 1h 56m

    Dir. Fatih Akin No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  5. U2 3D (2008) movie poster
    6. U2 3D 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100)

    2008 · Music, Documentary · 1h 25m

    Dir. Catherine Owens No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  6. Summer Palace (2008) movie poster
    7. Summer Palace 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100)

    2008 · Drama, Romance · 2h 38m

    Dir. Ye Lou No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  7. Alexandra (2008) movie poster
    8. Alexandra 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (13 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, War · 1h 35m

    Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  8. Waltz with Bashir (2008) movie poster
    9. Waltz with Bashir 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (33 critic reviews))

    2008 · Biography, Drama · 1h 30m

    No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  9. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) movie poster
    10. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (11 critic reviews))

    2008 · Biography, Drama · 1h 35m

    No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  10. Man on Wire (2008) movie poster
    11. Man on Wire 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (31 critic reviews))

    2008 · Crime, Documentary · 1h 34m

    Dir. James Marsh No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  11. Let the Right One In (2008) movie poster
    12. Let the Right One In 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (30 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 55m

    Dir. Tomas Alfredson No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  12. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) movie poster
    13. Slumdog Millionaire 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (36 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, Romance · 2h

    Dir. Danny Boyle No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  13. Flight of the Red Balloon (2008) movie poster
    14. Flight of the Red Balloon 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (23 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, Family · 1h 55m

    Dir. Hsiao-hsien Hou No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  14. Chop Shop (2008) movie poster
    15. Chop Shop 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (20 critic reviews))

    2008 · 1h 24m

    Dir. Ramin Bahrani No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  15. Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains (2008) movie poster
    15. Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))

    2008 · Documentary · 2h 10m

    Dir. Gonzalo Arijon No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  16. A Christmas Tale (2008) movie poster
    17. A Christmas Tale 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (32 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, Comedy · 2h 30m

    Dir. Arnaud Desplechin No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  17. The Wrestler (2008) movie poster
    18. The Wrestler 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (36 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, Sport · 1h 49m

    Dir. Darren Aronofsky No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  18. Iron Man (2008) movie poster
    19. Iron Man 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100 (38 critic reviews))

    2008 · Action, Adventure · 2h 6m

    Dir. Jon Favreau No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  19. A Walk to Beautiful (2008) movie poster
    20. A Walk to Beautiful 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (6 critic reviews))

    2008 · Documentary · 1h 25m

    Dir. Mary Olive Smith No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  20. My Winnipeg (2008) movie poster
    21. My Winnipeg 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (25 critic reviews))

    2008 · Drama, History · 1h 20m

    Dir. Guy Maddin No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  21. Still Life (2008) movie poster
    22. Still Life 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100)

    2008 · Drama, Romance · 1h 51m

    Dir. Zhang Ke Jia No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  22. The Visitor (2008) movie poster
    23. The Visitor 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100)

    2008 · Drama, Romance · 1h 44m

    Dir. Thomas McCarthy No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  23. The Band's Visit (2008) movie poster
    23. The Band's Visit 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100)

    2008 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 27m

    Dir. Eran Kolirin No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  24. Taxi to the Dark Side (2008) movie poster
    23. Taxi to the Dark Side 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100)

    2008 · Crime, War · 1h 46m

    Dir. Alex Gibney No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 2008?

The Dark Knight earned $1B worldwide, ahead of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($786.6M). The top 10 took $6.5B together; 1,215 films released in 2008 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 2008 box office
  1. The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster #1 $1B worldwide The Dark Knight $535M domestic · Action
  2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) movie poster #2 $786.6M worldwide Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull $317.1M domestic · Action
  3. Mamma Mia! (2008) movie poster #3 $703.2M worldwide Mamma Mia! $144.3M domestic · Comedy
  4. Kung Fu Panda (2008) movie poster #4 $632.4M worldwide Kung Fu Panda $216.1M domestic · Action
  5. Hancock (2008) movie poster #5 $629.4M worldwide Hancock $227.9M domestic · Action
  6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) movie poster #6 $603.9M worldwide Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $180M domestic · Action
  7. Quantum of Solace (2008) movie poster #7 $589.6M worldwide Quantum of Solace $168.4M domestic · Action
  8. Iron Man (2008) movie poster #8 $585.8M worldwide Iron Man $319M domestic · Action
  9. WALL-E (2008) movie poster #9 $527.4M worldwide WALL-E $223.8M domestic · Adventure
  10. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) movie poster #10 $419.7M worldwide The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian $141.6M domestic · Action
Awards

Which 2008 Movies Won the Most Awards?

Slumdog Millionaire leads with 27 wins from 33 nominations, then The Dark Knight with 9 wins. Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture at the 2009 Oscars. In all, 95 films released in 2008 have award nominations on the site, with 111 wins between them.

2009 awards season
  1. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) movie poster
    Slumdog Millionaire 27 / 33
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 27 wins from 33 nominations
  2. The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster
    The Dark Knight 9 / 31
    2008 · Action, Drama · 9 wins from 31 nominations
  3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) movie poster
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 7 / 44
    2008 · Drama, Mystery · 7 wins from 44 nominations
  4. The Wrestler (2008) movie poster
    The Wrestler 7 / 16
    2008 · Drama, Sport · 7 wins from 16 nominations
  5. Milk (2008) movie poster
    Milk 6 / 29
    2008 · Biography, Drama · 6 wins from 29 nominations
  6. The Reader (2008) movie poster
    The Reader 6 / 19
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 6 wins from 19 nominations
  7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) movie poster
    Vicky Cristina Barcelona 5 / 13
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 5 wins from 13 nominations
  8. WALL-E (2008) movie poster
    WALL-E 4 / 14
    2008 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 4 wins from 14 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 2008 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 2008 film of 12 genres, from Drama (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) to Comedy (A Christmas Tale). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 2008's Movies Released?

January was the busiest month of 2008 with 417 releases; its best-rated film is 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

  • January Best: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
    417
  • February Best: Chop Shop
    246
  • March Best: Alexandra
    283
  • April Best: Flight of the Red Balloon
    278
  • May Best: The Edge of Heaven
    234
  • June Best: WALL-E
    249
  • July Best: The Dark Knight
    235
  • August Best: Trouble the Water
    299
  • September Best: Moving Midway
    317
  • October Best: Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
    399
  • November Best: Slumdog Millionaire
    288
  • December Best: The Class
    283
Languages

Which Languages Were 2008's Movies In?

53% of 2008's films with a known language are in English (1,837). French comes next with 199 films, out of 65 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 2008: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 2008's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 2008?

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is the best-rated film of 2008 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 91/100 from critics and audiences. WALL-E is second and The Dark Knight third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2008?

The Dark Knight earned $1B worldwide, the most of any 2008 release on the site. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull follows with $786.6M.

2008 box office

Which 2008 movie won the Oscar for Best Picture?

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won Best Picture at the 2009 Academy Awards.

Slumdog Millionaire

Which 2008 film won the most awards?

Slumdog Millionaire has the best award record of the 2008 releases on the site: 27 wins from 33 nominations.

2009 awards season

How many movies were released in 2008?

The site lists 3,528 films released in 2008. 474 of them are ranked, and January had the most releases with a known day (417).

How are the best movies of 2008 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.