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Best of 2009

Best Movies of 2009, Ranked

3,659 films on the site were released in 2009, and 454 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. The Hurt Locker tops the list, ahead of Still Walking and Sita Sings the Blues. The biggest hit was Avatar with $2.9B worldwide, and The Hurt Locker won Best Picture at the 2010 Oscars.

films released in 2009
3,659
ranked by rating
454
worldwide, top 10 hits
$9.3B
award wins
103
  1. The Hurt Locker (2009) movie poster #1 The Hurt Locker 95 Metascore
  2. Still Walking (2009) movie poster #2 Still Walking 89 Metascore
  3. Sita Sings the Blues (2009) movie poster #3 Sita Sings the Blues 93 Metascore
#1 of 2009

What Is the Best Movie of 2009?

The Hurt Locker is the best-rated film of 2009, with a rank value of 88/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Still Walking (87/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 2009, Ranked

Still Walking and Sita Sings the Blues follow The Hurt Locker. 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. Still Walking (2009) movie poster
    2. Still Walking 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama · 1h 54m

    Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences

  2. Sita Sings the Blues (2009) movie poster
    3. Sita Sings the Blues 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (11 critic reviews))

    2009 · Fantasy, Comedy · 1h 22m

    Dir. Nina Paley No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  3. Up (2009) movie poster
    4. Up 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100 (37 critic reviews))

    2009 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 36m

    Dir. Pete Docter No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  4. 35 Shots of Rum (2009) movie poster
    5. 35 Shots of Rum 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (17 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama · 1h 40m

    Dir. Claire Denis No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  5. The Sun (2009) movie poster
    5. The Sun 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (12 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, History · 1h 55m

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

  6. Séraphine (2009) movie poster
    7. Séraphine 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (22 critic reviews))

    2009 · Biography, Drama · 2h 5m

    Dir. Martin Provost No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  7. Gomorrah (2009) movie poster
    8. Gomorrah 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (30 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, Crime · 2h 17m

    Dir. Matteo Garrone No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  8. Ponyo (2009) movie poster
    9. Ponyo 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (29 critic reviews))

    2009 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 41m

    Dir. Hayao Miyazaki No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  9. Revanche (2009) movie poster
    10. Revanche 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (22 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 1m

    Dir. Götz Spielmann No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  10. The Cove (2009) movie poster
    11. The Cove 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (26 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, Documentary · 1h 32m

    Dir. Louie Psihoyos No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  11. Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009) movie poster
    12. Anvil! The Story of Anvil 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (26 critic reviews))

    2009 · Biography, Music · 1h 20m

    Dir. Sacha Gervasi No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  12. Goodbye Solo (2009) movie poster
    12. Goodbye Solo 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (25 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama · 1h 31m

    Dir. Ramin Bahrani No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  13. The White Ribbon (2009) movie poster
    14. The White Ribbon 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (34 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 24m

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

  14. Tulpan (2009) movie poster
    15. Tulpan 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 40m

    Dir. Sergei Dvortsevoy No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  15. The Maid (2009) movie poster
    16. The Maid 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (24 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama · 1h 35m

    Dir. Sebastián Silva No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  16. Tokyo Sonata (2009) movie poster
    16. Tokyo Sonata 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (22 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama · 2h

    Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  17. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) movie poster
    18. Fantastic Mr. Fox 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (34 critic reviews))

    2009 · Adventure, Comedy · 1h 27m

    Dir. Wes Anderson No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  18. District 9 (2009) movie poster
    19. District 9 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (36 critic reviews))

    2009 · Action, Sci-Fi · 1h 52m

    Dir. Neill Blomkamp No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  19. Food, Inc. (2009) movie poster
    20. Food, Inc. 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (28 critic reviews))

    2009 · Documentary · 1h 34m

    Dir. Robert Kenner No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  20. Star Trek (2009) movie poster
    21. Star Trek 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (46 critic reviews))

    2009 · Action, Adventure · 2h 7m

    Dir. J.J. Abrams No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  21. The Beaches of Agnès (2009) movie poster
    22. The Beaches of Agnès 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

    2009 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 50m

    Dir. Agnès Varda No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  22. Tyson (2009) movie poster
    22. Tyson 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (28 critic reviews))

    2009 · Sport, Documentary · 1h 30m

    Dir. James Toback No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  23. Forbidden Lie$ (2009) movie poster
    24. Forbidden Lie$ 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (8 critic reviews))

    2009 · Drama, Documentary · 1h 44m

    Dir. Anna Broinowski No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  24. Avatar (2009) movie poster
    25. Avatar 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (38 critic reviews))

    2009 · Action, Adventure · 2h 42m

    Dir. James Cameron No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 2009?

Avatar earned $2.9B worldwide, ahead of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($941.1M). The top 10 took $9.3B together; 1,200 films released in 2009 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 2009 box office
  1. Avatar (2009) movie poster #1 $2.9B worldwide Avatar $785.2M domestic · Action
  2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) movie poster #2 $941.1M worldwide Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $302.3M domestic · Action
  3. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) movie poster #3 $886.7M worldwide Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $196.6M domestic · Action
  4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) movie poster #4 $836.3M worldwide Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $402.1M domestic · Action
  5. 2012 (2009) movie poster #5 $791.2M worldwide 2012 $166.1M domestic · Action
  6. Up (2009) movie poster #6 $735.1M worldwide Up $293M domestic · Adventure
  7. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) movie poster #7 $711M worldwide The Twilight Saga: New Moon $297.8M domestic · Drama
  8. Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie poster #8 $524M worldwide Sherlock Holmes $209M domestic · Action
  9. Angels & Demons (2009) movie poster #9 $485.9M worldwide Angels & Demons $133.4M domestic · Mystery
  10. The Hangover (2009) movie poster #10 $469.3M worldwide The Hangover $277.3M domestic · Comedy
Awards

Which 2009 Movies Won the Most Awards?

Avatar leads with 18 wins from 34 nominations, then The Hurt Locker with 13 wins. The Hurt Locker won Best Picture at the 2010 Oscars. In all, 101 films released in 2009 have award nominations on the site, with 103 wins between them.

2010 awards season
  1. Avatar (2009) movie poster
    Avatar 18 / 34
    2009 · Action, Adventure · 18 wins from 34 nominations
  2. The Hurt Locker (2009) movie poster
    The Hurt Locker 13 / 31
    2009 · Action, Drama · 13 wins from 31 nominations
  3. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) movie poster
    Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire 12 / 28
    2009 · Drama · 12 wins from 28 nominations
  4. Inglourious Basterds (2009) movie poster
    Inglourious Basterds 9 / 33
    2009 · Drama, Thriller · 9 wins from 33 nominations
  5. Crazy Heart (2009) movie poster
    Crazy Heart 9 / 14
    2009 · Drama, Romance · 9 wins from 14 nominations
  6. The Young Victoria (2009) movie poster
    The Young Victoria 4 / 8
    2009 · Biography, Drama · 4 wins from 8 nominations
  7. The Blind Side (2009) movie poster
    The Blind Side 4 / 6
    2009 · Biography, Drama · 4 wins from 6 nominations
  8. Up in the Air (2009) movie poster
    Up in the Air 3 / 31
    2009 · Drama, Romance · 3 wins from 31 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 2009 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 2009 film of 12 genres, from Action (The Hurt Locker) to Mystery (The White Ribbon). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 2009's Movies Released?

January was the busiest month of 2009 with 433 releases; its best-rated film is Silent Light.

  • January Best: Silent Light
    433
  • February Best: Gomorrah
    259
  • March Best: Goodbye Solo
    290
  • April Best: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
    287
  • May Best: Up
    259
  • June Best: The Hurt Locker
    258
  • July Best: The Cove
    239
  • August Best: Still Walking
    265
  • September Best: 35 Shots of Rum
    389
  • October Best: The Maid
    412
  • November Best: The Sun
    289
  • December Best: Sita Sings the Blues
    279
Languages

Which Languages Were 2009's Movies In?

51% of 2009's films with a known language are in English (1,854). Japanese comes next with 186 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 2009: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 2009's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 2009?

The Hurt Locker is the best-rated film of 2009 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 88/100 from critics and audiences. Still Walking is second and Sita Sings the Blues third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About The Hurt Locker

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2009?

Avatar earned $2.9B worldwide, the most of any 2009 release on the site. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince follows with $941.1M.

2009 box office

Which 2009 movie won the Oscar for Best Picture?

The Hurt Locker (2009) won Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards.

The Hurt Locker

Which 2009 film won the most awards?

Avatar has the best award record of the 2009 releases on the site: 18 wins from 34 nominations.

2010 awards season

How many movies were released in 2009?

The site lists 3,659 films released in 2009. 454 of them are ranked, and January had the most releases with a known day (433).

How are the best movies of 2009 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.