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Best of 2011

Best Movies of 2011, Ranked

4,735 films on the site were released in 2011, and 644 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. A Separation tops the list, ahead of Children of Hiroshima and Poetry. The biggest hit was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 with $1.3B worldwide.

films released in 2011
4,735
ranked by rating
644
worldwide, top 10 hits
$7.9B
award wins
92
  1. A Separation (2011) movie poster #1 A Separation 95 Metascore
  2. Children of Hiroshima (2011) movie poster #2 Children of Hiroshima 86 Metascore
  3. Poetry (2011) movie poster #3 Poetry 87 Metascore
#1 of 2011

What Is the Best Movie of 2011?

A Separation is the best-rated film of 2011, with a rank value of 89/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Children of Hiroshima (86/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 2011, Ranked

Children of Hiroshima and Poetry follow A Separation. Drama is the most common genre in the top 25 (13 films). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Best of the 2010s
  1. Children of Hiroshima (2011) movie poster
    2. Children of Hiroshima 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama, War · 1h 37m

    Dir. Kaneto Shindô No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  2. Poetry (2011) movie poster
    3. Poetry 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (24 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 2h 19m

    Dir. Chang-dong Lee No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  3. My Perestroika (2011) movie poster
    3. My Perestroika 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100 (9 critic reviews))

    2011 · Biography, History · 1h 28m

    Dir. Robin Hessman No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  4. Position Among the Stars (2011) movie poster
    5. Position Among the Stars 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))

    2011 · History, Documentary · 1h 55m

    Dir. Leonard Retel Helmrich No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  5. Incendies (2011) movie poster
    6. Incendies 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (42 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 2h 10m

    Dir. Denis Villeneuve No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  6. Nostalgia for the Light (2011) movie poster
    6. Nostalgia for the Light 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama, Documentary · 1h 30m

    Dir. Patricio Guzmán No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  7. My Joy (2011) movie poster
    8. My Joy 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (8 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 2h 7m

    Dir. Sergei Loznitsa No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  8. I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You (2011) movie poster
    8. I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 1h 15m

    Dir. Karim Ainouz No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) movie poster
    10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2011 · Adventure, Mystery · 2h 10m

    Dir. David Yates No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  10. Senna (2011) movie poster
    10. Senna 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100 (30 critic reviews))

    2011 · Biography, Sport · 1h 46m

    Dir. Asif Kapadia No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  11. The Artist (2011) movie poster
    12. The Artist 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2011 · Romance · 1h 40m

    Dir. Michel Hazanavicius No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  12. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (2011) movie poster
    13. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (8 critic reviews))

    2011 · Documentary · 3h

    Dir. Andrei Ujica No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  13. We Were Here (2011) movie poster
    13. We Were Here 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (11 critic reviews))

    2011 · Documentary · 1h 30m

    Dir. Bill Weber No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  14. Moneyball (2011) movie poster
    15. Moneyball 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (42 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 2h 13m

    Dir. Bennett Miller No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  15. City of Life and Death (2011) movie poster
    16. City of Life and Death 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (13 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama, History · 2h 12m

    Dir. Chuan Lu No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  16. Of Gods and Men (2011) movie poster
    17. Of Gods and Men 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (29 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama, History · 2h

    No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  17. Love Exposure (2011) movie poster
    17. Love Exposure 78 Metascore (Metascore 78 out of 100 (11 critic reviews))

    2011 · Action, Drama · 3h 57m

    Dir. Shion Sono No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  18. Weekend (2011) movie poster
    19. Weekend 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (18 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 1h 36m

    Dir. Andrew Haigh No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  19. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) movie poster
    20. Cave of Forgotten Dreams 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (34 critic reviews))

    2011 · History, Documentary · 1h 29m

    Dir. Werner Herzog No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  20. The Arbor (2011) movie poster
    21. The Arbor 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100 (10 critic reviews))

    2011 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 34m

    Dir. Clio Barnard No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  21. Lost Bohemia (2011) movie poster
    22. Lost Bohemia 71 Metascore (Metascore 71 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))

    2011 · Documentary · 1h 17m

    Dir. Josef Astor No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  22. United Red Army (2011) movie poster
    22. United Red Army 67 Metascore (Metascore 67 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))

    2011 · Drama · 3h 10m

    Dir. Kôji Wakamatsu No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  23. 13 Assassins (2011) movie poster
    24. 13 Assassins 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (33 critic reviews))

    2011 · Action · 2h 21m

    Dir. Takashi Miike No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  24. Bill Cunningham New York (2011) movie poster
    25. Bill Cunningham New York 76 Metascore (Metascore 76 out of 100 (23 critic reviews))

    2011 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 24m

    Dir. Richard Press No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 2011?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 earned $1.3B worldwide, ahead of Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1.1B). The top 10 took $7.9B together; 1,311 films released in 2011 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 2011 box office
  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) movie poster #1 $1.3B worldwide Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 $381.4M domestic · Adventure
  2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) movie poster #2 $1.1B worldwide Transformers: Dark of the Moon $352.4M domestic · Action
  3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) movie poster #3 $1B worldwide Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $241.1M domestic · Action
  4. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) movie poster #4 $712.2M worldwide The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 $281.3M domestic · Drama
  5. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) movie poster #5 $694.7M worldwide Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol $209.4M domestic · Action
  6. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) movie poster #6 $665.7M worldwide Kung Fu Panda 2 $165.2M domestic · Action
  7. Fast Five (2011) movie poster #7 $626.1M worldwide Fast Five $209.8M domestic · Action
  8. The Hangover Part II (2011) movie poster #8 $586.8M worldwide The Hangover Part II $254.5M domestic · Comedy
  9. The Smurfs (2011) movie poster #9 $563.9M worldwide The Smurfs $142.6M domestic · Fantasy
  10. Cars 2 (2011) movie poster #10 $559.9M worldwide Cars 2 $191.5M domestic · Comedy
Awards

Which 2011 Movies Won the Most Awards?

The Help leads with 10 wins from 26 nominations, then Hugo with 9 wins. In all, 111 films released in 2011 have award nominations on the site, with 92 wins between them.

2012 awards season
  1. The Help (2011) movie poster
    The Help 10 / 26
    2011 · Drama · 10 wins from 26 nominations
  2. Hugo (2011) movie poster
    Hugo 9 / 39
    2011 · Mystery, Family · 9 wins from 39 nominations
  3. The Descendants (2011) movie poster
    The Descendants 6 / 28
    2011 · Drama, Comedy · 6 wins from 28 nominations
  4. Beginners (2011) movie poster
    Beginners 6 / 9
    2011 · Drama · 6 wins from 9 nominations
  5. The Iron Lady (2011) movie poster
    The Iron Lady 5 / 10
    2011 · Biography, Drama · 5 wins from 10 nominations
  6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) movie poster
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 4 / 15
    2011 · Adventure, Mystery · 4 wins from 15 nominations
  7. My Week with Marilyn (2011) movie poster
    My Week with Marilyn 3 / 19
    2011 · Drama · 3 wins from 19 nominations
  8. Midnight in Paris (2011) movie poster
    Midnight in Paris 3 / 16
    2011 · Comedy, Romance · 3 wins from 16 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 2011 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 2011 film of 12 genres, from Drama (A Separation) to Musical (Pina). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 2011's Movies Released?

September was the busiest month of 2011 with 533 releases; its best-rated film is Position Among the Stars.

  • January Best: Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune
    457
  • February Best: Poetry
    296
  • March Best: My Perestroika
    376
  • April Best: Children of Hiroshima
    417
  • May Best: City of Life and Death
    324
  • June Best: Viva Riva!
    367
  • July Best: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
    321
  • August Best: Senna
    308
  • September Best: Position Among the Stars
    533
  • October Best: To Be Heard
    500
  • November Best: The Artist
    476
  • December Best: A Separation
    360
Languages

Which Languages Were 2011's Movies In?

50% of 2011's films with a known language are in English (2,356). French comes next with 282 films, out of 72 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 2011: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 2011's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 2011?

A Separation is the best-rated film of 2011 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 89/100 from critics and audiences. Children of Hiroshima is second and Poetry third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About A Separation

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2011?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 earned $1.3B worldwide, the most of any 2011 release on the site. Transformers: Dark of the Moon follows with $1.1B.

2011 box office

Which 2011 film won the most awards?

The Help has the best award record of the 2011 releases on the site: 10 wins from 26 nominations.

2012 awards season

How many movies were released in 2011?

The site lists 4,735 films released in 2011. 644 of them are ranked, and September had the most releases with a known day (533).

How are the best movies of 2011 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.