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Best of 2015

Best Movies of 2015, Ranked

6,512 films on the site were released in 2015, and 795 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. Gangs of Wasseypur tops the list, ahead of Inside Out and The Look of Silence. The biggest hit was Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens with $2.1B worldwide, and Spotlight won Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars.

films released in 2015
6,512
ranked by rating
795
worldwide, top 10 hits
$11.5B
award wins
150
  1. Gangs of Wasseypur (2015) movie poster #1 Gangs of Wasseypur 89 Metascore
  2. Inside Out (2015) movie poster #2 Inside Out 94 Metascore
  3. The Look of Silence (2015) movie poster #3 The Look of Silence 92 Metascore
#1 of 2015

What Is the Best Movie of 2015?

Gangs of Wasseypur is the best-rated film of 2015, with a rank value of 88/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Inside Out (87/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 2015, Ranked

Inside Out and The Look of Silence follow Gangs of Wasseypur. 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 2010s
  1. Inside Out (2015) movie poster
    2. Inside Out 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (55 critic reviews))

    2015 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 34m

    Dir. Ronaldo Del Carmen No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences

  2. The Look of Silence (2015) movie poster
    3. The Look of Silence 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (29 critic reviews))

    2015 · Documentary · 1h 43m

    Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  3. Spotlight (2015) movie poster
    4. Spotlight 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (45 critic reviews))

    2015 · Biography, Drama · 2h 8m

    Dir. Thomas McCarthy No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  4. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) movie poster
    5. Mad Max: Fury Road 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100 (51 critic reviews))

    2015 · Action, Adventure · 2h

    Dir. George Miller No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  5. Son of Saul (2015) movie poster
    5. Son of Saul 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (49 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama, History · 1h 47m

    Dir. László Nemes No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  6. Valley of Saints (2015) movie poster
    5. Valley of Saints 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 22m

    Dir. Musa Syeed No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  7. Jafar Panahi's Taxi (2015) movie poster
    8. Jafar Panahi's Taxi 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (25 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 22m

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

  8. The Salt of the Earth (2015) movie poster
    9. The Salt of the Earth 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (29 critic reviews))

    2015 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 50m

    Dir. Wim Wenders No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  9. Room (2015) movie poster
    10. Room 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (43 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 58m

    Dir. Lenny Abrahamson No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  10. Sherpa (2015) movie poster
    10. Sherpa 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (9 critic reviews))

    2015 · Documentary · 1h 36m

    Dir. Jennifer Peedom No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  11. The Winding Stream (2015) movie poster
    12. The Winding Stream 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))

    2015 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 30m

    Dir. Beth Harrington No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  12. Listen to Me Marlon (2015) movie poster
    13. Listen to Me Marlon 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (27 critic reviews))

    2015 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 43m

    Dir. Stevan Riley No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  13. The Pearl Button (2015) movie poster
    14. The Pearl Button 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (18 critic reviews))

    2015 · Documentary · 1h 22m

    Dir. Patricio Guzmán No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  14. The Fool (2015) movie poster
    14. The Fool 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 56m

    Dir. Yuriy Bykov No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  15. Carol (2015) movie poster
    16. Carol 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (45 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama, Romance · 1h 58m

    Dir. Todd Haynes No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  16. The Second Mother (2015) movie poster
    17. The Second Mother 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (26 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 52m

    Dir. Anna Muylaert No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  17. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2015) movie poster
    18. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100 (20 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 55m

    Dir. Ronit Elkabetz No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  18. Amy (2015) movie poster
    19. Amy 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2015 · Biography, Music · 2h 8m

    Dir. Asif Kapadia No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  19. Court (2015) movie poster
    19. Court 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (12 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 56m

    Dir. Chaitanya Tamhane No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  20. Racing Extinction (2015) movie poster
    19. Racing Extinction 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))

    2015 · Action, Adventure · 1h 30m

    No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  21. Wild Tales (2015) movie poster
    22. Wild Tales 77 Metascore (Metascore 77 out of 100 (33 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 2m

    Dir. Damián Szifron No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  22. The Duke of Burgundy (2015) movie poster
    22. The Duke of Burgundy 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (24 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama · 1h 44m

    Dir. Peter Strickland No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  23. Democrats (2015) movie poster
    22. Democrats 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100 (8 critic reviews))

    2015 · Documentary · 1h 40m

    Dir. Camilla Nielsson No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  24. Brooklyn (2015) movie poster
    25. Brooklyn 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100 (45 critic reviews))

    2015 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 51m

    Dir. John Crowley No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 2015?

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens earned $2.1B worldwide, ahead of Jurassic World ($1.7B). The top 10 took $11.5B together; 1,579 films released in 2015 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 2015 box office
  1. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) movie poster #1 $2.1B worldwide Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens $936.7M domestic · Action
  2. Jurassic World (2015) movie poster #2 $1.7B worldwide Jurassic World $653.4M domestic · Action
  3. Furious 7 (2015) movie poster #3 $1.5B worldwide Furious 7 $353M domestic · Action
  4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) movie poster #4 $1.4B worldwide Avengers: Age of Ultron $459M domestic · Action
  5. Minions (2015) movie poster #5 $1.2B worldwide Minions $336M domestic · Comedy
  6. Inside Out (2015) movie poster #6 $859.1M worldwide Inside Out $356.5M domestic · Animation
  7. Inside Out (2015) movie poster #7 $859.1M worldwide Inside Out $356.5M domestic · Adventure
  8. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) movie poster #8 $710.9M worldwide Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation $195M domestic · Action
  9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) movie poster #9 $661.5M worldwide The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 $281.7M domestic · Action
  10. The Martian (2015) movie poster #10 $630.6M worldwide The Martian $228.4M domestic · Action
Awards

Which 2015 Movies Won the Most Awards?

Mad Max: Fury Road leads with 29 wins from 47 nominations, then The Revenant with 12 wins. Spotlight won Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars. In all, 149 films released in 2015 have award nominations on the site, with 150 wins between them.

2016 awards season
  1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) movie poster
    Mad Max: Fury Road 29 / 47
    2015 · Action, Adventure · 29 wins from 47 nominations
  2. The Revenant (2015) movie poster
    The Revenant 12 / 23
    2015 · Adventure, Drama · 12 wins from 23 nominations
  3. Spotlight (2015) movie poster
    Spotlight 11 / 29
    2015 · Biography, Drama · 11 wins from 29 nominations
  4. El Niño (2015) movie poster
    El Niño 7 / 18
    2015 · Drama, Thriller · 7 wins from 18 nominations
  5. The Big Short (2015) movie poster
    The Big Short 6 / 25
    2015 · Biography, Drama · 6 wins from 25 nominations
  6. Inside Out (2015) movie poster
    Inside Out 6 / 10
    2015 · Adventure, Drama · 6 wins from 10 nominations
  7. 10,000 km (2015) movie poster
    10,000 km 5 / 14
    2015 · Drama, Comedy · 5 wins from 14 nominations
  8. Room (2015) movie poster
    Room 5 / 12
    2015 · Drama · 5 wins from 12 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 2015 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 2015 film of 12 genres, from Action (Gangs of Wasseypur) to History (Phoenix). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 2015's Movies Released?

October was the busiest month of 2015 with 808 releases; its best-rated film is Jafar Panahi's Taxi.

  • January Best: Gangs of Wasseypur
    592
  • February Best: Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
    467
  • March Best: The Salt of the Earth
    518
  • April Best: Rebels of the Neon God
    516
  • May Best: Mad Max: Fury Road
    474
  • June Best: Inside Out
    480
  • July Best: The Look of Silence
    461
  • August Best: The Second Mother
    478
  • September Best: The Fool
    675
  • October Best: Jafar Panahi's Taxi
    808
  • November Best: Spotlight
    566
  • December Best: Son of Saul
    477
Languages

Which Languages Were 2015's Movies In?

50% of 2015's films with a known language are in English (3,254). Spanish comes next with 362 films, out of 80 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 2015: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 2015's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 2015?

Gangs of Wasseypur is the best-rated film of 2015 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 88/100 from critics and audiences. Inside Out is second and The Look of Silence third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About Gangs of Wasseypur

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2015?

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens earned $2.1B worldwide, the most of any 2015 release on the site. Jurassic World follows with $1.7B.

2015 box office

Which 2015 movie won the Oscar for Best Picture?

Spotlight (2015) won Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards.

Spotlight

Which 2015 film won the most awards?

Mad Max: Fury Road has the best award record of the 2015 releases on the site: 29 wins from 47 nominations.

2016 awards season

How many movies were released in 2015?

The site lists 6,512 films released in 2015. 795 of them are ranked, and October had the most releases with a known day (808).

How are the best movies of 2015 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.