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2024 was chef’s kiss for movie lovers—like, we were literally spoiled with options, from the fam-faves to epic musical remakes.

From Deadpool to Wicked, Moana to Alien, there was something for everyone. Here’s a rundown of the movies that made noise (for better or worse) in 2024.

Top earners

Here are the highest grossing films of 2024:

1. Inside Out 2
2. Deadpool & Wolverine
3. Despicable Me 4
4. Moana 2
5. Dune: Part 2
6. Wicked
7. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
8. Kung Fu Panda 4
9. Venum: The Last Dance
10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Franchises, sequels, and animated family films dominated the box office in 2024. Out of the top 10 earners, Wicked was the only non-sequel, though it had a huge fanbase from its Broadway roots.

This trend isn’t new—recent years have been full of remakes (Mean Girls), adaptations (live-action Disney reboots), spin-offs (Furiosa), and sequels (Kung Fu Panda 4). And expect more of the same in 2025.

It’s also no surprise that animated family movies were at the top. They bring in entire families looking to have fun together, plus they’re super appealing to a wide range of ages and interests, making them pretty much a guaranteed hit.

Most Popular (based on IMDB)

IMDb has its own system for ranking movies by popularity, based on things like searches and page clicks. So, according to their list, these are the most popular movies of 2024:

1. Deadpool & Wolverine
2. Dune: Part 2
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
4. Joker: Folie à Deux
5. Alien: Romulus

No surprises here—these movies made a ton of noise, both through word-of-mouth and social media hype. Notably, Deadpool & Wolverine not only made waves but also raked in huge earnings, proving it had serious pull with moviegoers.

The real curveball on this list is Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Despite all the buzz leading up to its release, the movie got mixed reviews. While some critics were excited about the musical direction, they were ultimately let down by how it was handled. The plot and ending didn’t sit well with a lot of fans either, especially since it didn’t really align with or support the vibe of the first Joker film, which was a massive hit.

Noise for the Wrong Reasons

With the good comes the bad, and while 2024 had plenty of great films, it also had its share of duds. Here are some of the movies that made noise for all the wrong reasons:

1. Madam Web (11%)
2. Kraven The Hunter (16%)
3. Joker: Folie à Deux (31%)
4. Venum: The Last Dance (41%)
5. A Quiet Place: Day One (86%)

You can’t just rely on sequels, franchises, or even superhero movies anymore. As you can see, some big earners ended up on the list of duds, like Joker: Folie à Deux and Venom: The Last Dance. Despite their box office numbers, these movies were hit with terrible reviews—Joker: Folie à Deux scored just 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Venom: The Last Dance got a 41%.

But for this list, we didn’t just look at Rotten Tomatoes scores. We factored in something a little harder to measure—the “let down” effect. This is all about how much hype and promise a movie had compared to the actual product. And in terms of the let down factor, A Quiet Place: Day One really hit hard, especially since the earlier A Quiet Place films were so good.

Still, even with all these duds, nothing topped the level of flop seen with Sony’s superhero movies, Madam Web and Kraven The Hunter. Both were slammed by critics, making them 2024’s biggest blockbuster disappointments.

What were your favorite and least favorite movies of 2024? Let us know in the comments!