Top Movies of the 2000s

This page offers lists of the top 25 movies of the decade as determined by two different metrics. The first list is based on box office and the second is based on critics’ picks.

Box Office: Top 25 of the 2000s These are the top 25 movies of the decade as determined by worldwide box office gross. The first number indicates dollars made in millions.

1. 2923.71: Avatar (2009) 2. 1147.63: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 3. 1066.18: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) 4. 1026.41: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (aka “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”) (2001) 5. 1006.23: The Dark Knight (2008) 6. 961.69: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) 7. 942.86: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) 8. 941.64: Finding Nemo (2003) 9. 941.06 :Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) 10. 938.24: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 11. 932.53: Shrek 2 (2004) 12. 898.47: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 13. 891.68: Spider-Man 3 (2007) 14. 888.17: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) 16. 882.74: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 17. 850.04: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) 18. 836.30: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) 19. 825.03: Spider-Man (2002) 20. 808.49: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 21. 808.31: Shrek the Third (2007) 22. 795.11: Spider-Man 2 (2004) 23. 791.22: 2012 (2009) 24. 786.60: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) 25. 760.01: The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Critics’ Picks: Top 25 of the 2000s These are the top 25 movies of the decade as determined by a combination of the movies’ ratings points and awards points.

1. No Country for Old Men (2007) 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 3. Brokeback Mountain (2005) 4. The Hurt Locker (2009) 5. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) 6. The Dark Knight (2008) 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 8. Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (2006) 9. Sideways (2004) 10. Gladiator (2000) 11. There Will Be Blood (2007) 12. Avatar (2009) 13. Chicago (2002) 14. A Beautiful Mind (2001) 15. The Departed (2006) 16. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 17. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long) (2000) 18. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 19. Wall-E (2008) 20. Juno (2007) 21. The Pianist (2002) 22. Million Dollar Baby (2004) 23. Lost in Translation (2003) 24. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (2001) 25. Ratatouille (2007)

Resources: Dave’s Movie Database: Eras Dave’s Movie Database: Movies of the Year Dave’s Movie Database: Box Office Dave’s Movie Database: Awards Page Dave’s Movie Database: Ratings Page Originally posted 3/5/2025.