Spotlight: 20 Best Films of 2020

April 26, 2021 / Leave a Comment

20. NIGHT OF THE KINGS

Directed by: Philippe Lacôte
Studio: Neon
Release Date: September 6, 2020
Genre: International
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEE

19. SOUL

Directed by: Pete Docter
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures + Pixar Animation
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Genre: Animation
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER

18. MINARI

Directed by: Lee Isaac Chung
Studio: A24
Release Date: January 26, 2020
Genre: Drama
ACADEMY AWARD & INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNER

17. SOUND OF METAL

Directed by: Darius Marder
Studio: Amazon Studios
Release Date: November 20, 2020
Genre: Drama
ACADEMY AWARD & INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNER

16. REBECCA

Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Studio: Netflix
Release Date: October 21, 2020
Genre: Drama

15. NINE DAYS

Directed by: Edson Oda
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: January 27, 2020
Genre: Drama
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEE

14. THE GENTLEMEN

Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Studio: STXfilms
Release Date: January 24, 2020
Genre: Crime

13. DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD

Directed by: Kirsten Johnson
Studio: Netflix
Release Date: October 2, 2020
Genre: Documentary
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEE

12. ONWARD

Directed by: Dan Scanlon
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures + Pixar Animation
Release Date: March 6, 2020
Genre: Animation
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

11. UNDERWATER

Directed by: William Eubank
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 10, 2020
Genre: Sci-Fi

10. NEWS OF THE WORLD

Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Genre: Western
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

9. BIRDS OF PREY (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Directed by: Cathy Yan
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: February 7, 2020
Genre: Action

8. OPERA

Directed by: Erick Oh
Studio: Beasts and Natives Alike
Release Date: September 30, 2020
Genre: Animated Short
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

7. THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN

Directed by: Kaouther Ben Hania
Studio: BAC Films
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Genre: International
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

6. ANOTHER ROUND

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg
Studio: StudioCanal
Release Date: December 4, 2020
Genre: International
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER

5. PIECES OF A WOMAN

Directed by: Kornél Mundruczó
Studio: Netflix
Release Date: December 30, 2020
Genre: Drama
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

4. THE INVISIBLE MAN

Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: February 28, 2020
Genre: Horror
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEE

3. TENET

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: September 3, 2020
Genre: Thriller
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER

2. PALM SPRINGS

Directed by: Max Barbakow
Studio: Neon
Release Date: July 10, 2020
Genre: Comedy
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEE

1. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Directed by: Emerald Fennell
Studio: Focus Features
Release Date: December 25, 2020
Genre: Drama
ACADEMY AWARD & INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNER

OVERRATED FILMS OF 2020

(Films that everyone was raving about that fell a little flat for me)

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2020

(Films that I wanted to be good and had tons of potential, but were some of the worst films of the year)

THE NEW MUTANTS

Directed by: Josh Boone
Studio: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Genre: Horror

COLOR OUT OF SPACE

Directed by: Richard Stanley
Studio: RLJE Films
Release Date: January 24, 2020
Genre: Sci-Fi

CAPONE

Directed by: Josh Trank
Studio: Vertical Entertainment
Release Date: May 12, 2020
Genre: Drama

“BEST OF” STATS

MONTH OF RELEASE

January: 4
February: 2
March: 1
April: 0
May: 0
June: 0
July: 1
August: 0
September: 4
October: 2
November: 1
December: 5

FILMS WITH FEMALE OR DIVERSE LEADS / CO-LEADS

13 out of 20

Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Winston Duke (“Nine Days”)
Jamie Foxx (“Soul”)
Lily James (“Rebecca”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Bakary Koné (“Night of the Kings”)
Cristin Milioti (“Palm Springs”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Invisible Man”)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)
Margot Robbie (“Birds of Prey”)
Kristen Stewart (“Underwater”)
John David Washington (“Tenet”)
Steven Yeun (“Minari”)

PASS THE BECHDEL TEST

(1) It has to have at least two [named] women in it
(2) Who talk to each other
(3) About something besides a man

11 out of 20

“Birds Of Prey”
“The Invisible Man”
“Minari”
“News of the World”
“Onward”
“Palm Springs”
“Pieces of a Woman”
“Promising Young Woman”
“Rebecca”
“Soul”
“Underwater”

FEMALE / DIVERSE / INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORS

14 out of 20

Lee Isaac Chung (“MInari”)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)
Kaouther Ben Hania (“The Man Who Sold His Skin”)
Kirsten Johnson (“Dick Johnson Is Dead”)
Philippe Lacôte (“Night of the Kings”)
Kornél Mundruczó (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Christopher Nolan (“Tenet”)
Edson Oda (“Nine Days”)
Erick Oh (“Opera”)
Guy Ritchie (“The Gentlemen”)
Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”)
Leigh Whannell (“The Invisible Man”)
Ben Wheatley (“Rebecca”)
Cathy Yan (“Birds of Prey”)

STUDIO OF RELEASE

Walt Disney Pictures: 2
Warner Bros. Pictures: 2
Universal Pictures: 2
20th Century Fox: 1
Sony Pictures Classics: 1
Focus Features: 1
STXfilms: 1
Amazon Studios: 1
Netflix: 3
Neon: 2
A24: 1
BAC Films: 1
StudioCanal: 1
Beasts and Natives Alike: 1

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATINGS

Certified Fresh: 14
Fresh: 3
Rotten: 2
None: 1

PRODUCTION BUDGETS

$0 – $20 MILLION (Low Budget)

“Minari”	$2 million
“The Man Who Sold His Skin”	$2.9 million
“Palm Springs”	$5 million
“Sound Of Metal”	$5.4 million
“Another Round”	$5.7 million
“The Invisible Man”	$7 million
“Promising Young Woman”	$5-10 million
“Nine Days”	$10 million
“Rebecca”	$18 million
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”	Under $20 million
“Night of the Kings”	Under $20 million
“Opera”	Under $20 million

$20-100 MILLION (Moderate Budget)

“The Gentlemen”	$22 million
“News of the World”	$38 million
“Underwater”	$50–80 million
“Birds Of Prey”	$84.5 million
“Pieces of a Woman”	Under $100 million

$100-$200 MILLION (Big Budget)

“Soul”	$150 million+
“Onward”	$175–200 million

$200 MILLION PLUS (Mega Budget)

“Tenet”

$200 million

DOMESTIC | WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE

TITLE	DOMESTIC	WORLDWIDE
“Promising Young Woman”	$6.4 million	$13.8 million
“Palm Springs”	$164,000	$1.4 million
“Tenet”	$58.4 million	$363.6 million
“The Invisible Man”	$70.4 million	$143.1 million
“Pieces of a Woman”	—	—
“Another Round	—	$4.1 million
“The Man Who Sold His Skin”	—	—
“Opera”	—	—
“Birds Of Prey”	$84.1 million	$201.8 million
“News of the World”	$12.6 million	$12.6 million
“Underwater”	$17.8 million	$40.8 million
“Onward”	$61.5 million	$141.9 million
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”	—	—
“The Gentlemen”	$36.4 million	$115.1 million
“Nine Days”	—	—
“Rebecca”	—	—
“Sound Of Metal”	—	$181,421
“Minari”	$2.8 million	$12 million
“Soul”	—	$116.1 million
“Night of the Kings”	—	—