Most Popular Movies 2021
This chart shows the 2021 movie releases that have attracted the most interest on The Numbers web site over the past 24 hours. A share of 100 corresponds to 1 percent of the total views for all 2021 releases.
See also: Domestic Release Schedule for 2021 - Top 2021 Worldwide
| ← 2020 | Most Popular Overall | 2022 → |
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Dune |
| Director: Denis Villeneuve |
| Lead Roles: Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, Zendaya as Chani, Chen Chang as Dr. Wellington Yueh, David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet-Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem as Stilgar |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 15, 2021 (Wide) (France) |
| Keywords: 3-D, 3-D - Post-production Conversion, IMAX: DMR, Space Opera, Heroic Adventure, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 Oscars Best Picture Nominee |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $109,987,830 |
|
International BO: $320,079,789 |
Synopsis
Paul Atreides is a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Spider-Man: No Way Home |
| Director: Jon Watts |
| Lead Roles: Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 14, 2021 (Wide), released as 스파이더맨: 노 웨이 홈 (South Korea) |
| Keywords: Action Adventure, Alternative Dimensions / Parallel universe, Ensemble, Secret Identity |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Animation/Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $814,115,070 |
|
International BO: $1,093,721,184 |
Synopsis
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
| Ghostbusters: Afterlife |
| Director: Jason Reitman |
| Lead Roles: Carrie Coon as Callie, Finn Wolfhard as Trevor, Mckenna Grace as Phoebe, Paul Rudd as Mr. Grooberson, Celeste O’ Conner as Trevor’s Classmate, Logan Kim as Phoebe’s Classmate |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 18, 2021 (Wide) by Sony Pictures, released as Ghostbusters: Legacy (Germany) |
| Keywords: Supernatural, Delayed Sequel, Horror Comedy |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $129,360,575 |
|
International BO: $74,179,602 |
Synopsis
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
| Venom: Let There be Carnage |
| Director: Andy Serkis |
| Lead Roles: Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom, Woody Harrelson as Carnage |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 30, 2021 (Wide), released as Веном 2 (Russia (CIS)) |
| Keywords: Action Thriller, Serial Killer, Friendly Alien on Earth, Investigative Journalist, Prison Break |
| Classification: Spin-Off, Action, Animation/Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $213,550,366 |
|
International BO: $287,996,556 |
Synopsis
Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Godzilla vs. Kong |
| Director: Adam Wingard |
| Lead Roles: Alexander Skarsgård as Nathan Lind |
| Initial Theatrical Release: March 25, 2021 (Wide) by Warner Bros (Australia) |
| Keywords: 3-D, 3-D - Post-production Conversion, IMAX: DMR, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Kaiju, Creature Feature, Secret Societies, Deaf, Mute, Sign Language, Enemies Forced to Work Together, Robot, Action Adventure |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $100,916,094 |
|
International BO: $348,534,018 |
Synopsis
Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Old Henry |
| Director: Potsy Ponciroli |
| Lead Roles: Tim Blake Nelson as Henry |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 1, 2021 (Limited) by Shout! Factory |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Western, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $42,068 |
Synopsis
Old Henry tells the story about a widowed farmer and his son who warily take in a mysterious, injured man with a satchel full of cash. When a posse of men claiming to be the law come for the money, the farmer must decide whom to trust. Defending a siege of his homestead, the farmer reveals a surprising talent for gunslinging that brings his true identity into question.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| The Matrix Resurrections |
| Director: Lana Wachowski |
| Lead Roles: Keanu Reeves as Neo/Thomas Anderson |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 16, 2021 (Wide), released as Матрица: Воскрешение (Russia (CIS)) |
| Keywords: Delayed Sequel |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $40,463,197 |
|
International BO: $118,734,558 |
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Black Widow |
| Director: Cate Shortland |
| Lead Roles: Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz as Melina, David Harbour as Alexei/Red Guardian , Ray Winstone as Dreykov, O.T. Fagbenle as Mason |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July 7, 2021 (Wide) by Walt Disney (United Kingdom) |
| Keywords: Action Thriller, Secret Agent, Dysfunctional Family, You Can't Go Home Again, Marvel Comics, Prequel, 2010s, Cold War, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $183,651,655 |
|
International BO: $196,099,476 |
Synopsis
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| No Time to Die |
| Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga |
| Lead Roles: Daniel Craig as James Bond, Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ana de Armas as Paloma, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rami Malek as Safin |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 29, 2021 (Wide), released as 007 No Time To Die (South Korea) |
| Keywords: IMAX: DMR, Secret Agent, Action Thriller |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $160,891,007 |
|
International BO: $598,038,764 |
Synopsis
Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
| Infinite |
| Director: Antoine Fuqua |
| Lead Roles: Mark Wahlberg as Evan Michaels, Chiwetel Ejiofor |
| Video Release Date: June 10, 2021 by Paramount Network |
| Keywords: Reincarnation, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Action Thriller |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Science Fiction |
Synopsis
For Evan McCauley, skills he has never learned and memories of places he has never visited haunt his daily life. Self-medicated and on the brink of a mental breakdown, Evan is sought by a secret group that call themselves “Infinites,” revealing to him that his memories may be real — but they are from multiple past lives. The Infinites bring Evan into their extraordinary world, where a gifted few are given the ability to be reborn with their memories and knowledge accumulated over centuries. With critical secrets buried in his past, Evan must work with the Infinites to unlock the answers in his memories in a race against time to save humanity from one of their own who seeks to end all life to stop what he views as the cursed, endless cycle of reincarnation.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Cruella |
| Director: Craig Gillespie |
| Lead Roles: Emma Stone as Estella “Cruella” de Vil |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 26, 2021 (Wide) (Italy) |
| Keywords: Crime Caper, Crime Comedy, Fashion, Prequel, Origin Story |
| Classification: Spin-Off, Comedy, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $86,103,234 |
|
International BO: $139,706,829 |
Synopsis
In 1970s London, young fashion designer Estella de Vil becomes obsessed with dogs’ skins, especially Dalmatians, until she eventually becomes a ruthless and terrifying legend known as Cruella.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| West Side Story |
| Director: Steven Spielberg |
| Lead Roles: Ansel Elgort as Tony, Ariana DeBose as Anita, Mike Faist as Riff, Rita Moreno as Valentina, Rachel Zegler as Maria |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 8, 2021 (Wide) (Finland) |
| Keywords: Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Romance, Romeo and Juliet Romance, 1950s, Set in New York City, Set in New York, Gangs, 2022 Oscars Best Picture Nominee, Romantic Musical |
| Classification: Remake, Musical, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $38,530,322 |
|
International BO: $36,296,007 |
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Free Guy |
| Director: Shawn Levy |
| Lead Roles: Ryan Reynolds as Guy |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 11, 2021 (Wide), released as Free Guy — Eroe per gioco (Italy) |
| Keywords: Action Comedy, Video Game, Video Game Industry, Artificial Intelligence, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Prologue, Voiceover/Narration, Love at First Sight, Romance, Interspecies Romance |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $121,626,598 |
|
International BO: $201,847,194 |
Synopsis
A bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way… before it is too late.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Mortal Kombat |
| Director: Simon McQuoid |
| Lead Roles: Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion |
| Initial Theatrical Release: April 8, 2021 (Wide) (South Korea) |
| Keywords: Reboot, Tournament, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Classification: Based on Game, Action, Animation/Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $42,326,031 |
|
International BO: $41,182,228 |
Synopsis
MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| CODA |
| Director: Sian Heder |
| Lead Roles: Emilia Jones as Ruby |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 13, 2021 (Limited) by Apple Original Films |
| Keywords: Deaf, Coming-of-Age Drama, Coming of Age, Singers, Fishing, Father’s Footsteps, Massachusetts, Foreign-Language Remake, Remake, Sundance Film Festival 2021, 2022 Oscars Best Picture Nominee, Oscars Best Picture Winner |
| Classification: Remake, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
International BO: $2,237,618 |
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Ruby is the sole hearing member of a deaf family—a CODA, child of deaf adults. Her life revolves around acting as interpreter for her parents and working on the family’s struggling fishing boat with her father and older brother every day before school. But when Ruby joins her high school’s choir, she discovers a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles. Encouraged by her enthusiastic, tough-love choirmaster to apply to a prestigious music school, Ruby finds herself torn between the obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams.
| Babysitter |
| Director: Monia Chokri |
| Keywords: Sundance Film Festival 2022 |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
Synopsis
Middle-aged sexist Cédric gets suspended from work after drunkenly kissing a female reporter during a prank on live TV. Stuck at home with his long-suffering girlfriend, Nadine, and their incessantly crying baby, Cédric teams up with his sensitive brother, Jean-Michel to co-author a confessional book apologizing for their past misogyny. Enter Amy: a mysterious and provocative young babysitter, who, like a Mary Poppins of the libido, forces the trio to face their sexual anxieties while turning their lives upside down.
| Cinderella |
| Director: Kay Cannon |
| Lead Roles: Camila Cabello as Cinderella |
| Video Release Date: September 3, 2021 by Amazon Studios |
| Keywords: Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Modern Adaptation |
| Classification: Based on Folk Tale/Legend/Fairytale, Musical, Live Action, Fantasy |
Synopsis
Cinderella is a modern musical with a bold take on the story you grew up with. Our ambitious heroine has big dreams and with the help of her Fab G, she perseveres to make them come true.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Eternals |
| Director: Chloé Zhao |
| Lead Roles: Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 3, 2021 (Wide), released as 이터널스 (South Korea) |
| Keywords: IMAX: DMR, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Action Adventure, Friendly Alien on Earth |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $164,870,264 |
|
International BO: $236,861,495 |
Synopsis
Ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.
| Chang jin hu |
| Director: Kaige Chen, Dante Lam, Tsui Hark |
| Lead Roles: Wu Jing as Wu Qianli |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 25, 2021 (Wide), released as The Battle at Lake Changjin (China) |
| Keywords: 1950s, Action Adventure, War, Korean War, Communism |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Action, Live Action, Dramatization |
|
Domestic BO: $333,214 |
|
International BO: $909,263,022 |
Synopsis
The story takes place in winter, 1950. In the freezing cold Changjin Lake region, a bloody battle between the United States and China begins. Faced with the harshest conditions of extreme cold, lack of rations and vast difference in weaponry, the Chinese troops forge ahead, fearless and determined. They successfully blow up the Shuimen Bridge, making the most critical victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| A Quiet Place: Part II |
| Director: John Krasinski |
| Lead Roles: Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 26, 2021 (Wide) (Indonesia) |
| Keywords: Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Directing Yourself, Near Future, 2020s, Deaf, Sign Language, Limited Dialogue, Family Affair, Psychological Horror, Relatives Playing Relatives, Alien Invasion, Intertitle, Prologue, Motion Capture Performance |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Horror, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $160,215,764 |
|
International BO: $136,434,592 |
Synopsis
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
| The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard |
| Director: Patrick Hughes |
| Lead Roles: Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, Samuel L. Jackson as Darius Kincaid, Salma Hayek as Sonia Kincaid |
| Initial Theatrical Release: June 11, 2021 (Wide) by Corazón Films, released as Duro de cuidar 2 (Mexico) |
| Keywords: Action Comedy, Retirement, Out of Retirement |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $38,014,727 |
|
International BO: $29,372,728 |
Synopsis
The world’s most lethal odd couple—bodyguard Michael Bryce and hitman Darius Kincaid—are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid. As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman. Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as… well, you’ll have to see.
| Atlas |
| Director: Niccolò Castelli |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July 9, 2021 (Wide) (Italy) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
International BO: $5,617 |
| Love |
| Director: Igor Tverdokhebov |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 11, 2021 (Wide) (Russia (CIS)) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
International BO: $991,474 |
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| Last Night in Soho |
| Director: Edgar Wright |
| Lead Roles: Thomasin McKenzie as Eloise Turner, Anya Taylor-Joy as Sandie, Matt Smith as Jack, Michael Ajao as John |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 27, 2021 (Wide) (France) |
| Keywords: Psychological Thriller, Set in London, 1960s, Time Travel, Body Swap, Posthumous Release |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $10,127,625 |
|
International BO: $12,439,982 |
Synopsis
A young girl, passionate in fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it appears, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences…
-Thumbnail.jpg)
| The Guilty |
| Director: Antoine Fuqua |
| Lead Roles: Jake Gyllenhaal as Joe Baylor |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 24, 2021 (Limited) by Netflix |
| Keywords: Crime Thriller, Foreign-Language Remake, Kidnap, Demoted, Police Detective |
| Classification: Remake, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
Synopsis
A troubled police detective demoted to 911 operator duty scrambles to save a distressed caller during a harrowing day of revelations — and reckonings.