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The IMDb Top 250 on 1st January, 2020


Introduction

To help track the Change in the IMDb Top 250, I grab a static copy of that list each 1st January. Here's the list as it was on 1st January, 2020, with some data that ties it to previous years.

Here are equivalent pages for 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2004.

Of course, the list changes all the time. Here's the current version of the IMDb Top 250 at the Internet Movie Database.

The Usual Suspects | The New Batch | The Departed

Key

This list is in ranking order and lists the title, year and director of each film, with a link to its IMDb page, along with its position (if applicable) in the list I grabbed on 1st January in 2019 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013, as well as at some point in mid-2004. The last column highlights the change in position over the last twelve months. A film that wasn't in the list in 2019 is a new entry, even if it was in the list in a previous year.

Notes

There's much worthy of note in this New Year's list, which changed more than usual during 2019.

Averages

The averages aren't surprising. The mean gradually gets newer at roughly one year per year and, no doubt, it will continue to do so because people keep on making new films. Last year it stayed at 1985 for a second year but it jumped back up to 1987 this year.

The median ought to get newer too, but it does that less cleanly. It's been at 1993 for three years now but it jumps up to 1994 this year.

The mode, the year most represented in the list, is the one value that doesn't have to get newer at all. Right now, it's 1995, for a seventh year running, and there are eight films from that year represented, just ahead of the seven each from 2014 and 2019. 1957 and 2014 drop down from seven to six, to sit alongside 2000, 2001 and 2009.

Decade Change

The oldest film in the list remains Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, released in 1921, one of six films from the 1920s in this year's list.

It's rare for an older decade to increase in representation, as both the 1920s and 1980s did last year and only the 2010s managed that this year. In fact, since 2013, there are very few examples of a decade earlier than the nostalgia point (currently the 1980s) increasing its representation in the list. The 1920s have done it three times and the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s only once each. The 1930s and 1940s have never increased over the last seven years.

New Entries

As with last year, the list of new entries continues to be fascinating. It used to include a combination of brand new English language films and classic foreign films, but that changed a few years ago. Nowadays, the new films are often foreign and the old ones are often English language films from anywhere in time.

The highest new entry is Joker, at 26, one of seven 2019 films to make the list and arguably one of two blockbusters, the second being The Avengers: Endgame (the biggest hit of the year). Two others have been much talked about: Martin Scorsese's Netflix hit, The Irishman and the Korean movie, Parasite, which, at number 30, is the fifth highest foreign language film on the list. The other three are quieter hits: Ford v Ferrari, Marriage Story and the animated Klaus.

New foreign films include five from India. Andadhun and Drishyam both appear for the first time, while three titles return to the list: Lagaan and Gangs of Wasseypur after four years out, and PK, which was at number 250 two years ago.

Classic films joining the list for the first time, probably because they reached the requisite number of votes to be eligible, include Harakiri (1962), entering very high at number 33, The Red Shoes (1948), Ace in the Hole (1951) and White Heat (1949). The other classic is The Battle of Algiers, which spent three years in the list before dropping out in 2018.

Ups

As always, more films dropped than rose, given that new entries inevitably bounce everything downwards. However, a surprising amount of films rose in the list. In 2019, only four films rose by double digit amounts. Two of those are among the thirteen films to do that this year: Jurassic Park and Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, both of which are rising for a third successive year.

The largest improvement was easily Come and See, which rose 29 places. It entered the Top 250 in 2017 at number 181 and has risen every year since. Other consistent risers are Good Will Hunting, which hasn't dropped a place since I've been grabbing these lists; The Lion King and Inglourious Basterds, which haven't dropped in at least seven years; and Shutter Island, on its sixth successive rise.

Downs and Outs

The amount of change over the last year means that the list of films that dropped out of the Top 250 is a large one including 22 of the lowest 28 from last year.

That includes a host of films that have been in every list I've grabbed, including the one from 2004, some of the greatest and most loved of all time. Just look at these dropouts for 2020: The Grapes of Wrath, The Maltese Falcon, Donnie Darko, Gandhi, Groundhog Day, The Wizard of Oz, Jaws, 8½ and, if we ignore its gap in 2018, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Quite a few others dropped a long way but survived the cull for now. The largest drop of a film that remains in the list was 52 places for Hitchcock's Rebecca, which is escalating a gradual slide that's been happening since my earliest grab. Most of the other large drops were for classic American films: 35 places for The General, 36 for The Third Man, 39 for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and 45 for It Happened One Night. The only other major faller was Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse, which dropped 35 places from 29 to 64.

As always, though, one high new entry last year plummeted all the way out this year and that's Bohemian Rhapsody, which was at number 134 in 2019 and isn't anywhere to be found in 2020. More surprisingly, Alfonso Cuarón's much lauded Roma vanished after one year at number 184 and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans leapt out of the list after dropping slowly for three years.

The Usual Suspects | The New Batch | The Departed

The List


# Title Year Director IMDb '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '04 Ch
1 The Shawshank Redemption 1994 Frank Darabont IMDb 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 =
2 The Godfather 1972 Francis Ford Coppola IMDb 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 =
3 The Godfather: Part II 1974 Francis Ford Coppola IMDb 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 =
4 The Dark Knight 2008 Christopher Nolan IMDb 4 4 4 4 4 6 7 =
5 12 Angry Men 1957 Sidney Lumet IMDb 5 5 5 5 7 7 6 21 =
6 Schindler’s List 1993 Steven Spielberg IMDb 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 6 =
7 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 Peter Jackson IMDb 7 8 8 9 9 9 9 3 =
8 Pulp Fiction 1994 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 8 7 7 7 5 4 4 16 =
9 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966 Sergio Leone IMDb 9 9 9 8 6 5 5 20 =
10 Fight Club 1999 David Fincher IMDb 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 41 =
11 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 Peter Jackson IMDb 11 11 11 11 11 11 13 9 =
12 Forrest Gump 1994 Robert Zemeckis IMDb 12 12 13 13 14 15 19 115 =
13 Inception 2010 Christopher Nolan IMDb 14 14 14 14 13 14 14 ↑1
14 The Empire Strikes Back 1980 Irvin Kershner IMDb 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 13 ↓1
15 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002 Peter Jackson IMDb 15 15 15 16 17 19 21 8 =
16 The Matrix 1999 Andy & Larry Wachowski IMDb 18 18 18 17 19 20 18 34 ↑2
17 Goodfellas 1990 Martin Scorsese IMDb 17 17 17 18 18 16 15 29 =
18 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1975 Milos Forman IMDb 16 16 16 15 15 13 12 12 ↓2
19 Seven Samurai 1954 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 19 19 19 20 21 18 17 5 =
20 Se7en 1995 David Fincher IMDb 21 22 22 22 23 22 23 55 ↑1
21 City of God 2002 Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund IMDb 20 21 21 21 22 21 20 23 ↓1
22 Life is Beautiful 1997 Roberto Benigni IMDb 25 25 26 26 29 36 55 72 ↑3
23 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 Jonathan Demme IMDb 23 23 23 23 25 24 24 28 =
24 It’s a Wonderful Life 1946 Frank Capra IMDb 24 24 24 25 26 26 30 27 =
25 Star Wars 1977 George Lucas IMDb 22 20 20 19 20 17 16 10 ↓3
26 Joker 2019 Todd Phillips IMDb →
27 Saving Private Ryan 1998 Steven Spielberg IMDb 28 29 29 30 34 34 39 58 ↑1
28 Spirited Away 2001 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 27 28 28 31 36 38 43 43 ↓1
29 The Green Mile 1999 Frank Darabont IMDb 31 34 37 40 42 48 65 132 ↑2
30 Parasite 2019 Bong Joon Ho IMDb →
31 Interstellar 2014 Christopher Nolan IMDb 32 32 33 29 16 ↑1
32 Leon 1994 Luc Besson IMDb 30 27 27 27 28 28 31 64 ↓2
33 Harakiri 1962 Masaki Kobayashi IMDb →
34 The Usual Suspects 1995 Bryan Singer IMDb 26 26 25 24 24 25 26 18 ↓8
35 The Lion King 1994 Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff IMDb 47 48 51 54 54 69 79 ↑12
36 American History X 1998 Tony Kaye IMDb 34 31 32 32 32 32 34 61 ↓2
37 Back to the Future 1985 Robert Zemeckis IMDb 43 45 45 45 49 46 47 143 ↑6
38 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 James Cameron IMDb 42 44 44 41 40 39 36 110 ↑4
39 The Pianist 2002 Roman Polanski IMDb 39 40 42 42 43 43 49 37 =
40 Modern Times 1936 Charles Chaplin IMDb 38 39 40 39 39 41 45 69 ↓2
41 Psycho 1960 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 33 35 35 35 33 31 29 25 ↓8
42 Gladiator 2000 Ridley Scott IMDb 48 47 47 47 48 49 63 168 ↑6
43 The Intouchables 2011 Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano IMDb 40 38 39 38 38 45 64 ↓3
44 City Lights 1931 Charles Chaplin IMDb 35 37 36 34 35 33 41 91 ↓9
45 The Departed 2006 Martin Scorsese IMDb 41 42 43 44 46 47 50 ↓4
46 Whiplash 2014 Damien Chazelle IMDb 44 46 46 43 ↓2
47 Once Upon a Time in the West 1968 Sergio Leone IMDb 36 33 30 28 27 23 22 32 ↓11
48 The Prestige 2006 Christopher Nolan IMDb 49 49 50 51 51 61 68 ↑1
49 Casablanca 1942 Michael Curtiz IMDb 37 36 34 33 30 27 25 7 ↓12
50 Grave of the Fireflies 1988 Isao Takahata IMDb 55 58 59 64 71 82 104 171 ↑5
51 Rear Window 1954 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 45 43 41 37 37 30 28 14 ↓6
52 Cinema Paradiso 1988 Giuseppe Tornatore IMDb 54 55 57 57 57 64 76 99 ↑2
53 Alien 1979 Ridley Scott IMDb 52 52 52 53 50 44 40 60 ↓1
54 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 Steven Spielberg IMDb 46 41 38 36 31 29 27 17 ↓8
55 Apocalypse Now 1979 Francis Ford Coppola IMDb 50 51 49 48 45 40 35 36 ↓5
56 Memento 2000 Christopher Nolan IMDb 51 50 48 46 41 37 33 19 ↓5
57 The Great Dictator 1940 Charles Chaplin IMDb 53 53 55 55 52 59 69 97 ↓4
58 The Lives of Others 2006 Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck IMDb 58 57 56 56 53 55 60 =
59 The Avengers: Endgame 2019 Anthony & Joe Russo IMDb →
60 Django Unchained 2012 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 62 60 60 60 56 53 ↑2
61 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 Anthony & Joe Russo IMDb 56 ↓5
62 The Shining 1980 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 61 61 61 59 58 51 46 89 ↓1
63 Paths of Glory 1957 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 60 59 58 58 59 54 54 40 ↓3
64 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018 Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey & Rodney Rothman IMDb 29 ↓35
65 WALL-E 2008 Andrew Stanton IMDb 63 62 62 62 61 60 59 ↓2
66 Sunset Boulevard 1950 Billy Wilder IMDb 57 54 54 50 44 35 32 31 ↓9
67 Princess Mononoke 1997 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 64 64 65 68 72 81 93 100 ↓3
68 Dr. Strangelove 1964 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 59 56 53 49 47 42 37 15 ↓9
69 Oldboy 2003 Chan-wook Park IMDb 68 66 67 69 70 76 85 ↓1
70 Witness for the Prosecution 1957 Billy Wilder IMDb 65 67 71 76 83 83 102 164 ↓5
71 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 Christopher Nolan IMDb 67 65 63 61 55 50 38 ↓4
72 Once Upon a Time in America 1984 Sergio Leone IMDb 70 69 68 72 74 77 77 124 ↓2
73 Aliens 1986 James Cameron IMDb 69 68 66 65 63 62 58 87 ↓4
74 Your Name 2016 Makoto Shinkai IMDb 80 79 ↑6
75 American Beauty 1999 Sam Mendes IMDb 66 63 64 63 60 57 51 30 ↓9
76 Coco 2017 Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina IMDb 71 30 ↓5
77 Braveheart 1995 Mel Gibson IMDb 74 76 77 78 79 79 83 85 ↓3
78 Das Boot 1981 Wolfgang Peterson IMDb 72 70 70 71 69 71 71 46 ↓6
79 3 Idiots 2009 Rajkumar Hirani IMDb 87 94 103 114 120 158 240 ↑8
80 Return of the Jedi 1983 Richard Marquand IMDb 78 75 74 73 73 78 81 131 ↓2
81 Like Stars on Earth 2007 Aamir Khan IMDb 84 82 84 111 148 ↑3
82 Toy Story 1995 John Lasseter IMDb 91 95 95 97 107 113 118 177 ↑9
83 Amadeus 1984 Milos Forman IMDb 81 86 89 88 89 92 88 79 ↓2
84 Reservoir Dogs 1992 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 77 77 76 77 77 74 70 71 ↓7
85 Inglourious Basterds 2009 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 95 98 98 100 101 109 113 ↑10
86 Good Will Hunting 1997 Gus Van Sant IMDb 101 103 110 119 127 140 157 248 ↑15
87 M 1931 Fritz Lang IMDb 79 78 75 74 67 58 52 50 ↓8
88 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 89 93 93 92 98 103 92 73 ↑1
89 Requiem for a Dream 2000 Darren Aronofsky IMDb 82 80 79 81 80 75 73 51 ↓7
90 Vertigo 1958 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 75 73 73 70 66 63 48 33 ↓15
91 Dangal 2016 Nitesh Tiwari IMDb 83 71 ↓8
92 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 Michel Gondry IMDb 86 88 86 86 84 80 75 38 ↓6
93 Citizen Kane 1941 Orson Welles IMDb 73 72 69 66 64 56 44 11 ↓20
94 The Hunt 2012 Thomas Vinterberg IMDb 103 104 107 116 125 132 ↑9
95 Full Metal Jacket 1987 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 96 91 90 87 85 85 82 102 ↑1
96 North by Northwest 1959 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 76 74 72 67 62 52 42 22 ↓20
97 A Clockwork Orange 1971 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 88 84 80 79 75 70 61 74 ↓9
98 Snatch 2000 Guy Ritchie IMDb 104 101 97 93 91 104 112 221 ↑6
99 The Kid 1921 Charles Chaplin IMDb 99 100 99 96 99 110 128 =
100 The Bicycle Thief 1948 Vittorio De Sica IMDb 98 99 94 91 88 84 91 104 ↓2
101 Amelie 2001 Jean-Pierre Jeunet IMDb 90 83 78 75 65 65 62 26 ↓11
102 Scarface 1983 Brian De Palma IMDb 105 106 104 108 113 121 129 ↑3
103 Singin’ in the Rain 1952 Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen IMDb 94 92 96 90 86 86 86 47 ↓9
104 Taxi Driver 1976 Martin Scorsese IMDb 93 89 81 82 76 68 53 42 ↓11
105 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 David Lean IMDb 85 85 82 85 82 73 66 24 ↓20
106 Toy Story 3 2010 Lee Unkrich IMDb 102 97 88 80 68 66 56 ↓4
107 The Sting 1973 George Roy Hill IMDb 100 96 92 89 87 90 98 67 ↓7
108 Metropolis 1927 Fritz Lang IMDb 110 109 111 106 109 98 89 86 ↑2
109 For a Few Dollars More 1965 Sergio Leone IMDb 107 105 102 99 95 108 111 ↓2
110 Capernaum 2018 Nadine Labaki IMDb →
111 A Separation 2011 Asghar Farhadi IMDb 111 110 109 105 105 101 105 =
112 Double Indemnity 1944 Billy Wilder IMDb 92 87 83 83 78 67 57 45 ↓20
113 Ikiru 1952 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 124 128 130 131 132 120 193 ↑11
114 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 Robert Mulligan IMDb 97 90 85 84 81 72 67 35 ↓17
115 The Apartment 1960 Billy Wilder IMDb 109 108 106 102 97 96 96 81 ↓6
116 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 Steven Spielberg IMDb 112 112 108 104 103 100 97 141 ↓4
117 Up 2009 Pete Docter IMDb 114 115 118 115 115 118 114 ↓3
118 Incendies 2010 Denis Villeneuve IMDb 125 131 148 159 174 202 226 ↑7
119 L.A. Confidential 1997 Curtis Hanson IMDb 108 107 101 98 94 93 80 49 ↓11
120 Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975 Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones IMDb 106 102 100 94 90 95 84 56 ↓14
121 Heat 1995 Michael Mann IMDb 123 123 126 123 124 122 119 245 ↑2
122 Rashomon 1950 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 113 111 105 101 92 91 90 57 ↓9
123 Die Hard 1988 John McTiernan IMDb 121 122 123 120 119 111 101 156 ↓2
124 Batman Begins 2005 Christopher Nolan IMDb 116 116 115 111 108 107 103 ↓8
125 Yojimbo 1961 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 117 113 113 109 106 102 109 107 ↓8
126 Unforgiven 1992 Clint Eastwood IMDb 119 120 119 113 110 105 94 127 ↓7
127 Green Book 2018 Peter Farrelly IMDb →
128 Downfall 2004 Oliver Hirschbiegel IMDb 120 121 120 118 117 116 107 ↓8
129 Children of Heaven 1997 Majid Majidi IMDb 128 127 124 ↓1
130 Ford v Ferrari 2019 James Mangold IMDb →
131 Some Like It Hot 1959 Billy Wilder IMDb 118 118 116 110 100 97 87 44 ↓13
132 Howl’s Moving Castle 2004 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 135 137 141 142 146 168 189 ↑3
133 The Great Escape 1963 John Sturges IMDb 127 126 125 121 118 119 110 77 ↓6
134 My Neighbor Totoro 1988 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 133 132 131 128 128 141 165 ↓1
135 Ran 1985 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 136 133 134 132 135 127 133 76 ↑1
136 A Beautiful Mind 2001 Ron Howard IMDb 141 145 147 149 160 182 199 ↑5
137 All About Eve 1950 Joseph L Mankiewicz IMDb 115 114 114 103 96 88 95 54 ↓22
138 Casino 1995 Martin Scorsese IMDb 143 146 145 141 141 144 150 ↑5
139 Come and See 1985 Elem Klimov IMDb 168 171 181 ↑29
140 Pan’s Labyrinth 2006 Guillermo Del Toro IMDb 129 130 129 126 123 117 106 ↓11
141 Raging Bull 1980 Martin Scorsese IMDb 126 124 121 117 112 106 99 59 ↓15
142 The Secret in Their Eyes 2009 Juan José Campanella IMDb 138 136 136 135 139 143 155 ↓4
143 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 1998 Guy Ritchie IMDb 142 143 142 137 138 137 142 224 ↓1
144 The Wolf of Wall Street 2013 Martin Scorsese IMDb 149 150 154 144 130 ↑5
145 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948 John Huston IMDb 122 119 117 107 102 87 74 68 ↓23
146 Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 Stanley Kramer IMDb 137 134 146 147 153 145 250 ↓9
147 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2017 Martin McDonagh IMDb 144 ↓3
148 My Father and My Son 2005 Çagan Irmak IMDb 130 117 87 ↓18
149 Chinatown 1974 Roman Polanski IMDb 131 129 127 122 116 99 78 48 ↓18
150 The Gold Rush 1925 Charles Chaplin IMDb 139 135 135 130 131 130 137 151 ↓11
151 There Will Be Blood 2007 Paul Thomas Anderson IMDb 160 166 182 175 184 185 173 ↑9
152 Dial M for Murder 1954 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 155 154 162 158 162 166 167 ↑3
153 V for Vendetta 2005 James McTeigue IMDb 152 149 153 145 145 152 164 ↓1
154 Inside Out 2015 Pete Docter & Ronnie del Carmen IMDb 147 138 128 95 ↓7
155 The Seventh Seal 1957 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 146 141 140 133 129 124 117 95 ↓9
156 Warrior 2011 Gavin O’Connor IMDb 153 153 152 143 143 146 153 ↓3
157 No Country for Old Men 2007 Joel & Ethan Coen IMDb 158 161 175 165 168 160 139 ↑1
158 Trainspotting 1996 Danny Boyle IMDb 159 155 163 157 154 149 151 203 ↑1
159 The Elephant Man 1980 David Lynch IMDb 148 148 151 140 133 126 116 130 ↓11
160 Room 2015 Lenny Abrahamson IMDb 150 142 133 ↓10
161 Shutter Island 2010 Martin Scorsese IMDb 171 180 189 192 209 240 234 ↑10
162 The Sixth Sense 1999 M Night Shyamalan IMDb 161 159 171 160 163 153 143 96 ↓1
163 Marriage Story 2019 Noah Baumbach IMDb →
164 The Thing 1982 John Carpenter IMDb 163 163 174 166 165 164 147 ↓1
165 Gone with the Wind 1939 Victor Fleming IMDb 162 157 166 155 157 151 158 148 ↓3
166 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 David Lean IMDb 140 139 137 129 126 114 100 52 ↓26
167 Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott IMDb 154 147 139 134 136 128 124 94 ↓13
168 The Third Man 1949 Carol Reed IMDb 132 125 122 112 104 89 72 39 ↓36
169 Jurassic Park 1993 Steven Spielberg IMDb 182 199 209 199 237 250 245 ↑13
170 On the Waterfront 1954 Elia Kazan IMDb 145 140 132 125 121 115 115 78 ↓25
171 Finding Nemo 2003 Andrew Stanton IMDb 167 164 170 163 167 170 163 75 ↓4
172 Wild Strawberries 1957 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 156 151 149 138 134 125 126 138 ↓16
173 Andhadhun 2018 Siram Raghavan IMDb →
174 Fargo 1996 Joel Coen IMDb 164 160 167 156 152 136 127 88 ↓10
175 Gran Torino 2008 Clint Eastwood IMDb 165 156 159 146 140 131 125 ↓10
176 Klaus 2019 Sergio Pablos & Carlos Martinez López IMDb →
177 Kill Bill: Vol 1 2003 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 172 173 178 170 171 163 152 63 ↓5
178 The Bandit 1996 Yavuz Turgul IMDb 192 168 143 ↑14
179 The Deer Hunter 1978 Michael Cimino IMDb 166 158 164 151 147 139 134 117 ↓13
180 Tokyo Story 1953 Yasujiro Ozu IMDb 175 167 165 ↓5
181 The Truman Show 1998 Peter Weir IMDb 187 207 214 211 232 239 215 ↑6
182 Stalker 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky IMDb 194 206 213 198 206 217 213 ↑12
183 The Big Lebowski 1998 Joel Coen IMDb 170 165 161 148 142 133 131 222 ↓13
184 Wild Tales 2014 Damián Szifron IMDb 181 185 197 194 ↓3
185 Mary and Max 2009 Adam Elliot IMDb 176 178 179 167 169 175 183 ↓9
186 In the Name of the Father 1993 Jim Sheridan IMDb 186 191 195 187 188 200 221 =
187 Gone Girl 2014 David Fincher IMDb 178 179 180 164 114 ↓9
188 Hacksaw Ridge 2016 Mel Gibson IMDb 177 174 91 ↓11
189 Memories of Murder 2003 Joon-ho Bong IMDb 196 201 211 216 227 218 ↑7
190 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 Frank Capra IMDb 151 144 138 127 122 112 108 66 ↓39
191 How to Train Your Dragon 2010 Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders IMDb 179 175 176 153 151 165 166 ↓12
192 The General 1926 Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman IMDb 157 152 150 139 137 123 120 93 ↓35
193 The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014 Wes Anderson IMDb 189 195 203 186 182 ↓4
194 Sherlock, Jr. 1924 Buster Keaton IMDb 169 ↓25
195 Persona 1966 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 195 198 206 181 193 190 185 235 =
196 Before Sunrise 1995 Richard Linklater IMDb 205 212 219 207 215 231 ↑9
197 Catch Me if You Can 2002 Steven Spielberg IMDb 215 220 236 245 ↑18
198 Prisoners 2013 Denis Villeneuve IMDb 208 216 233 232 246 234 ↑10
199 Cool Hand Luke 1967 Stuart Rosenberg IMDb 173 170 172 154 150 138 135 121 ↓26
200 12 Years a Slave 2013 Steve McQueen IMDb 199 202 201 184 175 ↓1
201 Into the Wild 2007 Sean Penn IMDb 183 182 177 161 158 161 161 ↓18
202 The Wages of Fear 1953 Henri-Georges Clouzot IMDb 203 192 191 173 161 ↑1
203 Network 1976 Sidney Lumet IMDb 193 190 190 177 176 172 170 217 ↓10
204 Stand by Me 1986 Rob Reiner IMDb 190 193 194 180 183 184 175 196 ↓14
205 Life of Brian 1979 Terry Jones IMDb 185 183 184 171 173 174 162 159 ↓20
206 Mad Max: Fury Road 2015 George Miller IMDb 206 204 199 152 =
207 Platoon 1986 Oliver Stone IMDb 191 187 187 174 172 162 144 147 ↓16
208 Barry Lyndon 1975 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 220 228 239 222 229 214 209 ↑12
209 The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928 Carl Theodor Dreyer IMDb 202 181 157 205 ↓7
210 Million Dollar Baby 2004 Clint Eastwood IMDb 200 203 205 189 190 183 172 ↓10
211 Hachi: A Dog's Tale 2009 Lasse Hallström IMDb 209 211 210 195 192 213 ↓2
212 Rush 2013 Ron Howard IMDb 201 194 185 168 156 142 ↓11
213 The Irishman 2019 Martin Scorsese IMDb →
214 Logan 2017 James Mangold IMDb 211 188 ↓3
215 Rang de Basanti 2006 Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra IMDb 213 176 160 148 156 ↓2
216 Andrei Rublev 1966 Andrei Tarkovsky IMDb 204 169 ↓12
217 Ben-Hur 1959 William Wyler IMDb 197 196 202 191 185 186 169 129 ↓20
218 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 216 213 212 196 197 210 ↓2
219 The 400 Blows 1959 François Truffaut IMDb 207 200 198 179 187 179 184 160 ↓12
220 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 2011 David Yates IMDb 217 218 224 219 217 227 220 ↓3
221 Hotel Rwanda 2004 Terry George IMDb 198 189 186 172 164 155 146 ↓23
222 Amores Perros 2000 Alejandro González Iñárritu IMDb 212 208 207 188 186 180 181 139 ↓10
223 Dead Poets Society 1989 Peter Weir IMDb 224 243 ↑1
224 Spotlight 2015 Tom McCarthy IMDb 210 205 193 ↓14
225 The Red Shoes 1948 Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger IMDb →
226 Rebecca 1940 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 174 172 173 150 144 129 123 105 ↓52
227 Rocky 1976 John G Avildsen IMDb 219 221 222 215 220 212 201 ↓8
228 Ace in the Hole 1951 John G Avildsen IMDb →
229 The Handmaiden 2016 Chan-wook Park IMDb 240 248 ↑11
230 White Heat 1949 Raoul Walsh IMDb →
231 Monsters, Inc 2001 Pete Docter & David Silverman IMDb 221 224 228 213 223 226 222 161 ↓10
232 Drishyam 2013 Jeethu Joseph IMDb →
233 It Happened One Night 1934 Frank Capra IMDb 188 184 183 162 149 135 140 113 ↓45
234 La haine 1995 Mathieu Kassovitz IMDb 229 234 238 224 224 224 230 ↓5
235 Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India 2001 Ashutosh Gowariker IMDb 210 215 →
236 Gangs of Wasseypur 2012 Anurag Kashyap IMDb 196 →
237 The Princess Bride 1987 Rob Reiner IMDb 214 214 208 185 181 188 191 101 ↓23
238 Before Sunset 2004 Richard Linklater IMDb 238 244 249 =
239 The Help 2011 Tate Taylor IMDb 235 242 248 235 234 248 ↓4
240 In the Mood for Love 2000 Wong Kar Wai IMDb 236 241 242 238 ↓4
241 PK 2014 Tate Taylor IMDb 0 250 →
242 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 George Roy Hill IMDb 218 209 196 176 170 154 148 112 ↓24
243 The Terminator 1984 James Cameron IMDb 226 229 232 210 213 196 171 202 ↓17
244 Akira 1988 Katsuhiro Otomo IMDb →
245 Paris, Texas 1984 Wim Wenders IMDb 242 244 250 ↓3
246 Aladdin 1992 Ron Clements & John Musker IMDb →
247 The Battle of Algiers 1966 Gillo Pontecorvo IMDb 247 217 218 →
248 Guardians of the Galaxy 2014 James Gunn IMDb 245 225 155 ↓3
249 Castle in the Sky 1986 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 241 247 234 231 230 244 ↓8
250 Infernal Affairs 2002 Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak IMDb 0 239 242 218 204 203 212 →


The New Batch

The following films were not part of the IMDb Top 250 on 1st January, 2019, but had entered (or re-entered) it by 1st January, 2020:

# Title Year Director IMDb '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '04
26 Joker 2019 Todd Phillips IMDb
30 Parasite 2019 Bong Joon Ho IMDb
33 Harakiri 1962 Masaki Kobayashi IMDb
59 The Avengers: Endgame 2019 Anthony & Joe Russo IMDb
110 Capernaum 2018 Nadine Labaki IMDb
127 Green Book 2018 Peter Farrelly IMDb
130 Ford v Ferrari 2019 James Mangold IMDb
163 Marriage Story 2019 Noah Baumbach IMDb
173 Andhadhun 2018 Siram Raghavan IMDb
176 Klaus 2019 Sergio Pablos & Carlos Martinez López IMDb
213 The Irishman 2019 Martin Scorsese IMDb
225 The Red Shoes 1948 Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger IMDb
228 Ace in the Hole 1951 John G Avildsen IMDb
230 White Heat 1949 Raoul Walsh IMDb
232 Drishyam 2013 Jeethu Joseph IMDb
235 Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India 2001 Ashutosh Gowariker IMDb 210 215
236 Gangs of Wasseypur 2012 Anurag Kashyap IMDb 196
241 PK 2014 Tate Taylor IMDb 250
244 Akira 1988 Katsuhiro Otomo IMDb
246 Aladdin 1992 Ron Clements & John Musker IMDb
247 The Battle of Algiers 1966 Gillo Pontecorvo IMDb 247 217 218
250 Infernal Affairs 2002 Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak IMDb 239 242 218 204 203 212


The Departed

The following films were part of the IMDb Top 250 on 1st January, 2018, but had dropped out of it by 1st January, 2019:

# Title Year Director IMDb '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '04
Bohemian Rhapsody 2018 Bryan Singer IMDb 134
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans 1927 F. W. Murnau IMDb 180 162 156 124 225
Roma 2018 Alfonso Cuarón IMDb 184
The Grapes of Wrath 1940 John Ford IMDb 222 222 215 193 189 167 159 136
The Maltese Falcon 1941 John Huston IMDb 223 215 200 169 159 134 121 53
Donnie Darko 2001 Richard Kelly IMDb 225 227 226 205 201 191 176 92
Gandhi 1982 Richard Attenborough IMDb 227 226 221 200 199 192 187 192
Les diaboliques 1955 Henri-Georges Clouzot IMDb 228 223 225 197 179 147
Groundhog Day 1993 Harold Ramis IMDb 230 231 234 212 216 201 178 204
The Wizard of Oz 1939 Victor Fleming IMDb 231 233 231 201 191 173 149 62
Sanjuro 1962 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 232
Jaws 1975 Steven Spielberg IMDb 233 236 237 214 205 181 141 82
Nights of Cabiria 1957 Federico Fellini IMDb 234 217 192
Tangerines 2013 Zaza Urashadze IMDb 237
Paper Moon 1973 Peter Bogdanovich IMDb 239 219
The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 William Wyler IMDb 243 237 241 203 194 171 106
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003 Gore Verbinski IMDb 244 250 233 228 225 216 188
8½ 1963 Federico Fellini IMDb 246 235 229 206 200 197 192 212
The Sight 2015 Nishikant Kamat IMDb 247 204
Winter Sleep 2014 Nuri Bilge Ceylan IMDb 248
Fanny and Alexander 1982 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 249 223 214 194 236
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise IMDb 250 245 240 241 227 243


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Last update: 1st January, 2020