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The IMDb Top 250 on 1st January, 2021


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, 2021, with some data that ties it to previous years.

Here are equivalent pages for 2020, 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 of each year from 2020 to 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 2020 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.

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. This year it stays at 1987 for a second year.

The median ought to get newer too, but it does that less cleanly. It's up a year to 1995. That means that there are as many films in the list released after 1995 as before it.

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 an eighth year running, and there are eight films from that year represented, two more than any other. Those with six are 1957, 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2013. 1957 is often seen as world cinema's greatest year, though only the two Ingmar Bergmans (The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries are foreign language from those six; while Hollywood's golden year of 1939 is once again only represented by two films, Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Decade Change

The oldest film in the list remains Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, released in 1921, so celebrating its centennial this year in style. It's one of six films from the 1920s in this year's list, three years older than the next oldest, which is Buster Keaton's Sherlock, Jr..

It's rare for an older decade to increase in representation, but the 1970s did this year, the only decade to do so except, as expected, for the 2010s. This was due to the new entry of a 1971 Indian film called Anand. Going backwards from the 2010s, each decade has fewer films in the list, except for the 1950s, with 23, more than the 18 from the 1960s and the 19 from the 1970s.

New Entries

New entries used to include a combination of brand new English language films and classic foreign films, but this year is very different. There are only two 2020 films in the list, Hamilton and Soul, reflecting how hard the industry was hit this year by COVID-19. There are six others from the 2010s, hailing from around the globe, and a string of classics, again from multiple countries.

The highest new entry is Hamilton, at 52, followed by Akira Kurosawa's High and Low at 83, which has now reached the 25,000 vote threshold required to be eligible. It was released in 1963

Three films re-enter the list, having been missing in 2020 but in the list in at least one previous year. The surprise re-entry is To Be or Not to Be, the 1942 Ernst Lubitsch comedy, which fell out of the list when the vote threshold was increased but which has now reached that threshold afresh. This is one reason why the list is skewed to modern, because 25,000 votes are nothing for a new Hollywood blockbuster but a heck of a lot for a film that's now almost eighty years old.

Ups

As always, more films dropped than rose, given that new entries inevitably bounce everything downwards. However, the list was more stable than last time out and only six films climbed by more than ten places.

Two films climbed notably this year, including last year's highest climber, Come and See. The Russian war movie rose 29 places last year and another 30 this year, meaning that, in the five years it's been in the Top 250, it's risen from 181 to 109. The other was the multi-national production, Capernaum, which entered the list at 110 last year and rose to 82.

Downs and Outs

As always, the biggest drops were mainstream Hollywood films that were new entries in 2020: Marriage Story entered at 163 last year but was gone this year, meaning a drop of at least 78 places, while fellow Netflix original, The Irishman, dropped out from last year's 213. Ford v Ferrari dropped 73 places from 130 to 203 and Joker dropped 34 places from 26 to 60. Of the other major fallers, three are Indian films and four are classic American movies.

Two films gone from this year's list have been in every list I've grabbed, including 2004. They're Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Terminator. Two others have been mainstays, even if they've vanished on a previous occasion. Castle in the Sky has floated around the 230s and 240s since at least 2013 but it slipped out in 2017 and is gone again this year. Similarly, Infernal Affairs has been in seven of the past eight lists, but was gone in 2019 and is gone again this year, having spent 2020 in 250th place.

Other classics to drop out this year include The Red Shoes, Ace in the Hole, White Heat and Akira, all after a single year in the list. Other notable films to vanish include the Indian cricket movie, Lagaan; the Disney animation Aladdin; and the Marvel blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Directors

Back in 2004, 152 directors (or directing partnerships) were represented in the Top 250. The most frequent name was Alfred Hitchcock, with nine films in the list, and Stanley Kubrick was nipping at his heels with eight. Most of the frequent directors were from the classic era, including Billy Wilder with six; Akira Kurosawa and Howard Hawks with five; and Ingmar Bergman, Frank Capra, Charles Chaplin and John Ford all with four. Of more recent names, Steven Spielberg had six while Francis Ford Coppola and Quentin Tarantino had four each.

That breakdown is just as varied in 2021 but it's shifted notably newer. This year is balanced well between modern and classic directors, as epitomised by the three topping the list with seven films each: Kubrick, whose features date between 1953 and 1999; Martin Scorsese (1967-2019) and Christopher Nolan (1998-2020). Right behind them on six are Hitchcock, Kurosawa and Spielberg. Chaplin, Wilder and Tarantino are now on five, as is Hayao Miyazaki.

The Top Ten

The Top Ten has remained relatively unchanged for a long while, being the same ten films, if in slightly different orders, since 2013. This year marks a change, albeit a minor one. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which has been at 11 for the prior seven years, displaces Fight Club, which had been at 10 for even longer.

In fact, the top twenty is almost unchanged since last year, the only other change being that The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers displaced The Empire Strikes Back at 14. Only one film in the top 46 moved more than two places, which is The Pianist, climbing four from 39 to 35.

The top ten is notably different from 2004, though. The Shawshank Redemption took the top spot from The Godfather somewhere in between 2004 and 2013. Only Schindler's List remains in the same spot, at 6. And four films dropped out of the list entirely: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is up one at 14, while Seven Samurai, Star Wars and Casablanca remain at 19, 25 and 49 respectively.


The Usual Suspects | The New Batch | The Departed

The List

# Title Year Director IMDb '20 '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '04 Change
1 The Shawshank Redemption 1994 Frank Darabont IMDb 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 =
2 The Godfather 1972 Francis Ford Coppola IMDb 2 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 3 4 =
4 The Dark Knight 2008 Christopher Nolan IMDb 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 7 =
5 12 Angry Men 1957 Sidney Lumet IMDb 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 6 21 =
6 Schindler’s List 1993 Steven Spielberg IMDb 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 6 =
7 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 Peter Jackson IMDb 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 9 3 =
8 Pulp Fiction 1994 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 8 8 7 7 7 5 4 4 16 =
9 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966 Sergio Leone IMDb 9 9 9 9 8 6 5 5 20 =
10 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 Peter Jackson IMDb 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 13 9 ↑1
11 Fight Club 1999 David Fincher IMDb 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 41 ↓1
12 Forrest Gump 1994 Robert Zemeckis IMDb 12 12 12 13 13 14 15 19 115 =
13 Inception 2010 Christopher Nolan IMDb 13 14 14 14 14 13 14 14 =
14 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002 Peter Jackson IMDb 15 15 15 15 16 17 19 21 8 ↑1
15 The Empire Strikes Back 1980 Irvin Kershner IMDb 14 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 13 ↓1
16 The Matrix 1999 Andy & Larry Wachowski IMDb 16 18 18 18 17 19 20 18 34 =
17 Goodfellas 1990 Martin Scorsese IMDb 17 17 17 17 18 18 16 15 29 =
18 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1975 Milos Forman IMDb 18 16 16 16 15 15 13 12 12 =
19 Seven Samurai 1954 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 19 19 19 19 20 21 18 17 5 =
20 Se7en 1995 David Fincher IMDb 20 21 22 22 22 23 22 23 55 =
21 Life is Beautiful 1997 Roberto Benigni IMDb 22 25 25 26 26 29 36 55 72 ↑1
22 City of God 2002 Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund IMDb 21 20 21 21 21 22 21 20 23 ↓1
23 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 Jonathan Demme IMDb 23 23 23 23 23 25 24 24 28 =
24 It’s a Wonderful Life 1946 Frank Capra IMDb 24 24 24 24 25 26 26 30 27 =
25 Star Wars 1977 George Lucas IMDb 25 22 20 20 19 20 17 16 10 =
26 Saving Private Ryan 1998 Steven Spielberg IMDb 27 28 29 29 30 34 34 39 58 ↑1
27 Spirited Away 2001 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 28 27 28 28 31 36 38 43 43 ↑1
28 The Green Mile 1999 Frank Darabont IMDb 29 31 34 37 40 42 48 65 132 ↑1
29 Interstellar 2014 Christopher Nolan IMDb 31 32 32 33 29 16 ↑2
30 Parasite 2019 Bong Joon Ho IMDb 30 =
31 Leon 1994 Luc Besson IMDb 32 30 27 27 27 28 28 31 64 ↑1
32 The Usual Suspects 1995 Bryan Singer IMDb 34 26 26 25 24 24 25 26 18 ↑2
33 Harakiri 1962 Masaki Kobayashi IMDb 33 =
34 The Lion King 1994 Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff IMDb 35 47 48 51 54 54 69 79 ↑1
35 The Pianist 2002 Roman Polanski IMDb 39 39 40 42 42 43 43 49 37 ↑4
36 Back to the Future 1985 Robert Zemeckis IMDb 37 43 45 45 45 49 46 47 143 ↑1
37 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 James Cameron IMDb 38 42 44 44 41 40 39 36 110 ↑1
38 American History X 1998 Tony Kaye IMDb 36 34 31 32 32 32 32 34 61 ↓2
39 Modern Times 1936 Charles Chaplin IMDb 40 38 39 40 39 39 41 45 69 ↑1
40 Psycho 1960 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 41 33 35 35 35 33 31 29 25 ↑1
41 Gladiator 2000 Ridley Scott IMDb 42 48 47 47 47 48 49 63 168 ↑1
42 City Lights 1931 Charles Chaplin IMDb 44 35 37 36 34 35 33 41 91 ↑2
43 The Departed 2006 Martin Scorsese IMDb 45 41 42 43 44 46 47 50 ↑2
44 The Intouchables 2011 Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano IMDb 43 40 38 39 38 38 45 64 ↓1
45 Whiplash 2014 Damien Chazelle IMDb 46 44 46 46 43 ↑1
46 The Prestige 2006 Christopher Nolan IMDb 48 49 49 50 51 51 61 68 ↑2
47 Grave of the Fireflies 1988 Isao Takahata IMDb 50 55 58 59 64 71 82 104 171 ↑3
48 Once Upon a Time in the West 1968 Sergio Leone IMDb 47 36 33 30 28 27 23 22 32 ↓1
49 Casablanca 1942 Michael Curtiz IMDb 49 37 36 34 33 30 27 25 7 =
50 Cinema Paradiso 1988 Giuseppe Tornatore IMDb 52 54 55 57 57 57 64 76 99 ↑2
51 Rear Window 1954 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 51 45 43 41 37 37 30 28 14 =
52 Hamilton 2020 Thomas Kail IMDb →
53 Alien 1979 Ridley Scott IMDb 53 52 52 52 53 50 44 40 60 =
54 Apocalypse Now 1979 Francis Ford Coppola IMDb 55 50 51 49 48 45 40 35 36 ↑1
55 Memento 2000 Christopher Nolan IMDb 56 51 50 48 46 41 37 33 19 ↑1
56 The Great Dictator 1940 Charles Chaplin IMDb 57 53 53 55 55 52 59 69 97 ↑1
57 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 Steven Spielberg IMDb 54 46 41 38 36 31 29 27 17 ↓3
58 Django Unchained 2012 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 60 62 60 60 60 56 53 ↑2
59 The Lives of Others 2006 Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck IMDb 58 58 57 56 56 53 55 60 ↓1
60 Joker 2019 Todd Phillips IMDb 26 ↓34
61 Paths of Glory 1957 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 63 60 59 58 58 59 54 54 40 ↑2
62 WALL-E 2008 Andrew Stanton IMDb 65 63 62 62 62 61 60 59 ↑3
63 The Shining 1980 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 62 61 61 61 59 58 51 46 89 ↓1
64 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 Anthony & Joe Russo IMDb 61 56 ↓3
65 Sunset Boulevard 1950 Billy Wilder IMDb 66 57 54 54 50 44 35 32 31 ↑1
66 Witness for the Prosecution 1957 Billy Wilder IMDb 70 65 67 71 76 83 83 102 164 ↑4
67 Oldboy 2003 Chan-wook Park IMDb 69 68 66 67 69 70 76 85 ↑2
68 Princess Mononoke 1997 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 67 64 64 65 68 72 81 93 100 ↓1
69 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018 Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey & Rodney Rothman IMDb 64 29 ↓5
70 Dr. Strangelove 1964 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 68 59 56 53 49 47 42 37 15 ↓2
71 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 Christopher Nolan IMDb 71 67 65 63 61 55 50 38 =
72 Once Upon a Time in America 1984 Sergio Leone IMDb 72 70 69 68 72 74 77 77 124 =
73 Aliens 1986 James Cameron IMDb 73 69 68 66 65 63 62 58 87 =
74 Your Name 2016 Makoto Shinkai IMDb 74 80 79 =
75 Coco 2017 Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina IMDb 76 71 30 ↑1
76 Avengers: Endgame 2019 Anthony & Joe Russo IMDb 59 ↓17
77 American Beauty 1999 Sam Mendes IMDb 75 66 63 64 63 60 57 51 30 ↓2
78 Braveheart 1995 Mel Gibson IMDb 77 74 76 77 78 79 79 83 85 ↓1
79 Das Boot 1981 Wolfgang Peterson IMDb 78 72 70 70 71 69 71 71 46 ↓1
80 3 Idiots 2009 Rajkumar Hirani IMDb 79 87 94 103 114 120 158 240 ↓1
81 Toy Story 1995 John Lasseter IMDb 82 91 95 95 97 107 113 118 177 ↑1
82 Capernaum 2018 Nadine Labaki IMDb 110 ↑28
83 High and Low 1963 Akira Kurosawa IMDb →
84 Amadeus 1984 Milos Forman IMDb 83 81 86 89 88 89 92 88 79 ↓1
85 Inglourious Basterds 2009 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 85 95 98 98 100 101 109 113 =
86 Return of the Jedi 1983 Richard Marquand IMDb 80 78 75 74 73 73 78 81 131 ↓6
87 Like Stars on Earth 2007 Aamir Khan IMDb 81 84 82 84 111 148 ↓6
88 Good Will Hunting 1997 Gus Van Sant IMDb 86 101 103 110 119 127 140 157 248 ↓2
89 Reservoir Dogs 1992 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 84 77 77 76 77 77 74 70 71 ↓5
90 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 88 89 93 93 92 98 103 92 73 ↓2
91 Requiem for a Dream 2000 Darren Aronofsky IMDb 89 82 80 79 81 80 75 73 51 ↓2
92 Vertigo 1958 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 90 75 73 73 70 66 63 48 33 ↓2
93 M 1931 Fritz Lang IMDb 87 79 78 75 74 67 58 52 50 ↓6
94 The Hunt 2012 Thomas Vinterberg IMDb 94 103 104 107 116 125 132 =
95 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 Michel Gondry IMDb 92 86 88 86 86 84 80 75 38 ↓3
96 Citizen Kane 1941 Orson Welles IMDb 93 73 72 69 66 64 56 44 11 ↓3
97 Dangal 2016 Nitesh Tiwari IMDb 91 83 71 ↓6
98 Full Metal Jacket 1987 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 95 96 91 90 87 85 85 82 102 ↓3
99 Singin’ in the Rain 1952 Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen IMDb 103 94 92 96 90 86 86 86 47 ↑4
100 The Bicycle Thief 1948 Vittorio De Sica IMDb 100 98 99 94 91 88 84 91 104 =
101 The Kid 1921 Charles Chaplin IMDb 99 99 100 99 96 99 110 128 ↓2
102 1917 2019 Sam Mendes IMDb →
103 North by Northwest 1959 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 96 76 74 72 67 62 52 42 22 ↓7
104 A Clockwork Orange 1971 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 97 88 84 80 79 75 70 61 74 ↓7
105 Snatch 2000 Guy Ritchie IMDb 98 104 101 97 93 91 104 112 221 ↓7
106 Scarface 1983 Brian De Palma IMDb 102 105 106 104 108 113 121 129 ↓4
107 Ikiru 1952 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 113 124 128 130 131 132 120 193 ↑6
108 Taxi Driver 1976 Martin Scorsese IMDb 104 93 89 81 82 76 68 53 42 ↓4
109 Come and See 1985 Elem Klimov IMDb 139 168 171 181 ↑30
110 Toy Story 3 2010 Lee Unkrich IMDb 106 102 97 88 80 68 66 56 ↓4
111 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 David Lean IMDb 105 85 85 82 85 82 73 66 24 ↓6
112 Amelie 2001 Jean-Pierre Jeunet IMDb 101 90 83 78 75 65 65 62 26 ↓11
113 The Sting 1973 George Roy Hill IMDb 107 100 96 92 89 87 90 98 67 ↓6
114 A Separation 2011 Asghar Farhadi IMDb 111 111 110 109 105 105 101 105 ↓3
115 Metropolis 1927 Fritz Lang IMDb 108 110 109 111 106 109 98 89 86 ↓7
116 Incendies 2010 Denis Villeneuve IMDb 118 125 131 148 159 174 202 226 ↑2
117 For a Few Dollars More 1965 Sergio Leone IMDb 109 107 105 102 99 95 108 111 ↓8
118 The Apartment 1960 Billy Wilder IMDb 115 109 108 106 102 97 96 96 81 ↓3
119 Double Indemnity 1944 Billy Wilder IMDb 112 92 87 83 83 78 67 57 45 ↓7
120 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 Robert Mulligan IMDb 114 97 90 85 84 81 72 67 35 ↓6
121 Up 2009 Pete Docter IMDb 117 114 115 118 115 115 118 114 ↓4
122 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 Steven Spielberg IMDb 116 112 112 108 104 103 100 97 141 ↓6
123 Heat 1995 Michael Mann IMDb 121 123 123 126 123 124 122 119 245 ↓2
124 L.A. Confidential 1997 Curtis Hanson IMDb 119 108 107 101 98 94 93 80 49 ↓5
125 Die Hard 1988 John McTiernan IMDb 123 121 122 123 120 119 111 101 156 ↓2
126 Green Book 2018 Peter Farrelly IMDb 127 ↑1
127 Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975 Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones IMDb 120 106 102 100 94 90 95 84 56 ↓7
128 Yojimbo 1961 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 125 117 113 113 109 106 102 109 107 ↓3
129 Batman Begins 2005 Christopher Nolan IMDb 124 116 116 115 111 108 107 103 ↓5
130 Rashomon 1950 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 122 113 111 105 101 92 91 90 57 ↓8
131 Downfall 2004 Oliver Hirschbiegel IMDb 128 120 121 120 118 117 116 107 ↓3
132 Children of Heaven 1997 Majid Majidi IMDb 129 128 127 124 ↓3
133 Unforgiven 1992 Clint Eastwood IMDb 126 119 120 119 113 110 105 94 127 ↓7
134 Some Like It Hot 1959 Billy Wilder IMDb 131 118 118 116 110 100 97 87 44 ↓3
135 Ran 1985 Akira Kurosawa IMDb 135 136 133 134 132 135 127 133 76 =
136 Howl’s Moving Castle 2004 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 132 135 137 141 142 146 168 189 ↓4
137 All About Eve 1950 Joseph L Mankiewicz IMDb 137 115 114 114 103 96 88 95 54 =
138 A Beautiful Mind 2001 Ron Howard IMDb 136 141 145 147 149 160 182 199 ↓2
139 Casino 1995 Martin Scorsese IMDb 138 143 146 145 141 141 144 150 ↓1
140 The Great Escape 1963 John Sturges IMDb 133 127 126 125 121 118 119 110 77 ↓7
141 The Wolf of Wall Street 2013 Martin Scorsese IMDb 144 149 150 154 144 130 ↑3
142 Pan’s Labyrinth 2006 Guillermo Del Toro IMDb 140 129 130 129 126 123 117 106 ↓2
143 The Secret in Their Eyes 2009 Juan José Campanella IMDb 142 138 136 136 135 139 143 155 ↓1
144 There Will Be Blood 2007 Paul Thomas Anderson IMDb 151 160 166 182 175 184 185 173 ↑7
145 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 1998 Guy Ritchie IMDb 143 142 143 142 137 138 137 142 224 ↓2
146 My Neighbor Totoro 1988 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 134 133 132 131 128 128 141 165 ↓12
147 Raging Bull 1980 Martin Scorsese IMDb 141 126 124 121 117 112 106 99 59 ↓6
148 Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 Stanley Kramer IMDb 146 137 134 146 147 153 145 250 ↓2
149 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948 John Huston IMDb 145 122 119 117 107 102 87 74 68 ↓4
150 Dial M for Murder 1954 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 152 155 154 162 158 162 166 167 ↑2
151 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2017 Martin McDonagh IMDb 147 144 ↓4
152 Shutter Island 2010 Martin Scorsese IMDb 161 171 180 189 192 209 240 234 ↑9
153 The Gold Rush 1925 Charles Chaplin IMDb 150 139 135 135 130 131 130 137 151 ↓3
154 Chinatown 1974 Roman Polanski IMDb 149 131 129 127 122 116 99 78 48 ↓5
155 My Father and My Son 2005 Çagan Irmak IMDb 148 130 117 87 ↓7
156 No Country for Old Men 2007 Joel & Ethan Coen IMDb 157 158 161 175 165 168 160 139 ↑1
157 V for Vendetta 2005 James McTeigue IMDb 153 152 149 153 145 145 152 164 ↓4
158 Inside Out 2015 Pete Docter & Ronnie del Carmen IMDb 154 147 138 128 95 ↓4
159 The Seventh Seal 1957 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 155 146 141 140 133 129 124 117 95 ↓4
160 The Elephant Man 1980 David Lynch IMDb 159 148 148 151 140 133 126 116 130 ↓1
161 Warrior 2011 Gavin O’Connor IMDb 156 153 153 152 143 143 146 153 ↓5
162 The Thing 1982 John Carpenter IMDb 164 163 163 174 166 165 164 147 ↑2
163 Soul 2020 Pete Docter & Kemp Powers IMDb →
164 The Sixth Sense 1999 M Night Shyamalan IMDb 162 161 159 171 160 163 153 143 96 ↓2
165 Trainspotting 1996 Danny Boyle IMDb 158 159 155 163 157 154 149 151 203 ↓7
166 Jurassic Park 1993 Steven Spielberg IMDb 169 182 199 209 199 237 250 245 ↑3
167 Anand 1971 Hrishikesh Mukherjee IMDb →
168 The Truman Show 1998 Peter Weir IMDb 181 187 207 214 211 232 239 215 ↑13
169 Klaus 2019 Sergio Pablos & Carlos Martinez López IMDb 176 ↑7
170 Gone with the Wind 1939 Victor Fleming IMDb 165 162 157 166 155 157 151 158 148 ↓5
171 Finding Nemo 2003 Andrew Stanton IMDb 171 167 164 170 163 167 170 163 75 =
172 Wild Strawberries 1957 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 172 156 151 149 138 134 125 126 138 =
173 Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott IMDb 167 154 147 139 134 136 128 124 94 ↓6
174 Stalker 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky IMDb 182 194 206 213 198 206 217 213 ↑8
175 Kill Bill: Vol 1 2003 Quentin Tarantino IMDb 177 172 173 178 170 171 163 152 63 ↑2
176 Memories of Murder 2003 Bong Joon Ho IMDb 189 196 201 211 216 227 218 ↑13
177 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 David Lean IMDb 166 140 139 137 129 126 114 100 52 ↓11
178 Fargo 1996 Joel Coen IMDb 174 164 160 167 156 152 136 127 88 ↓4
179 Room 2015 Lenny Abrahamson IMDb 160 150 142 133 ↓19
180 The Third Man 1949 Carol Reed IMDb 168 132 125 122 112 104 89 72 39 ↓12
181 Gran Torino 2008 Clint Eastwood IMDb 175 165 156 159 146 140 131 125 ↓6
182 Wild Tales 2014 Damián Szifron IMDb 184 181 185 197 194 ↑2
183 On the Waterfront 1954 Elia Kazan IMDb 170 145 140 132 125 121 115 115 78 ↓13
184 Tokyo Story 1953 Yasujiro Ozu IMDb 180 175 167 165 ↓4
185 The Deer Hunter 1978 Michael Cimino IMDb 179 166 158 164 151 147 139 134 117 ↓6
186 Autumn Sonata 1978 Ingmar Bergman IMDb →
187 In the Name of the Father 1993 Jim Sheridan IMDb 186 186 191 195 187 188 200 221 ↓1
188 Mary and Max 2009 Adam Elliot IMDb 185 176 178 179 167 169 175 183 ↓3
189 The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014 Wes Anderson IMDb 193 189 195 203 186 182 ↑4
190 Gone Girl 2014 David Fincher IMDb 187 178 179 180 164 114 ↓3
191 Before Sunrise 1995 Richard Linklater IMDb 196 205 212 219 207 215 231 ↑5
192 Hacksaw Ridge 2016 Mel Gibson IMDb 188 177 174 91 ↓4
193 Catch Me if You Can 2002 Steven Spielberg IMDb 197 215 220 236 245 ↑4
194 Andhadhun 2018 Siram Raghavan IMDb 173 ↓21
195 Persona 1966 Ingmar Bergman IMDb 195 195 198 206 181 193 190 185 235 =
196 Prisoners 2013 Denis Villeneuve IMDb 198 208 216 233 232 246 234 ↑2
197 The Big Lebowski 1998 Joel Coen IMDb 183 170 165 161 148 142 133 131 222 ↓14
198 To Be or Not to Be 1942 Ernst Lubitsch IMDb 179 →
199 Sherlock, Jr. 1924 Buster Keaton IMDb 194 169 ↓5
200 The General 1926 Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman IMDb 192 157 152 150 139 137 123 120 93 ↓8
201 How to Train Your Dragon 2010 Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders IMDb 191 179 175 176 153 151 165 166 ↓10
202 The Bandit 1996 Yavuz Turgul IMDb 178 192 168 143 ↓24
203 Ford v Ferrari 2019 James Mangold IMDb 130 ↓73
204 12 Years a Slave 2013 Steve McQueen IMDb 200 199 202 201 184 175 ↓4
205 Barry Lyndon 1975 Stanley Kubrick IMDb 208 220 228 239 222 229 214 209 ↑3
206 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 Frank Capra IMDb 190 151 144 138 127 122 112 108 66 ↓16
207 Mad Max: Fury Road 2015 George Miller IMDb 206 206 204 199 152 ↓1
208 Time of the Gypsies 1988 Emir Kustarica IMDb →
209 Million Dollar Baby 2004 Clint Eastwood IMDb 210 200 203 205 189 190 183 172 ↑1
210 Network 1976 Sidney Lumet IMDb 203 193 190 190 177 176 172 170 217 ↓7
211 Dead Poets Society 1989 Peter Weir IMDb 223 224 243 ↑12
212 Stand by Me 1986 Rob Reiner IMDb 204 190 193 194 180 183 184 175 196 ↓8
213 Ben-Hur 1959 William Wyler IMDb 217 197 196 202 191 185 186 169 129 ↑4
214 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 2011 David Yates IMDb 220 217 218 224 219 217 227 220 ↑6
215 Cool Hand Luke 1967 Stuart Rosenberg IMDb 199 173 170 172 154 150 138 135 121 ↓16
216 Hachi: A Dog's Tale 2009 Lasse Hallström IMDb 211 209 211 210 195 192 213 ↓5
217 Platoon 1986 Oliver Stone IMDb 207 191 187 187 174 172 162 144 147 ↓10
218 The Handmaiden 2016 Chan-wook Park IMDb 229 240 248 ↑11
219 Logan 2017 James Mangold IMDb 214 211 188 ↓5
220 Into the Wild 2007 Sean Penn IMDb 201 183 182 177 161 158 161 161 ↓19
221 Rush 2013 Ron Howard IMDb 212 201 194 185 168 156 142 ↓9
222 The Wages of Fear 1953 Henri-Georges Clouzot IMDb 202 203 192 191 173 161 ↓20
223 Life of Brian 1979 Terry Jones IMDb 205 185 183 184 171 173 174 162 159 ↓18
224 The 400 Blows 1959 François Truffaut IMDb 219 207 200 198 179 187 179 184 160 ↓5
225 Spotlight 2015 Tom McCarthy IMDb 224 210 205 193 ↓1
226 The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928 Carl Theodor Dreyer IMDb 209 202 181 157 205 ↓17
227 Hotel Rwanda 2004 Terry George IMDb 221 198 189 186 172 164 155 146 ↓6
228 La haine 1995 Mathieu Kassovitz IMDb 234 229 234 238 224 224 224 230 ↑6
229 Andrei Rublev 1966 Andrei Tarkovsky IMDb 216 204 169 ↓13
230 Amores Perros 2000 Alejandro González Iñárritu IMDb 222 212 208 207 188 186 180 181 139 ↓8
231 Rocky 1976 John G Avildsen IMDb 227 219 221 222 215 220 212 201 ↓4
232 Gangs of Wasseypur 2012 Anurag Kashyap IMDb 236 196 ↑4
233 Monsters, Inc. 2001 Pete Docter & David Silverman IMDb 231 221 224 228 213 223 226 222 161 ↓2
234 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 218 216 213 212 196 197 210 ↓16
235 Vikram Vedha 2017 Gayatri & Pushkar IMDb →
236 Rebecca 1940 Alfred Hitchcock IMDb 226 174 172 173 150 144 129 123 105 ↓10
237 Rififi 1955 Jules Dassin IMDb →
238 Rang de Basanti 2006 Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra IMDb 215 213 176 160 148 156 ↓23
239 Before Sunset 2004 Richard Linklater IMDb 238 238 244 249 ↓1
240 In the Mood for Love 2000 Wong Kar Wai IMDb 240 236 241 242 238 =
241 Paris, Texas 1984 Wim Wenders IMDb 245 242 244 250 ↑4
242 Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019 Céline Sciamma IMDb →
243 It Happened One Night 1934 Frank Capra IMDb 233 188 184 183 162 149 135 140 113 ↓10
244 The Invisible Guest 2016 Oriol Paulo IMDb →
245 The Help 2011 Tate Taylor IMDb 239 235 242 248 235 234 248 ↓6
246 Drishyam 2013 Jeethu Joseph IMDb 232 ↓14
247 The Princess Bride 1987 Rob Reiner IMDb 237 214 214 208 185 181 188 191 101 ↓10
248 The Battle of Algiers 1966 Gillo Pontecorvo IMDb 247 247 217 218 ↓1
249 Winter Sleep 2014 Nuri Bilge Ceylan IMDb 248 →
250 Tangerines 2013 Zaza Urashadze IMDb 237 →


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 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '04 Change
52 Hamilton 2020 Thomas Kail IMDb →
83 High and Low 1963 Akira Kurosawa IMDb →
102 1917 2019 Sam Mendes IMDb →
163 Soul 2020 Pete Docter & Kemp Powers IMDb →
167 Anand 1971 Hrishikesh Mukherjee IMDb →
186 Autumn Sonata 1978 Ingmar Bergman IMDb →
198 To Be or Not to Be 1942 Ernst Lubitsch IMDb 179 →
208 Time of the Gypsies 1988 Emir Kustarica IMDb →
235 Vikram Vedha 2017 Gayatri & Pushkar IMDb →
237 Rififi 1955 Jules Dassin IMDb →
242 Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019 Céline Sciamma IMDb →
244 The Invisible Guest 2016 Oriol Paulo IMDb →
249 Winter Sleep 2014 Nuri Bilge Ceylan IMDb 248 →
250 Tangerines 2013 Zaza Urashadze IMDb 237 →


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 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 '04
Marriage Story 2019 Noah Baumbach IMDb 163
The Irishman 2019 Martin Scorsese IMDb 213
The Red Shoes 1948 Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger IMDb 225
Ace in the Hole 1951 Billy Wilder IMDb 228
White Heat 1949 Raoul Walsh IMDb 230
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India 2001 Ashutosh Gowariker IMDb 235 210 215
PK 2014 Tate Taylor IMDb 241 250
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969 George Roy Hill IMDb 242 218 209 196 176 170 154 148 112
The Terminator 1984 James Cameron IMDb 243 226 229 232 210 213 196 171 202
Akira 1988 Katsuhiro Otomo IMDb 244
Aladdin 1992 Ron Clements & John Musker IMDb 246
Guardians of the Galaxy 2014 James Gunn IMDb 248 245 225 155
Castle in the Sky 1986 Hayao Miyazaki IMDb 249 241 247 234 231 230 244
Infernal Affairs 2002 Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak IMDb 250 239 242 218 204 203 212


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Last update: 1st January, 2021