Special Report

Highest-Rated American Movies of the 2010s

The 2010s were a pivotal decade for cinema. The expansion of Netflix’s streaming service to Apple devices in 2010 forever changed the way we view movies. Since then, streaming companies have moved to the forefront of movie production, funding and releasing original films directly to their audiences. 

In addition to the streaming takeover, the 2010s may also be remembered for the prominence of Disney, which distributed eight of the ten highest grossing movies of the decade, including “Avengers: Endgame,” one of the biggest box office hits since 2000.

24/7 Tempo has compiled the best movies you’ll remember if you grew up in the 2010s — most of which are available to stream. A third of them are animated, with many of those grossing well over $100 million each. Disney, which owns Pixar, is responsible for five of those animated features. Its acquisition of Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilms (“Star Wars,” etc.) has helped Disney remain one of the 50 most valuable brands in the world.

Click here to see the best movies you’ll remember if you grew up in the 2010s

To identify the best movies you’ll remember from the 2010’s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the 1,231 of movies released in the 2010s that had at least 50,000 reviews on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. IMdb is an online movie database owned by Amazon. Rotten Tomatoes is an online movie and TV review aggregator. We calculated an index of each movie’s IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings were weighted equally. If some well-regarded blockbusters of the decade are not included on this list, it’s because they had fewer than the required number of reviews. Information on each movie’s stars and directors came from IMDb.  

Supplemental data on domestic box office came from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. Amounts were ranked for the 1,154 movies for which box office data was available. Data was collected in April 2021. 

Whether animated or live action, many of the best films of the 2010s are odes to the underdog, highlighting the struggles of people going against the grain, facing great adversity, or overcoming personal hurdles.

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

24. The King’s Speech (2010)
> Director: Tom Hooper
> Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
> Domestic box office gross: $138.8 million — #214 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This historical drama follows the rise of King George VI as he works with a speech and language therapist to overcome his stutter. The therapist’s friendship and perseverance assist the new monarch as he leads Britain into World War II.

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Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

23. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
> Director: Steve McQueen
> Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt
> Domestic box office gross: $56.7 million — #522 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This biographical drama details the story of Solomon Northrup, a free black man and violinist from New York State who is abducted into slavery in Louisiana. The film won three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Courtesy of E Stars Films

22. Dangal (2016)
> Director: Nitesh Tiwari
> Starring: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra
> Domestic box office gross: $12.4 million — #971 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

Dangal is an Indian biographical sports drama shot in Hindi. It portrays former amateur wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat as he trains two of his daughters to become award-winning wrestlers, despite community disapproval.

Courtesy of A24

21. Room (2015)
> Director: Lenny Abrahamson
> Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson
> Domestic box office gross: $14.7 million — #941 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This award-winning drama based on a novel by Emma Donaghue depicts the day to day confinement of a young woman and her 5-year-old son who are prisoners of a man who abducted her seven years prior.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

20. Toy Story 4 (2019)
> Director: Josh Cooley
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale
> Domestic box office gross: $434.0 million — #20 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This Pixar animated comedy is the fourth film in the “Toy Story” series. It follows a group of sentient children’s toys as they travel with their new family on a road trip and grapple with the nature of their existence as owned — and often discarded — objects.

Courtesy of Lionsgate

19. Knives Out (2019)
> Director: Rian Johnson
> Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis
> Domestic box office gross: $165.4 million — #167 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This murder mystery follows an eccentric family and their dysfunctional relationships as each vies to prove his or her innocence and secure an inheritance when their wealthy patriarch is found dead the morning after his 85th birthday party.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

18. Inception (2010)
> Director: Christopher Nolan
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
> Domestic box office gross: $292.6 million — #61 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

In this sci-fi action film, professional thief Dom Cobb can steal information from people’s subconscious minds through their dreams. With a chance to erase his criminal record, Cobb must reverse his craft and plant an idea into a target’s mind.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

17. Capernaum (2018)
> Director: Nadine Labaki
> Starring: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawsar Al Haddad
> Domestic box office gross: $1.7 million — #1100 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This Lebanese drama follows a 12-year old boy through the slums of Beirut as he navigates caring for his numerous siblings, attempting to improve his lot in life, and demanding that his parents stop having children they can’t support.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

16. Inside Out (2015)
> Directors: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
> Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling
> Domestic box office gross: $356.5 million — #38 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This Pixar animated comedy takes place inside the mind of a young girl who is navigating a recent move. Her emotions take the shape of five distinct characters who vie for control of her inner world.

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

15. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
> Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
> Domestic box office gross: $858.4 million — #2 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This superhero film is the 22nd movie in the Marvel universe and the sequel to “Avengers: Infinity War,” in which villain Thanos killed half of all life in the universe. In “Endgame,” the remaining Avengers attempt to reverse the damage and restore order.

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

14. Blackfish (2013)
> Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
> Starring: Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall
> Domestic box office gross: No data available

This documentary follows the capture and captivity of Tilikum, an orca who is responsible for the deaths of three people. Arguing that captivity is traumatic for the whales and makes them unusually aggressive, the film became the topic of heated controversy and was rebuked by SeaWorld.

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Courtesy of Cinedigm Entertainment Group

13. Short Term 12 (2013)
> Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
> Starring: Brie Larson, Frantz Turner, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever
> Domestic box office gross: $1.0 million — #1116 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This low-budget indie drama is set at a group home for troubled teenagers. It depicts the struggles of the group home’s supervisor, Grace, who oversees the teens with finesse, until her own history of abuse comes back to haunt her.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

12. Zootopia (2016)
> Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
> Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate
> Domestic box office gross: $341.3 million — #43 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This animated crime comedy is set in a mammal metropolis where a rookie rabbit police officer must befriend a con artist fox if she is to solve a mysterious case of missing predators. The film received critical acclaim for its timely message about the dangers of prejudice.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

11. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Director: Lee Unkrich
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty
> Domestic box office gross: $415.0 million — #25 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This animated comedy follows the troubles of a group of toys who are accidentally given to a daycare center as their now-grown owner prepares to leave for college. Feeling abandoned, they nevertheless attempt to find their way home.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

10. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
> Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
> Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson
> Domestic box office gross: $217.6 million — #100 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

Set in a Viking society, this animated coming-of-age film follows a young teen named Hiccup who dreams of becoming a dragon slayer — until he actually captures one and develops a friendship with the misunderstood creature.

Courtesy of Open Road Films

9. Spotlight (2015)
> Director: Tom McCarthy
> Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
> Domestic box office gross: $45.1 million — #620 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This biographical drama portrays the true story of a team of journalists at the Boston Globe who investigate numerous allegations of child molestation by local Catholic priests and discover just how deep the corruption and cover-ups go.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
> Director: James Mangold
> Starring: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe
> Domestic box office gross: $117.6 million — #258 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

In this sports drama, a team of designers and engineers attempt to build a state-of-the-art racecar — the Ford GT40 — that will ultimately defeat the Ferrari 330 P3 at the 1966 endurance sports car race 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

7. Inside Job (2010)
> Director: Charles Ferguson
> Starring: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
> Domestic box office gross: No data available

This documentary outlines the corrupt policy and banking changes that led to the 2008 financial crisis, which was the worst recession since the Great Depression. It reveals who ended up on top while millions lost their jobs and homes.

Courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films

6. Free Solo (2018)
> Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
> Starring: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe
> Domestic box office gross: No data available

This documentary is a look inside the life and relationships of staunch rock climber Alex Honnold as he trains to become the first person to climb Yosemite’s 3,000-foot monolith, El Capitan, without the safety of ropes.

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Courtesy of Netflix

5. Klaus (2019)
> Directors: Sergio Pablos, Carlos Marti­nez Lopez
> Starring: Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Will Sasso
> Domestic box office gross: No data available

This traditionally animated Christmas comedy reimagines the origins of Santa Claus as a reclusive toy maker in a 19th-century Arctic town who develops an unlikely friendship with an exiled postal worker.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

4. Whiplash (2014)
> Director: Damien Chazelle
> Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
> Domestic box office gross: $13.1 million — #963 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This psychological drama follows a young jazz drummer at a prestigious music school as he navigates his own ambition and the emotional and physical abuse of his maniacal band instructor.

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Courtesy of Producers Distribution Agency

3. Senna (2010)
> Director: Asif Kapadia
> Starring: Reginaldo Leme, John Bisignano, Neide Senna
> Domestic box office gross: No data available

This documentary film covers the life of Brazillian racing champion Ayrton Senna, known as the greatest race car driver who ever lived. Senna, who fought to improve safety standards in racing, met a tragic fate at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
> Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
> Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali
> Domestic box office gross: $190.2 million — #126 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This computer-animated superhero film follows Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, who develops unusual powers after he is bitten by a radioactive spider. Miles then teams up with multiple other spider-people from alternate dimensions to defeat the villain Kingpin.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

1. Coco (2017)
> Directors: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
> Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach
> Domestic box office gross: $210.5 million — #109 out of 1,154 movies released in the 2010’s

This animated fantasy film, inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead, follows young Miguel, an aspiring musician who ends up in the land of the dead. There he discovers the truth behind the disappearance of his great-great-grandfather, and his family’s generations-old ban on music.

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