2008 in film
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2008_in_film".

The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels such as The Dark Knight, Rambo, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Saw V, Quantum of Solace, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Transporter 3, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

Top grossing films

Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008. The top ten films of 2008, by worldwide gross in $USD, as well as the US & Canada, UK, and Australia grosses, are as follows:

These numbers are taken from Box Office Mojo, including their 2008 Yearly Box Office Results.

In total, fifty-nine films released in 2008 have grossed more than $100 million, reaching blockbuster status, tying with 2006's record. Twelve films have grossed more than $400 million, reaching "international blockbuster" status, breaking 2007's record with eleven. The Dark Knight has grossed more than $1 billion, making it the 4th highest grossing film in history. On August 4, The Dark Knight reached a $400 million domestic gross in a record time of 18 days. The previous record was held by Shrek 2, which reached it in 43 days.¹ On August 31, after 45 days in release, The Dark Knight reached $500 million domestically, becoming only the second film in history after Titanic to cross the half-billion-dollar domestic milestone, as well as the only film of the 2000s decade. For 2008, the top ten films consisted of 3 superhero films, 3 animated films, 3 action films and 1 musical film. Mamma Mia! became the highest grossing film in UK history. In the domestic box office, 2008 came very close in passing 2007 as the highest grossing year, falling short by just $30 million.

Events

Years in film
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Awards

Academy Awards

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Sean Penn - Milk

Best Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Golden Globe Awards

Drama

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress: Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Musical or Comedy

Best Picture: Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Actor: Colin Farrell - In Bruges

Best Actress: Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

The Class (Entre les murs), directed by Laurent Cantet, France

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

The Wrestler, directed by Darren Aronofsky, United States

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

The Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite), directed by José Padilha, Brazil

Wide-release films

January – March

April – June

July – September

October – December

Notable deaths

Month	Date	Name	Age	Country	Profession	Notable films
January	1	Irena Górska-Damięcka	97		Actress
	2	Brice Mack	90		Background Artist	Fantasia • Peter Pan
	5	Edward Kłosiński	65		Cinematographer	The Promised Land
	10	Maila Nurmi	85		Actress	Plan 9 from Outer Space
	11	Murray Cohl	78		Producer
	15	Brad Renfro	25		Actor	The Client • Sleepers • Bully • The Job• The Informers• American Girl• The Jacket
	17	Allan Melvin	84		Actor
	18	Ugo Pirro	87		Screenwriter	Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion • The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
	19	Suzanne Pleshette	70		Actress	The Birds • Spirited Away
	20	Kevin Stoney	86		Actor
	22	Roberto Gari	88		Actor
	22	Heath Ledger	28		Actor	10 Things I Hate About You • The Patriot • A Knight's Tale • Brokeback Mountain • The Dark Knight• Monster's Ball • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus • Casanova • I'm Not There • Two Hands• Candy• Ned Kelly• The Four Feathers
February	2	Barry Morse	89		Actor	The Fugitive (TV series)
	8	Eva Dahlbeck	87		Actress	Secrets of Women • A Lesson in Love • Smiles of a Summer Night
	10	Roy Scheider	75		Actor	Jaws • 2010 • Marathon Man • All That Jazz• The French Connection
	11	James Quinn	88		Producer, Administrator	Herostratus • Overlord
	13	Kon Ichikawa	92		Director	The Burmese Harp • Tokyo Olympiad • The Makioka Sisters
	14	Perry Lopez	76		Actor	Chinatown
	18	Alain Robbe-Grillet	85		Screenwriter, Director	Last Year at Marienbad
	19	David Watkin	82		Cinematographer	Out of Africa • Chariots of Fire
	21	Ben Chapman	79		Actor	Creature from the Black Lagoon
March	4	Leonard Rosenman	83		Composer	Barry Lyndon • Bound for Glory • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
	6	Gustaw Holoubek	84		Actor
	11	Dave Stevens	52		Illustrator, Producer	The Rocketeer
	12	Erwin Geschonneck	101		Actor	Jacob, the Liar
	16	Ivan Dixon	76		Actor	Hogan's Heroes
	18	Anthony Minghella	54		Director, Screenwriter	The English Patient • The Talented Mr. Ripley • Cold Mountain
	19	Paul Scofield	86		Actor	A Man For All Seasons • Hamlet • The Crucible
	24	Rafael Azcona	81		Screenwriter	Belle Époque
	24	Richard Widmark	93		Actor	Kiss of Death • Night and the City • Panic in the Streets • How the West Was Won• The Swarm• Coma• To the Devil a Daughter• No way Out• Garden of Evil• The Cobweb• Run for the Sun• Rollercoaster
	25	Tony Church	77		Actor	Tess • Krull
	25	Abby Mann	80		Screenwriter	Judgment at Nuremberg
	31	Jules Dassin	96		Director	The Naked City • Never On Sunday · Topkapi
April	5	Charlton Heston	84		Actor	Ben-Hur • Planet of the Apes • Touch of Evil • The Ten Commandments • El Cid• The Greatest Show on Earth• Soylent Green•Airport 1975•Omega Man• Earthquake• Hercules•True Lies• Khartoum• Hamlet• Armageddon• Any Given Sunday• Midway• Diamond Head Two-Minute Warning• Major Dundee• The Awakening• In the Mouth of Madness
	5	Alex Grasshoff	79		Director	Young Americans
	8	Stanley Kamel	65		Actor	Monk (TV series)
	9	Lloyd Lamble	94		Actor	The Belles of St. Trinian's
	14	Ollie Johnston	95		Animator	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • Fantasia • Bambi • Pinocchio
	14	June Travis	93		Actress	Ceiling Zero
	15	Hazel Court	93		Actress	The Raven • The Masque of the Red Death
	18	Joy Page	83		Actress	Casablanca
	20	Bebe Barron	82		Music Composer	Forbidden Planet
	24	Tristram Cary	82		Composer	The Ladykillers • Quatermass and the Pit • Blood from the Mummy's Tomb
	29	Julie Ege	64		Actress	On Her Majesty's Secret Service
May	1	Bernard Archard	91		Actor	Macbeth
	1	Elaine Dundy	86		Actress
	4	Fred Haines	72		Screenwriter, Director	Ulysses • Steppenwolf
	13	Jill Adams	77		Actress	The Green Man • Private's Progress
	13	John Phillip Law	70		Actor	Barbarella • Danger: Diabolik
	15	Alexander Courage	88		Composer, Orchestrator	My Fair Lady • Some Like It Hot • Jurassic Park
	15	Youssef Idilbi	32		Actor
	16	David Mitton	69		Writer, Producer, Director	Thomas and Friends • TUGS
	16	Sandy Howard	80		Director, Producer	Howdy Doody • Captain Kangaroo
	18	Irma Córdoba	94		Actor	Fuera de la ley • Atorrante
	18	Joseph Pevney	96		Actor	Female on the Beach • Tammy and the Bachelor • Man of a Thousand Faces
	19	Vijay Tendulkar	80		Screenwriter	Nishant • Aakrosh • Ardh Satya
	22	Harry Lange	77		Production designer	2001: A Space Odyssey • Moonraker • The Empire Strikes Back
	24	Tano Cimarosa	86		Actor	Cinema Paradiso
	24	Rob Knox	18		Actor	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
	26	Sydney Pollack	73		Actor, Director, Producer	Out of Africa • They Shoot Horses, Don't They? • Tootsie • Breaking and Entering • Sliding Doors• The Firm • Havana
	28	Earle Hagen	88		Composer, Orchestrator	Call Me Madam • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
	29	Harvey Korman	81		Actor	Dracula: Dead and Loving It • Blazing Saddles • Herbie Goes Bananas• History of the World, Part I • High Anxiety• The Flintstones • Munchies
June	2	Mel Ferrer	90		Actor, Director, Producer	Scaramouche • Lili • Wait Until Dark
	6	Bobby Anderson	75		Actor	It's a Wonderful Life
	6	Rudy Fernandez	56		Actor	Atlantika
	7	Dino Risi	91		Director	Poveri ma belli • Profumo di donna
	11	Jean Desailly	87		Actor	La Peau Douce • Le Professionnel
	13	Tim Russert	58		Journalist
	15	Stan Winston	62		Director, Makeup Artist	Terminator 2: Judgment Day • Jurassic Park • Aliens
	17	Cyd Charisse	86		Actress, Dancer	The Band Wagon • Something's Got to Give • Singin' in the Rain • Brigadoon
	18	Jean Delannoy	100		Director	La symphonie pastorale • Les amitiés particulières
	21	Kermit Love	91		Puppeteer, Costume Designer	The Muppet Movie • Sesame Street
	22	George Carlin	71		Actor, Comedian	Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure • Thomas and Friends • Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back • Tarzan II • Cars • Happily N'Ever After
	22	Dody Goodman	93		Actress	Grease • Grease 2 • Alvin and the Chipmunks • Splash • The Chipmunk Adventure • Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein • Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman
	23	John Furlong	75		Actor	Blazing Saddles • All the President's Men
	24	William Vince	45		Producer	The 4th Floor • Capote
July	2	Elizabeth Spriggs	78		Actress	Sense and Sensibility • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
	4	Evelyn Keyes	91		Actress	Gone with the Wind • Here Comes Mr. Jordan • The Jolson Story • The Seven Year Itch
	6	Nonna Mordyukova	82		Actress	Commissar • The Diamond Arm
	7	Bruce Conner	74		Director	A Movie • Marilyn Times Five • Crossroads
	9	Charles H. Joffe	78		Producer	Annie Hall • Manhattan • Hannah and Her Sisters
	14	Breno Mello	76		Actor	Black Orpheus
	18	Khosrow Shakibai	62		Actor	Hamoun • Sara • Pari
	22	Estelle Getty	84		Actress	Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot • Mannequin
	25	Mikhail Pugovkin	85		Actor	Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures • The Twelve Chairs • Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future
	27	Youssef Chahine	82		Director	Sira` Fi al-Wadi • Le Chaos
	27	Marisa Merlini	84		Actress	Pane, Amore e Fantasia • The Traffic Policeman
	29	Luther Davis	91		Screenwriter	Kiss Them for Me • Lady in a Cage • Across 110th Street
August	7	Bernie Brillstein	77		Producer	The Blues Brothers • Ghostbusters • The Cable Guy
	9	Bernie Mac	50		Actor	Ocean's Eleven • Ocean's Twelve •Ocean's Thirteen •Bad Santa•Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa•Mr. 3000•B*A*P*S•Transformers
	10	Isaac Hayes	65		Actor, Singer and Songwriter	Dr. Dolittle 2 • Shaft • South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut• Robin Hood: Men in Tights • Escape from New York
	11	George Furth	75		Actor	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid • Blazing Saddles
	11	Terence Rigby	71		Actor	Get Carter • Tomorrow Never Dies • Elizabeth
	21	Fred Crane	90		Actor	Gone with the Wind
	25	Randa Chahal	54		Director	The Kite
	25	Marpessa Dawn	74		Actor	Black Orpheus • Le Bal du Comte d'Orgel • Sweet Movie
	31	Jerry Reed	71		Actor, Singer and Songwriter	Smokey and the Bandit • The Waterboy
September	1	Don LaFontaine	68		Voice actor	Prolific and iconic voice-over actor featured in over 5,000 movie trailers
	1	Michael Pate	88		Actor, Director	Thunder on the Hill • The Court Jester • Tim
	2	Bill Meléndez	91		Animator, Director	Bambi • Fantasia • A Boy Named Charlie Brown
	6	Anita Page	98		Actress	Our Dancing Daughters • The Broadway Melody • Skyscraper Souls
	17	Humberto Solás	67		Director	Lucía
	19	Jun Ichikawa	59		Director	Tony Takitani
	19	David Jones	74		Director	Betrayal • 84 Charing Cross Road • Jacknife
	26	Paul Newman	83		Actor, Director	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof • The Hustler • Hud • Cool Hand Luke • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid • The Sting • The Color of Money • Cars• The Towering Inferno • Slap Shot • Twilight • The Outrage
	27	Mahendra Kapoor	74		Playback Artist	Upkar • Hamraaz • Gumnaam
October	5	Ken Ogata	71		Actor	The Pillow Book • Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters • The Ballad of Narayama
	7	Peter Copley	93		Actor	The Sword and the Rose • Shout at the Devil • Empire of the Sun
	8	Eileen Herlie	90		Actress	Hamlet • Richard Burton's Hamlet
	11	Mark Shivas	70		Producer	A Man of No Importance • Regeneration • Hideous Kinky
	13	Guillaume Depardieu	37		Actor	Tous les matins du monde • Pola X • De la guerre
	15	Edie Adams	81		Actress	The Apartment • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World • Up in Smoke
	15	Nathan Davis	91		Actress	Thief• Risky Business • Code of Silence • Tough Guys• Flowers in the Attic • Poltergeist III• Chain Reaction• Holes
	18	Xie Jin	84		Director	Woman Basketball Player No. 5 • Legend of Tianyun Mountain • The Opium War
	19	Rudy Ray Moore	81		Actor	Dolemite • The Human Tornado
	31	John Daly	71		Producer	The Terminator • Platoon • The Falcon and the Snowman • The Last Emperor
November	5	Michael Crichton	66		Writer, Producer, Director	Jurassic Park • Congo • Twister • The Andromeda Strain • The First Great Train Robbery • Westworld
	16	Reg Varney	92		Actor	The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery • The Plank • On the Buses
	17	Ennio de Concini	84		Screenwriter	War and Peace • Black Sunday • Divorce, Italian Style
	19	John Michael Hayes	89		Screenwriter	Rear Window • To Catch a Thief • Peyton Place
December	1	Paul Benedict	70		Actor	This Is Spinal Tap • Waiting for Guffman • The Goodbye Girl
	8	Robert Prosky	77		Actor	Dead Man Walking • Christine • Rudy • Broadcast News
	12	Van Johnson	92		Actor, Dancer	A Guy Named Joe • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo • In the Good Old Summertime • Plymouth Adventure • Brigadoon
	18	Majel Barrett-Roddenberry	76		Actress	Star Trek
	20	Robert Mulligan	83		Director	Fear Strikes Out • To Kill a Mockingbird • Summer of '42
	25	Eartha Kitt	81		Actress, Singer	The Emperor's New Groove • Santa Baby • Boomerang • The Pink Chiquitas • Holes• Fatal Instinct

See also

• 2008 in theatre
• List of '2008 in' articles

Sources

• 2008 release schedule at Box Office Mojo

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The Dark Knight Breaks $400 Million in Record Time". 2008-08-05. http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=9658&count=0. Retrieved on 2008-08-06.