1. 1917

Yep, that stunning movie by director Sam Mendes was released right at the beginning of this year. It feels ages ago since we saw the one-shot stunning looking cinematography from Roger Deakins, telling the thrilling story of two soldiers having to prevent an extremely deadly attack during World War I. However, nothing could be further from the truth. 1917 hit the UK cinemas on the 10th of January, right before the award season during which it won 111 awards amongst which were three Oscars and seven Baftas. No wonder that this movie generated £43,903,280, especially when you look at the outstanding performances by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay.

2. Sonic The Hedgehog

After being critiqued because of the bad CGI and the need to re-invented Sonic for his latest movie, director Jeff Fowler probably couldn’t have predicted that his film would be number 2 in the top 10 movies of 2020. With Ben Schwartz voicing the hyper-active Sonic and James Marsden and Jim Carrey accompanying him in this adventurous and joyful movie, Sonic The Hedgehog raced towards £19,148,545.

3. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

Ok, this movie was released in 2019 but due to its 19th of December release date, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker was part of the 2020 box office. Director J.J. Abrams decided to bring the Skywalker saga to an end with the legendary and thrilling conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. Even after all those years, the likes of  Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and Rey are still relatively popular as they helped Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker gaining £18,830,197 at the UK Box Office.

4. Little Women

Little Women didn’t only mean another collaboration between Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan but also a new revival of the story of the four March sisters. With a cast including Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen and Timothée Chalamet, the beautiful Louisa May Alcott’s story and the lovely cinematography, it’s no surprise that the movie collected £17,705,104.

5. Tenet

If there’s one movie that was talked about the most this year, it’s without a doubt Tenet by director Christopher Nolan. Not only because this was the only movie (apart from the recent Wonder Woman 1984) released mid-pandemic but also because of its mind-blowing storyline, cinematography and cast. The movie ‘only’ generated £17,454,173, but knowing that it was released when not a lot of cinemas were open and that it still made it into the top five, Tenet didn’t do too bad.

6. Bad Boys For Life

It was more than 17 years since we saw the last adventures of the detectives Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and it was time to bring them together for one more investigation. The audience loved Bad Boys For Life as the movie got £15,969,160 and another sequel.

7. Dolittle

Seeing Robert Downey Jr. talking to adorable animals while stepping into the fantasy world of Hugh Lofting and his creation Dr. John Dolittle? This was something the audience could do from the 7th of February. Some people were hailing Dolittle as a wonderful escape while others were declaring it one of the worst movies of 2020. Despite those mixed reactions, the film still had a box office of £15,938,399.

8. Jumanji: The Next Level

Just like Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker and Little Women, Jumanji: The Next Level was released at the end of last year. Still, it was eligible for this years’ box office, and therefore it made it into this top 10. During this sequel to the 2017 movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan came back together, and this latest adventure generated £14,798,295.

9. Parasite

If there’s one movie that described the darkness and strange time we’re going through, it’s Parasite. While the storyline is different, it’s as twisted as 2020, and it seems that both the critics and audiences loved it. The story of one family taking over the lives of another wasn’t only the biggest winner of the Oscars (that photo from director Bong Joon-Ho holding those four awards seems like it was taken so many years ago) but it was also £12,033,376 worth at the box office.

10. The Gentlemen

This latest Guy Ritchie was the very first movie released this year, and despite its £11,555,773, The Gentlemen delivered an entertaining and action-packed movie. Not surprising though, if you know that the stellar cast includes the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell, Henry Golding and Hugh Grant.

Also Read: Top 10 Films at the UK Box Office in 2020 (So Far)

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10. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (£9,400,000)

Cathy Yan’s DC Universe offering sees Harley Quinn teaming up with a group of female heroines to fight against the evil Black Mask.

Audience Thoughts: 78% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.2 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “While watching Birds of Prey, it becomes clear that comic book movies are still going to dominate the box office for many years to come. If any of those could be as much fun…then we would be over the moon.“

9. Parasite (£12,000,000)

Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner sees the poor Kim family scam their way into working for the rich Park family. But do the Kim’s deserve our sympathy and what secrets are the Park’s hiding?

Audience Thoughts: 90% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It’s dark, funny, clever, surprising, and I’m sure I could use almost every adjective in my lexicon.“

8. The Gentlemen (£12,300,000)

Guy Ritchie’s latest gangster films focused on an American marijuana emperor trying to leave the business. But various factions conspire to extort him for all he’s worth.

Audience Thoughts: 84% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It is a coarse, convoluted, comical caper that exults in the joys of genre.”

7. Jumanji: The Next Level (£16,100,000)

The gang from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, along with new additions Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, return to Jumanji to face new challenges. 

Audience Thoughts: 87% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Jumanji’s next level is rather satisfying.“

6. Dolittle (£16,700,000)

Robert Downey Jr. leads an all-star cast as the famous doctor who can talk to animals sets out to find a cure for an ailing young Queen Victoria.

Audience Thoughts: 76% – Rotten Tomatoes / 5.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It really is horribly inert, and every time Downey opens his mouth to say something unintelligible, the film dies a bit more.“

5. Bad Boys for Life (£17,000,000)

Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett must team up with a team of younger cops to take down the leaders of a violent drug cartel.

Audience Thoughts: 96% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Bad Boys for Life is … pure enjoyment and entertainment.“

4. Sonic the Hedgehog (£19,100,000)

Sonic and his friend Tom race to San Francisco to find the rings to transport Sonic off-world before Dr. Robotnik catches them.

Audience Thoughts: 93% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “The world contains many terrible video game movies. This isn’t one of them.”

3. Little Women (£19,400,000)

Greta Gerwig’s remake of the literary classic follows the March sisters as they experience career hardships, romance, tragedy, and triumph during and after the American Civil War.

Audience Thoughts: 92% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Though we can’t foretell whether time will be cruel or kind to Gerwig’s “Little Women,” it may just be the best film yet made by an American woman.”

2. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (£20,100,000)

The Skywalker Saga concludes. Emperor Palpatine returns to threaten the galaxy. Rey and the remnants of the resistance must find a way to stop him. While contending with the rage of Kylo Ren.

Audience Thoughts: 86% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.7 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It doesn’t do anything new or even terribly distinctive, but maybe it didn’t have to. It just had to be good enough to stick the landing, and it does that.“

1. 1917 (£46,600,000)

Presented in a pseudo-continuous shot 1917 follows two soldiers tasked with physically delivering orders for a battalion to stand down before German forces kill them all.

Audience Thoughts: 88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.3 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “1917 will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first moment and will leave you breathless.“

This year’s top 10 collective taking may be comparatively low (over £188 million) but with a relatively diverse group of creative teams (including 2 solo female directors and a foreign-language film) and an interesting mix of tales (including three original properties not based on pre-existing work or part of larger franchises), 2020 is more interesting than 2019. Which was dominated by comic book adaptations, remakes, and sequels to popular franchises (mostly from Disney and their subsidiaries). Hopefully, the upcoming months will bare good tidings for UK cinemas.

Also Read: What Happens To Your Brain When Watching A Horror Film

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