The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made thetop 50 list of highest-grossing films. Also in 2009, theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of that year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five (the first time since the 1943 awards).
| List of years in film |
|---|
| Years in film |
|---|
 |
| 19th century |
| 1870s |
Film criticPhilip French ofThe Guardian said that 2009 "began with the usual flurry of serious major movies given late December screenings in Los Angeles to qualify for the Oscars. They're now forgotten or vaguely regarded as semi-classics:The Reader,Che,Slumdog Millionaire,Frost/Nixon,Revolutionary Road,The Wrestler,Gran Torino,The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It soon became apparent that horror movies would be the dominant genre once again, with vampires the pre-eminent sub-species, the most profitable inevitably beingNew Moon, the latest inStephenie Meyer'sTwilight saga, the best the subtle SwedishLet the Right One In and the worst the British horror spoofLesbian Vampire Killers. Documentaries continued to flourish, introducing us to fascinating new worlds: Afghan TV talent shows (Afghan Star), Australian exploitation cinema (Not Quite Hollywood), haute couture (The September Issue). Animation thrived, the 3-D comeback threatened to become permanent rather than a gimmick, and the two were conjoined in a dozen 3-D animated features, the finest beingDreamWorks Animation'sMonsters vs. Aliens andPixar'sUp. Remakes and sequels abounded, none of any merit. The same went for films based on comic strips and graphic novels. British cinema generally bubbled in the doldrums. The well-actedFish Tank was overrated, as was the dull costume dramaThe Young Victoria. The best films by native directors were fuelled by our obsession with soccer (Ken Loach'sLooking for Eric andTom Hooper'sThe Damned United) or directed by foreigners (New ZealanderJane Campion'sBright Star, and two films by Danes:Nicholas Winding Refn'sBronson andLone Scherfig'sAn Education). The most original British film was Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's low-key, low-budgetHelen, a formally innovative look at provincial life. 2009 was a mostly undistinguished year for Hollywood, with indifferent films fromWoody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona),Michael Mann (Public Enemies) and others, and deadly blockbusters such asAngels & Demons and2012.The Coen brothers, however, were on form, examining their midwestern Jewish roots inA Serious Man, andKathryn Bigelow'sThe Hurt Locker was the best film yet about Iraq. From Europe we had several striking revisionist accounts of violent resistance to Nazi occupation in the second world war:Flammen & Citronen (Denmark),Max Manus: Man of War (Norway) andThe Army of Crime (France). But they were drowned in the tsunami ofQuentin Tarantino's lunatic second world war fantasyInglourious Basterds. The most likable European picture was the ItalianMid-August Lunch, the directorial debut of 60-year-oldGianni Di Gregorio (screenwriter onGomorrah), and the three most memorably argumentative and provocative werePaolo Sorrentino'sIl Divo,Lars von Trier'sAntichrist andMichael Haneke'sThe White Ribbon. The performances I most enjoyed were impersonations:Meryl Streep'sJulia Child (Julie & Julia) andChristian McKay'sOrson inMe and Orson Welles."[1]
The top 10 films released in 2009 by worldwide gross are as follows:[2]
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar | 20th Century Fox | $2,743,577,587[nb 1] |
| 2 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Warner Bros. | $933,959,197 |
| 3 | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | 20th Century Fox | $886,686,817 |
| 4 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Paramount | $836,303,693 |
| 5 | 2012 | Sony | $769,679,473 |
| 6 | Up | Disney | $735,099,082 |
| 7 | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Summit/Lionsgate | $709,827,462 |
| 8 | Sherlock Holmes | Warner Bros. | $524,028,679 |
| 9 | Angels & Demons | Sony | $485,930,816 |
| 10 | The Hangover | Warner Bros. | $469,328,079 |
Avatar surpassedTitanic as the highest-grossing film of all time on January 25, 2010.[3]Avatar then became the first film to earn more than $2 billion at the box office on January 31, 2010.[4]Avatar was surpassed byAvengers: Endgame as the highest-grossing film of all time on July 21, 2019.[5] Due to a re-release,Avatar retook the title fromEndgame on March 13, 2021.[6]
| Month | Day | Event |
| January | 1 | Steven Spielberg andDreamWorks Animation sign a licensing agreemnt to allowDreamWorks Pictures, DWA's former parent company, to use the DreamWorks trademarks, logo and name, after the live-action studio's separation fromParamount Pictures. |
| 22 | The81stAcademy Awards nominations are announced withThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button leading with 13 nominations, followed bySlumdog Millionaire with 10. Both films are nominated forBest Picture.Heath Ledger isposthumously nominated forBest Supporting Actor award for his performance inThe Dark Knight, exactly one year after his death. | |
| 25 | The 15thScreen Actors Guild Awards ceremony is held at the Shrine Exposition Center, Los Angeles. | |
| Annie Awards ceremony is held in the UCLA's Royce Hall, Los Angeles. | ||
| 31 | The 61stDirectors Guild of America Award dinner is held in the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles. | |
| February | 5 – 15 | The 59thBerlin International Film Festival is opened with the world premiere ofTom Tykwer'sThe International. TheGolden Bear prize is awarded toThe Milk of Sorrow. TheSilver Bears prizes are awarded toAsghar Farhadi,Best Director,Sotigui Kouyaté,Best Actor andBirgit Minichmayr,Best Actress. The festival is closed by the international premiere ofGeorge Tillman Jr.'sNotorious |
| 7 | The 61stWriters Guild of America Awards is held. | |
| The 62ndBAFTA Awards ceremony is held in the Royal Opera House, London. | ||
| 21 | The29th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony is held in Hollywood, California. | |
| 22 | The81st Academy Awards ceremony is held at theKodak Theatre in Los Angeles. | |
| March | 29 | The14th Empire Awards ceremony is held at theGrosvenor House Hotel inLondon,England. |
| May | 31 | The2009 MTV Movie Awards ceremony was held at theGibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California |
| July | 23 – 2 August | The 9thEra New Horizons Film Festival in Wrocław was held |
| December | 18 | Avatar is released in theaters,breaking many box-office records, including becomingthe highest-grossing movie of all time. |
Palme d'Or (62nd Cannes Film Festival):
Golden Lion (66th Venice International Film Festival):
Golden Bear (59th Berlin International Film Festival):
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | Edmund Purdom | 84 | UK | Actor | |
| 2 | Steven Gilborn | 72 | US | Actor | ||
| 3 | Pat Hingle | 84 | US | Actor | ||
| 3 | Olga San Juan | 81 | US | Actress, Dancer | ||
| 5 | Robert F. Brunner | 70 | US | Composer | ||
| 5 | Ned Tanen | 77 | US | Producer, Executive | ||
| 6 | John Scott Martin | 82 | UK | Actor | ||
| 8 | Don Galloway | 71 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Claude Berri | 74 | France | Director, Producer, Screenwriter | ||
| 12 | Russ Conway | 95 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 13 | Patrick McGoohan | 80 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 14 | Ricardo Montalbán | 88 | Mexico | Actor | ||
| 14 | Angela Morley | 84 | UK | Composer | ||
| 15 | Chuck Gaspar | 70 | US | Special Effects Artist | ||
| 17 | Susanna Foster | 84 | US | Actress, Singer | ||
| 18 | Kathleen Byron | 88 | UK | Actress | ||
| 21 | Charles H. Schneer | 88 | US | Producer | ||
| 26 | Darrell Sandeen | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| 31 | Clint Ritchie | 70 | US | Actor | ||
| February | 6 | Philip Carey | 83 | US | Actor | |
| 6 | James Whitmore | 87 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Molly Bee | 69 | US | Singer, Actress | ||
| 7 | Lesley Brook | 91 | UK | Actress | ||
| 9 | Robert Anderson | 91 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 13 | Dilys Laye | 74 | UK | Actress | ||
| 19 | Oreste Lionello | 81 | Italy | Actor | ||
| 20 | Robert Quarry | 83 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Howard Zieff | 81 | US | Director | ||
| 23 | Laurence Payne | 89 | UK | Actor | ||
| 24 | Edward Judd | 76 | UK | Actor | ||
| 27 | John Alvin | 91 | US | Actor | ||
| March | 3 | Sydney Chaplin | 82 | US | Actor | |
| 4 | Horton Foote | 92 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 7 | Tullio Pinelli | 100 | Italy | Screenwriter | ||
| 13 | Betsy Blair | 85 | US | Actress | ||
| 14 | Millard Kaufman | 92 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 15 | Ron Silver | 62 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Natasha Richardson | 45 | UK | Actress | ||
| 21 | John Cater | 77 | UK | Actor | ||
| 21 | John Franklyn-Robbins | 84 | UK | Actor | ||
| 25 | Steven Bach | 70 | US | Studio Executive | ||
| 29 | Monte Hale | 89 | US | Actor, Singer | ||
| 29 | Maurice Jarre | 84 | France | Composer | ||
| April | 1 | Lou Perryman | 67 | US | Actor | |
| 1 | Miguel Ángel Suárez | 69 | Puerto Rico | Actor | ||
| 3 | Tom Smith | 88 | UK | Makeup Artist | ||
| 4 | Jody McCrea | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 5 | Wouter Barendrecht | 43 | Netherlands | Producer | ||
| 8 | Jane Bryan | 90 | US | Actress | ||
| 9 | Michael N. Harbour | 63 | UK | Actor | ||
| 9 | Shakti Samanta | 83 | India | Director, Producer | ||
| 11 | Simon Channing Williams | 63 | UK | Producer | ||
| 12 | Marilyn Chambers | 57 | US | Actress | ||
| 18 | Peter Dennis | 75 | UK | Actor | ||
| 22 | Ken Annakin | 94 | UK | Director | ||
| 22 | Jack Cardiff | 94 | UK | Cinematographer, Director | ||
| 25 | Bea Arthur | 86 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Feroz Khan | 69 | India | Actor | ||
| May | 1 | Marc Rocco | 46 | US | Director, Screenwriter | |
| 4 | Dom DeLuise | 75 | US | Actor | ||
| 4 | Jane Randolph | 93 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Bud Tingwell | 86 | Australia | Actor | ||
| 18 | Wayne Allwine | 62 | US | Voice Actor | ||
| 20 | Lucy Gordon | 28 | UK | Actress | ||
| 28 | Mort Abrahams | 93 | US | Producer | ||
| 28 | Terence Alexander | 86 | UK | Actor | ||
| June | 3 | David Carradine | 72 | US | Actor | |
| 3 | Shih Kien | 96 | China | Actor | ||
| 6 | Mary Howard | 96 | US | Actress | ||
| 9 | Michael Roof | 32 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Lorena Gale | 51 | Canada | Actress | ||
| 23 | Ed McMahon | 86 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Farrah Fawcett | 62 | US | Actress | ||
| 25 | Michael Jackson | 50 | US | Singer, Actor | ||
| 27 | Gale Storm | 87 | US | Singer, Actress | ||
| 29 | Jan Rubeš | 89 | Czech Republic | Singer, Actor | ||
| 30 | Harve Presnell | 75 | US | Actor, Singer | ||
| July | 1 | Karl Malden | 97 | US | Actor | |
| 4 | Brenda Joyce | 92 | US | Actress | ||
| 10 | Zena Marshall | 83 | UK | Actress | ||
| 13 | Beverly Roberts | 95 | US | Actress | ||
| 14 | Dal McKennon | 89 | US | Actor | ||
| 24 | Harry Towb | 83 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 26 | Clayton Hill | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| 29 | Joanne Jordan | 88 | US | Actress | ||
| 31 | Jean-Paul Roussillon | 78 | France | Actor | ||
| August | 4 | Blake Snyder | 51 | US | Screenwriter | |
| 5 | Budd Schulberg | 95 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 6 | John Hughes | 59 | US | Director, Screenwriter, Producer | ||
| 9 | John Quade | 71 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Ruth Ford | 98 | US | Actress | ||
| 13 | John Bentley | 92 | UK | Actor | ||
| 16 | Richard Moore | 83 | US | Cinematographer, Director | ||
| 21 | Gordon Daniel | 86 | UK | Sound Engineer | ||
| 26 | Sadie Corré | 91 | UK | Actress, Dancer | ||
| 26 | Dominick Dunne | 83 | US | Producer | ||
| 28 | Wayne Tippit | 76 | US | Actor | ||
| September | 3 | Caro Jones | 86 | Canada | Casting Director | |
| 4 | Iain Cuthbertson | 79 | UK | Actor | ||
| 4 | Carl Reindel | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Frank Coghlan, Jr. | 93 | US | Actor | ||
| 8 | Ray Barrett | 82 | Australia | Actor | ||
| 11 | Zakes Mokae | 75 | South Africa | Actor | ||
| 12 | Larry Gelbart | 81 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 13 | Paul Burke | 83 | US | Actor | ||
| 13 | Arnold Laven | 87 | US | Director | ||
| 14 | Henry Gibson | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 14 | Patrick Swayze | 57 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Troy Kennedy Martin | 77 | UK | Screenwriter | ||
| 16 | Timothy Bateson | 83 | UK | Actor | ||
| 16 | Luciano Emmer | 91 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 17 | Dick Durock | 72 | US | Actor, Stuntman | ||
| 18 | Pearl Hackney | 92 | UK | Actress | ||
| 20 | John Hart | 91 | US | Actor | ||
| 20 | Katherine Parr | 88 | UK | Actress | ||
| 21 | Robert Ginty | 60 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 30 | Robert S. Baker | 92 | UK | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | ||
| October | 3 | John Peverall | 77-78 | UK | Producer | |
| 6 | Pamela Blake | 94 | US | Actress | ||
| 10 | Sean Lawlor | 55 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 13 | Al Martino | 82 | US | Actor, Singer | ||
| 13 | Daniel Melnick | 77 | US | Producer, Executive | ||
| 14 | Lou Albano | 76 | Italy | Actor, Wrestler | ||
| 14 | Collin Wilcox | 74 | US | Actress | ||
| 17 | Douglas Blackwell | 85 | UK | Actor | ||
| 17 | Vic Mizzy | 93 | US | Composer | ||
| 17 | Rosanna Schiaffino | 69 | Italy | Actress | ||
| 19 | Joseph Wiseman | 91 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 20 | Hubert Rees | 81 | UK | Actor | ||
| 23 | Lou Jacobi | 95 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 26 | Yoshirō Muraki | 85 | Japan | Production Designer, Costume Designer | ||
| 27 | John David Carson | 57 | US | Actor | ||
| November | 4 | David Tree | 94 | UK | Actor | |
| 6 | Derek Brechin | 57 | UK | Film Editor | ||
| 12 | Paul Wendkos | 84 | US | Director | ||
| 16 | Edward Woodward | 79 | UK | Actor | ||
| 17 | Tony Kendall | 72 | Italy | Actor | ||
| 28 | Gilles Carle | 81 | Canada | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| December | 3 | Nat Boxer | 84 | US | Sound Engineer | |
| 3 | Richard Todd | 90 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 4 | Bryan O'Byrne | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| 5 | Garfield Morgan | 78 | UK | Actor | ||
| 8 | Joan Bridge | 97 | UK | Costume Designer | ||
| 9 | Gene Barry | 90 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Val Avery | 85 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Peter Murton | 85 | UK | Production Designer, Art Director | ||
| 15 | Robert Turturice | 60 | US | Costume Designer | ||
| 16 | Roy E. Disney | 79 | US | Studio Executive | ||
| 17 | Alaina Reed Hall | 63 | US | Actress | ||
| 17 | Jennifer Jones | 90 | US | Actress | ||
| 17 | Dan O'Bannon | 63 | US | Screenwriter, Director, Actor | ||
| 19 | Donald Pickering | 76 | UK | Actor | ||
| 20 | Brittany Murphy | 32 | US | Actress | ||
| 20 | Shari Rhodes | 71 | US | Casting Director | ||
| 20 | Arnold Stang | 91 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Marianne Stone | 87 | UK | Actress | ||
| 22 | Michael Currie | 81 | US | Actor | ||
| 24 | Giulio Bosetti | 78 | Italy | Actor | ||
| 30 | Perry Wilson | 93 | US | Actress | ||
| 31 | Glauco Onorato | 73 | Italy | Actor |