Most Popular Movies 2021
This chart shows the 2021 movie releases that have attracted the most interest on The Numbers web site over the past 24 hours. A share of 100 corresponds to 1 percent of the total views for all 2021 releases.
See also: Domestic Release Schedule for 2021 - Top 2021 Worldwide
| Chang jin hu |
| Director: Kaige Chen, Dante Lam, Tsui Hark |
| Lead Roles: Wu Jing as Wu Qianli |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 25, 2021 (Wide), released as The Battle at Lake Changjin (China) |
| Keywords: 1950s, Action Adventure, War, Korean War, Communism |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Action, Live Action, Dramatization |
|
Domestic BO: $333,214 |
|
International BO: $909,263,022 |
Synopsis
The story takes place in winter, 1950. In the freezing cold Changjin Lake region, a bloody battle between the United States and China begins. Faced with the harshest conditions of extreme cold, lack of rations and vast difference in weaponry, the Chinese troops forge ahead, fearless and determined. They successfully blow up the Shuimen Bridge, making the most critical victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
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| Spider-Man: No Way Home |
| Director: Jon Watts |
| Lead Roles: Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 14, 2021 (Wide), released as 스파이더맨: 노 웨이 홈 (South Korea) |
| Keywords: Action Adventure, Alternative Dimensions / Parallel universe, Ensemble, Secret Identity |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Animation/Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $814,811,535 |
|
International BO: $1,106,395,051 |
Synopsis
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
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| Black Widow |
| Director: Cate Shortland |
| Lead Roles: Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz as Melina, David Harbour as Alexei/Red Guardian , Ray Winstone as Dreykov, O.T. Fagbenle as Mason |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July 7, 2021 (Wide) by Walt Disney (United Kingdom) |
| Keywords: Action Thriller, Secret Agent, Dysfunctional Family, You Can't Go Home Again, Marvel Comics, Prequel, 2010s, Cold War, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $183,651,655 |
|
International BO: $196,099,476 |
Synopsis
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
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| Red Notice |
| Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber |
| Lead Roles: Dwayne Johnson as Agent John Hartley, Ryan Reynolds as Nolan Booth, Gal Gadot as Sarah Black/The Bishop |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 4, 2021 (Wide), released as Aviso Vermelho (Portugal) |
| Keywords: Action Comedy, Heist, Enemies Forced to Work Together |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
International BO: $173,638 |
Synopsis
An FBI profiler pursuing the world’s most wanted art thief becomes his reluctant partner in crime to catch an elusive crook who’s always one step ahead.
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| Eternals |
| Director: Chloé Zhao |
| Lead Roles: Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 3, 2021 (Wide), released as 이터널스 (South Korea) |
| Keywords: IMAX: DMR, Disrupted by 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Action Adventure, Friendly Alien on Earth |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $164,870,264 |
|
International BO: $236,861,495 |
Synopsis
Ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.
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| The Marksman |
| Director: Robert Lorenz |
| Lead Roles: Liam Neeson as Jim Hanson |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 15, 2021 (Wide) by Shear Entertainment (United Kingdom) |
| Keywords: Action Thriller, Texas, Border Town, Fugitive / On the Run, Drug Cartels, Life on a Farm, Road Trip |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $15,566,093 |
|
International BO: $8,289,754 |
Synopsis
Hardened Arizona rancher Jim Hanson simply wants to be left alone as he fends off eviction notices and tries to make a living on an isolated stretch of borderland. But everything changes when Hanson, an ex-Marine, witnesses 11-year-old migrant Miguel fleeing with his mother Rosa from drug cartel assassins led by the ruthless Mauricio. After being caught in a shoot-out, an injured Rosa begs Jim to take her son to safety to her family in Chicago. Defying his step-daughter Sarah, Jim sneaks Miguel out of the local U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station and together, they hit the road with the group of killers in pursuit. Jim and Miguel slowly begin to overcome their differences and begin to forge an unlikely friendship, while Mauricio and his fellow assassins blaze a cold-blooded trail, hot on their heels.
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| Old |
| Director: M. Night Shyamalan |
| Lead Roles: Gael Garcia Bernal as Guy, Vicky Krieps as Prisca, Rufus Sewell as Charles, Alex Wolff as Trent (aged 15), Thomasin McKenzie as Maddox (aged 16), Abbey Lee as Chrystal, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Patricia, Ken Leung as Jarin, Eliza Scanlen as Kara (aged 15), Aaron Pierre as Mid-Sized Sedan, Embeth Davidtz as Adult Maddox, Emun Elliott as Adule Trent |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July 21, 2021 (Wide) (Italy) |
| Keywords: Psychological Thriller, Tourists In Trouble, Vacation, Family Vacations, Same Role, Multiple Actors, Supernatural |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $48,276,510 |
|
International BO: $41,560,287 |
Synopsis
A family on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly … reducing their entire lives into a single day.
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings |
| Director: Destin Daniel Cretton |
| Lead Roles: Simu Liu as Shang-Chi |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 1, 2021 (Wide) (South Korea) |
| Keywords: Action Adventure, Dysfunctional Family, Organized Crime, Martial Arts, Origin Story, Asian-Americans, The Past Catching up with You |
| Classification: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel, Action, Live Action, Super Hero |
|
Domestic BO: $224,543,292 |
|
International BO: $207,681,342 |
Synopsis
Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
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| Neeras |
| Director: Prashant Singh |
| Video Release Date: March 2, 2021 by Self Distributed |
| Keywords: Short Film, Direct-to-Video |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
Synopsis
Neeras is a young assassin who will take up any job for money. However, this neo-noir action thriller comes with a twist and it depends almost entirely on the true nature of weapons used by him. Whether the guns he uses are real or not decides how two versions of his new mission resemble and contrast with each other, as he races against time to carry out the freshly ordered killing spree across the city.
| Bo Gia |
| Director: Tran Thanh, Ngoc Dang Vu |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 28, 2021 (Limited) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $350,000 |
Synopsis
Bố Già, carries us into the soul of Saigon through Ba Sang, a chronic meddler whose heart is too big for his own good. Flanked by a dysfunctional family, Ba Sang sacrifices daily to preserve the tenuous balance between his bullying siblings and his ultra-modern YouTuber son. But unmended family cracks push Ba Sang into a predicament that threatens to rip his family apart. Bố Già is a fun, freshly endearing, meaningful perspective on tangled family dynamics.
| Chaos Walking |
| Director: Doug Liman |
| Lead Roles: Tom Holland as Todd Hewitt, Daisy Ridley as Viola Eade |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 3, 2021 (Wide) by Sony Pictures (France) |
| Keywords: Post Apocalypse, Fugitive / On the Run, Dystopia, Chase Adventure, Development Hell, Near Future |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $13,287,908 |
|
International BO: $13,784,261 |
Synopsis
Todd Hewitt lives on the distant planet of New World—a new hope for humanity until struck by “The Noise,” a virus which inflicts immersive visions of ones’ every thought. The cacophony drives many mad until Todd makes a hidden, silent discovery: there is a girl named Viola, who may be the key to unlocking New World’s many layered secrets. Together, the two unlikely companions are forced on a white-knuckle adventure into an unexplored planet—trying to escape and hide in an environment where all thought is heard, all movement seen—as they both discover the truth about the lives they left behind and the spectacular world they’ve learned to call home.
| Ghostbusters: Afterlife |
| Director: Jason Reitman |
| Lead Roles: Carrie Coon as Callie, Finn Wolfhard as Trevor, Mckenna Grace as Phoebe, Paul Rudd as Mr. Grooberson, Celeste O’ Conner as Trevor’s Classmate, Logan Kim as Phoebe’s Classmate |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 18, 2021 (Wide) by Sony Pictures, released as Ghostbusters: Legacy (Germany) |
| Keywords: Supernatural, Delayed Sequel, Horror Comedy |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $129,360,575 |
|
International BO: $74,179,602 |
Synopsis
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
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| Wrath of Man |
| Director: Guy Ritchie |
| Lead Roles: Jason Statham as H |
| Initial Theatrical Release: April 22, 2021 (Wide), released as Гнев человеческий (Russia (CIS)) |
| Keywords: Action Thriller |
| Classification: Based on Movie, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $27,466,489 |
|
International BO: $76,446,916 |
Synopsis
H, a cold and mysterious character, works at a cash truck company responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles each week. He surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.
| Boss Level |
| Director: Joe Carnahan |
| Lead Roles: Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells, Michelle Yeoh as Dai Feng |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 18, 2021 (Limited) by Icon (Australia) (Australia) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
International BO: $2,001,064 |
Synopsis
Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, former special forces agent Roy Pulver uncovers clues about a secret government project that could unlock the mystery behind his untimely death. In a race against the clock, Pulver must hunt down Colonel Ventor, the powerful head of the government program, while outrunning skilled ruthless assassins determined to keep him from the truth in order to break out of the loop, save his family and live once again for tomorrow.
| AINBO: Spirit of the Amazon |
| Director: Richard Claus, Jose Zelada |
| Initial Theatrical Release: March 18, 2021 (Wide), released as Айнбо. Сердце Амазонии (Russia (CIS)) |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Adventure, Digital Animation, Dramatization |
|
International BO: $11,096,896 |
Synopsis
A heartwarming story from the heart of the indigenous people and their fight to protect their land. Cesar and Sergio, were raised visiting the Amazon with their Mother, who was born and grew up in a small village much like Ainbo.
| Kto-nibud videl moyu devchonku? |
| Director: Angelina Nikonova |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 4, 2021 (Wide), released as Кто-нибудь видел мою девчонку? (Russia (CIS)) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
International BO: $223,421 |
| A Mouthful of Air |
| Director: Amy Koppelman |
| Lead Roles: Amanda Seyfried as Julie |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 29, 2021 (Wide) by Sony Pictures |
| Keywords: Life Drama, Novel or Other Work Adapted by Author, Writing and Writers |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $269,435 |
Synopsis
Julie Davis, warm, kind, loving to her husband and child, is a bestselling children’s author. While her books deal with unlocking childhood fears, she has yet to unlock the dark secret that has haunted her own life. But when her second child is born, events occur that bring that secret to the fore, and with it, a crushing, powerful battle to survive.
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| Our Friend |
| Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite |
| Lead Roles: Jason Segel as Dane Faucheux, Dakota Johnson as Nicole Teague, Casey Affleck as Matthew Teague |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 22, 2021 (Limited) by Gravitas Ventures |
| Keywords: Comedy Drama, Terminal Illness |
| Classification: Based on Factual Book/Article, Drama, Live Action, Dramatization |
|
Domestic BO: $657,511 |
|
International BO: $56,744 |
Synopsis
The true story of Nicole and Matthew Teague who, after learning that Nicole has just six months to live, receive the unexpected support of the couple’s best friend Dane who decides to move into their family home and put his own life on hold. His impact on everyone is much greater — and more profound — than anyone could have imagined.
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| a-ha: The Movie |
| Director: Aslaug Holm, Thomas Robsahm |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 22, 2021 (Wide), released as a-ha: Take On Me (South Korea) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Documentary, Live Action, Factual |
|
Domestic BO: $4,258 |
|
International BO: $79,310 |
Synopsis
When a-ha’s breakthrough hit Take On Me shot to 1 on the Billboard charts in 1985, it turned its three young band members into global superstars overnight. While the iconic song and its groundbreaking music video remain ubiquitous to this day, the story of a-ha didn’t end there. After 35 years, a deep catalog of 11 studio albums and 55 million units sold—despite controversies and disagreements—a-ha continues to record music and play to packed arenas around the world. Following Mags, Morten and Pal over a period of four years, this movie provides access to the inner workings of the band as well as a career-spanning look at one of the most enduring and beloved acts in pop music history.
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| Cherry |
| Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo |
| Lead Roles: Tom Holland as Cherry, Ciara Bravo as Emily, Jack Reynor, Michael Rispoli, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Forrest Goodluck, Michael Gandolfini |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 26, 2021 (Limited) by Apple Original Films |
| Keywords: Crime Drama, Returning Soldiers, Ex-soldier, PTSD, Addiction, Prescription Drug Abuse |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Drama, Live Action, Dramatization |
Synopsis
Cherry, is an unhinged character who drifts from dropping out of college to serving in Iraq as an Army medic, and is only anchored by his one true love, Emily. When Cherry returns home a war hero, he battles the demons of undiagnosed PTSD and spirals into drug addiction, surrounding himself with a menagerie of depraved misfits. Draining his finances, Cherry turns to bank robbing to fund his addiction, shattering his relationship with Emily along the way.
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| Licorice Pizza |
| Director: Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Lead Roles: Alana Haim as Alana Kane, Cooper Hoffman as Gary Valentine |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 26, 2021 (Limited) by United Artists |
| Keywords: Comedy Drama, 1970s, Aspiring Actress / Actor, Child Actor, Set in California, Filmed in California, United States, 2022 Oscars Best Picture Nominee |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $17,318,007 |
|
International BO: $15,585,542 |
Synopsis
Alana Kane and Gary Valentine grow up, run around and fall in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973. Together, they face the treacherous navigation of first love.
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| Madres paralelas |
| Director: Pedro Almodovar |
| Lead Roles: Penélope Cruz |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 8, 2021 (Wide) (Spain) |
| Keywords: Life Drama, Pregnant Women, Medical and Hospitals |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $2,297,501 |
|
International BO: $8,919,555 |
Synopsis
Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.
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| Mortal Kombat |
| Director: Simon McQuoid |
| Lead Roles: Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion |
| Initial Theatrical Release: April 8, 2021 (Wide) (South Korea) |
| Keywords: Reboot, Tournament, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Classification: Based on Game, Action, Animation/Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $42,326,031 |
|
International BO: $41,182,228 |
Synopsis
MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
| Lansky |
| Director: Eytan Rockaway |
| Lead Roles: Harvey Keitel as Meyer Lansky |
| Video Release Date: June 22, 2021 by Vertical Entertainment |
| Keywords: Mafia, Biography, True Crime, Crime Drama |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Dramatization |
|
Domestic BO: $61,030 |
|
International BO: $83,864 |
Synopsis
David Stone, a renowned but down-on-his-luck writer, has the opportunity of a lifetime when he receives a surprise call from Meyer Lansky. For decades, authorities have been trying to locate Lansky’s alleged nine-figure fortune and this is their last chance to capture the aging gangster before he dies. With the FBI close behind, the Godfather of organized crime reveals the untold truth about his life as the notorious boss of Murder Inc. and the National Crime Syndicate.
| The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard |
| Director: Patrick Hughes |
| Lead Roles: Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, Samuel L. Jackson as Darius Kincaid, Salma Hayek as Sonia Kincaid |
| Initial Theatrical Release: June 11, 2021 (Wide) by Corazón Films, released as Duro de cuidar 2 (Mexico) |
| Keywords: Action Comedy, Retirement, Out of Retirement |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $38,014,727 |
|
International BO: $29,372,728 |
Synopsis
The world’s most lethal odd couple—bodyguard Michael Bryce and hitman Darius Kincaid—are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid. As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman. Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as… well, you’ll have to see.