The 8 Biggest Movies of 2002, and Whether They Were Any Good

2002 was capes, wands, clones and walking trees. Here's what the money bought, ranked by worldwide gross, scored without mercy.

Number one made the most money and starts the loudest argument.

1. 8
   Minority Report (2002)7.9

   The smartest blockbuster of 2002 finished dead last here.

   $358M worldwide on a reported $102M budget, with a 7.9 movie.guru score. Spielberg made a chase movie about free will and outscored five of the seven hits above it.
2. 7
   Signs (2002)5.5

   Signs is the most perfectly average hit ever made.

   A 5.5 movie.guru score, literally the median movie, on $408M worldwide. Joaquin Phoenix and a tinfoil hat carry it. The rest is mood and a whole lot of corn.
3. 6
   Die Another Day (2002)4.3

   Audiences gave Bond an A minus. Audiences were being polite.

   $432M worldwide off a reported $142M budget, then a 4.3 movie.guru score. Pierce Brosnan deserved better than an invisible car and Halle Berry deserved a better script.
4. 5
   Men in Black II (2002)3.5

   The worst movie in 2002's top eight still made $445M.

   A 3.5 movie.guru score, the only Poor on this list. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones still have chemistry. The script just forgot to show up with them.
5. 4
   Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)5.1

   Attack of the Clones is a sand complaint with lightsabers.

   $654M worldwide and an A minus CinemaScore, but a 5.1 movie.guru score and 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. The romance plays like a staring contest by a fireplace.
6. 3
   Spider-Man (2002)7.4

   Willem Dafoe's Goblin is the best villain on this list.

   $811M worldwide and a 7.4 movie.guru score. Sam Raimi lets Dafoe argue with a mirror, and it's scarier than the clunky mask he wears the rest of the time.
7. 2
   Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)7.9

   Kids crowned it. Critics just politely checked their watches.

   An A+ CinemaScore and $884M worldwide, but a 63 on Metacritic. At two hours plus, it's mostly Kenneth Branagh mugging like he gets paid by the smile.
8. 1
   The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)9.4

   The middle chapter is the best Rings movie. Fight me.

   A 9.4 movie.guru score and $945M worldwide on a reported $94M budget. No beginning, no ending, and it still owns the year. Helm's Deep is a whole movie by itself.

$2,743 says somebody in the comments calls Attack of the Clones underrated and fully means it.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it