The 8 Biggest Movies of 2021, and Whether They Were Any Good

Box office tells you what people bought. The movie.guru score tells you whether it was worth the ticket. In 2021, those two barely spoke.

Number one made the most money and still starts the loudest arguments.

1. 8
   Black Widow (2021)6.8

   A goodbye prequel, rescued by Florence Pugh's scene stealing.

   $379.8M worldwide on a reported $288.5M budget. movie.guru score 6.8, my take 5.2. Pugh and David Harbour are a blast, then the third act melts into gray CGI soup.
2. 7
   Eternals (2021)4.2

   Ten heroes, maybe three you'll remember by Tuesday.

   $402.1M worldwide, a B CinemaScore, a 4.2 movie.guru score. Chloé Zhao shot gorgeous golden-hour skies for a script that needed a whiteboard and a family tree.
3. 6
   Dune (2021)8.1

   The best-made movie here, and it's only half a story.

   8.1 movie.guru score, 8.0 on IMDb from over a million votes. Villeneuve built a stunning world for a reported $165M, then hit pause right when it got going.
4. 5
   Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)8.4

   Marvel's best fight choreography in years, until the CGI takes over.

   92% on Rotten Tomatoes, an A CinemaScore, an 8.4 movie.guru score. The bus fight is legit. The finale turns into a glowing creature feature that forgets the hand-to-hand magic.
5. 4
   Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)6.2

   Delivered exactly what the title promised. Nobody wanted more.

   $470.1M worldwide and an A CinemaScore, but a 59 on Metacritic. Every human scene is a toll booth between monster punches, and audiences happily paid the toll.
6. 3
   Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)4.2

   It outgrossed Dune. Let that sit with you for a minute.

   $506.8M worldwide on a reported $110M budget, yet a 4.2 movie.guru score and my 3.4. Tom Hardy argues with himself while the plot wanders off to get snacks.
7. 2
   No Time to Die (2021)7.4

   Craig earned this goodbye. The villain absolutely did not.

   $906.8M worldwide, 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 7.4 movie.guru score. Daniel Craig sells every scene. Rami Malek whispers menace like he's reading the terms and conditions out loud.
8. 1
   Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)9.0

   2021's best movie was a nostalgia buffet, and it earned it.

   $1.92B worldwide, an A+ CinemaScore, a 9.0 movie.guru score. Audiences beat 98%, critics 82%. The plot runs on fan service and I'd still rewatch it tonight.

$463 says somebody in the comments defends Venom 2 with the words "it's supposed to be dumb."

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Current mood: ready to fight about it