2004 in film

Last updated
List of years in film
In radio
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
In television
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
+...

2004 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Shrek 2 was the year's top-grossing film, and Million Dollar Baby won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Contents

Evaluation of the year

American film critic and professor Emanuel Levy described 2004 as "a banner year for actors, particularly men." He went on to emphasize, "I can't think of another year in which there were so many good performances, in every genre. It was a year in which we saw the entire spectrum of demographics displayed on the big screen, from vet actors such as Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman, to seniors such as Pacino, De Niro, and Hoffman, to newcomers such as Topher Grace. As always, though, the center of the male acting pyramid is occupied by actors in their forties and fifties, such as Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson, Kevin Kline, Don Cheadle, Jim Carrey. In terms of film genres, Levy stated, "The year's most prominent genre was the biopicture, a genre that in the past has suffered from lack of prestige and abundance of clichés. There were a dozen worthy biopictures, including Alexander, The Aviator, Beyond the Sea, Finding Neverland, Hotel Rwanda, Kinsey, Motorcycle Diaries, and Ray. Celebrating entrepreneurs, playwrights, singers, sex researchers, composers, and politicians, they continued to show one alarming bias: They were all about men. You don't have to be a feminist critic or a sociologist to deduct that, as far as real or reel heroes are concerned, women matter less in Hollywood and American society at large. Can't anyone come up with a strong part for a femme-driven bio a la British film Vera Drake, without relegating women to showbiz personae." Levy also stated, "Classic Hollywood cinema, which reached its height during the golden age of studio system and has been in decline, is kept alive by one major force: Clint Eastwood. The "Man With No Name" has become the "Man With the Best Name", a director who's experiencing an unparallel artistic height with “Million Dollar Baby,” a follow-up to the equally sublime Mystic River." [1]

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 2004 by worldwide gross are as follows: [2]

Highest-grossing films of 2004
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1 Shrek 2 DreamWorks $935,454,538
2 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Warner Bros. $798,076,924
3 Spider-Man 2 Sony Pictures / Columbia $788,976,453
4 The Incredibles Buena Vista $631,442,092
5 The Passion of the Christ Icon / Newmarket $611,486,736
6 The Day After Tomorrow 20th Century Fox $552,639,571
7 Meet the Fockers Universal / DreamWorks $522,657,936
8 Troy Warner Bros. $497,409,852
9 Shark Tale DreamWorks $374,583,879
10 Ocean's Twelve Warner Bros. $362,744,280

Shrek 2 set a new record for total gross by an animated film making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The record was later surpassed by Toy Story 3 in 2010. It also remained the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film until it was surpassed by Despicable Me 2 in 2013. It remains to this day the highest-grossing animated film not distributed by Disney or Universal. On July 7, Spider-Man 2 reached a $200 million domestic gross in a record time of eight days. On July 18, after 19 days in release, Spider-Man 2 reached $300 million domestically in another record time. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has the highest international revenue of $546 million compared to Shrek 2's $487.5 million.

The Passion of the Christ , directed by Mel Gibson, became the first blockbuster motion picture of 2004 and also the highest grossing R-rated film domestically. Meet the Fockers beat 2003's Bruce Almighty record for the highest-grossing comedy film; both were released by Universal.

Events

MonthDayEvent
January25 Golden Globe Awards: Major winners include The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Lost in Translation .
26 Golden Raspberry Award nominations announced, leading films are:
27 Academy Awards nominations announced, leading films are:
February4 9th Empire Awards: Major winners include Love Actually and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
15 BAFTA Awards: Major winners include Scarlett Johansson, Best Actress and Bill Murray, Best Actor
22 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Charlize Theron, The Actor for Best Female Actor, Johnny Depp, The Actor for Best Male Actor, Tim Robbins, The Actor for Best Male Supporting Actor, Renée Zellweger, The Actor for Best Female Supporting Actor.
23 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King becomes the second film in history to gross more than $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts.
25 The Passion of the Christ , Mel Gibson's major motion picture about the last days of Jesus's life on Earth, opens huge in time for Lent.
28 Gigli dominates the Golden Raspberry Awards, walking away with 6 awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Jennifer Lopez), Worst Actor (Ben Affleck), Worst Director (Martin Brest), Worst Screenplay (Brest) and worst on-screen couple (Lopez and Affleck). Worst supporting acting awards went to actress Demi Moore for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and actor Sylvester Stallone for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over .
29 76th Academy Awards: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins picture and director awards as well as nine others for a total of 11 Academy Awards, a tie for the most ever won by a single film.
May22 Fahrenheit 9/11 , a controversial documentary by Michael Moore wins the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the Cannes Film Festival.
June5The 2004 MTV Movie Awards were held at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California and hosted by Lindsay Lohan.
27Fahrenheit 9/11 breaks the record for highest opening-weekend earnings in the United States for a documentary, earning $23.9 million. And going on to earn over $119M in domestic box office earnings.
July1 Marlon Brando, considered by many to be the greatest actor of all time, dies at the age of 80 from respiratory failure at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
October29 Voices of Iraq released, the first "wikified" documentary film created by sending multiple DV cameras to participants.
December13The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the nominees for the 2005 Golden Globes awards with comedy Sideways garnering seven nominations and actor Jamie Foxx with three for his work in both film and television.
21The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces seven films are eligible for the Academy Award for Visual Effects:
28The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces that 267 films released in 2004 are eligible for consideration of the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Awards

Category/Organization 10th Critics' Choice Awards
January 10, 2005
62nd Golden Globe Awards
January 16, 2005
Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards 58th BAFTA Awards
February 12, 2005
77th Academy Awards
February 27, 2005
DramaMusical or Comedy
Best Film Sideways The Aviator Sideways The Aviator Million Dollar Baby
Best Director Martin Scorsese
The Aviator
Clint Eastwood
Million Dollar Baby
Mike Leigh
Vera Drake
Clint Eastwood
Million Dollar Baby
Best Actor Jamie Foxx
Ray
Leonardo DiCaprio
The Aviator
Jamie Foxx
Ray
Best Actress Hilary Swank
Million Dollar Baby
Annette Bening
Being Julia
Hilary Swank
Million Dollar Baby
Imelda Staunton
Vera Drake
Hilary Swank
Million Dollar Baby
Best Supporting Actor Thomas Haden Church
Sideways
Clive Owen
Closer
Morgan Freeman
Million Dollar Baby
Clive Owen
Closer
Morgan Freeman
Million Dollar Baby
Best Supporting Actress Virginia Madsen
Sideways
Natalie Portman
Closer
Cate Blanchett
The Aviator
Best Screenplay, Adapted Sideways
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Sideways
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Best Screenplay, Original Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth
Best Animated Film The Incredibles The Incredibles
Best Original Score Howard Shore
The Aviator
Gustavo Santaolalla
The Motorcycle Diaries
Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Finding Neverland
Best Original Song"Old Habits Die Hard"
Alfie
"Al otro lado del río"
The Motorcycle Diaries
Best Foreign Language Film The Sea Inside The Motorcycle Diaries The Sea Inside
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival)
Fahrenheit 9/11 , directed by Michael Moore, United States
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival)
Vera Drake , directed by Mike Leigh, United Kingdom
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival)
Head-On , directed by Fatih Akın, Germany & Turkey

2004 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

Births

Deaths

MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January 2 Etta Moten Barnett 102USActress
2 Lynn Cartwright 76USActress
4 Brian Gibson 59UKDirector
4 Jeff Nuttall 70UKActor
6 Philip Gilbert 72CanadaActor
7 Ingrid Thulin 77SwedenActress
8 Reginald H. Morris 85UKCinematographer
9 Lyndon Brook 77UKActor
10 Spalding Gray 62USActor
10 Sidney Miller 87USActor, Director
13 Phillip Crosby 69USActor
14 Catherine Craig 88USActress
14 Uta Hagen 84GermanyActress
14 Ron O'Neal 66USActor, Director
17 Ray Stark 89USProducer
17 Noble Willingham 72USActor
22 Ann Miller 83USActress, Dancer
27 H.B. Haggerty 78USActor
27 Jack Paar 85USActor
28 Elroy Hirsch 80USActor
28 Joe Viterelli 66USActor
29 Andrew J. Kuehn 66USDirector
February 2 Bernard McEveety 79USDirector
4 Michael P. Moran 59USActor
8 Robert F. Colesberry 57USProducer
10J. C. Quinn63USActor
11 Tony Pope 56USVoice Actor
12 Martin Jurow 92USProducer
13 Carole Eastman 69USScreenwriter
13John Trumper80UKFilm Editor
14 Elois Jenssen 81USCostume Designer
15 Jan Miner 86USActress
23 Carl Anderson 58USSinger, Actor
23 John Randolph 88USActor
26 Russell Hunter 79UKActor
26 Ralph E. Winters 94CanadaFilm Editor
29 Mark Cavell 64USActor
March 2 Mercedes McCambridge 87USActress
3Arthur Kempel59USComposer
5 Walt Gorney 91AustriaActor
6 Frances Dee 94USActress
7 Michael Stringer 79UKProduction Designer, Art Director
7 Paul Winfield 64USActor
8 Robert Pastorelli 50USActor
10 Wilhelm von Homburg 63GermanyActor
15 René Laloux 74FranceAnimator, Director
15 John Vallone 50USProduction Designer
18 Richard Marner 82RussiaActor
21 Ludmilla Tchérina 79FranceActress, Choreographer
24 Richard Leech 81IrelandActor
25 Robert Arden 81UKActor
26 Fred Karlin 67USComposer
26 Jan Sterling 82USActress
27 Peter Diamond 74UKStuntman, Actor
28 Peter Ustinov 82UKActor, Director
29 Charles Grenzbach 80USSound Engineer
29 Simone Renant 93FranceActress
April 1 Carrie Snodgress 58USActress
4 Ralph Kemplen 91UKFilm Editor
4 Austin Willis 87CanadaActor
7 Victor Argo 69USActor
17 Bruce Boa 73CanadaActor
18 Frances Rafferty 81USActress
19 Tim Burstall 77UKDirector, Screenwriter
19 Philip Locke 76UKActor
21 Mary Selway 68UKCasting Director
25 Albert Paulsen 78USActor
May 1 Nelson Gidding 84USScreenwriter
3 Anthony Ainley 71UKActor
4 Hugh Gillin 78USActor
5Vern Taylor71USActor
6 Virginia Capers 78USActress
9 Tommy Farrell 82USActress
9 Alan King 76USActor, Producer
14 Anna Lee 91UKActress
17 Tony Randall 84USActor
18 Lincoln Kilpatrick 73USActor
23 Trudy Marshall 84USActress
27 Patience Cleveland 73USActress
28 Irene Manning 91USActress
31 Robert A. Burns 60USArt Director
June 3 Harold Goodwin 86UKActor
4 Charles Correll 60USCinematographer
4 Nino Manfredi 83ItalyActor, Director
4 Anthony Steffen 73ItalyActor
5 Virginia North 58UKActress
5 Mark Northover 54UKActor
5 Ronald Reagan 93USActor, 40th President of the United States
6 Judy Campbell 88UKActress
7 Donald Trumbull 95USVisual Effects Artist
9 Barbara Whiting 73USActress
10 Ray Charles 73USSinger, Actor
13 Robert Lees 91USScreenwriter
14 Max Rosenberg 89USProducer
18 Doris Dowling 81USActress
18 George Buck Flower 66USActor
19 Colin McCormack 62UKActor
26 Muriel Angelus 92UKActress
30 Chris Alcaide 80USActor
July 1 Marlon Brando 80USActor
6 Eric Douglas 46USActor
6 Jimmie F. Skaggs 59USActor
9 Carlo Di Palma 79ItalyCinematographer
9 Isabel Sanford 86USActress
11 Dorothy Hart 82USActress
12 Jeff Morris 69USActor
13 George Mallaby 64UKActor
17 Pat Roach 67UKActor
18 Richard Ney 87USActor
19 Irvin Yeaworth 78GermanyDirector
21 Jerry Goldsmith 75USComposer
22 Muriel Angelus 92UKActress
23 Serge Reggiani 82ItalyActor, Singer
27 Sam Edwards 89USActor
28 Eugene Roche 75USActor
31 Laura Betti 77ItalyActress
31 Virginia Grey 87USActress
August 1 Vivian Austin 84USActress
3 Geraldine Peroni 51USFilm Editor
8 Paul Garner 95USActor
8 Fay Wray 96CanadaActress
9 David Raksin 92USComposer
12 Peter Woodthorpe 72UKActor
16 Mildred "Acquanetta" Davenport 83USActress
18 Elmer Bernstein 82USComposer
18 Hugh Manning 83UKActor
22 Daniel Petrie 83CanadaDirector
25 Donald M. Ashton 85UKProduction Designer
26 David Myers 90USCinematographer
27 William Pierson 78USActor
30 Bob Sherman 63USActor
September 7 Frank Thomas 92USAnimator
9 Caitlin Clarke 52USActress
10 O. L. Duke 51USActor
11 Michael A. Carter 77UKSound Engineer
11 Fred Ebb 76USLyricist
15 Bernard Gribble 77UKFilm Editor
17 Evi Rauer 88EstoniaActress
18 Russ Meyer 82USDirector
19 Annabella Incontrera 61ItalyActress
19 Robert Lawrence 90CanadaFilm Editor
24 Tim Choate 49USActor
30 Michael Relph 89UKProducer
30 Ignatius Wolfington 83USActor
October 3 Janet Leigh 77USActress
5 Rodney Dangerfield 82USActor, Comedian
8 Irina Demick 67FranceActress
10 Christopher Reeve 52USActor
17 Julius Harris 81USActor
26 Patricia Knight 89USActress
28 Gil Mellé 72USComposer
28 Charles F. Wheeler 88USCinematographer
30 Peggy Ryan 80USActress, Dancer
31 Mari Aldon 78LithuaniaActress
November 6 Robert Lang 70UKActor
6 Elizabeth Rogers 70USActress
6Edward Warschilka76HungaryFilm Editor
7 Howard Keel 85USActor
9 Ed Kemmer 83USActor
12 Norman Rose 87USActor
13 Carlo Rustichelli 87ItalyComposer
13 Don Sharpe 75UKSound Engineer
14 Michel Colombier 65FranceComposer
19 Helmut Griem 72GermanyActor
20 Anna Keaveney 55UKActress
22Jerry Bick81USProducer
25 David Bailey 71USActor
26 Philippe de Broca 71FranceDirector, Screenwriter
27 John Drew Barrymore 72USActor
28 Molly Weir 94UKActress
December 1William Sackheim85USScreenwriter, Producer
4 Carl Esmond 102AustriaActor
9 Jean Tournier 78FranceCinematographer
10 John Monks Jr. 94USScreenwriter
15 Maria Perschy 66AustriaActress
16 Stefano Madia 49ItalyActor
20 Howard Feuer 56USCasting Director
21 Richard Hamilton 83USActor
28 Jerry Orbach 69USActor
29 William Boyett 77USActor
29 Liddy Holloway 57New ZealandActress

Film debuts

Related Research Articles

The year 2000 in film involved some significant events. The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible 2. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor. Dinosaur was the most expensive film of 2000 and a box-office success.

2002 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country- and genre- specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Paramount Pictures celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2002.

2003 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country- and genre- specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts.

The year 1996 involved many significant films. The major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The Rock, The English Patient, Twister, Space Jam, Mission: Impossible,Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a film version of the musical Evita.

The year 1997 in film involved many significant films, including Titanic, The Full Monty, Gattaca, Donnie Brasco, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential, The Fifth Element, Nil by Mouth, The Spanish Prisoner, and the beginning of the film studio DreamWorks.

The year 1998 in film involved many significant films, including Shakespeare in Love, Saving Private Ryan, Armageddon, American History X, The Truman Show, Primary Colors, Rushmore, Rush Hour, There's Something About Mary, The Big Lebowski, Mulan, A Bug's Life, The Prince of Egypt and Terrence Malick's directorial return in The Thin Red Line.

This is a list of films released in 1994. The top worldwide grosser was The Lion King, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all-time, although it was slightly overtaken at the North American domestic box office by Forrest Gump, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The year is considered to be one of the best years for cinema during the post Golden Age Hollywood era and setting the standard for the movies of the modern era.

The year 1989 involved many significant films.

The following is an overview of events in 1988 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, and The Firm.

The following is an overview of events in 1986 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

The following is an overview of events in 1984 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

The year 1975 in film involved some significant events.

The year 1973 in film was the overview of the events of 1973 that involved some significant events.

<i>Shrek 2</i> 2004 DreamWorks Animation film

Shrek 2 is a 2004 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Stillman, and the writing team of J. David Stem and David N. Weiss, it is the sequel to Shrek (2001) and the second installment in the Shrek film series. The film stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, who reprise their respective voice roles of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona. They are joined by new characters voiced by Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, and Jennifer Saunders. Shrek 2 takes place following the events of the first film, with Shrek and Donkey meeting Fiona's parents as the zealous Fairy Godmother, who wants Fiona to marry her son Prince Charming, plots to destroy Shrek and Fiona's marriage. Shrek and Donkey team up with a sword-wielding cat named Puss in Boots to foil her plans.

The year 2008 involved many major film events. The Dark Knight was the year's highest-grossing film, while Slumdog Millionaire won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

2016 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of films released, and notable deaths.

2022 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2022, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths.

2023 in film is an overview of events, including award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country- and genre-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths. Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Studios celebrated their 100th anniversaries in 2023.

References

  1. Oscar 2004 : Film Year in Review
  2. "2004 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved July 20, 2022.