2010s Films: Best Movies, Directors And Trends
Marvel dominance, streaming disrupting everything, and prestige TV pulling directors away.
Below: the films worth watching from the 2010s, the directors behind them, what was changing in cinema, and the year-by-year screen highlights from 2010 to 2019.
Useful for a film night, a themed party, a quiz round or working out what someone grew up watching.
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Best films of the 2010s
- Inception (2010).
- The King's Speech (2010).
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
- Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017).
- Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
- Get Out (2017).
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019).
- Roma (2018) - a Netflix film nominated for Best Picture.
- Parasite (2019) - the first non-English language Best Picture winner.
- 1917 (2019), Sam Mendes.
Directors who defined the 2010s
- Denis Villeneuve, the decade's most reliable big-budget science fiction director.
- Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele, both arriving fully formed.
- Bong Joon-ho, whose Parasite changed what the Oscars would consider.
- The Russo brothers, running the largest film project ever attempted.
- Steve McQueen and Sam Mendes, British directors working at the top end.
Cinema trends of the 2010s
- Netflix moves from posting DVDs to funding features with award campaigns.
- The Marvel Cinematic Universe becomes the largest box office force in history.
- Legacy sequels and live-action remakes fill the schedule.
- Cinema ticket prices climb while streaming subscriptions stay cheap.
- Television takes writers and directors who would once have made mid-budget films.
Going to the pictures
- Recliner seats, allocated seating and booking on an app.
- IMAX and 4DX as the reason to leave the house.
- Twenty-five minutes of adverts and trailers as standard.
- Watching everything else at home, on a subscription, on a phone.
Film and television, year by year
- 2010 - Downton Abbey and Sherlock both began.
- 2011 - Game of Thrones began in April.
- 2012 - Netflix launched in the UK in January.
- 2013 - Breaking Bad ended and box-set watching became the normal way to view.
- 2014 - The Grand Budapest Hotel and Guardians of the Galaxy were the films people liked.
- 2015 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened in December.
- 2016 - Planet Earth II drew audiences that beat The X Factor.
- 2017 - Blue Planet II changed how the country talked about plastic.
- 2018 - Bodyguard drew the biggest drama audience in years.
- 2019 - Avengers: Endgame and Joker were the films of the year.
Years covered in the 2010s
- 2010 - A hung parliament, a volcano that stopped the planes and the first iPad. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2010
- 2011 - The royal wedding, the riots and Adele's 21. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2011
- 2012 - The Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in one extraordinary summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2012
- 2013 - A royal baby, Andy Murray at Wimbledon and the horsemeat scandal. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2013
- 2014 - The Scottish referendum, the ice bucket challenge and streaming joining the chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2014
- 2015 - The Queen's record reign, Leicester's title run beginning and Adele's return. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2015
- 2016 - Leicester won the league, Britain voted to leave and a lot of people died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2016
- 2017 - Grenfell, the Manchester Arena attack and a snap election that went wrong. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2017
- 2018 - A royal wedding, a heatwave and England reaching a World Cup semi-final. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2018
- 2019 - A cricket World Cup final nobody could believe and a December election. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2019
- That is every 2010s year we have written up so far: 2010 to 2019.
How to use this
- Film night: one film from the decade, the matching party playlist before it, and a quiz round after.
- Quiz round: read a film and ask for the year, or read a director and ask for the film.
- Reminiscence: ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was, and who took them.
- Anyone born in 2010 turns 50 in 2060, 60 in 2070 and 70 in 2080.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop prints and posters Look back to 2010 Look back to 2011 Look back to 2012
How to write it so it lands
- Check the UK release date as well as the year - plenty of American films reached Britain months later.
- For a themed night, pick the film from the year someone turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
- Ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was. It gets a better story than asking their favourite.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 2010
- Look back to 2011
- Look back to 2012
- Look back to 2013
- Look back to 2014
- Look back to 2015
- Look back to 2016
- Look back to 2017
- Look back to 2018
- Look back to 2019
- 2010s books, films and TV
- 2010s calendar: year by year
- 2010s trivia: fun facts
- 2010s music: albums, artists and songs
- 2010s shopping guide
- The 2010s: the whole decade
- 2010s party playlist
- Phone party games
- How to run a quiz night
- Decade music round questions
- Guess the year quiz
- Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade films: best films and directors by era
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Decade shopping guides by era
- Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Milestone birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Wedding cards
- Wedding cards guide
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best films of the 2010s?
Inception (2010). The full list above names real films with their release years, from the 2010s.
Which directors defined the 2010s?
Denis Villeneuve, the decade's most reliable big-budget science fiction director. The directors section above covers the rest.
What was cinema like in the 2010s?
Netflix moves from posting DVDs to funding features with award campaigns. The trends and going-to-the-pictures sections above cover both the industry and the experience.
Do you sell films or DVDs?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a film night.