The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century is a list compiled in June 2025 by The New York Times, chosen by a voting poll of over 500 directors, actors and others around the world.The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century: "Parasite and the Ones Below" – 16:9 Journal
Top 50
TitleDirectorParasite (2019) Bong Joon HoMulholland Drive (2001) David LynchThere Will Be Blood (2007) Paul Thomas AndersonIn the Mood for Love (2000) Wong Kar-waiMoonlight (2016) Barry JenkinsNo Country for Old Men (2007) Joel Coen and Ethan CoenEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Michel GondryGet Out (2017) Jordan PeeleSpirited Away (2001) Hayao MiyazakiThe Social Network (2010) David FincherMad Max: Fury Road (2015) George MillerThe Zone of Interest (2023) Jonathan GlazerChildren of Men (2006) Alfonso CuaronInglourious Basterds (2009) Quentin TarantinoCity of God (2003) Fernando MeirellesCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Ang LeeBrokeback Mountain (2005) Ang LeeY tu mama tambien (2002) Alfonso CuaronZodiac (2007) David FincherThe Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Martin ScorseseThe Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Wes AndersonThe Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Wes AndersonBoyhood (2014) Richard LinklaterHer (2013) Spike JonzePhantom Thread (2017) Paul Thomas AndersonAnatomy of a Fall (2023) Justine TrietAdaptation (2002) Spike JonzeThe Dark Knight (2008) Christopher NolanArrival (2016) Denis VilleneuveLost in Translation (2003) Sofia CoppolaThe Departed (2006) Martin ScorseseBridesmaids (2011) Paul FeigA Separation (2011) Asghar FarhadiWall-E (2008) Andrew StantonA Prophet (2010) Jacques AudiardA Serious Man (2009) Ethan Coen and Joel CoenCall Me by Your Name (2017) Luca GuadagninoPortrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Céline SciammaLady Bird (2017) Greta GerwigYi Yi (2000) Edward YangAmélie (2001) Jean-Pierre JeunetThe Master (2012) Paul Thomas AndersonOldboy (2003) Park Chan-wookOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) Quentin TarantinoMoneyball (2011) Bennett MillerRoma (2018) Alfonso CuarónAlmost Famous (2000) Cameron CroweThe Lives of Others (2007) Florian Henckel von DonnersmarckBefore Sunset (2004) Richard LinklaterUp (2009) Pete Docter
Results In the list, 45 films belong to the first decade of this century (2000-2009), 33 films between 2010 and 2019 and 22 films between 2019 and 2025. The majority of films in the list come from USA, followed by Europe (mostly United Kingdom and France), Asia (mostly South Korea and JapanThe 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century: "See Under: Orient" – 16:9 Journal) and Latin America (mainly Brazil). Bong Joon Ho's Parasite was voted as the top pick on both the original and readers' polls, as was the second top pick, David Lynch's 2001 neo-noir Mulholland Drive.What Movies Did the New York Times Readers Rank As the Best of the 21st Century? Ten films from the list have won the Academy Award for Best Picture: Parasite (1st), Moonlight (5th), No Country for Old Men (6th), The Departed (31st), 12 Years a Slave (51st), Oppenheimer (65th), Spotlight (66th), The Hurt Locker (68th), Everything Everywhere All at Once (77th), and Gladiator (92nd). Four animated films appeared on the list, with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (9th) is the highest-ranking animated feature to be on each list. Other films included Pixar's WALL-E (34th), Up (50th), and Ratatouille (73rd).Only 1 Anime Made the Cut in New U.S. '100 Best Movies of the 21st Century' Ranking – CBRDiving into The New York Times "Best Films of the 21st Century" List Three documentary films appeared on the list: The Act of Killing (82nd), The Gleaners and I (88th), and Grizzly Man (98th).No Bad Movie The highest-ranked female-directed film on the list is Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall (26th). Although Kátia Lund appears as co-director of City of God (15th), the work is mainly attributed to Fernando Meirelles; therefore, not being credited as the latter's partner, Triet is in the official list in first position.
Director's count Fourteen film directors appear more than once in a list. Christopher Nolan earned the most entries with a total of five films."All 13 Directors With More Than One Film On NYT's Greatest Movies Of The 21st Century List". Screen Rant. CountDirector5Christopher Nolan4Paul Thomas AndersonJoel Coen and Ethan CoenAlfonso Cuarón3David FincherQuentin Tarantino2Wes AndersonBong Joon HoJonathan GlazerSpike JonzeAng LeeRichard LinklaterMartin Scorsese
Response The Danish film journal 16:9 responded with the six-part video essay series One Hundred Movies Walk into a Bar organized by fellow video essayists Ariel Avissar and Colleen Laird.The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century: “Seen, Heard: Language Use in the ‘Best Movies’” – 16:9 JournalThe 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century: "But What Do They Sound Like?" – 16:9 Journal
See also List of films voted the best BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century (August 2016)
References
External links Official site