The Year 2003 in Film

The year 2003 was saw the end of some franchises and the beginnings of others. It was a year filled with sequels, but many smaller films by some newer and some seasoned directors were embraced by the audiences.

The best picture nominees from the year 2003 would be:

The Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won Best Picture.

The top ten highest grossing pictures of the year were:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Finding Nemo, The Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Bruce Almighty, The Last Samurai, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Revolutions, X2, Bad Boys II

Other popular pictures from this year included:

Something's Gotta Give, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Brother Bear, Love Actually, Hulk, 2 Fast 2 Furious, American Wedding, Scary Movie 3, Elf, S.W.A.T., Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, Anger Management, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Haunted Mansion, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Daredevil, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Italian Job, Cold Mountain, Bringing Down the House, Daddy Day Care, Freaky Friday, Johnny English

Will Ferrell had his first major theatrical success with Elf, and would become a high-grossing comedy star. Steve Martin also had a good year with the box office reception to Cheaper by the Dozen and Bringing Down the House. In contrast, Sean Connery hung up his hat due to his bad experience on the set of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Remakes this year included Freaky Friday, The Italian Job and Cheaper by the Dozen. Superhero comic book adaptions included X2, Hulk and Daredevil.

Critical favorites from this year include:

American Splendor, Gods and Generals, Holes, Monster, Oldboy, Thirteen

Cult favorites from the year include:

The Animatrix, Cabin Fever, Underworld, Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, A Mighty Wind

Under appreciated, maybe?:

Open Range told a very tight western story with the brutal depictions of frontier life and thrilling gunfight sequences.

Less than spectacular movies of this year include:

Gigli, Kangaroo Jack, Looney Tunes: Back in Action

In Conclusion:

Pixar continued their streak of excellence, which would continue through the decade. Pirates stormed the pop culture and planted the flag for one of the largest franchises in history.