2008 in film

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 (out of eight Academy Awards).

Evaluation of the year
2008 has been widely considered to be a very significant year for cinema.

The entertainment agency website IGN described 2008 as "one of the biggest years ever for movies." It stated, "2008 was the year when the comic book movie genre not only hits its zenith, but also gained critical respectability thanks to The Dark Knight. Animated films also proved a huge draw for filmgoers, with Pixar's WALL-E becoming not only the highest grossing toon but also the most lauded. Things got off on the right foot with the monster movie madness of Cloverfield. Marvel got down to business laying the groundwork for their superhero team-up The Avengers with the blockbuster hit Iron Man and their respectable attempt at rebooting The Incredible Hulk. The games-to-film genre took a hit this year, with only Max Payne proving to be a worthy adaptation of the source material. We also saw the highly anticipated big-screen returns of iconic characters like Batman, James Bond, and Indiana Jones – some were more successful than others."

The film industry and review website IndieWire described 2008 as "a stellar year for movies" that "gave us tons of unforgettable classics" such as The Wrestler, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Che.

Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2008 by worldwide gross are as follows:

For 2008, the top ten films consisted of three superhero films, three animated films, three action films and one musical film.

Box office records

 * In the domestic box office, 2008 came very close in passing 2007 as the highest-grossing year, falling short by just $30 million.
 * On August 4, The Dark Knight reached a $400 million domestic gross in a record time of 18 days. The previous record was held by Shrek 2, which reached it in 43 days. On August 31, after 45 days in release, The Dark Knight reached $500 million domestically, becoming only the second film in history after Titanic to cross the half-billion-dollar domestic milestone, as well as the first film of the 2000s decade. Worldwide, it grossed $997 million on its initial release, and an IMAX reissue in 2009 saw it become the fourth film to gross $1 billion at the global box office. It also surpassed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the highest-grossing film ever distributed by Warner Bros. until it was surpassed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011.
 * Mamma Mia! became the highest-grossing film in UK history until it was surpassed by Avatar in 2010.
 * Slumdog Millionaire set several records. At the worldwide box office, it became the most successful British independent film of all time. At the UK box office, it became the highest-grossing British independent film (surpassing Four Weddings and a Funeral), the highest-grossing British film without US studio investment, and the biggest ever weekly "increase for a UK saturation release" (surpassing Billy Elliot).

By country/region

 * List of American films of 2008
 * List of Argentine films of 2008
 * List of Australian films of 2008
 * List of Bangladeshi films of 2008
 * List of Bengali films of 2008
 * List of Bollywood films of 2008
 * List of Brazilian films of 2008
 * List of British films of 2008
 * List of French films of 2008
 * List of Hong Kong films of 2008
 * List of Italian films of 2008
 * List of Japanese films of 2008
 * List of Mexican films of the 2000s
 * List of Pakistani films of 2008
 * List of Russian films of 2008
 * List of South Korean films of 2008
 * List of Spanish films of 2008
 * List of Kannada films of 2008
 * List of Malayalam films of 2008
 * List of Tamil films of 2008
 * List of Telugu films of 2008

By genre/medium

 * List of action films of 2008
 * List of animated feature films of 2008
 * List of avant-garde films of 2008
 * List of crime films of 2008
 * List of comedy films of 2008
 * List of drama films of 2008
 * List of horror films of 2008
 * List of science fiction films of 2008
 * List of thriller films of 2008
 * List of western films of 2008

Births

 * January 24 – Chlaui Malayao, Filipina child actress
 * March 14 – Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress
 * June 3 – Harshaali Malhotra, Indian actress
 * June 10 – Helena Zengel, German actress
 * June 14 – Giulia Benite, Brazilian actress
 * July 15 – Iain Armitage, American actor
 * July 31 – Banks Repeta, American actor
 * August 1 – Emma Berman, American actress
 * August 5 – Izzy G., American actress
 * August 31 – Milo Machado-Graner, French actor
 * September 18 – Jackson Robert Scott, American actor
 * November 23 – Asher Blinkoff, American actor
 * December 22 – Madeleine McGraw, American actress
 * December – Chloe Coleman, American actres

Film debuts

 * Caroline Amiguet – 2012: Doomsday
 * Chadwick Boseman – The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
 * Nerea Camacho – Camino
 * Jessica Chastain – Jolene
 * Boyd Holbrook – Milk
 * Felicity Jones – Flashbacks of a Fool
 * Nick Kroll – Adventures of Power
 * Jennifer Lawrence – Garden Party
 * Thom Michael Mulligan – A Gothic Tale
 * Javier Rey – 8 Dates
 * Martiño Rivas – The Blind Sunflowers
 * Margot Robbie – Vigilante
 * Gina Rodriguez – Calling It Quits
 * Blanca Suárez – Shiver
 * Jeremy Strong – Humboldt County
 * Sai Tamhankar – Black & White
 * Whitney Wegman-Wood – Nobody Gets Out Alive