See also: 2003 in film, other events of 2004, 2005 in film and the list of 'years in film'
Events
January
- January 25 - Golden Globe Awards: Major winners include The Return of the King and Lost in Translation.
- January 27 - Academy Awards nominations announced, leading films are The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (11), Master and Commander (10), Seabiscuit (7), Mystic River (6), and Cold Mountain (6). Keisha Castle-Hughes, at 13, becomes the youngest nominee ever for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
February
- February 15 - BAFTA Awards: Major winners include Scarlett Johansson, Best Actress and Bill Murray, Best Actor
- February 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, Renee Zellweger, The Actor for Best Female Supporting Actor.
- February 23 - Return of the King becomes the second film in history to gross more than $1 billion in worldwide box office reciepts.
- February 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.
- February 29 - 76th Academy Awards: 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. Acting honors where as follows: Best Actor: Sean Penn for Mystic River, Best Actress: Charlize Theron for Monster, Best Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins for Mystic River, Best Supporting Actress: Renee Zellweger for Cold Mountain.
May-September
- May 22 - Fahrenheit 9/11, a controversial documentary by Michael Moore wins the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the Cannes Film Festival.
- June 27 - Fahrenheit 9/11 breaks the record for highest opening-weekend earnings in the United States for a documentary, earning $23.9 million.
- September 13 - Wimbledon premieres in Beverly Hills, California attended by Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova
Top-Grossing Films of the Year
Please note that these are the top grossing films that were first released in 2004; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing films for calendar year 2004.
The controversial film, The Passion of the Christ, helmed by Mel Gibson became the first blockbuster motion picture of 2004. Taking only eight days, Spider-Man 2 became the fastest film to reach $200 in North American gross box office sales while Shrek 2 and Fahrenheit 9/11 became the highest-grossing animated film and documentary in history, respectively. These are the top 10 grossing estimates as of October 7, 2004 (U.S. and Canada) and October 3, 2004 (United Kingdom):
| 2004 Rank |
Title | Studio | Total Int'l Box Office Gross |
North American Box Office Gross |
United Kingdom Box Office Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Shrek 2 | Dreamworks | $876,623,837 | $439,823,837 | £47,548,741 |
| 2. | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Warner Bros. | $786,651,025 | $249,151,025 | £45,906,829 |
| 3. | Spider-Man 2 | Columbia Pictures | $775,008,002 | $371,795,119 | £26,419,256 |
| 4. | The Passion of the Christ | Newmarket Films | $609,493,825 | $370,270,943 | £10,604,723 |
| 5. | The Day After Tomorrow | 20th Century Fox | $542,037,266 | $186,698,552 | £25,049,442 |
| 6. | Troy | Warner Bros. | $496,578,256 | $133,378,256 | £18,001,854 |
| 7. | I, Robot | 20th Century Fox | $321,655,202 | $143,692,290 | £17,790,336 |
| 8. | Van Helsing | Universal Pictures | $298,885,339 | $120,177,084 | £15,019,852 |
| 9. | The Bourne Supremacy | Warner Bros. | $236,739,476 | $173,457,530 | £11,396,052 |
| 10. | The Village | Touchstone Pictures | $227,337,128 | $113,337,128 | £9,980,280 |
So far worldwide, 27 films released in 2004 grossed more than $100 million, reaching blockbuster status. Of that group, 11 grossed more than $200 million, seven more than $300 million, six more than $400 million, five films grossed more than $500 million, four films grossed more than $600 million, three films more than $700 million and one film more than $800 million.
For a complete list of 2004's top-grossing films, follow these links:
- Worldwide: http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view=worldwide&yr=2004&p=.htm
- North America: http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2004&p=.htm
- United Kingdom: http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/statistics/boxoffice/
Deaths
Notable film celebrities who died in 2004 include actors Marlon Brando, Tony Randall, Ronald Reagan and Fay Wray.
A more complete list of notable deaths is as follows: The following deaths are listed by date, name, age and legacy in film.
January-April
- January 2 - Etta Moten Barnett, 102, actress
- January 7 - Ingrid Thulin, 77, actress
- January 14 - Uta Hagen, 84, actress
- January 14 - Ron O'Neal, 66, actor
- January 17 - Ray Stark, 88, producer
- January 22 - Ann Miller, 80, actress and dancer
- January 31 - Suraiya, 75, actress and singer
- February 15 - Jan Miner, 86, actress
- February 23 - Vijay Anand, 70, director
- March 2 - Mercedes McCambridge, 85, Oscar-winning actress
- March 3 - Cecily Adams, 39, actress
- March 6 - Frances Dee, 96, actress
- March 7 - Paul Winfield, 63, actor
- March 9 - Robert Pastorelli, 49, actor
- March 18 - Guillermo Rivas, 72, actor
- March 26 - Jan Sterling, 82, actress
- March 28 - Peter Ustinov, 82, actor
- April 1 - Carrie Snodgress, 57, actress
- April 5 - Austin Willis, 86, actor
- April 17 - Soundarya, 32, actress
- April 25 - Feridun Karakaya, 76, actor
May-June
- May 3 - Anthony Ainley, 71, actor
- May 9 - Alan King, 76, actor
- May 14 - Anna Lee, 91, actress
- May 16 - Marika Rökk, 90, actress
- May 17 - Tony Randall, 84, actor
- May 19 - Mary Dresselhuys, 97, actress
- June 4 - Nino Manfredi, 83, actor
- June 5 - Ronald Reagan, 93, actor
- June 6 - Necdet Mahfi Ayral, 96, actor
- June 6 - Robert Lees, 91, screenwriter
- June 7 - Donald Trumbull, 95, special effects producer
- June 14 - Max Rosenberg, 89, producer
- June 26 - Yash Johar, 75, producer
July
- July 1 - Marlon Brando, 80, actor
- July 3 - John Barron, 83, actor
- July 6 - Eric Douglas, 46, actor
- July 8 - Jean Lefebvre, 84, actor
- July 9 - Isabel Sanford, 86, actress
- July 11 - Dorothy Hart, 82, actress
- July 17 - Pat Roach, 67, actor
- July 19 - Irvin "Shorty" Yeaworth, 78, director
- July 21 - Jerry Goldsmith, 75, composer
- July 23 - Mehmood, 72, actor
- July 23 - Serge Reggiani, 82, actor
- July 28 - Sam Edwards, 89, actor
- July 28 - Eugene Roche, 75, actor
- July 30 - Andre Noble, 25, actor
- July 31 - Laura Betti, 70, actress
- July 31 - Virginia Grey, 87, actress
August
- August 3 - Margo McLennan, 66, actress
- August 8 - Dimitris Papamichail, 70, actor
- August 8 - Fay Wray, 96, actress
- August 9 - David Raksin, 92, score composer
- August 15 - Neal Fredericks, 35, cinematographer
- August 18 - Elmer Bernstein, 82, composer
- August 20 - Maria Antonieta Pons, 82, actress
- August 22 - Daniel Petrie, 83, director
- August 22 - George Kirgo, 78, screenwriter
- August 26 - Laura Branigan, 47, soundtrack composer
- August 27 - Suzanne Kaaren, 92, actress
- August 27 - William Pierson, 78, actor
September
- September 5 - Fritha Goodey, 31, actress
- September 6 - Elly Annie Schneider, 90, actress
- September 8 - Frank Thomas, 91, animator
- September 14 - Ove Sprogøe, 84, actor
October
- October 5 - Rodney Dangerfield, 82, actor
Wide-Release Movies in 2004 (North America)
(Movies released in at least 1,000 North American theatres)
January - March
April-June
July-September
October-December
| North American Release Date |
Title | Studio/Distributor | Notable Cast/Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1 | Shark Tale | DreamWorks | Will Smith (voice), Robert De Niro (voice), Angelina Jolie (voice), Jack Black (voice) |
| October 1 | Ladder 49 | Touchstone | Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta |
Other Movies Released in 2004
A-F
- America's Heart and Soul
- Baadasssss!
- Beauty Shop
- Before Sunset
- Being Julia
- The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (originally released in Japan)
- The Blue Butterfly
- Bon voyage
- Bright Young Things
- Brother to Brother
- The Burial Society
- The Clearing
- Coffee and Cigarettes
- Control Room
- Criminal
- Danny Deckchair
- De-Lovely
- Decoys
- A Dirty Shame
- Dogville
- Donnie Darko (re-release)
- The Door in the Floor
- The Dreamers
- The Eliminator
- Eulogy
- Father and Son
- Facing Windows
- Formula 17
- Fracture
G-R
- Garden State
- Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed
- Going the Distance
- Head in the Clouds
- Highwaymen
- A Home at the End of the World
- House of D
- The Hunting of the President
- I Heart Huckabees
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
- I'm Not Scared
- Japanese Story
- Jeux d'enfants (Love Me If You Dare)
- Ju-On: The Grudge
- Kaena: The Prophecy (originally released in France)
- The Last Road Trip: Paris to Dakar
- The Last Shot
- The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
- The Machinist
- Maria Full of Grace
- Mean Creek
- La Meglio gioventù (The Best of Youth outside of Italy)
- Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
- Modigliani
- Monsieur Ibrahim
- The Mother
- The Motorcycle Diaries
- National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
- Napoleon Dynamite
- NASCAR 3D
- The Reckoning
- Remember Me, My Love
- Riding Giants
S-Z
- Sacred Planet
- Saw
- Secret Things
- Shaun of the Dead
- She Hate Me
- Showboy
- Skeleton Man
- A Slipping-Down Life
- Speak
- Stage Beauty
- Stateside
- Super Size Me
- Swing
- Touch of Pink
- Touching the Void
- Twist
- The United States of Leland
- Valentín
- We Don't Live Here Anymore
- When Will I Be Loved
- Woman Thou Art Loosed
- The Yes Men
- Young Adam
- Zhou Yu's Train
Films scheduled to be released in 2004 include:
A-C
- After the Sunset November 12 - Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson
- Alexander - November 5 wide release - Colin Farrell, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Oliver Stone (director)
- Alfie - October 22 - Jude Law, Omar Epps, Nia Long
- Artemis Fowl
- The Assassination of Richard Nixon - Sean Penn, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson, Naomi Watts, Niels Mueller (director)
- The Aviator - December 17 wide release - Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Gwen Stefani
- Beyond The Sea - November 24 - Kevin Spacey
- Blade: Trinity - December 10 wide release - Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Jessica Biel, Parker Posey, Dominic Purcell
- Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - November 19 - Renée Zellweger
- Capoeira
- Carolina - Julia Stiles
- Christmas with the Kranks - November 24 wide release - Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis
F-I
- The Final Cut - October 15 wide release - Robin Williams
- Finding Neverland - October 22 limited release - Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman
- Flight of the Phoenix - Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi, Tyrese Gibson
- Friday Night Lights - October 15 wide release - Billy Bob Thornton
- The Grudge - Japanese release in October; October 24 American wide release - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr
- Hair Show
- In My Father's Den December
- The Incredibles - November 5 wide release - Pixar - Craig T. Nelson (voice), Holly Hunter (voice), Samuel L. Jackson (voice), John Ratzenberger (voice), Jason Lee (voice)
K-P
- Kinsey - November 12 limited release - Liam Neeson, Laura Linney
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - December 17 wide release - Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Emily Browning, Liam Aiken
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - December 1 wide release - Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum
- The Life and Death of Peter Sellers - October 2 - Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Stephen Hopkins (director)
- Meet the Fockers - December 22 wide release - Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Blythe Danner, Barbra Streisand
- Mozart and the Whale December 12- Josh Hartnett, Radha Mitchell
- National Treasure - November 24 wide release - Nicolas Cage, Sean Bean, Christopher Plummer, Harvey Keitel, Jerry Bruckheimer (producer)
- Ocean's Twelve - December 10 wide release - George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Julia Roberts
- The Phantom of the Opera - December 10 British release; December 25 American limited release - Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
- The Polar Express - November 10 wide release - Tom Hanks Chris Coppola, Robert Zemeckis (director)
R-T
- Raise Your Voice - October 8 wide release - Hilary Duff
- Ray - October 29 wide release - Jamie Foxx, Taylor Hackford (director)
- The Ring 2 - November 10
- Santa's Slay - scheduled to be released sometime in 2004 - Bill Goldberg
- Seed of Chucky - October 29 wide release - Brad Dourif (voice), Jennifer Tilly (voice)
- Shall We Dance - October 15 - Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere
- Sideways - November 25 Australian release - Alexander Payne (director)
- The Spongebob Squarepants Movie - November 19 wide release - Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Carolyn Lawrence (voices)
- Surviving Christmas - November 19 wide release - Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate
- Taxi - October 8 wide release - Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Gisele Bundchen
- Team America: World Police - October 15 wide release - Alec Baldwin, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (producers and directors)