2024’s Best-Reviewed Movies Grossed Just $1.2 Million In U.S. Theaters—Here Are Critics’ Favorites

Topline

The best-reviewed movies of 2024 do not include the blockbusters that have dominated the domestic box office so far this year, though critics say they still deserve audiences’ attention, and some are available on streaming platforms.

Sean Baker’s film “Anora,” the winner of the Palme D’Or at Cannes, is considered one of the best … [+] movies of 2024.

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Key Facts

The best reviewed movie on Metacritic with a 2024 U.S. release date was Romanian black comedy “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World,” which boasted a rating of 95/100.

“Do Not Expect” grossed just under $74,000 at the U.S. box office, largely due to its limited theatrical release, according to Box Office Mojo data.

One of Metacritic’s other top-rated films so far this year is “Anora,” the Sean Baker drama-comedy that won the coveted Palme d’Or prize for best film at the Cannes Film Festival in May, telling the story of a Brooklyn sex worker who marries an oligarch’s son (the movie is expected to hit theaters in the fall).

In total, the top 10 best-reviewed movies grossed a combined $1.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo, though four of those movies have not had theatrical releases yet—far less than 2024’s biggest blockbusters “Dune: Part Two” ($282.1 million domestic gross) and “Inside Out 2” ($205.5 million).

10 Highest-Reviewed Movies Of 2024 So Far

“Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World”: 95/100 on Metacritic, $73,983 gross according to Box Office Mojo
“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”: 94/100, $75,056
“Here”: 93/100
“Sugarcane”: 92/100
“Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus”: 91/100, $86,554
“Totem”: 91/100, $100,150
“La Chimera”: 91/100, $860,265
“Anora”: 89/100
“Green Border”: 88/100, $29,350
“Picture of Ghosts”: 88/100

Tangent

Two films released in the U.S. this year after limited releases in previous years took the top two spots on Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated movies this year, according to critics aggregated by the movie review site. Those movies—“Laroy, Texas” and “Nowhere Special”—both earned perfect 100% scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Big Number

$282.14 million. That’s how much science fiction sequel “Dune: Part Two” has grossed in the U.S. since its release on March 1, making the highly anticipated Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya feature the highest-grossing movie so far this year, according to Box Office Mojo.