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The 11 most iconic movies of 2024: from Dune: Part Two to Anora

Dune: Part Two, Inside Out 2, Anora, The Substance and Wicked: the 11 most iconic movies of 2024, the year Anxiety took over the control room.

By Rankiew · · 7 min read

2024 was the year Paul Atreides rode a sandworm, Anxiety took over Riley's mind, a Brooklyn dancer married an oligarch's son in Las Vegas, Demi Moore injected the Substance and Elphaba defied gravity. It was also the year a little cat survived a flood without a single word of dialogue.

These are the 11 movies of 2024 that left the deepest mark.

The 11 most iconic movies of 2024

1. Dune: Part Two (2024)

After the fall of House Atreides, Paul joins the Fremen of Arrakis alongside Chani and his mother, Jessica, and begins a war of revenge that may turn him into the messiah he fears becoming.

Why is it iconic? Denis Villeneuve made an epic of sand and fire, with Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha in a black and white arena and the first ride on a sandworm.

Awards: Two Oscars, for Visual Effects and Sound.

Legacy: It is considered one of the great science fiction films of the century.

2. Inside Out 2 (2024)

Riley is now thirteen and about to go to hockey camp when new emotions arrive in her mind, led by Anxiety, who decides that Joy and the others are no longer needed.

Why is it iconic? Kelsey Mann continued the Pixar classic with Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment, and a panic attack scene that moved audiences of all ages.

Awards: Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature and almost 1.7 billion dollars at the box office.

Legacy: It became the highest grossing animated film in history at the time.

3. Anora (2024)

Ani, a young dancer from Brighton Beach, marries Vanya, the impulsive son of a Russian oligarch, in Las Vegas, until his family sends a group of henchmen to annul the marriage at any cost.

Why is it iconic? Sean Baker made a screwball comedy with a bitter heart, with Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov as Igor.

Awards: Palme d'Or at Cannes and five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Mikey Madison.

Legacy: Sean Baker won four Oscars in one night, a record for a single film.

4. The Substance (2024)

Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading TV fitness star fired on her fiftieth birthday, uses a black market substance that creates a younger, more perfect version of herself, with rules that cannot be broken.

Why is it iconic? Coralie Fargeat made a grotesque and colorful satire about the cult of youth, with Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid.

Awards: Best Screenplay at Cannes, the Golden Globe for Demi Moore and the Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling.

Legacy: It gave Demi Moore the role of her career and became a cult phenomenon.

5. Challengers (2024)

Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, trains her husband Art to win a tournament, and his opponent in the final is Patrick, his former best friend and her former boyfriend.

Why is it iconic? Luca Guadagnino made a sensual tennis film, with Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist and the techno score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Awards: Golden Globe for Best Original Score.

Legacy: The score and the final match became internet phenomena.

6. Wicked (2024)

Long before Dorothy arrives in Oz, Elphaba, a young woman with green skin, meets the popular Galinda at Shiz University, and the two become unlikely friends until a trip to the Emerald City changes everything.

Why is it iconic? Jon M. Chu adapted the Broadway musical with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey and "Defying Gravity".

Awards: Two Oscars, for Production Design and Costume Design.

Legacy: It became the highest grossing film based on a Broadway musical.

7. The Brutalist (2024)

László Tóth, a Hungarian Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust, emigrates to the United States after the war and receives a commission from a wealthy industrialist that will mark the rest of his life.

Why is it iconic? Brady Corbet made a three and a half hour epic shot in VistaVision, with an intermission, Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce and Daniel Blumberg's score.

Awards: Silver Lion in Venice and three Oscars, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody.

Legacy: It proved that a monumental auteur film could still be made on a small budget.

8. Straume (2024)

A black cat sees its world flooded and takes refuge on a boat with a capybara, a lemur, a dog and a secretary bird, and the group must learn to live together to survive.

Why is it iconic? Gints Zilbalodis made an animated film without dialogue, created with the free software Blender, with breathtaking landscapes and animals that behave like real animals.

Awards: Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.

Legacy: It was the first Latvian film to win an Oscar, and it beat the big Hollywood studios.

9. Conclave (2024)

After the death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence must organize the conclave to elect the new pontiff, and he discovers secrets that could shake the Church.

Why is it iconic? Edward Berger made a political thriller in the Vatican, with Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini and a final twist that sparked debate.

Awards: Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and the BAFTA for Best Film.

Legacy: It returned to the spotlight in 2025, when the world watched a real conclave.

10. Ainda Estou Aqui (2024)

In Rio de Janeiro in 1971, during the military dictatorship in Brazil, the former congressman Rubens Paiva is taken from his home by agents and never returns, and his wife, Eunice, fights for decades for the truth.

Why is it iconic? Walter Salles made a film about memory and resistance, with Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello and Fernanda Montenegro.

Awards: Oscar for Best International Feature Film, the first for Brazil, and the Golden Globe for Best Actress for Fernanda Torres.

Legacy: It became a phenomenon in Brazil and reopened the debate about the crimes of the dictatorship.

11. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Deadpool is recruited by the Time Variance Authority and, to save his universe, needs the help of a very reluctant Wolverine, taken from another reality.

Why is it iconic? Shawn Levy reunited Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in a comedy full of jokes about the multiverse and surprise cameos.

Awards: It passed 1.3 billion dollars and became the highest grossing R-rated film in history.

Legacy: It marked the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and the arrival of Deadpool in the MCU.

Why was 2024 such an important year for movies?

2024 was the year of contrasts: Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine and Dune: Part Two filled cinemas, while Anora, Flow and The Brutalist showed the strength of independent cinema.

It was also a year of international triumphs: a Latvian cat, a Brazilian mother and a Brooklyn dancer won the biggest awards.

What is your favorite movie of 2024?

What is your favorite movie of 2024? On Rankiew you can rate every movie, write reviews, create lists and start clubs with your friends.

More from the series: The most iconic movies of 2023 | The most iconic movies of 2025

#iconic movies#2024 movies#2020s movies#best movies#film history