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2002 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country- and genre- specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures celebrated their 90th anniversaries in 2002.
The top 10 films released in 2002 by worldwide gross are as follows:[1]
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | New Line | $936,689,735 |
| 2 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Warner Bros. | $878,979,634 |
| 3 | Spider-Man | Sony Pictures | $821,708,551 |
| 4 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | 20th Century Fox | $653,741,940 |
| 5 | Men in Black II | Sony Pictures | $441,818,803 |
| 6 | Die Another Day | MGM / 20th Century Fox | $431,971,116 |
| 7 | Signs | Buena Vista | $408,247,917 |
| 8 | Ice Age | 20th Century Fox | $383,257,136 |
| 9 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | IFC | $368,744,044 |
| 10 | Minority Report | 20th Century Fox / DreamWorks | $358,372,926 |
2002 was the first year to see three films cross the eight-hundred-million-dollar milestone, surpassing the previous year's record of two eight-hundred-million-dollar films. It also surpasses the previous year's record of having the most ticket sales in a single year (fueled by the success of various sequels and the first Spider-Man movie).
- March 1 — Paramount Pictures reveals a new-on screen logo that was used until December 2011 to celebrate its 90th anniversary.
- May – The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski wins the "Palme d'Or" at the Cannes Film Festival.
- May 3–5 – Spider-Man becomes the first film to earn $100 million in one weekend. This surpassed the previous all-time opening weekend record held by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as well as the previous May opening weekend record held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park.[2] The film went on to earn over $800 million worldwide, surpassing Batman to become the highest-grossing superhero film of all time and Men in Black to become Sony's most successful film.[3][4]
- May 16 – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones opens in theaters. Although a huge success, it was the first Star Wars film not to be the highest-grossing of the year.
- Amélie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet wins the 2002 César Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Music, and Best Art Direction. Amélie also became the highest-grossing French-language film in the United States ever.
- Another French-language film Brotherhood of the Wolf also became the second-highest-grossing French-language film in the United States in the last two decades.
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
- The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, Poland
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):
- The Magdalene Sisters, directed by Peter Mullan, U.K. / Ireland
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
- Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi), directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Japan
- Bloody Sunday, directed by Paul Greengrass, U.K. / Ireland
By country/region
- List of American films of 2002
- List of Argentine films of 2002
- List of Australian films of 2002
- List of Bangladeshi films of 2002
- List of British films of 2002
- List of Canadian films of 2002
- List of Chinese films of 2002
- List of French films of 2002
- List of Hong Kong films of 2002
- List of Indian films of 2002
- List of Japanese films of 2002
- List of Mexican films of 2002
- List of Nepalese films of 2002
- List of Pakistani films of 2002
- List of Russian films of 2002
- List of South Korean films of 2002
- List of Spanish films of 2002
By genre/medium
- List of action films of 2002
- List of animated feature films of 2002
- List of avant-garde films of 2002
- List of crime films of 2002
- List of comedy films of 2002
- List of drama films of 2002
- List of horror films of 2002
- List of science fiction films of 2002
- List of thriller films of 2002
- List of western films of 2002
- January 4 – Tunisha Sharma, Indian actress (died 2022)
- January 18 – Samuel Joslin, British actor
- January 20
- Michael Barbieri, American actor
- January 30
- Tyla, South African singer
- Joshua Colley, American actor
- February 2 – Madina Nalwanga, Ugandan actress
- February 13 – Sophia Lillis, American actress
- February 23 – Emilia Jones, English actress, singer and songwriter
- March 4 – Jacob Hopkins, American actor
- March 10 – Júlia Gomes, Brazilian actress
- March 15 – Sam McCarthy, American actor
- March 27 – Ty Tennant, English actor
- April 2 – Emma Myers, American actress
- April 4 – Damian Hurley, English actor and model
- April 8 – Skai Jackson, American actress
- April 16 – Sadie Sink, American actress
- May 6 – Emily Alyn Lind, American actress
- May 7
- Andrew Barth Feldman, American actor
- Jake Bongiovi, American actor
- May 16 – Isaac Kragten, Canadian actor
- May 22 – Maisa Silva, Brazilian actress and television host
- May 26 – Georgie Farmer, English actor
- June 2 – Madison Hu, American actress
- June 3 – Eva Bella, American actress
- June 5 – Lewis MacDougall, Scottish actor
- July 2 – Abraham Attah, Ghanaian actor
- July 16 – Milly Shapiro, American actress and singer
- July 24 – Benjamin Flores Jr., American actor and rapper
- July 25 – Shunsuke Michieda, Japanese actor and singer
- August 1 – Oona Laurence, American actress
- August 12 – Iman Vellani, Pakistani-Canadian actress
- August 16 – Talia Ryder, American actress
- August 23 – Indiana Massara, Australian actress and singer
- August 30 – Raffey Cassidy, English actress
- September 6 – Asher Angel, American actor
- September 8 – Gaten Matarazzo, American actor
- September 13 – Chiara Aurelia, American actress
- September 20 - Gabriel LaBelle, Canadian actor
- September 22 – Cody Veith, American actor
- September 24 – Elijah Richardson, American actor
- September 27 – Jenna Ortega, American actress
- September 28 – Kyline Alcantara, Filipino actress, singer and television host
- September 30
- Levi Miller, Australian actor
- Maddie Ziegler, American actress
- October 9 – Choi Min-young, South Korean actor
- October 12 – Iris Apatow, American actress
- October 16 - Madison Wolfe, American actress
- October 26
- Julian Dennison, New Zealand actor
- Emma Schweiger, American actress
- October 28 – Lola Tung, American actress
- December 12 – Allegra Acosta, American actress
- December 13 – AC Bonifacio, Canadian actress, dancer, singer, vlogger
- December 17 – Guilherme Seta, Brazilian actor
- December 23 – Finn Wolfhard, Canadian actor
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | Carol Ohmart | 74 | US | Actress | |
| 1 | Julia Phillips | 57 | US | Producer | ||
| 6 | Mario Nascimbene | 88 | Italy | Composer | ||
| 7 | Avery Schreiber | 66 | US | Actor | ||
| 9 | Bill McCutcheon | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 11 | Henri Verneuil | 81 | Turkey | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 12 | Stanley Unwin | 90 | UK | Actor | ||
| 13 | Ted Demme | 38 | US | Director, Producer | ||
| 15 | Jeremy Hawk | 83 | UK | Actor | ||
| 17 | Queenie Leonard | 96 | UK | Actress | ||
| 19 | Roy Conrad | 61 | US | Actor | ||
| 20 | Harold Kasket | 75 | UK | Actor | ||
| 21 | Peggy Lee | 81 | US | Singer, Actress | ||
| 23 | Howard A. Smith | 89 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 29 | Stratford Johns | 76 | UK | Actor | ||
| 29 | Harold Russell | 88 | Canada | Actor | ||
| February | 1 | Hildegard Knef | 76 | Germany | Actress | |
| 4 | George Nader | 80 | US | Actor | ||
| 6 | Guy Stockwell | 68 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Diane Hart | 75 | UK | Actress | ||
| 11 | Barry Foster | 74 | UK | Actor | ||
| 13 | Waylon Jennings | 64 | US | Singer, Actor | ||
| 15 | Lucille Lund | 88 | US | Actress | ||
| 18 | Giustino Durano | 78 | Italy | Actor | ||
| 18 | Jack Lambert | 81 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Byrne Piven | 72 | US | Actor | ||
| 19 | Gene Ruggiero | 91 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 20 | Fredric Steinkamp | 73 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 21 | John Thaw | 60 | UK | Actor | ||
| 22 | Chuck Jones | 89 | US | Animator, Director | ||
| 25 | Claire Davenport | 68 | UK | Actress | ||
| 26 | Lawrence Tierney | 82 | US | Actor | ||
| 27 | Spike Milligan | 83 | India | Actor | ||
| 28 | Mary Stuart | 75 | US | Actress | ||
| March | 2 | Mary Grant | 85 | UK | Costume Designer | |
| 4 | Eric Flynn | 62 | China | Actor | ||
| 4 | Shirley Russell | 66 | UK | Costume Designer | ||
| 10 | Irene Worth | 85 | US | Actress | ||
| 16 | Carmelo Bene | 64 | Italy | Actor, Director | ||
| 17 | William Witney | 86 | US | Director | ||
| 18 | Denis Forest | 41 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 23 | Richard Sylbert | 73 | US | Production Designer | ||
| 23 | James Culliford | 74 | UK | Actor | ||
| 26 | Louis M. Heyward | 81 | US | Producer, Screenwriter | ||
| 27 | Milton Berle | 93 | US | Actor, Comedian | ||
| 27 | Dudley Moore | 66 | UK | Actor | ||
| 27 | Billy Wilder | 95 | Austria | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| April | 2 | Jack Kruschen | 80 | Canada | Actor | |
| 3 | Roy Huggins | 87 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 4 | Harry O'Connor | 44 | US | Stuntman | ||
| 6 | Nobu McCarthy | 67 | Canada | Actress | ||
| 7 | John Agar | 81 | US | Actor | ||
| 8 | María Félix | 88 | Mexico | Actress | ||
| 15 | Dave King | 72 | UK | Actor | ||
| 16 | Alexander Doré | 78 | UK | Actor | ||
| 16 | Robert Urich | 55 | US | Actor | ||
| 17 | James Copeland | 84 | UK | Actor | ||
| 19 | Reginald Rose | 81 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 21 | Terry Walsh | 62 | UK | Stuntman, Actor | ||
| 22 | Linda Lovelace | 53 | US | Porn Actress | ||
| 23 | Carla Fry | 40 | US | Producer, Executive | ||
| 25 | Michael Bryant | 74 | UK | Actor | ||
| 28 | John Wilkinson | 82 | US | Sound Engineer | ||
| May | 2 | Ron Soble | 74 | US | Actor | |
| 5 | George Sidney | 85 | US | Director | ||
| 8 | Lou Lombardo | 91 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 10 | Linda Francis | 62 | US | Casting Director | ||
| 11 | Bill Peet | 87 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 14 | Ray Stricklyn | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Bryan Pringle | 67 | UK | Actor | ||
| 23 | Dorothy Spencer | 93 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 25 | Pat Coombs | 75 | UK | Actress | ||
| June | 2 | Herman Cohen | 76 | US | Producer | |
| 3 | Lew Wasserman | 89 | US | Studio Executive | ||
| 3 | Sam Whipple | 41 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Signe Hasso | 86 | Sweden | Actress | ||
| 22 | Chang Cheh | 79 | China | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 25 | Charles C. Bennett | 62 | US | Production Designer | ||
| 26 | Dolores Gray | 78 | US | Actress | ||
| 28 | François Périer | 82 | France | Actor | ||
| 29 | Rosemary Clooney | 74 | US | Singer, Actress | ||
| July | 4 | Ivan Moffat | 84 | Cuba | Screenwriter | |
| 5 | Katy Jurado | 78 | Mexico | Actress | ||
| 6 | John Frankenheimer | 72 | US | Director, Producer | ||
| 8 | Ward Kimball | 88 | US | Animator | ||
| 9 | Gerald Campion | 81 | UK | Actor | ||
| 9 | Rod Steiger | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Phil Roth | 72 | US | Actor | ||
| 17 | Harry W. Gerstad | 93 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 23 | Leo McKern | 82 | Australia | Actor | ||
| 24 | Maurice Denham | 92 | UK | Actor | ||
| 26 | Buddy Baker | 84 | US | Composer | ||
| August | 3 | Peter Miles | 64 | US | Actor | |
| 9 | Peter Matz | 73 | US | Composer, Arranger, Conductor | ||
| 14 | Peter R. Hunt | 77 | UK | Film Editor, Director | ||
| 15 | Henry Batista | 88 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 15 | Yuriy Yakovlev | 71 | Bulgaria | Actor | ||
| 16 | Jeff Corey | 88 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Dean Riesner | 83 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 23 | Dennis Fimple | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Stanley R. Greenberg | 74 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 30 | J. Lee Thompson | 88 | UK | Director | ||
| September | 3 | Ted Ross | 68 | US | Actor | |
| 5 | Cliff Gorman | 65 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Katrin Cartlidge | 41 | UK | Actress | ||
| 7 | Michael Elphick | 55 | UK | Actor | ||
| 11 | Kim Hunter | 79 | US | Actress | ||
| 14 | LaWanda Page | 81 | US | Actress | ||
| 16 | James Gregory | 90 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Hazel Brooks | 78 | South Africa | Actress | ||
| 22 | Carmen Phillips | 65 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | P.A. Lundgren | 91 | Sweden | Art Director, Production Designer | ||
| 28 | Whitney Blake | 76 | US | Actress | ||
| October | 3 | Tad Horino | 81 | US | Actor | |
| 4 | André Delvaux | 76 | Belgium | Director | ||
| 4 | Buddy Lester | 85 | US | Actor | ||
| 8 | Phyllis Calvert | 87 | UK | Actress | ||
| 9 | Charles Guggenheim | 78 | US | Documentarian | ||
| 12 | Hilyard M. Brown | 92 | US | Art Director | ||
| 13 | Keene Curtis | 79 | US | Actor | ||
| 13 | Dennis Patrick | 84 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Chuck Domanico | 58 | US | Musician | ||
| 21 | George Hall | 85 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 23 | Adolph Green | 87 | US | Screenwriter, Lyricist, Actor | ||
| 23 | Nathan Juran | 95 | Romania | Director | ||
| 24 | Charmian May | 65 | UK | Actress | ||
| 24 | Peggy Moran | 84 | US | Actress | ||
| 24 | Scott Plank | 43 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Micheline Cheirel | 85 | France | Actress | ||
| 25 | Richard Harris | 72 | UK | Actor | ||
| 27 | André de Toth | 90 | Hungary | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 28 | Margaret Booth | 104 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 28 | Lawrence Dobkin | 83 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 29 | Marina Berti | 78 | Italy | Actress | ||
| 29 | Glenn McQueen | 41 | Canada | Animator | ||
| 30 | Lee H. Katzin | 67 | US | Director | ||
| 31 | Raf Vallone | 86 | Italy | Actor | ||
| November | 1 | Keith A. Wester | 62 | US | Sound Engineer | |
| 2 | Lo Lieh | 63 | Indonesia | Actor | ||
| 4 | Antonio Margheriti | 72 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 14 | Eddie Bracken | 87 | US | Actor | ||
| 17 | Marvin Mirisch | 84 | US | Producer | ||
| 18 | James Coburn | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Parley Baer | 88 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Joan Barclay | 88 | US | Actress | ||
| 22 | Adele Jergens | 84 | US | Actress | ||
| 24 | Noel Davis | 75 | UK | Casting Director | ||
| 25 | Karel Reisz | 76 | Czech Republic | Director, Producer | ||
| 26 | Stanley Black | 89 | UK | Composer, Conductor | ||
| 27 | Billie Bird | 94 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Wolfgang Preiss | 92 | Germany | Actor | ||
| 29 | Daniel Gélin | 81 | France | Actor | ||
| 29 | John Justin | 85 | UK | Actor | ||
| December | 2 | Edgar Scherick | 78 | US | Producer | |
| 3 | Glenn Quinn | 32 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 10 | Peter Tanner | 88 | UK | Film Editor | ||
| 12 | Brad Dexter | 85 | US | Actor | ||
| 14 | Sidney Glazier | 86 | US | Producer | ||
| 14 | Ruth Kobart | 78 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Arthur Jeph Parker | 79 | US | Set Decorator | ||
| 17 | James Hazeldine | 55 | UK | Actor | ||
| 18 | Edward Norris | 91 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Duke Callaghan | 88 | US | Cinematographer | ||
| 22 | Susan Fleming | 94 | US | Actress | ||
| 22 | Clay Tanner | 71 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Kenneth Tobey | 85 | US | Actor | ||
| 27 | George Roy Hill | 81 | US | Director | ||
| 30 | Mary Brian | 96 | US | Actress | ||
- Fred Armisen – Like Mike
- Lake Bell – Speakeasy
- Jon Bernthal – Mary/Mary
- Abigail Breslin – Signs
- Kristin Chenoweth – Topa Topa Bluffs
- Priyanka Chopra – Thamizhan
- Martin Compston – Sweet Sixteen
- Jean Dujardin – Ah! Si j'étais riche
- Jesse Eisenberg – Roger Dodger
- Aida Folch – The Shanghai Spell
- Josh Gad – Mary and Joe
- Romola Garai – Nicholas Nickleby
- Javier Gutiérrez – The Other Side of the Bed
- Adèle Haenel – Les Diables
- Kevin Hart – Paper Soldiers
- Sally Hawkins – All or Nothing
- Emile Hirsch – The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
- Kevin James – Pinocchio
- Diane Kruger – The Piano Player
- Anthony Mackie – 8 Mile
- Rachel McAdams – My Name Is Tanino
- Elliot Page – Marion Bridge
- Nathan Phillips – Australian Rules
- Rosamund Pike – Die Another Day
- Clémence Poésy – Olgas Sommer
- Nathalie Poza – The Other Side of the Bed
- Manolo Solo – Everything in Place
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Tom & Thomas
- Natalia Tena – About a Boy
- Katt Williams – Friday After Next
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