And 58 of those films received a Metascore of 81 or higher, the cutoff we use to indicate 'universal acclaim' from reviewers. Of those, 328 received positive reviews (scoring 61 or higher)-that's an impressive 53%, and up from the 2015 figure (which was around 50%). There were 610 films released during 2016 to receive at least seven reviews from top professional critics. Then again, there was plenty of love from reviewers to go around. It will have to contend with other films showered with praise by critics, including Kenneth Lonergan's drama Manchester by the Sea and the throwback musical La La Land. It's the highest-scoring release since Boyhood in 2014 and one of just four films in our entire database to score 99 or higher.īut the strength of 2016's very best films is such that Moonlight isn't even necessarily a favorite to win the best picture Oscar (though a nomination appears to be a certainty). No 2016 film was greater than Barry Jenkins' coming-of-age drama Moonlight, a three-part look at the life of a gay black man growing up in a broken household in Florida. There were 12 movies released during 2016 that scored 90 or higher, more than in any other year this century. Was 2016 a good year for movies? We've seen a variety of opinions on both sides of the argument, but one thing is clear: it was indeed a great year for great films.Īnd by 'great' films we mean high-scoring films.
