Cinema · 2020 Ranked
Best Films of 2020, Ranked by IQ Score
The COVID-disrupted year, streaming saved prestige cinema. Ranked.
2020 is the year COVID disrupted theatrical exhibition but streaming preserved prestige cinema. Nomadland (Zhao, Best Picture). Minari (Chung). Promising Young Woman (Fennell directorial debut). Soul (Docter, Pixar). The Father (Zeller, Hopkins's second Best Actor Oscar).
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Questions about this ranking
What is the best film of 2020?
By IQ Score on TV Intelligentsia, Nomadland (Best Picture) anchors the year. Minari, Soul, The Father, First Cow, and Sound of Metal round out the canonical Masterclass-tier entries.
How did COVID affect 2020 cinema?
The 2020 theatrical shutdown forced most prestige films to delayed-or-streaming distribution. Nomadland (Searchlight), Minari (A24), Promising Young Woman (Focus), Soul (Disney+), The Father (Sony Classics) all reached audiences via streaming or limited theatrical. The year preserved prestige cinema while the franchise-mid-budget studio film was hardest hit.
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