Every year, movie fans around the world engage in a familiar ritual -- the ranking of our favorite films of the year. And every year, we tend to realize the same thing: Hey, this was a pretty dang good year for cinema, huh?

2024 offered all manner of cinematic pleasures, from glossy studio epics to small arthouse projects. This particular list runs the gamut, striving to capture just how varied the great movies were this year. You'll find giant blockbusters alongside tiny indie releases, realistic dramas alongside gory horror movies, some of the biggest hits of the year alongside box office bombs. This varied collection of titles all have one thing in common: They brought us joy and catharsis and everything in-between. They reminded us why we love movies in the first place.

If you're wondering how this list came to be, and why so many titles didn't make the cut, know that we recorded our deliberations, and the audio will be available as part of a future episode of the /Film Daily podcast. But know this much: Your favorite movie that didn't make the list was number 21. We promise.