10 Iconic Movies That Turn 20 This Year | TheThings – TheThings

2001 was certainly an amazing year for the movie industry as plenty of iconic movies premiered back then. It was the year of different genres, it birthed plenty of successful Hollywood stars, and it was a major year for movie franchises.

Related: 10 Iconic Movies That Are Officially 10 Years Old This Year

Yes on todays list one will quickly notice that the first installments of popular franchises such as Harry Potter, Ocean's 11, The Fast and the Furious, Shrek, and Lord of the Rings premiered exactly that year. Keep on scrolling to find out just which movies are officially turning 20 years old in 2021!

Kicking the list off is the fantasy movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone which was based on the popular J. K. Rowling novel from 1997. The movie which tells the story of Harry Potters first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, and Maggie Smith. As fans know, the movie became a major franchise that had a total of eight movies. Currently, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone which premiered on November 4, 2001, has a 7.6 rating on IMDb.

Lets move onto the heist comedy Ocean's Eleven which premiered on December 7, 2001. The movie which tells the story of simultaneous robberies at three casinos in Las Vegas stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garca, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts. Currently, Ocean's Eleven has a 7.7 rating on IMDb and it ended up having two sequels Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, as well as the spin-off Ocean's 8.

Next on the list is the comedy movie Legally Blonde which tells the story of a fashionable university student who decides to go to law school.

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The movie which stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, and Jennifer Coolidge also ended up having a sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, and a spin-off Legally Blondes. Currently, Legally Blonde which premiered on July 13, 2001 has a 6.3 rating on IMDb.

Another movie that is turning 20 years old this year is the biographical drama A Beautiful Mind which tells the life story of mathematician John Nash. A Beautiful Mind premiered on December 13, 2001, and it stars Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Judd Hirsch, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, and Christopher Plummer. Currently, the movie has an 8.2 rating on IMDb.

Another very popular movie that resulted in a franchise is the animated comedy Shrek. The movie, which tells the story of a grumpy ogre who rescues a princess, premiered on April 22, 2001, and in it Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow voice the lead characters. Currently, Shrekhas a 7.8 rating on IMDb and it resulted in three sequels Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After and the fourth one will hopefully be released in the future.

Next on the list is the sci-fi psychological thriller Vanilla Sky which stars Tom Cruise, Penlope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, and Cameron Diaz. Vanilla Sky premiered on December 14, 2001, and it follows the life of a publisher before and after a car accident. Currently, Vanilla Sky has a 6.9 rating on IMDb.

Lets move on to the action-adventure movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider which was based on a video game of the same name.

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The movie stars Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Iain Glen, Noah Taylor, and Daniel Craig, and it premiered on June 15, 2001. Currently, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider which ended up having a sequel titled Lara Croft: Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life has a 5.8 rating on IMDb.

Next on the list is the musical romantic drama Moulin Rouge! which tells the story of a young poet falling in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge in Paris. The movie premiered on May 9, 2001, at the Cannes Film Festival and it stars Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, and Richard Roxburgh. Currently, Moulin Rouge! has a 7.6 rating on IMDb.

2001 was an amazing year for movies which would result in plenty of sequels and The Fast and the Furious is also one of them. The popular action movie which is about the street racing world stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. The Fast and the Furious premiered on June 22, 2001, it resulted in seven sequels and the first installment currently has a 6.8 rating on IMDb.

Wrapping the list up is the epic fantasy adventure The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie which tells the journey of nine companions trying to destroy the powerful One Ring stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, and Christopher Lee. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered on December 10, 2001, and it currently has an 8.8 rating on IMDb.

Next:10 Movies That Turn 30 In 2021

Next 10 Movies That Turn 20 In 2021

Jelena Aska is a freelance list writer at Valnet Inc. Over the years she has written for The Travel, The Talko, Baby Gaga, and Moms as well as BuzzFeed Community. She is a self-proclaimed Beyonc expert whose country of residence keeps changing because life is too short so if you ever see her and her dog IRL please do say hi!

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10 Iconic Movies That Turn 20 This Year | TheThings - TheThings

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero