In 2006, cinema was undergoing a quiet revolution. Franchises were proving they could reach billion-dollar dominance while awards-season films found wider audiences. The year saw a surge in global storytelling, with films crossing borders in language, subject and setting, from Morocco in Babel to wartime Spain in Pan’s Labyrinth.
Streaming had not yet reshaped distribution, meaning theatrical runs still dictated cultural impact. Multiplexes were eclectic spaces where political satire, environmental urgency, studio animation and prestige thrillers shared screens in the same season. DVD sales were near their peak, helping mid-budget films thrive. It was a year where tone diversified, technology matured, and cinema still felt unpredictable, communal and gloriously global.
Here are 20 films that will turn 20 years old in 2026.
The Departed
Martin Scorsese’s gritty Boston crime drama remains one of his most celebrated works. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, the film grossed about $291.5 million worldwide on an estimated $90 million budget, showing that prestige cinema could also be a box-office force. At the 79th Academy Awards, it won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director – Scorsese’s first Oscar – as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Its layered themes of loyalty, betrayal and identity have influenced crime cinema across the next two decades.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro’s poetic fable explores Francoist Spain, interweaving mythic fantasy and historical darkness. With a modest global gross of about $83 million, it demonstrated how a foreign-language fantasy could transcend markets and critics alike. The film earned three Oscars and was chosen as Best Film by the National Society of Film Critics. Its creatures and visual imagination remain touchstones for filmmakers exploring genre hybridity.
Children of Men
Alfonso Cuaron’s bleakly inventive dystopia about a world without children was not a huge commercial juggernaut, making about $70 million worldwide, but it became an instant critical classic. Celebrated for its long, immersive takes and documentary-like filmmaking, it received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and cemented Cuaron’s reputation as a visionary director. Nearly 20 years later, its themes of hope, crisis and societal decay feel ever more prescient for contemporary audiences.
The Prestige
Between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan directed this cerebral tale of obsession and rivalry between two magicians, which not only entertained, but provoked ongoing debate about narrative structure and sacrifice. Bringing in more than $109 million globally, it blended emotional complexity with genre thrills. Though ignored by major awards bodies at the Oscars, the film’s layered script and standout performances by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman have made it a frequent subject of critical reappraisal and a staple on lists of Nolan’s most compelling work.
Blood Diamond
This globe-spanning thriller about conflict diamonds combined political intrigue with blockbuster energy. Featuring committed turns from Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou, it earned several accolades and helped broaden Hollywood’s engagement with global issues. While it did not dominate awards season, its tense rhythm and ethical questions about resource exploitation continue to fuel discussions in film classrooms and activism spaces alike.
Borat
Sacha Baron Cohen’s audacious mockumentary defied genre boundaries, turning improvisational cringe comedy into sharp cultural critique. Through its ridiculous and often offensive lead character, the film explores the social and political landscape of the US in a post-9/11 world. On a modest estimated budget, it grossed about $262 million worldwide, becoming one of the most lucrative comedies of its era. It received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy and an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Little Miss Sunshine
This indie road movie about a dysfunctional family chasing a beauty pageant dream became a sleeper hit, earning about $100 million worldwide and winning two Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin’s performance. Its warmth, humour and ensemble chemistry set a blueprint for quirky yet heartfelt ensemble dramas that followed, and it remains a beloved staple of early-21st-century cinema.
The Devil Wears Prada
A glossy workplace comedy with sharp cultural insight into ambition and branding, this film grossed north of $326 million globally. Meryl Streep’s performance as Miranda Priestly elevates what could have been a lightweight narrative to enduring cultural resonance. Its influence is visible in countless comedic dramas that examine career pressures with equal parts savvy and satire. Fans of the film can look forward to a sequel in 2026.
The Pursuit of Happyness
What many say should have earned him his first Oscar win, Will Smith’s deeply human performance helped drive this inspirational true story to more than $307 million worldwide, making it one of the year’s biggest financial successes. Its universal themes of resilience and fatherhood made it a favourite with global audiences, and its emotional sincerity has endured as a defining example of mainstream inspirational cinema.
The Last King of Scotland
This historical drama anchored by Forest Whitaker’s electrifying portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, one of the year’s most memorable accolades. The film’s visceral energy and moral ambiguity elevated it beyond conventional biopic fare. Through the eyes of a Scottish doctor played by James McAvoy), the film explores the mind and character of one of the most evil men in African history.
United 93
Paul Greengrass’s real-time chronicle of United Airlines Flight 93 was a critical standout and won Best Film from the New York Film Critics Circle, reflecting its powerful resonance with critics. Though not a massive box-office hit, its documentary intensity and respectful handling of real-world tragedy influenced subsequent films about crisis and collective trauma. The film offers no commentary or opinion on the events of 9/11, only displaying the facts of one of those doomed flights, and the heroes on board who prevented more casualties.
Babel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s interwoven narrative tapestry earned several award nominations including at the Oscars. While divisive among the public upon release, its ambitious structure and emotional breadth have secured it a place in discussions about globalised narrative cinema and the ethics of cross-culture representation. The film boasts an impressive international cast which includes Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal and Rinko Kikuchi.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The second chapter in Disney’s pirate saga broke records by making more than $1 billion worldwide, a rare feat at the time, helping propel franchise filmmaking into a new commercial era. Its charismatic performances, especially by Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, and its technical spectacle expanded blockbuster storytelling, influencing major tentpole strategies throughout the 2010s.
Miami Vice
Michael Mann’s stylistic adaptation translated the slickness of television into a mood-driven, neon-lit cinematic experience. While its box office was modest compared with contemporaries, its aesthetic influence, from soundtrack to cinematography, can be traced in subsequent crime films and premium TV dramas that prioritise tone and texture over plot mechanics.
V for Vendetta
This adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore found a dedicated global audience, resonating with political movements and becoming shorthand for resistance imagery. Though its box office was moderate, its enduring visual lexicon, especially the Guy Fawkes mask, has taken on a life beyond the screen, influencing protest culture in several countries throughout the past two decades.
Cars
Pixar’s animated road-trip tale charmed global audiences, earning about $461 million worldwide and contributing to the studio’s continued dominance in family animation. Beyond box-office numbers, its themes of community, identity and nostalgia cemented it as a generational favourite, and its franchise spin-offs and merchandising turned it into one of Pixar’s most recognisable cultural properties.
An Inconvenient Truth
Davis Guggenheim’s climate documentary became a defining cultural touchstone, earning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and embedding climate change into the mainstream conversation in a way few films had before. Its blend of scientific research and personal narrative reshaped documentary impact filmmaking and influenced environmental outreach strategies worldwide.
The Queen
Stephen Frears’s intimate portrait of the British monarchy in crisis delivered one of the decade’s most acclaimed performances from Helen Mirren, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film’s nuanced look at tradition, media and public expectation has kept it in conversations about leadership, celebrity and national identity. Its thumbprints can be found today in popular shows such as Netflix’s The Crown, which takes a lot of inspiration from The Queen and how to portray the British royal family.
Superman Returns
This nostalgic homage to the classic Man of Steel pulled in about $391 million globally and signalled Hollywood’s growing appetite for comic-book cinema rooted in reverence as well as spectacle. While opinions were mixed, its visual scale and emotional earnestness helped shape the tonal debates that would define superhero storytelling throughout the 2010s.
Happy Feet
Stepping away from the world of Mad Max, George Miller’s Antarctic musical march of penguins danced its way to more than $384 million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film underlined animation’s capacity to engage both family audiences and adult themes such as community and environmental stewardship. Its inventive use of performance capture and soundtrack diversity helped broaden the horizons of animated cinema.
