# List of American films of 2015
The American films of 2015 are the feature films released theatrically in the United States during calendar year 2015, a year that combined record worldwide box-office revenue with a strong awards season. Release schedules such as The Numbers and MovieInsider list films month by month, and the AFI Catalog provides basic records for American features released through 2015.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015) • [2](https://www.movieinsider.com/movies/2015) • [3](https://aficatalog.afi.com/faq/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release-year scope | Films released in United States theaters January through December 2015; the AFI Catalog defines an American film as one completely or partially financed by an American company or producer[3](https://aficatalog.afi.com/faq/) |
| Top worldwide grossers | Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, and Furious 7, in that order[4](https://time.com/4217056/oscars-america/) |
| Worldwide revenue | The top 50 films of 2015 pulled in $22.4 billion worldwide[5](https://filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2015_film_study_v5_WEB.pdf) |
| Rating mix | PG-13 films comprised 12 of the top 25 films in release during 2015, more than any other rating[6](https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2015_Final.pdf) |
| R-rated record | Fifty Shades of Grey sold more advance tickets than any other R-rated movie in history before its Valentine's Day release and had the widest R-rated opening ever, at over 3,600 theaters[7](https://www.filmsite.org/2015-filmhistory.html) |
| Top Oscar | Spotlight won Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards, honoring films of 2015[8](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016) |
## January releases
The year opened with horror and action titles. On January 2, Relativity released *The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death* wide, and it earned $26,501,323 domestically.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015) On January 9, 20th Century Fox opened *Taken 3* wide, which reached $89,256,424, while Paramount expanded *Selma* wide on the same date on its way to $52,076,908.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
**January 16** was the busiest wide date of the month. Universal's *Blackhat* took $8,005,980, [The Weinstein Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-weinstein-company)'s *Paddington* reached $76,223,578, Sony's *The Wedding Ringer* earned $64,460,211, and Warner Bros. expanded *American Sniper* wide; the film went on to $350,126,372 domestically, the largest total on the January schedule.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015) Limited releases that day included *[Spare Parts](https://www.edgepedia.org/spare-parts-2015-film)* (Lionsgate, $3,618,912) and *Still Alice* ([Sony Pictures Classics](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures-classics), $18,656,400).[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
On January 23, Universal's *The Boy Next Door* ($36,006,065), Lionsgate's *Mortdecai* ($7,696,134), and [Walt Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney)'s *Strange Magic* ($12,429,583) opened wide, alongside limited titles such as *[Cake](https://www.edgepedia.org/cake-2014-film)*, *Mommy*, and *Black Sea*.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015) The month closed on January 30 with *Black or White* (Relativity, $21,571,189), *The Loft* (Open Road, $6,002,684), and *[Project Almanac](https://www.edgepedia.org/project-almanac)* (Paramount, $22,348,241).[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
## February releases
February began with three wide openings on February 6: Warner Bros.' *Jupiter Ascending* ($47,482,519), Universal's *Seventh Son* ($17,725,785), and Paramount's *The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water*, which reached $162,994,032.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
**The Valentine's Day frame** delivered the year's most-discussed opening. Universal's *Fifty Shades of Grey*, directed by [Sam Taylor-Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-taylor-johnson) and adapted from [E. L. James](https://www.edgepedia.org/e-l-james)'s novel, which had sold over 100 million copies worldwide, opened February 13 and grossed $166,167,230 domestically.[7](https://www.filmsite.org/2015-filmhistory.html) • [1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015) The same day, 20th Century Fox opened *Kingsman: The Secret Service*, which took $128,261,724.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
Later in the month, February 20 brought *[The DUFF](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-duff)* (CBS Films, $34,030,343), *Hot Tub Time Machine 2* (Paramount, $12,314,651), and Disney's *[McFarland, USA](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcfarland-usa)* ($44,480,275). February 27 closed the month with Warner Bros.' *Focus* ($53,862,963) and Lionsgate's *The Lazarus Effect* ($25,801,570).[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
## Box-office year
The year's biggest worldwide earners were *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*, *Jurassic World*, and *Furious 7*, in that order.[4](https://time.com/4217056/oscars-america/) Total revenues reached a record high in 2015, with the top 50 films pulling in $22.4 billion worldwide.[5](https://filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2015_film_study_v5_WEB.pdf) By rating, PG-13 dominated: 12 of the top 25 films in release during 2015 carried that rating, more than any other.[6](https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2015_Final.pdf)
## Awards recognition
The 88th Academy Awards, held February 28, 2016 and honoring movies released in 2015, named *Spotlight* Best Picture.[8](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016) Alejandro G. Iñárritu won Directing for *The Revenant*, which also earned [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonardo-dicaprio) the award for Actor in a Leading Role; [Brie Larson](https://www.edgepedia.org/brie-larson) won Actress in a Leading Role for *Room*; and *Inside Out* won Animated Feature Film.[8](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016) *Mad Max: Fury Road* won six awards, in film editing, costume design, production design, makeup and hairstyling, sound editing, and sound mixing, and *Ex Machina* took Visual Effects.[8](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016) The Hungarian film *Son of Saul* won Foreign Language Film, and the [Amy Winehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-winehouse) documentary *Amy* won Documentary Feature.[8](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016)
Critics' year-end lists converged on several of the same titles. Rotten Tomatoes named *Mad Max: Fury Road* the best-reviewed wide release of 2015, with *Room* best limited release, *Inside Out* best animated film, and *Carol* best romance.[9](https://time.com/4173671/rotten-tomatoes-best-reviewed-movies-tv-2015/) The British Academy's film nominations for 2015 were led by *[Bridge of Spies](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridge-of-spies-film)* and *Carol*.[10](https://time.com/4172583/bridge-of-spies-and-carol-top-2015-bafta-award-nominees/)
## Notable titles and where they are documented
A Library of Congress listing of films not yet named to the [National Film Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-registry) records many 2015 American releases, including *American Sniper*, *The Big Short*, *Bridge of Spies*, *Brooklyn*, *Carol*, *Creed*, *Fifty Shades of Grey*, *Furious 7*, *Inside Out*, *Jurassic World*, *Mad Max: Fury Road*, *The Martian*, *The Revenant*, *Room*, *Sicario*, *Spotlight*, *Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens*, and *Straight Outta Compton*.[11](https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/films-not-yet-named-to-the-registry/) For comprehensive month-by-month coverage, The Numbers publishes the full 2015 North American theatrical release schedule with distributors and domestic grosses, and MovieInsider maintains a complete 2015 release calendar.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015) • [2](https://www.movieinsider.com/movies/2015)
## References
1. [Movie Theatrical Release Schedule for 2015, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/release-schedule/2015)
2. [2015 Movies: New Movies & Complete Release Calendar, MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/movies/2015)
3. [FAQ, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://aficatalog.afi.com/faq/)
4. [What This Year's Oscars Say About America, Time](https://time.com/4217056/oscars-america/)
5. [2015 Feature Film Production Study, FilmLA](https://filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2015_film_study_v5_WEB.pdf)
6. [2015 Theatrical Market Statistics Summary, MPAA](https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2015_Final.pdf)
7. [Film History Milestones - 2015, Filmsite](https://www.filmsite.org/2015-filmhistory.html)
8. [The 88th Academy Awards (2016), Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016)
9. [Here Are Rotten Tomatoes' Best Reviewed Movies and TV Shows of 2015, Time](https://time.com/4173671/rotten-tomatoes-best-reviewed-movies-tv-2015/)
10. [Bridge of Spies and Carol Top 2015 BAFTA Award Nominees, Time](https://time.com/4172583/bridge-of-spies-and-carol-top-2015-bafta-award-nominees/)
11. [Some Films Not Yet Named to the Registry, Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/films-not-yet-named-to-the-registry/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Awards and screen reference › Box office records and number-one lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license