Sci-fi epic Dune and Daniel Craig’s No Time To Die among most-Googled films in 2021

Marvel films ‘Black Widow’, ‘Eternals’ and ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ ranked second, third and seventh respectively

Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune and Daniel Craig’s final Bond film No Time To Die were among the most Googled films in 2021.

While the movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya ranked No 1 in terms of Google search-based interest, Craig’s swansong as the suave MI5 agent came in fourth on the recently released top 10 list.

In a five-star review for The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey called Dune “this generation’s Lord of the Rings trilogy”, adding that the eponymous “spectacular sci-fi adaptation” of Frank Herbert’s novel is “of such literal and emotional largeness that it overwhelms the senses.”

Dune was originally scheduled for release around Christmas last year. However, the film’s release date was pushed forward to 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

This long delay made Dune one of the most hotly-anticipated films of 2021, driving film lovers back to cinemas when it was finally released on 22 October this year.

The film made $40.1m (£30.3m) in ticket sales in its opening weekend in North America, despite being available for streaming on HBO Max.

Following the film’s success, a sequel to Villeneuve’s ambitious film was greenlit by Legendary Entertainment, and is expected to be released on 20 October 2023.

Meanwhile, Craig’s latest (and last) Bond film came in at No 4 on the list, as Bond fans world over prepared to bid the actor goodbye who played James Bond in five films spanning 15 years.

The actor has still not been replaced as James Bond, according to producer MGM’s president Pamela Abdy.

Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden are all rumoured to be in the running for the iconic role.

(MGM / Eon Productions)

Marvel movies also attracted a great deal of Google search interest in 2021.

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, which was released on 9 July this year, is the second most-Googled film this year.

Shortly after the film was released, the 36-year-old actor sued The Walt Disney Company, of which Marvel is a wholly-owned subsidiary.

In July, Johansson alleged that decision to hybrid-release her solo superhero film violated her contract. Black Widow was simultaneously released in cinema halls and on the Disney+ streaming service.

The filing, which was reviewed by The Independent, alleged Johansson’s compensation for the movie was “largely based” on Black Widow’s box office performance.

On 1 October 2021, Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman announced the dispute had been settled.

In a statement, Bergman said: “We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe a to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”

Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings landed the No 3 spot on Google’s year-end list.

Starring Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu, the film garnered a whopping $71.4m (£54m) in ticket sales in its opening weekend and catapulted Liu into superstardom.

Meanwhile, Chloe Zhao’s Eternals was the seventh most-Googled film in 2021.

You can read Clarisse Loughrey’s review forThe Independent here.