Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey', Which Dominated the Box Office, Ranked Among 'Greatest Films of All Time'
Stanley Kubrick is widely regarded as one of the best directors to ever live, but it seems hard for fans to agree on which of his movies is truly the best. Films such as BarryLyndon, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining all deserve credit, but there's one jewel in his filmography that shines brighter than the rest.
2001: A Space Odyssey was inspired by several short stories by Arthur C. Clarke, who helped Kubrick write the screenplay in 1968. The film stars Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and Douglas Rain as a group of astronauts who discover mysterious monoliths across the universe and set out on a dangerous mission to investigate them.
Kubrick's film was light-years ahead of its time in many ways, from the advanced visual effects to the accurate depiction of spaceflight and astrophysics. It essentially birthed the science fiction genre as we understand it today, presenting space as a domitable frontier and a piece of humanity's future inseparable from humanity itself.
The film gathered lots of attention for its atmospheric storytelling and extended sequences without dialogue, which certainly wasn't the norm in 1960s cinema. Audiences were used to fast-paced thrillers like those of Alfred Hitchcock or Roman Polanski; Kubrick was taking a serious gamble on this challenging story, but it's one that quickly paid off.
The film intrigued audiences, and ultimately, that was enough to make it an undeniable box office success. 2001: A Space Odyssey pulled in around $69 million around the world against a reported budget of $12 million. Adjusted for inflation, the film's lifetime gross is actually closer to $399 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Not only does this make 2001: A Space Odyssey the most commercially successful film in Kubrick's catalog, but it also ended up being the highest-grossing film of the year when it was released.
Such a challenging, thematically dense sci-fi drama making it to the top of the annual box office was a surprise at the time, but today, it's not surprising at all that audiences were so enamored by Kubrick's unique blockbuster. The film is widely regarded as his best work, and its influence can still be felt in the DNA of today's most popular sci-fi movies.
Films like Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Interstellar simply wouldn't exist without the precedent that Kubrick set with 2001: A Space Odyssey-and that's exactly why it's so frequently cited among the best films ever made. It currently sits at No. 6 on Sight & Sound's ranking, which is voted for by critics and industry professionals every ten years.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 9:56 AM.