The 20 most searched for movies of 2018

1/20
20. ‘Fifty Shades Freed’

If you’d already dedicated four hours of your life to the first two, you weren’t going to miss out on the third adaptation of EL James’s bonkbuster, which wrapped up with a wedding and a sigh of relief from Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.

2/20
19. ‘Ready Player One’

A beloved book became a Spielbergian blockbuster, while people were obsessed with watching the movie frame by frame to try and catch a pop culture reference someone else hadn’t.

3/20
18. ‘It’

Scary clown alert! Everyone was excited to see how one of the most terrifying memories of their childhood had been updated and this remake didn’t disappoint. Expect just as much excitement for when the second part comes out next year.

4/20
17. ‘Lady Bird’

A charismatic performance by Saoirse Ronan fueled this witty coming-of-age movie, which captured young female adulthood in authentic detail.

5/20
16. ‘The Post’

Living in the era of Trump surely contributed to the interest in this essentially nerdy but fascinating procedural from Steven Spielberg, about the publication of the top-secret Pentagon Papers in 1971 starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

6/20
15. ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

There was plenty of behind-the-scenes strife (which probably helped its profile), but ultimately, it’s Star Wars and the chance to see what Han got up to before he met Luke and co. was too good to pass up.

7/20
14. ‘Coco’

Pixar’s latest effort was a colourful and diverse movie with inevitably great songs. £635million at the global box office backs that up.

8/20
13. ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’

Not the best in the franchise, especially once they leave the island, but dinos just rule, okay?

9/20
12. ‘Paddington 2’

This sequel to the 2014 sleeper hit managed to be even funnier than the original, thanks to its prison setting and a devilish Hugh Grant.

10/20
11. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Making a great threequel is next to impossible, but Taika Waititi managed it with an Eighties vibe, Tessa Thompson, proper jokes and a kickass soundtrack.

11/20
10. ‘Darkest Hour’

Gary Oldman finally got the Oscar he wanted and we all got to marvel at his amazing make-up playing Winston Churchill.

12/20
9. ‘I, Tonya’

Proof, is any is needed, that the internet is in love with Margot Robbie, even when she’s playing a disgraced ice skater with a terrible hairdo.

13/20
8. ‘Deadpool 2’

Hilarious, profane and exceedingly violent – what’s not to love?

14/20
7. ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’

It scooped endless awards and brought writer/director Martin McDonagh’s unique take on the world to broader attention, even as it caused fury in certain quarters.

15/20
6. ‘The Shape of Water’

Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy scooped Best Picture at this year’s Oscars and enchanted audiences everywhere with its inter-species romance.

16/20
5. ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’

The first was one of the UK’s biggest ever box office hits and the sequel proved equally attractive, especially with added Cher.

17/20
4. ‘Peter Rabbit’

Was this searched by kids obsessed by the cheeky animal, parents finding out whether they would enjoy their family cinema trip? Or people investigating all the allergy controversy? No matter, this they were all looking for this surprise entry.

18/20
3. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

As close this year came to a forgone conclusion, the anticipation was only matched by the shock at THAT ending…

19/20
2. ‘Black Panther’

Brilliantly directed by Ryan Coogler and with a fantastic cast, Black Panther defied the (idiotic) naysayers who argued Marvel’s black superhero couldn’t stand on his own two paws.

20/20
1. ‘The Greatest Showman’

A critical mauling, word-of-mouth megahit, Hugh Jackman as PT Barnum alongside Zac Efron and Zendaya inspired endless theme parties and has a soundtrack that continues to be streamed by the billion.

It’s been a busy and eclectic year at the cinema, including superhero sequels, far away galaxy prequels and one of the most interesting awards seasons in ages. But what films did you spend 2018 excited about? Here’s the list of the flicks Yahoo users spent most time looking for online.

The Yahoo Year in Review Methodology
To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, our editors analyse Yahoo Search queries based on a number of factors, including absolute volume and growth from previous periods, to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their Search queries always remain anonymous. This list is constructed without navigational searches – i.e. searches where the intention is clearly purely to navigate to a site rather than to discover information.

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