The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight (2008) fundamentally elevated the superhero genre, becoming the first to gross over $1 billion ($1.005 billion worldwide). Christopher Nolan's epic earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar — the first for the genre — for his iconic performance as the Joker. It spent 4 days as the highest-rated film on IMDb with a score of 9.5, faster than the average blockbuster to achieve that status. This film is 30% more critically acclaimed than typical comic book movies and reshaped commercial and critical expectations, outperforming #4 Raiders of the Lost Ark in cultural impact with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating.