2024 was a year marked by stark contrasts. While the world grappled with geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and climate change, the realm of pop culture offered a much-needed escape
Music
The music industry in 2024 celebrated several successes. Taylor Swift concluded her record-breaking Eras tour in Vancouver this month, marking the end of the two-year cultural phenomenon which became the first tour to break one billion dollars in sales. Met by almost universal critical acclaim, the tour offered a 200-minute revue of all 11 of her albums. However, it also sparked growing concern over TicketMaster, an online service that alters ticket costs according to demand; resale tickets often cost more than 500 dollars on the site.
Meanwhile, Beyonce made her first foray into country with the album Cowboy Carter, which critics received with universal acclaim. Its lead single “Texas Hold ‘em” topped the Billboard Hot 100, and the album has garnered 11 Grammy nominations.
The summer of 2024 was dominated by Charli XCX’s new album, Brat, which sparked a wave of fashion trends. The album’s lime green cover became nearly ubiquitous, and Metacritic rated it as the 16th best album of all time. Behind the club pop songs “360” and “Von Dutch,” Brat reached the top 10 in 15 countries; 360 is currently nominated for Record of the Year.
While established stars made their mark this year, 2024 also saw the rise of two new cultural forces–Sabrina Carpenter and Chapelle Roan–behind their singles “Espresso” and “Good Luck, Babe.” Both artists are nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, which will be held on February 5th.
Movies
The film industry in 2024 was a mixed bag. While blockbuster sequels like Dune: Part Two dominated the box office, original films struggled to find their footing.
Of the top 20 movies at the box office this year, 13 were sequels of previous blockbusters.
Dune: Part Two, the highly anticipated sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation, performed strongly, grossing over 700 million worldwide. The film’s stunning visuals, epic scale, and strong performances were praised by critics and audiences alike, with special emphasis on Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet’s acting.
On the other end of the spectrum was Joker: Folie a Deux. The highly anticipated sequel to Joker failed to live up to the high quality of the original, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as the titular villain. Despite its large budget of 200 million, audiences did not receive the movie’s plot or focus on musical numbers well.
The highest growing film of the year, Inside Out 2, marked Disney’s rebound from disappointing box office figures in 2023 along with Moana 2 and Deadpool and Wolverine. However, original films like The Fall Guy, Madame Web, and Mean Girls fell flat on their faces.
As Thanksgiving rolled around, the new movies Wicked and Gladiator dominated the box office. Wicked, the first part of a two-part series, was met with acclaim and dominated the cultural space after its release.
Television
Television in 2024 was dominated by streaming services. Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video released a plethora of original series and films, catering to a wide range of tastes. Some of the most popular shows of the year included Shogun, The Boys, and Ripley.
At the 2024 Emmys, Shogun, the Bear, Succession, The Morning Show, and The Crown won multiple major awards.
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