The Huffington Post UK Sarah Dean First Posted: 27/12/11 10:39 GMT Updated: 27/12/11 10:39 GMT 1. Hogwarts Closes Its Doors
The release of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 not only marked the end of the most successful film franchise of all time, but the closing of a massive chapter of many a fan's childhood, and Daniel Radcliffe's time as world famous wizard Harry Potter.
In July, Hogwarts closed its doors to the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione and pulled in over $1.3 billion at the Box Office in the process. They saved the best till last - the effects had never been better, the sets more beautifully designed nor the explosions bigger. Thousands of fans camped out for days in the London rain to pay tribute and wave goodbye to the stars who bought JK Rowling's phenomenal books to life.
2. British Boys Made Good
The Inbetweeners Movie pulled in £45 million at the Box Office, beating top Hollywood fare such as Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (£32.9 million) and Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (£28.1 million). Within a month of release, the feature-length spin-off of a sitcom broadcast on E4 from 2008 to 2010 became the most successful British comedy in cinema history.
The film was essentially 90 minutes of vulgar surprises, including the nasal ingestion of poo, but people are coming back for more with nearly 600,000 copies of its DVD being sold during its first day on sale. The Inbetweeners Movie has sold more than twice the number of copies than The Hangover Part II sold in its first week on release and its success looks set to continue with fans calling for a sequel.
"These boys are nothing special, they're not going to have amazing experiences, just ones that people would have in real life," explained Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas (who plays Simon), it seems 'normal' was the winning ingredient this summer.
3. Oscar Winner
Colin Firth became the nation's film hero when he scooped the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of stuttering monarch Prince Albert in The King's Speech. Firth, who told the BBC: "I'd never read a royal biography until I did this film," gave the performance of his career. The film not only received 4 Oscars, but seven Baftas, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe. Not bad for a film void of any special effects or 3D spectacles.
4. The R-Patz Effect
Not only did 2011 see Twilight star Kristen Stewart smile for the first time in public, it also saw Bella and Edward get married in the latest film from the ridiculously popular vampire franchise - Breaking Dawn. Bella's wedding dress went on sale for $799 and teenage girls across the world envied her as she tied down Edward, played by heartthrob and real-life beau Robert Pattinson.
Breaking Dawn has now made more than $500m (£321m) at the worldwide box office. However, on the negative side, the film, which became the number one movie in America, allegedly gave some viewers seizures. ABC reports that the flashing of colours and bright lights in Bella's birth scene have caused multiple viewers to suffer from photosensitive epilepsy.
5. Black Swan
This intoxicating horror won Natalie Portman an Oscar, bagged $329 million worldwide at the Box Office and caused people to run out in to the streets to sign up to ballet class. Well, not quite, but it did spark a revival for dance classes and ballet-style fashion, including legwarmers and leotards.
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