Wide-release films

Below are the best-reviewed films released theatrically in nationwide release (in at least 600 theaters) between January 1 and June 30 of this year, ranked by Metascore.

#1 Major Film of 2014 So Far

The Grand Budapest Hotel 88



WHAT THEY SAID A.O. Scott

The New York Times "Even those inclined to grumble that it's just more of the same patented whimsy might want to look again. As a sometime grumbler and longtime fan, I found myself not only charmed and touched but also moved to a new level of respect."

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It's Wes Anderson's highest-grossing and best-reviewed release to date. Spanning three different time periods (1985, 1968, 1932), the director's follow-up to Moonrise Kingdom stars Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave, a concierge at an isolated European hotel, and newcomer Tony Revolori as Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. Together, they get caught up in a battle for a family fortune and the theft and recovery of a priceless painting. Anderson's latest highly stylized world is inhabited by some returning players (Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson) and a few welcome rookies (Saoirse Ronan, F. Murray Abraham, Jude Law, and Tom Wilkinson).

Runner-Up

The LEGO Movie 82



WHAT THEY SAID Richard Corliss

Time "The funniest, cleverest, most exhaustingly exhilarating animated feature in ages."

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Far better than it had any right to be—and certainly far more than a feature-length commercial designed to sell more expensive toy bricks—The LEGO Movie is one of 2014's most pleasant surprises, a fun and funny film that was up until a week or so ago the year's highest-grossing film to date. The animated comedy comes from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, whose live-action 22 Jump Street is another of the year's best-reviewed major releases so far (see below). Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Channing Tatum, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, and Will Ferrell provide the voices.

Limited-release films

And here are the highest-scoring films receiving a limited (<600 theaters) theatrical release between January 1 and June 30, 2014.

What do you think?

What are your favorite and least favorite movies of 2014 so far? Let us know in the comments section below.