In what has become an end-of-year tradition, Barack Obama revealed his favorite movies of 2022. The list is, as usual for Obama, weighted toward prestige films. One title that’s not on the list: Avatar: The Way of Water.
It could be that Obama simply hasn’t caught James Cameron’s latest. It’s best seen on the big, big screen and such showtimes have been packed, potentially proving a security hassle for the former president. Also missing is another high-quality blockbuster, Wakanda Forever, despite the fact that the original Black Panther made his 2018 list. One blockbuster that made the cut this year: Top Gun: Maverick.
Among the prestige titles that did make the 2022 roster are Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, Chinonye Chukwu’s Till and Todd Field’s Tar. Not on the list is Antione Fuqua’s Emancipation. It’s not a top 10 list – it’s a top 17 – so there doesn’t seem to be a numerical limiting factor.
Obama actually asked for comments about movies he missed.
“I saw some great movies this year – here are some of my favorites. What did I miss?” he wrote.
You can see all the former president’s 2022 picks below, and below that is his 2021 list, for comparison.