Asia’s Golden Decade: The Movies & TV That Redefined…

The last decade turned Asian entertainment from a regional story into a global default. Chinese cinema minted domestic box-office records; Magnolia- and Golden Rooster–decorated prestige titles joined the export wave; South Korean television rewrote streaming; Japanese anime broke worldwide ceilings; Tollywood and Bollywood scaled globally; and Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Pakistan produced dramas, horror, and blockbusters that traveled. Celluloid’s interactive hub at /best/asia-2016-2026/ filters every defining title with scores and full reviews. Map the award ecosystems in Asia’s national film and TV awards guide.

What are the biggest Asian movies of 2016–2026?

Start with Parasite (South Korea, 2019) — Bong Joon-ho’s class thriller became the first non-English Best Picture Oscar winner and proved a Korean film could own the global conversation. Then follow China’s animation and war/sci-fi juggernauts: Ne Zha and record-shattering Ne Zha 2 (15.4+ billion CNY), The Battle at Lake Changjin as a live-action cultural event, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train as the highest-grossing Japanese film worldwide, and The Wandering Earth plus The Wandering Earth 2 as China’s CGI space-epic proof of concept.

Which Asian TV shows defined the decade?

Korea still leads the conversation — Squid Game, Crash Landing on You, Goblin, Hospital Playlist, and 2026’s Perfect Crown. China’s Magnolia prestige tier: Blossoms Shanghai, The Long Season, Minning Town, The Knockout. India’s streaming boom: Sacred Games, Mirzapur, The Family Man. Southeast Asia: Indonesia’s Cigarette Girl, Layangan Putus, and Nightmares and Daydreams; Thailand’s Girl from Nowhere and 2gether; Malaysia’s Project: High Council, Kamar Kamariah, and Nur; Taiwan’s Someday or One Day and Light the Night; the Philippines’ Trese. Pakistan’s drama powerhouse: Parizaad, Mere Paas Tum Ho, Suno Chanda — with earlier landmarks Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai on the Pakistan page.

What about Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, and beyond?

Indonesia became a horror and prestige-drama powerhouse — KKN di Desa Penari, Satan’s Slaves, Impetigore, Marlina, Autobiography. Thailand delivered Bad Genius, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, Hunger, and The Medium. Malaysia paired box-office titans Mat Kilau with FFM winners Abang Adik, One Two Jaga, and Roh. Pakistan’s film resurgence: The Legend of Maula Jatt, Oscar-shortlisted Joyland, Cake, Laal Kabootar, Kamli. China’s Golden Rooster / social-issue cinema: Dying to Survive, Better Days. Taiwan contributed Incantation and Marry My Dead Body. Philippines: Hello, Love, Goodbye and Rewind. Vietnam: Mai. India’s theatrical titans: RRR, Dangal, Baahubali 2.

Where should a newcomer start?

Film: Parasite for critical consensus, RRR for spectacle, Better Days for Chinese prestige drama, Joyland for Pakistani arthouse breakthrough. TV: Squid Game for impact, Blossoms Shanghai for Magnolia-tier Chinese prestige, Parizaad for Pakistani character drama, Project: High Council for Malaysian social realism. Filter by country on /best/asia-2016-2026/ — including China, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, and India.