95 years after release, a movie’s copyright expires and enters the public domain, its elements free to be remixed, reinterpreted, and redistributed. For 2024, that means anything from 1928 is now up for grabs, a class of cinema that includes Steamboat Willie, the cartoon short from Disney that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world. Or, at least, a particular version of Mickey. Only this iteration — non-speaking, whistling, and without gloves — is venturing into the public arena. Messing with any later Mickey will incur the wrath Disney’s highly active lawyers.
Still, the arrival of Steamboat Willie‘s Mickey Mouse upon the public domain’s shores has been prognosticated as a major event for pop culture and copyright law. Other notable films from 1928 include another Steamboat movie (Bill, Jr., from Buster Keaton), Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc, and The Man Who Laughs, which inspired DC’s Joker character. (Batman and Superman enter the public domain in 2034, by the way). For an example of what hijinks filmmakers can now get up to, look no further than last year’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Read on for a more complete list of 1928 movies by Tomatometer entering the public domain.
#1
Adjusted Score: 106689%
Critics Consensus: The Passion of Joan of Arc is must-see cinema for Renée Maria Falconetti’s incredible performance alone — and an all-time classic for innumerable other reasons.
#2
Adjusted Score: 103408%
Critics Consensus: If it’s a bit lighter on laughs than some other Buster Keaton pictures, Steamboat Bill Jr. more than makes up for it with some absolutely brilliant set pieces.
#3
Adjusted Score: 80745%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#4
Adjusted Score: 102881%
Critics Consensus: A meeting of brilliant creative minds, The Man Who Laughs serves as a stellar showcase for the talents of director Paul Leni and star Conrad Veidt.
#5
Adjusted Score: 102234%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#6
Adjusted Score: 101471%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#7
Adjusted Score: 101261%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#8
Adjusted Score: 100600%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#9
Adjusted Score: 100938%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#10
Adjusted Score: 100132%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#11
Adjusted Score: 97015%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#12
Adjusted Score: 96894%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#13
Adjusted Score: 100845%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#14
Adjusted Score: 98876%
Critics Consensus: King Vidor’s dynamic direction brings expressionist style to the American Dream in The Crowd, a powerfully humanist picture about the struggle for self-actualization.
#15
Adjusted Score: 97391%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#16
Adjusted Score: 93102%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#17
Adjusted Score: 91776%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 86132%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#19
Adjusted Score: 80522%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#20
Adjusted Score: 86336%
Critics Consensus: 4 Devils combines thrilling cinematography and an affecting story to produce an absorbing and well-acted drama.
#21
Adjusted Score: 75292%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#22
Adjusted Score: 72261%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Directed By:
#23
Adjusted Score: 70615%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 64776%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 63292%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 57130%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#27
Adjusted Score: 56747%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#28
Adjusted Score: 56455%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 25292%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.