The year 2021 proved that the entertainment industry is no longer top-down. The most popular media of the year was a mix of big-budget studio films and raw, authentic, short-form mobile videos.

If 2020 was the year the screens went dark, was the year they flickered back to life, brighter and louder than ever. It was a strange, transitional time for the film industry and the digital landscape. Theaters cautiously reopened their doors, streaming services battled for dominance, and TikTok cemented itself as the primary driver of pop culture.

: A Chinese war epic that became the second highest-grossing film of the year globally.

Nathan Evans’ rendition of "The Wellerman" started a global musical trend, leading to collaborative "duets" involving millions of users and eventually landing him a major record deal.