2001: A Space Odyssey was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and gained much fame.
2001: A Space Odyssey (film) . 2001 : A Space Odyssey was financed and distributed by American studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , but it was filmed and edited almost entirely in England using the studio facilities of the MGM-British Studios and those of Shepperton Studios , mostly because of the availability of much larger sound stages than in the United States . 2001 : A Space Odyssey initially received mixed reactions from critics and audiences , but it garnered a cult following and slowly became the highest-grossing North American film of 1968 . Today , 2001 : A Space Odyssey is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made . In 1991 , it was deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry . In 2010 , it was named the greatest film of all time by The Moving Arts Film Journal .