Image: Paramount Pictures/ 20th Century Fox/ Lightstorm Entertainment/ Paramount Pictures/ 20th Century Fox
About This Quiz
The motion picture has been called the greatest art advancement of the 20th century. We went from black-and-white silent shorts to 3D adventure experiences, and who knows what's next? We do know that everybody loves movies. Everybody has seen a movie they love, a movie they hate, a movie they can't remember and a movie they'll never forget.
There is no more objective description of every movie than the first line of its Wikipedia page. You might remember what you felt, when you laughed, why you cried, how you got mad and where you saw your favorite movie, but can you remember the objective facts? Who wrote it? What genre is it? Where was it filmed? When was it released? How was it produced? Why is it famous?
If you're a true movie buff, you know the biggest movie of every year and what films won every Academy Award. You might know every movie directed by every director and what years they were released. You might know every movie written by every writer or produced by every producer. If that's you, this quiz will be a breeze. If not, let's see how much you really know about the world's biggest films. Can you name the movie from the first sentence of its Wikipedia page?
"Raiders of the Lost Ark"
"Beverly Hills Cop"
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"
"Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope"
The "Star Wars" franchise is one of the biggest movie franchises in the world, but the film's creator, George Lucas, thought the movie would flop back in 1977. It didn't, and the film was retroactively subtitled "Episode IV."
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"The Great White Hope"
"Million Dollar Baby"
"Rocky"
Sylvester Stallone wrote this movie and sold it under the condition he starred in the lead role. The film went on to attain massive success and birth several sequels. The movie is one of the few sports movies to win best picture at the Academy Awards.
"Raging Bull"
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"A Christmas Story"
"It's a Wonderful Life"
Jimmy Stewart starred in this Frank Capra Christmas classic that's become a holiday staple across the world. The story follows George Bailey as he sees what the world would be like if he was never born.
"Miracle on 34th Street"
"A Christmas Carol"
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"Goodfellas"
"Apocalypse Now"
"The Godfather"
"The Godfather" has been recognized as one of the best movies ever made. Both the first and second movie in the trilogy went on to win best picture at the Academy Awards. The third film didn't win any Oscars and was greeted with mixed reviews.
"Casino"
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"Avatar"
"True Lies"
"Titanic"
"Titanic" is one of the biggest winners of all time, winning 11 Oscars at the 1998 Academy Awards, including best director and best picture. The disaster film also went on to gross more than $2 billion worldwide.
"The Terminator"
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"The Dark Knight"
Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne in this superhero film that grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The film also starred Heath Ledger as the Joker. Ledger posthumously won an Oscar for his supporting role as the villain.
"Black Panther"
"The Avengers"
"Iron Man"
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"The Shawshank Redemption"
"The Shawshank Redemption" might be the best movie adaptation of any Stephen King work. The novella was titled "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" and a poster of Rita Hayworth was integral to the plot.
"Stand by Me"
"The Shining"
"The Green Mile"
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" V for Vendetta"
"The Matrix"
"The Matrix" was released in 1999 and its success spawned two sequels and many other spin-offs. It featured some of the best graphics audiences had seen and it went on to win four Oscars, including best film editing and best visual effects.
"Cloud Atlas"
"Jupiter Ascending"
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"Armageddon"
"Good Will Hunting"
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won the best original screenplay Oscar for this movie they co-wrote and starred in. Robin Williams won his only Oscar for his supporting role in the film. The movie is set in Boston but much of it was filmed elsewhere.
"The Departed"
"The Martian"
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"The Nutty Professor"
"Beverly Hills Cop"
"Trading Places"
"Coming to America"
This 1988 classic is set to get a reboot with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall returning to star in the film. Murphy plays a prince from the fictional country of Zamunda who travels to Queens in New York City to find his queen.
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"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"
"Jaws"
This 1977 thriller has been applauded for its technical achievements for decades. The mechanical shark used for the film was nicknamed after Spielberg's lawyer and required more than a dozen operators to control.
"Jurassic Park"
"Saving Private Ryan"
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"The Terminator"
"Avatar"
"Avatar" is another James Cameron masterpiece and the film was supposed to be filmed and released immediately after "Titanic." The film was pushed back more than 10 years because the technology wasn't advanced enough. It became the first movie to gross $2 billion.
"Aliens"
"Titanic"
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"Trading Places"
"Ghostbusters"
Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis also star in this comedy alongside Bill Murray. It's one of the most successful comedies of all time and spawned an entire franchise and a few sequels. The original theme song also became a classic.
"Coneheads"
"The Blues Brothers"
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"Casino Royale"
"Skyfall"
"Goldfinger"
"Goldfinger" is the third Bond film behind "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love," but it's the first to win an Academy Award. The Bond series has grossed several billion dollars worldwide and "Goldfinger" is one of the highest grossing in the franchise.
"Tomorrow Never Dies"
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"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective"
Jim Carrey starred in this film the same year he starred in "The Mask" and "Dumb and Dumber." Ace Ventura was so successful it led to a sequel and an animated television show. Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino makes a cameo in the film.
"Dumb and Dumber"
"The Mask"
"The Truman Show"
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"Man on the Moon"
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is one of just three films to sweep the major Oscars at the Academy Awards. The first movie to do so was "It Happened One Night" and the most recent to do so was "The Silence of the Lambs."
"Taking Off"
"Ragtime"
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"Toy Story"
"Shrek"
The children's book "Shrek!" was written in 1990 and was so successful Steven Spielberg snatched the movie rights the next year. The film won the Oscar for best animated feature and spawned three sequels and other spin-offs.
"The Lion King"
"Aladdin"
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"Jackie Brown"
"Pulp Fiction"
"Kill Bill: Volume 1"
"Reservoir Dogs"
"Reservoir Dogs" is the film that introduced the world to Quentin Tarantino and his gory, vulgar, disordered way of telling a story. The film starred Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantino and others.
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"The Chronicles of Narnia"
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
The third film in the "Lord of the Rings" franchise is one of the most successful films in movie history. It was nominated for 11 Oscars and won all 11 of them, including best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best film editing and best visual effects.
"The Wizard of Oz"
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"Half Baked"
Dave Chappelle was an established comedian with small roles in several films before he co-wrote and starred in "Half Baked." Chappelle wrote the movie with Neal Brennan. He and Brennan later collaborated to create Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show."
"Dazed and Confused"
"Friday"
"Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"
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"The Dark Knight"
"Iron Man"
"Black Panther"
"The Avengers"
There are four movies in the Avengers franchise and they are the four highest-grossing superhero movies of all time. The first film in the franchise grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide and the last film grossed more than $2.7 billion worldwide.
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"The Exorcist"
"The Exorcist" became the first horror movie nominated for best picture at the Oscars after viewers complained of vomiting, fainting, heart attacks and miscarriages. It was nominated for 10 Oscars in total and won two, including best adapted screenplay.
"Friday the 13th"
"Halloween"
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
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"It Happened One Night"
"Casablanca"
Rick Blaine's bar and club in Morocco plays center stage in this film about war and love. The film was released 10 days after Allied Forces captured Casablanca during World War II. The film won best picture and best director at the Oscars.
"Psycho"
"Citizen Kane"
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"It"
"Us"
"Get Out"
Jordan Peele became the first African American to win the best original screenplay award at the Academy Awards for this 2017 horror thriller. The film was nominated for three other Oscars and was one of the most profitable films of the year.
"Mother"
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"Casablanca"
"Some Like it Hot"
"Roman Holiday"
"It Happened One Night"
"It Happened One Night" was the first film to win best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and best screenplay at the Academy Awards. Motion pictures began following strict ratings standards after a couple of famous scenes in the film.
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"Million Dollar Baby"
"Rocky"
"Raging Bull"
Robert De Niro stars as boxing legend Jake LaMotta in this black-and-white sports classic considered by many to be Martin Scorsese's best film. It was nominated for eight Oscars and won two, including best actor for De Niro.
"The Fighter"
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"Lethal Weapon"
"Braveheart"
"Mad Max"
"Mad Max" is one of the most successful dystopian action films ever, and birthed three sequels with more on the way. George Miller directed all of them and Mel Gibson starred in the first three films. Tom Hardy took over the lead role in the fourth film.
"Blade Runner"
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"Avatar"
"Jaws"
"Goldfinger"
"Lawrence of Arabia"
T.E. Lawrence was an archaeologist and military intelligence officer from Britain. This film was released almost 30 years after his death and it won seven of the 10 Oscars it was nominated for. It's the longest film to win best picture, at more than 3 hours and 40 minutes long.
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"Goodfellas"
"Fight Club"
Brad Pitt and Edward Norton face off against each other in this cult classic from the end of the '90s. The movie wasn't successful upon initial release but later found success. Today it's considered one of the best cult classics.
"Seven"
"The Game"
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"The Outsiders"
"Apocalypse Now"
The controversial production of "Apocalypse Now" is just as famous as the movie itself. The production went years over schedule and Coppola ended up spending $30 million of his own money to finish the project.
"Armageddon"
"The Godfather"
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"Gone with the Wind"
After adjusting for inflation, "Gone with the Wind" is the highest-grossing movie of all time with more than $3.7 billion in sales worldwide. The film is also one of the longest films to win best picture at the Academy Awards.
"Band of Angels"
"Red Dust"
"Gods and Generals"
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"The Hangover"
"Superbad"
"Knocked Up"
"The 40-Year-Old Virgin"
Judd Apatow is known as one of the best comedy writers in Hollywood, and this classic starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd shot him to superstardom. He's since mastered the romantic comedy and has written and directed several hits.
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"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
"Chinatown"
Legend has it the film's writer was offered five times as much money to write a screenplay for "The Great Gatsby" but turned it down because he thought it couldn't be better than the original. "Chinatown" went on to win best original screenplay at the Oscars.
"The Shining"
"The Departed"
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"Pulp Fiction"
"Goodfellas"
"Mean Streets"
"Taxi Driver"
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are famously known for collaborating on some of the world's best mob movies, but this psychological thriller about a taxi driver is one of their best. Jodie Foster was just 12 when she was cast and 14 when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as a child prostitute.
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"Citizen Kane"
"Citizen Kane" is loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Legend has it Hearst went to great lengths to prevent the movie from being released, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Today, the film is considered by many to be the best movie ever made.
"Touch of Evil"
"The Third Man"
"War of the Worlds"
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You Got:
/35
