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It’s a question that just came to me this evening when talking with some friends. What would you say is the most watched film of all time? How many films would even be on that list of contenders?
Off the top of my head I would have to consider “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Maybe “Titanic,” given the givens.
We could maybe be so bold as to propose “The Shawshank Redemption” or “The Lord of the Rings” films. And isn’t “Finding Nemo” the best-selling DVD of all time? I guess that means it has to be on the list.
“The Lion King?” “Fantasia?” “Gone with the Wind?” What do we think?
54 responses so far
1 7-08-2008 at 5:02 pm
John Foote said...
The Wizard of Oz I think would be it would it not, followed by It’s a Wonderful Life? Hell all those Christmas viewings?
2 7-08-2008 at 5:44 pm
Brian Kinsley said...
I’d say Rings has been the most viewed since the birth of DVD? But since then, my guess would be “Oz,” or something like “The Sound of Music”.
3 7-08-2008 at 6:07 pm
Joel said...
Pre-DVD: Wizard of Oz
Post-DVD: Lord of the Rings
Right before DVD became REALLY famous: Titanic.
4 7-08-2008 at 6:07 pm
Martin Edwards said...
What about The Godfather, Casablanca, or Star Wars?
5 7-08-2008 at 6:40 pm
Proman said...
It’s a Soviet movie called “Irony of Fate”.
Look it up.
6 7-08-2008 at 7:31 pm
noveltyhat said...
i think the fact that It’s a Wonderful Life has been around for so much longer than most of the other contenders coupled with the uber-popular ritual of watching it at least once every year in many families makes it the most watched. probably won’t be that way forever, though.
7 7-08-2008 at 9:59 pm
Belik said...
Gotta be some Bollywood production. Can’t compete with a population of 1.1 billion.
8 7-08-2008 at 11:42 pm
Liz said...
Proman’s suggestion is an interesting one, but I can’t see any indication that it has been declared to be the most-watched film of all time. It has been compared to Wonderful Life, though, which I think is definitely in the running.
9 7-08-2008 at 11:48 pm
Jonathan Spuij said...
Heh, I’m sure it won’t be a Hollywood film.
10 7-09-2008 at 1:44 pm
Drew said...
It is “Jesus” often referred to as “the Jesus film”. It’s been translated into hundreds of languages. The Christian company who distributes the film claims that over 2 billion people have seen it. Even if that was overly exaggerated it is evident that it probably is the most watched movie ever since they do huge screenings from largecities and across the world and such and this has been going on since the 70′s. It’s funny that most Americans have probably never even seen it.
11 7-09-2008 at 1:47 pm
Proman said...
Liz, the reason this or any other film has not been declared a most watched film of all time is because it is impossible to do so with any serious sort of precision. There are just too many variables in play. Any pick, at best, would just be an educated guess.
We all know the most watched director of all time is though.
12 7-09-2008 at 3:05 pm
Neel Mehta said...
I don’t think it’s a Bollywood film. The really popular ones will stay in theatres for 5 years, but box office and attendance figures are such a smaller phenomenon there.
My guess is that it’s something we’ve never even heard of, commissioned by the Chinese government and aired on Chinese TV.
I feel much more confident saying that more people have seen Kate Winslet topless than any other woman in history. And I don’t just mean women in film.
(Even if a handful of countries deleted that scene and drawing, where’s her competition? Some famous nude painting? National Geographic tribal women?)
13 7-09-2008 at 3:11 pm
Chris said...
“The Jungle Books”?
“Forrest Gump”?
Maybe “Mary Poppins”?
14 7-09-2008 at 3:20 pm
Jonathan Spuij said...
I think it’s a fascinating subject for a proper research.
I read about that Jesus film as well, never even heard of it before that. I’ve changed my opinion a little bit after giving it some thought. Titanic could be, but Wizard of Oz is more likely.
Kris do you happen to know if it’s ever been properly researched anywhere?
It might be something I’ll do later on in my Uni career.
15 7-09-2008 at 6:34 pm
Adrianna said...
Most watched, over and over and over again, until you want to scream? Definitely a kid’s movie. Kids will easily watch a movie a dozen times (at least) over the course of a couple of years. So my guess would be the Disney classic animated films that have been watched for decades, generation after generation. Kids don’t know these are old – they’re new to them, which is kind of cool.
16 7-10-2008 at 12:04 am
Guy Lodge said...
I seem to remember hearing “The Sound of Music” connected with some such distinction, but can’t be sure.
17 7-10-2008 at 3:51 am
Fincher said...
I looked it up on the web and found this link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3076809.stm
According to BBC the Jesus Film is the most watch movie ever with 2 billion views or something.
18 7-29-2008 at 7:27 pm
Kanishka said...
I would be really surprised if the answer is not some bollywood film of the 1960-1970s. In those days successful Bollywood films had an enormous following all across Asia and Eastern Europe. Even my Chinese friends had seen Raj Kapoor’s Awara and Shree 420, that too, multiple times.
Speaking of India’s 1B population, one thing to consider is that a very large percentage of modern India is likely to have seen most Bollywood classics, typically more than once. In addition to the box office, one also needs to include TV viewing. Bollywood films were among the few sources of real entertainment on state-controlled TV for about than 4 decades. So we’re looking at a HUGE cumulative number of views. Add to that the middle east, Pakistan, and Eastern Europe I think the debate just died….
If I had to pick one film, it would be Sholay (1975), though many would debate this. Raj Kapoor’s Awara (1951) would also be a strong contender, I imagine.
19 2-27-2009 at 4:59 pm
Ziya said...
I believe that it was Mother India, an epic from Bollywoods golden era. That film was always on somewhere in cinemas in the subcontinent.
20 3-02-2009 at 3:55 pm
Christian said...
maybe it’s SlumDog Millionare?
21 3-02-2009 at 4:52 pm
Jim said...
I think Burton’s Batman and maybe Goldfinger?
22 11-27-2009 at 7:21 am
Dennis said...
It is most definitely, “The Wizard of OZ” the movie debuted in 1938 and was broadcasted at least twice a year on national TV. When there was no cable and it was watched by millions of viewers everytime. It is assuradley Number 1
23 12-01-2009 at 3:38 am
Damir said...
Have you ever heard for “Valter brani Sarajevo (Valter defend Sarajevo)”. Every chinese kid watched it at least ten times. Count how much it is! They have even Valter beer, the most sold beer in China.
24 12-25-2009 at 10:55 pm
Alex said...
No duh the ‘Wizard of Oz”! On of my favorite. But the flying monkeys freak me out a little bit. Anyone else?
25 1-01-2010 at 10:04 am
Velimir said...
Valter defends Sarajevo, huge box office hit in China.
26 2-27-2010 at 7:12 pm
Ben Trombley said...
Now why no mention of Spinal Tap?
Lol, obviously a joke but I have heard that the Jesus Film many have claimed as the number one watched film is indeed true.
27 6-07-2010 at 8:48 am
Pranaya Niroula said...
Well, I think that “God Father” must be the most watched film of all times
28 6-07-2010 at 11:34 am
John said...
Probably Star Wars?
29 6-08-2010 at 9:36 am
Ivy said...
I would have to agree with Damir. The Chinese have the upper hand on this one.
30 6-10-2010 at 5:48 pm
Mark said...
idk to me EVERYONES watched movies like lion king and toy story and probably titanic and sound of music
31 7-07-2010 at 2:45 pm
Joey said...
I really could care less about this. But I would like to point out the “Oscar predictions” on the right of the screen.
1. 70% of those movies haven’t even come out yet.
2. Toy Story 3 is an original screenplay. Not adapted.
3. Christian Bale is a sucky actor and will not get nominated
4. Last Airbenders score sucked
32 7-07-2010 at 3:18 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Not sure why you’re bringing this up in a two year-old thread that you couldn’t care less about, but since you mention it:
Yes, “Toy Story 3″ is an original screenplay. It will also be classified as adapted by the Academy owing to their rules over films with previously created characters, just as “Before Sunset” was. But thanks for playing.
And yes, most of the movies haven’t come out yet. It’s hardly a revelation that the Academy favors more second-half than first-half releases. So of course it’s all guesswork at this stage. Your point?
33 7-18-2010 at 8:24 am
Marko said...
I think it is “Valter brani Sarajevo” because over 1.5 billion people watched it and who knows how many people watched it twice or more times.
34 9-09-2010 at 7:28 pm
santhosh said...
The following are the list of most viewed movies
1. The Sound of Music……………………….1965……….$1,678 million…
2. The Exocist…………………………………1973……….$1,283 million…
3. E.T…………………………………………..1982……….$1,202 million…
4. Jaws…………………………………………1975……….$1,678 million…
5. Dr. Zhivago…………………………………1965……….$1,153 million…
6. Mary Poppins……………………………….1964……….$1,065 million…
7. The Graduate………………………………1975……….$1,002 million…
8. The Sting……………………………………1973……….$1,001 million…
9. 101 Dalmations…………………………….1959………….$973 million…
10. The Jungle Book………………………….1967………….$934 million…
11. Titanic…………………………………….1997………….$902 million…
12. Star Wars…………………………………1977………….$869 million…
13. Raiders of the Lost Arc………………….1981………….$778 million…
14. Bambi……………………………………..1942………….$709 million…
15. Ben Hur……………………………………1959………….$697 million…
16. Return of the Jedi……………………….1983………….$668 million…
17. Jurassic Park……………………………..1993………….$660 million…
18. Forest Gump……………………………..1994………….$579 million…
19. The Lion King……………………………..1994………….$579 million…
20. The 10 Commandments,………………..1956………….$547 million…
21. The Empire Strikes Back………………..1980………….$451 million…
22. Shrek II……………………………………2004………….$436 million…
23. Gone With The Wind,…………………….1939…………$416 million…
35 2-17-2011 at 8:49 am
Nebor said...
You should checkout “Valter brani Sarajevo” movie, because over 1.5 billion people watched it. This is movie filmed in Serbia.
36 2-17-2011 at 9:29 am
Maxim said...
In regards to that “Jesus film” nonsense. Who do you think BBC gets their figures from? None other then the people behind the film, which, all things considered (and I do mean *all* things) puts them squarely in the irrelevant category. That’s apart from futily of counting *individual* viewers on multy millions scale.
It may well be impossible to know what the most watched movie(s) of all time is. Coming up with such claims is wrong.
So while we can easily infer what some of the biggest movies of all time are (and probably have a pretty good idea who is the, all things considered, the most widely seen director is), trying to order them somehow is a waste of time.
37 3-01-2011 at 11:48 am
Charles said...
Hey santhosh said…
You can go to a 100 websites and each will have a different list of the top films of all time. So the list you put up means nothing. I have read numerous articles on this and most of them agree that The Wizard of Oz is the most watched movie of all time around the world. Go and count how many different languages it is in and how many times children watch it all over the world.
38 3-01-2011 at 12:45 pm
Maxim said...
Trust me, The Wizard of Oz is not that well known around the world. The fact that many articles “agree” is meanigless. They all agree on something they have no way of detrmining.
39 8-27-2011 at 12:55 am
Jordan said...
I pick Sholay.
40 8-27-2011 at 5:55 am
Frank Killaa said...
The question is “most watched film of all time” not best or etc……. and most watched movie is “WALTER DEFEND SRAJEVO” or originaly “VALTER BRANI SARAJEVO”. This film was made in Yugoslavia 1972 and its about WWII and partisans.
41 1-08-2012 at 4:28 am
Ed said...
INDEPENDENCE DAY…
42 1-08-2012 at 4:29 am
Ed said...
following Star wars.
43 1-12-2012 at 5:05 am
dargaud said...
I was scrolling down to post this but I saw that Maxim already posted it: The Wizard of Oz is virtually unknown outside of the US (and maybe UK).
44 2-15-2012 at 7:55 am
jopa said...
The most watched movie by the whole world i go for titanic wat about passion of christ
45 4-21-2012 at 10:15 pm
Max said...
the most watched movie, do you know how many times my little sister watched Shrek, for four years after its release?
Or the amount of times my neighbor watched Scarface.
I feel stupid for googling it.
46 5-06-2012 at 11:51 pm
mike said...
I’ve seen the first star wars movie about 3 or 4 times.I’ve seen the wizard of oz about 20 times…
47 5-08-2012 at 12:25 am
Movie Genius said...
ACTUALLY, YOU’RE ALL WRONG! The most watched video is not On the Waterfront, Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings, or the Wizard of Oz.
Of course, Bollywood films are seen much more than these. BUT 1 TOPS THEM ALL!
The most watched film on earth, including repeat viewings, is……
JESUS, a.k.a. THE JESUS MOVIE.
Google it, folks. Missionaries translated this into over 200 languages and showed it all around the world.
6,000,000,000 views.
BEAT THAT.
(It’s not even a very good film, either!)
48 5-08-2012 at 10:42 pm
mike said...
How does anyone know that 6,000,000,000 people actually watched it? especially since theres not many more people than that in the world and how many times did they watch that movie? once? I’ll bet that 500,000,ooo people have seen the wizard of oz around 10 times and 100,000,000 people have seen it around 20 times and so its easily number one and its been watched over and over for 73 years…
49 5-17-2012 at 7:27 pm
fred said...
mike theres 7.5b ppl in the world he said 6b im pretty sure 6 goes into 7 n its not even 6b its only 2b views
50 8-30-2012 at 12:32 pm
Tom said...
IT IS “OZ”! NOT sound of music, it’s a wonderful life, or gone with the wind, though that IS one of the most watched, but it is in fact wizard of oz!
51 8-30-2012 at 2:21 pm
Brain said...
That is correct, look it up. the wizard of oz is the “official” most watched film of all time, as certified by the library of congress, most people on our planet, not all, but man, have seen this film multiple times. And yes, believe it or not, but even the darkest corners of the world have seen this thing, its truly unique, and owes much of it’s fame to television.
52 10-31-2012 at 10:43 am
ivan said...
it’s walter defend sarajevo (Valter brani Sarajevo).
and that is 100%. every year in people in china watch this movie with whole family! the main actor vladimir bata zivoinovic went to china and a milion peaople wait for him! he is a GOD there! they have water, beer, streats named walter! movie is not so good but idea is great :) he is 007 or rambo from ww2 :) he kill more germans (in over 200 partizans movies) then avengares, rambo, and any other actor :)))
53 2-06-2013 at 10:35 am
Jole Brozic said...
Tako je Ivane Srbine, Valter je najgledaniji film svih vremena jebem vas u dupe amerikansko da vas jebem.
Nasisate se srpskog djoke jebem vam sav Holivud i sve one kurave sto ga blajvaju za cash.
54 3-08-2013 at 11:49 am
nawaz said...
world’s best movie ever released is titanic in 1997 only it grossed highest amount til avathar came bt still titanic will remain the best of all:-)