There are a lot of fictional inventions in movies and TV shows, mostly in the sci-fi genre, that have since become real things. Often, it's not exactly what we saw in the movie or television show, but it's very close. Others might not be 100% possible today, but we are very close to seeing those things become a part of everyday life in the 21st Century. This is a list dedicated to all of those inventions that seemed unrealistic or fanciful to many, except the geniuses who dreamed them up in Hollywood.

Artificial Intelligence (2001: A Space Odyssey)

The HAL-9000 was a warning to all of us. A warning that we still might not heed. The computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey turns against its human creators and users to take control of the space station at the heart of the first half of the movie. It spins things into a trippy adventure for the viewer, but now, more than 50 years later, we might need to start paying attention to what director Stanley Kubrick was trying to tell us.

Lasers (The War Of The Worlds)

In the original 1953 adaptation of H.G. Wells' seminal sci-fi novel, War of the Worlds, Martians attack humanity with a type of technology that had been theorized both in sci-fi and in real life, lasers. Of course, the lasers we have aren't quite on the level of the iconic alien ships in the movie, but they've been around for decades now.

Holograms (Forbidden Planet)

1956's Forbidden Planet makes use of holograms, which at the time were completely unheard of, except in science fiction. While we don't have true holograms like this movie and many since have used, we have seen a version of holograms at concerts like Coachella and elsewhere in live entertainment. We still can't send a message like Princess Leia yet, but that can't be too far off, right?

Autonomous Vehicles (Total Recall)

Self-driving cars have been talked about for years, and in Total Recall and other science fiction, they've kind of been a staple for decades. As everyone knows now, they do actually exist, and even more are on the way in the coming years. It's not crazy to think that every car will at least have the option to be self-driving in the not-too-distant future.

Smartwatch (Dick Tracy)

Wearable tech is all the rage these days, and while Google Glass was a unmitigated commercial failure, smartwatches, like Apple Watches, are a huge hit. In fact, mine is telling me to stand up for a couple of minutes as I've been sitting here working on this list for most of the last hour. Dick Tracy used his watch as a two-way radio decades ago.

Video Communication (Metropolis)

Video phones and other software like Zoom and Google Meet have been around for a long time now. The use of it really exploded during the pandemic, and now they are a part of almost everyone's everyday life. Of course, for decades, science fiction movies and TV shows have been predicting that this would eventually be the case. One of the earliest examples came about 100 years ago in the silent film classic Metropolis.

Space Travel (A Trip To The Moon)

Hailed as one of the earliest examples of science fiction on screen, A Trip To The Moon predicted space travel and man landing on the Moon way back in 1902. The French silent film classic envisions a very lively, even dangerous Moon, which is, of course, nothing like what it is actually like, nor did the Apollo 11 Mission actually land a rocket in the eye of the man in the moon, but hey, A Trip To The Moon did foresee at least something about the future.

Lightsaber (Star Wars)

Ok, this one is a little bit of a stretch, because it's not like everyone is chopping their onions with laser knives and we aren't fighting intergalactic battles with futuristic laser swords, but lightsabers do exist on one level. According to Guinness World Records, a builder named Alex Burkan has invented something at least somewhat similar to the legendary, elegant weapon of the Jedi in the Star Wars franchise.

Cloning (The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler)

As far as we can tell, The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (1971) was perhaps the first movie to feature the concept of cloning. It was certainly a very early example of the idea, though the terminology used in the low-budget movie was different. We're not cloning humans (yet), and maybe we shouldn't ever be going that far, but humans are definitely cloning other species.

Androids (Alien)

Androids have been part of science fiction forever. Robots, in general, have always been dreamed up in different ways by writers and directors. One of the most iconic examples comes from the Alien franchise, starting with the original Ridley Scott movie from 1979. We don't have androids yet, to be sure, but with the combination of advancements in AI and robotics, it sure seems close.

Neuralink Brain Implants (Black Mirror)

Several episodes of Black Mirror involve a device connected directly to the brain that allows us to record everything we see or connect our consciousness to a computer program. We might be that far yet, but there does exist such a device that is implanted in a person's brain, allowing them to control a computer just by thinking up a task. Many are working on the ability to transplant our consciousness onto a hard drive, which was also the plot of a Black Mirror episode, which is a little further off, and frankly, much scarier.

Virtual Reality (Tron)

While not quite as advanced as what is depicted in the groundbreaking 1982 film Tron, immersive video games are more popular today than ever. The concept of "virtual reality" has changed quite a bit over the last few decades, with "augmented reality" taking a more prominent role. Still, at least in the gaming world, virtual reality on the level of Tron doesn't seem far off.

Personalized Marketing (Minority Report)

Personalized marketing is a reality, though it's not exactly how it is in Minority Report. This is something that has been discussed in the advertising world for decades now. My first job out of college was for a company that was trying to create personalized ads delivered to phones, and this was a decade before the smartphone was really even a thing. Still, trying to buy a pair of shoes on the web and not get bombarded with ads for more shoes.

Flying Cars (Back To The Future Part II)

Jetpacks and flying cars have been part of dozens of sci-fi stories over the years, going back many, many years. Generations of people have predicted that flying cars would be a thing by the time they become adults. We still don't have one in every driveway, but they are closer than ever, and there are definitely working prototypes.

Audio Translation (The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy)

Apple AirPods now have the ability to translate foreign languages in real time. There are plenty of examples in sci-fi of this tech, but my favorite is the Babel Fish from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Sure, it's not technically new "tech" in the classic books or the adaptations, but hey, they do the translating!

Hoverboard (Back To The Future Part II)

Back to the Future II was set in what is now the past, and some of the inventions are closer to reality than others. The most coveted invention in the movie is the hoverboard. There have been a few products over the years that have called themselves hoverboards, but the closest one to the film is one Tony Hawk rode back in 2015, which was, coincidentally, the year that Marty travels to in the future.

Voice User Interface (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri are just two examples of voice interfaces that have been predicted by everything from Star Trek to 2001.

Smarthomes (The Illustrated Man)

In a segment from this anthology of Ray Bradbury-inspired segments called "The Veldt," a couple finds that their parental authority is being undermined by their technologically advanced home. More recently (if the 1980s are "recent"), it was also seen in The Running Man.

Smartglasses (Back To The Future Part II)

Back to the Future II actually predicted quite a bit of tech that has become a reality. For example, Marty McFly Jr. owns a pair of glasses that allow him to watch TV anywhere. Sure, Google Glass bombed, but that won't be the tech industry's last attempt to make smartglasses work.

Synthetic Meat (Eraserhead)

Lab-grown meat, like Impossible Meat, has a long history in science fiction and other works of fiction. It made a memorable (and very bizarre) appearance in director David Lynch's debut feature, Eraserhead, in 1977.

AI-Generated Art (Her)

Spike Jonze predicted a world in which books, music, and movies would be "created" instantaneously with a computer program in Her. Even though this is one of the more recent additions to this list, the world is chock full of AI art today, for better or (mostly) worse.

Biometric Payment (Back To The Future Part II)

In Back To The Future Part II, Biff uses a thumbprint to pay his cab fare. We don't use this exact type of technology today, but we all use biometric technology to open our phones, like thumbprints and face recognition, and we use those phones to "tap" to pay for stuff on our credit cards. Combining the two is certainly possible, even if we're probably not ready to trust it.

Artificial Heart (Threshold)

The first successful artificial heart implant happened in 1982, though attempts had been made in medicine for decades. 1981's Threshold, starring Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum, was still breaking ground when it predicted, albeit by just a few months, that it was now possible.

Space Stations (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Space stations, like the one seen in 1969's 2001: A Space Odyssey, were first inhabited just a couple of years later, first with the Soviet station Salyut 1 in 1971, followed shortly by the United States' Skylab in '73. There have been various versions ever since.

The Metaverse (Ready Player One)

When Mark Zuckerberg first announced the Metaverse, I couldn't help but immediately think of Ready Player One. So far, we haven't been escaping to a virtual reality, but it honestly doesn't seem that outlandish that the dystopian future the movie predicts could easily come true. Let's hope that the real version has as many Easter Eggs as Ready Player One has, at least.

Milk Engine (Phil Of The Future)

In one episode of the sci-fi Disney Channel series Phil Of The Future, Phil and Keely build a pudding-serving machine powered by an engine that runs on milk, which causes his father to fear their 22nd-century origins will be revealed since that invention will not exist for decades. However, efforts to convert lactose into ethanol fuel actually started in 2023. It's not here yet, but it's not far off, it seems.

Tablets (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Though they are called "newspads" in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the devices that the astronauts use to watch the news are basically iPads or tablets.

Robot Vacuums (The Glass Bottom Boat)

In the 1966 rom-com The Glass Bottom Boat, Bruce (Rod Taylor) owns a "gizmo" company, and one of his (many) inventions looks basically like what you expect the prototype of a Romba to look like. It's a little robot vacuum that seems too silly to be true, but we know there is nothing silly about them these days! Well, they are a little silly, but they sure are convenient!

Bionic Limbs (The Empire Strikes Back)

Here's one that everyone remembers, Luke Skywalker's bionic arm in The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, similar arms (and other limbs) exist today, though they don't look as real as Luke's does.

Digital Billboards (Blade Runner)

In Blade Runner, the future looks very much like the present in at least one way: billboards. Giant digital billboards were still not the norm back when the movie was released in 1982. Today, they are everywhere from Times Square to highways in Iowa. They are everywhere. And they are annoying as they are in Blade Runner.

Commercial Space Travel (2001: A Space Odyssey)

2001: A Space Odyssey sure got a lot of stuff right when Kubrick made it in the late '60s. Commercial space travel, for example, was the norm in the movie. While we are not quite at the same level today as they were in the movie (and Pan Am is long gone), we do have space tourism these days, so long as you're a tech billionaire or Katy Perry. One day, the rest of us might be lucky enough to do it too!

Self-Tying Shoes (Back To The Future Part II)

Once again, Back To The Future Part II comes through with an invention that we have today; this time, it's self-tying shoes, or as Marty calls them in the movie, "power laces." They actually come from Nike, too! All in all, it's impressive how many times old sci-fi movies managed to predict the future. Mostly in good ways, too.

There really isn't anything more fun than Easter Eggs that filmmakers sneak into their movies. Often it's in tribute to past work, or to other things they admire. Sometimes they even reference real-world events. We collected a bunch of our favorites, so let's get into them! Tell which ones you knew about and which ones were unseen until now.

The Spinal Tap Hat In The Princess Bride

The story behind director Rob Reiner sneaking his hat from This Is Spinal Tap! into The Princess Bride is that Mark Knopfler, who did the soundtrack for the fantasy movie, only agreed to do the movie if Reiner got the hat into a scene. He did, by hanging it on the wall in Fred Savage's character's room.

Avengers Comic In The Electric State

In a blink-or-you'll miss-it moment, there is a quick call back a previous Russo Brothers' movie in the Netflix original film, The Electric State. A robot can be seen reading an Avengers comic.

R2-D2 In Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Steven Spielberg paid tribute to his good buddy George Lucas in his film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind by adding a little R2-D2 to the underside of the alien ship. It can be seen very briefly as the ship takes off.

The Duke Brothers In Coming To America

In Trading Places, Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd's characters take down the Duke Brothers and leave them broke. A few years later, in Coming To America, Eddie Murphy's character Prince Akeem hands a homeless man a wad of cash. The bum turns out to be Mortimer Duke, who shakes his brother Randolph awake, and they celebrate being back.

Pac-Man In Tron

Disney's Tron broke a ton of new ground with CGI use, and in the first wave of the video game craze, it makes sense they would find a way to work in Pac-Man, the biggest video game of the character at the time, and really the first video game superstar.

The HMS Surprise In Deadpool & Wolverine

There are a ton of Easter Eggs in Deadpool and Wolverine, many of them when the characters land in the void. One of the most subtle, and one of the funniest, has to be the HMS Surprise from Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World, a movie that many people are sad wasn't turned into a franchise. Or maybe this wasn't an Easter Egg? There is a debate that it could be a fake.

Ezekiel 25:17 In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

You wouldn't think a Marvel movie would reference a Quentin Tarantino film, but that's what happened in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. At the end of the movie, the audience sees Nick Fury's "grave," and on the tombstone, there is a quote from Ezekiel 25:17, which, of course, is where Samuel L. Jackson's Pulp Fiction character gets his famous speech in the opening scene.

Binford Tool Box In Toy Story

If you weren't a big fan of Home Improvement, the reference to the sitcom in Toy Story would be easy to miss. In the show, Tim Allen's character's show-in-a-show "Tool Time" is sponsored by Binford Tools. In Toy Story, Allen's character is seen trying to move a Binford Tools toolbox.

Club Obi-Wan In Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Of the many times Steven Spielberg has made reference to Star Wars, the most fun might be in Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom. The name of the club at the beginning of the movie, as seen as Indy jumps out of the window, is "Club Obi-Wan."

E.T. In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

George Lucas paid a tribute to Steven Spielberg in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. During the scene in the Galactic Senate, one group of diplomats appears to be from E.T.'s home planet. It's good to know that everything was represented, even aliens in other universes.

Jimmy Buffett With Two Margaritas In Jurassic World

This is really more of a cameo than an Easter Egg, but it's kind of both. Sitting in Jurassic Park's Margaritaville is none other than the man who wrote the song and opened the first restaurant, the late, great Jimmy Buffett.

Goya's Portrait Of The Duke of Wellington In Dr. No

This has to be one of the best Easter Eggs ever. In the very first James Bond, and one of the best of the Sean Connery era, Dr. No, James briefly pauses to examine a painting in Dr. No's secret lair. The painting is a portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya. In the real world, that painting had famously been stolen the year before the movie came out, and at the time, it was missing. It seems Dr. No had it.

Starbucks Cups In Fight Club

This one is wild. Fight Club is a lot of things, and on one level, it's a pretty harsh critique of capitalism. As part of that, director David Fincher made sure that Starbucks cups appeared in every - or at least many - scenes in the movie. They are all over the place, and next time you watch it, you'll see them, we promise.

A Cowbell In The Jungle Book (2016)

Now this one is great. Director Jon Favreau seems to have snuck a great reference to a classic Saturday Night Live episode into his live-action version of The Jungle Book in 2016. When Mowgli visits King Louie, he bangs on a cowbell to summon the king. King Louie, of course, is voiced by Christopher Walken, who starred in the famous "more cowbell" skit on SNL.

Lou Ferrigno In The MCU Movies

One of the coolest things about the Hulk-centered movies in the MCU is that Lou Ferrigno gets his due. He famously played the superhero in the 1980s, of course. Getting his due in the modern movies is a fantastic tribute.

A Xenomorph Skull In Predator 2

Many years before they would meet in Predator V. Alien, it was established that the two franchises existed in the same universe. In Predator 2, there is a very clear Xenomorph skull on the wall in a trophy room of the team of hunters.

Yoda In E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Steven Spielberg really loves making sly references to the Star Wars franchise in his movies. In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, there is a kid dressed as Yoda on Halloween, and very briefly, you can hear Yoda's theme music from Empire Strikes Back. E.T. recognizes Yoda, but is pulled back before he can speak to him.

Batman V. Superman In I Am Legend

This one is wild. In I Am Legend, there is a billboard in a post-apocalyptic Times Square advertising a "Batman vs. Superman" movie. Legend came out in 2007, a full nine years before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out. Of course, the idea of a team-up between the two giant DC comic characters goes way back, but still, it's almost like I Am Legend predicted the future in a movie set in the future.

License Plate THX-138 In American Graffiti

George Lucas' breakout movie was American Graffiti, and he found a way to work the name of his first movie, THX-138, into the movie set in the fifties. It appears on a license plate in the movie. Lucas has snuck it into most of his movies since, as well.

The Millennium Falcon In Spaceballs

Spaceballs is one of Mel Brooks's best movies. It's a parody of Star Wars, and Brooks manages to pay direct tribute to the epic space opera by sneaking in The Millennium Falcon at the end of the movie. As the main characters pull into the space truck stop, they park their RV right next to it. Sadly, Han and Chewie aren't seen inside the diner.

OB-3PO In Raiders Of The Lost Ark

This is one of our favorites. Lots of people are aware that Steven Spielberg snuck R2-D2 and C-3PO into the hieroglyphics in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but did you know that wasn't the only tribute? The tail number of the plane at the beginning of the movie (the one with the snake in the seat) is "OB-3PO," referencing Obi-Wan and C-3PO.

Douglas Adams' Face In The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Towards the very end of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, the filmmakers pay quick tribute the Douglas Adams, the author of the beloved "trilogy" the movie is based on. The face of the late writer is seen very briefly as the ship swings around to head to the restaurant at the end of the universe.

Rango's Shirt In Rango

Johnny Depp voices the character Rango in the movie of the same name, and throughout the movie, there are a few references to one of Depp's other classic movies, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, most notably Rango's shirt, which is the same as Depp's character wears in Fear & Loathing.

A113 In Every Pixar Movie

One of the most famous Easter Eggs in movies has references to room A113 in almost all of the Pixar movies. Room A113 at California Institute of the Arts is where many of the artists and animators at Pixar studied in college, and they add it into the movie as a tribute to their education.

The Tesseract In Iron Man 2

The first time The Tesseract is properly introduced into the MCU is in the post-credit scene in Thor, but the first time it's ever referenced was in the preceding movie, Iron Man 2, when Tony Stark is seen looking through his father's journal is pauses on a drawing of the powerful object.

Hank Hill In Idiocracy

This one is really hard to catch, but it's there. At the beginning of director Mike Judge's Idiocracy, there is a family tree of the "idiot," and there are dozens and dozens of photos of his descendants. One of those, if you look closely towards the bottom, just left of center, is none other than Hank Hill. Judge, of course, is also the creator of King Of The Hill.

Roald Dahl Original Text In The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Director Wes Anderson paid a wonderful tribute to author Roald Dahl, whose story he adapted for The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and included a little of Dahl's original writing from the book.

Fire Marshall Bill In Liar, Liar

Jim Carrey had a lot of crazy ideas and nutty characters when he starred on In Living Color, and one of the most popular was Fire Marshall Bill. The idiotic fireman is seen very briefly in the background in Liar, Liar, and it's, frankly, brilliant.

Huttese Language In Men In Black

It's rare that you get an audio Easter Egg, but that's what we get in Men in Black. As K is showing J around the Men In Black headquarters, K stops for a cup of coffee, and there is a cadre of aliens making the coffee. They are speaking "Huttese," or the language of the Hutts, in the Star Wars universe. It's a great little tribute.

Callahan Institute in 50 First Dates

Lucy, played by Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates, learns about her memory problems by visiting Dr. Keats, played by Dan Aykroyd. Keats works at the Callahan Institute. Callahan Auto, of course, is the name of the auto parts company Akyroyd's character tries to buy from Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) in Tommy Boy.

Easter Eggs In The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Did you know that there are literal Easter Eggs in a few scenes in The Rocky Horror Picture Show? The lore surrounding the eggs is that the cast had their own Easter Egg hunt and they either left some on purpose, or failed to find a few, but there are at least three that can be seen in the "Time Warp" scene, including on top of the statue to the right of Frank's throne.

The Race In Ready Player One

It feels a little like cheating by adding it to this list, since Ready Player One is basically one big Easter Egg. So we could mention dozens, but in the race alone, there is a Knight Rider car, Christine, The A-Team van, and a whole lot more.

Movies have been prominently featuring video games going all the way back to the dawn of the gaming industry in the 1970s. Movies like Tron and The Last Starfighter made them central to the plot, while others like Swingers and The Avengers found ways to create some great moments around. Our list of movies with great video game moments has both.

Tron

Tron has become one of the most enduring franchises of the last half century, despite only having limited released. It was one of the first movies to truly incorporate video games and gaming directing into the plot. Not only does the protagonist (Jeff Bridges) own an arcade and play games himself, his avatar plays inside the Master Control

The Princess Bride

You might not think of this fairy tale as a video game movie, but you have to remember that first scene. As the grandson, played by Fred Savage, recovers in bed, home sick from school, he's playing a baseball video. At least until his grandfather shows up with a magical book called The Princess Bride. .

John Wick

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) isn't the kind of guy who would spend a lot of time playing video games, but those rich idiots who he is after are certainly the types that would pay more attention to a first-person shooter game than the shooter who is out to get them and get them Wick does.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Everything cool in Fast Times At Ridgemont High happens at the mall, including the arcade. There isn't a movie that is more quintessential to the '80s high school life than the Amy Heckerling-directed classic. That includes a few scenes in the mall's arcade, including the last shot in the movie declaring the end of the movie.

The Last Starfighter

For a lot of kids in the 1980s, The Last Starfighter represented a dream that maybe there is more to being great at video games than just getting to put your initials on the home screen. Maybe, just maybe, you might get chosen to be an intergalactic pilot. It's why the movie is so fondly remembered by any kid who grew up playing Galaga.

Boyz N The Hood

Even movies about the untold violence on the streets in South Central LA have found a way to work video games in, as they are truly ubiquitous. Take, for example, the more ominous tone of kids playing Duck Hunt on Nintendo with a very real-looking video game gun. It's hard to watch after knowing how things end and viewers are hyper-aware of that gun, toy or not.

Ready Player One

There is no doubt that Ready Player One has to be on this list. Of course, the whole world it creates is basically a giant game. Plus, games from the past, from the early days of home consoles and arcades play a big part in the quest everyone on earth is undertaking in the movie and serve to drive the plot at numerous times.

WarGames

Global Thermal Nuclear War is, in theory, a game in WarGames. Not only does the game serve as a central plot point, but the world is saved by playing any other video game based on tic-tac-toe. Oh, and there is a scene early in the movie where David (Matthew Broderick) is playing Space Invaders and it doesn't get more classic than that.

The Avengers

"That man is playing Galaga," has to be one of Tony Stark's best lines in the entire MCU. It comes in The Avengers as the team is assembling and getting ready to save the world, yet some people on the crew of the invisible flying base clearly have enough time on their hands for a quick game of a classic game.

Swingers

For anyone who played endless amounts of NHL hockey on Sega in the '90s, there is no more realistic or funnier scene than the one in Swingers when Sue (Patrick Van Horn) and Trent (Vince Vaughn) come to blows over a game before they go out for the night. It's pretty much exactly how that game was played for years.

The Karate Kid

Video games don't play a huge role in The Karate Kid, but they are important. Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Ali (Elizabeth Shue) really start flirting and she blows him while playing one in an arcade when their relationship starts to blossom.

Back to the Future Part II

One of the most memorable scenes in Back to the Future Part II comes when Marty (Micheal J. Fox) looks behind him while in the future to see an arcade game called Wild Gunman. When he tries to impress a couple of kids by being a "crack shot," the kids basically laugh the game off as a game for babies, because you have to use your hands. Honestly, it's not that far off from how things would turn out.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

it's funny, even in the early '90s, arcades, which were already almost obsoete, were still used to represent what "bad kids" did, like a teenage John Connor (Edward Furlough) in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. John and his buddy are hanging out at the arcade, getting into trouble, when the Terminator locates them for the first time.

Maximum Overdrive

You can't make a movie about the machine's coming "alive" without having a harrowing scene involving some arcade games. As bad as Maximum Overdrive is, it is filled with memorable scenes like the one when the games attack a character played by a young Giancarlo Esposito.

Jaws

Video games have been popping up in movies since way back in 1976 when kids are seen playing a game called "Killer Shark" at beach arcade on Amity Island.

Mallrats

Another classic home console moment from a '90s movie comes in the Kevin Smith-directed Mallrats. Brody is a shiftless layabout and his girlfriend, played by the late Shannen Doherty, is sick of it. Her feelings are completely justified when the first thing he does is pick up with his paused game from the night before. Granted, he was excited about his big lead in the hockey game, which many will understand.

Dawn Of The Dead

In the early days of arcades, pinball was a big part of the appeal. It's a pinball machine in an arcade that makes the biggest impression in one of the best horror movies of all time, Dawn Of The Dead from 1978.

Superbad

Video game scenes in movies often reflect a pretty accurate moments in real life. Like the scene in Superbad when Seth (Jonah Hill) is stressing about a party and Evan (Michael Sera) couldn't care less as he is distracted by his game. That sums up a lot of people's nights (and friendships) in high school.

Airplane!

No movie packs in more jokes per minute than Airplane! One of those jokes, includes two air traffic controllers playing a basketball video game when they should be landing planes. It's a funny joke, but a terrifying thought, right?

The Wrestler

The Wrestler is an amazing movie about a washed up pro wrestler (Mickey Rourke) who finds some version of a family, at least briefly and bonds with Pam (Marisa Tomei) and her son. In a heartwarming moment, he plays a wrestling video game against Pam's son.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

To be fair, the video game moment in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is fleeting but memorable. Principle Rooney (Jeffery Jones), on his quest to find Ferris (Matthew Broderick) encounters a person who he thinks is Ferris playing an arcade game. Of course, it's not Ferris, and in return for his mistake, Rooney gets a straw full of soda to the face.

Shaun Of The Dead

There is nothing quite like roommates playing video games together to make someone nostalgic for...well... having a roommate. For millions of people, it's a rite of passage to blow off work or school and spend the day going toe-to-toe in a video game battle.

Scott Pilgrim V. The World

Games like Dance Dance Revolution were all the rage in 2010, when Scott Pilgrim V. The World was released worldwide. Of course, a game like Dance Dance Revolution would be included in the movie, in one of the scenes before everything goes sideways for the protagonist. It's a sweet scene that really endears the audience to Scott (Michael Cera).

Zombieland

It turns out that Michael Cera plays a lot of characters who love video games. They aren't the main focus of any of his movies, but still, in movies like Zombieland, he's often seen playing them. In Zombieland, it's World of Warcraft.

Grosse Pointe Blank

"First-person shooter" takes on a new meaning in Grosse Pointe Blank when the clerk at the convenience store that was once Martin Blank's house is oblivious to the actual shooting going on behind him as he listens to metal and shoots enemies in the game. Finally, he has to be pulled from the store by Martin (John Cusack) moments before it explodes. Anyone who has played games knows how they can be that engrossing.

The Wizard

The Wizard, starring Fred Savage is... not a great movie, and it reeks of corporatism (it was basically a big commercial for Nintendo), but we couldn't make this list without it. It was a time when Nintendo had completely redefined the video game market with their hit console, the NES. It makes total sense that the hype would lead to a movie and completely predictable that it would be a bad movie.

Lost In Translation

Japanese arcades are completely awesome. It's a culture that did last in America but has been going strong in Japan since the beginning. As such, it's a wonder addition to Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation as part of what makes the cultures so different and fascinating to Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson).

Never Say Never Again

It's true, even James Bond was part of the 1980s video game fad. Well, sort of. Bond (Sean Connery) plays a wild video game with real-life consequences in Never Say Never Again, which is why we say "sort of," because the movie, though not the worst Bond movie, is definitely not Bond canon and not one of the best Connery-Era Bond films.

Superman III

When ranking the Superman movies, Superman III is usually at or near the bottom of the list. It's a bad movie, but it does have a hilarious Superman video game that we all wished we could play when we were kids. It's really the only good part of a movie that even Richard Pryor couldn't make funny or fun.

The Thing

Some of Kurt Russell's best lines in his movies come from The Thing, and he also has a moment or two as he tries to save himself from destructive boredom by playing an early version of computer chess. Chess has long been a staple game going back to the dawn of the first home computers, so it worked well in the time period.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Like some other scenes on this list, the scene between Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd playing Mortal Kombat Deception is pretty much exactly how video game arguments went at the time, completely with the slurs we would never use today (and shouldn't have been using back in the day, but were).

Joysticks

We're really only including this silly, raunchy B-movie because it was kind of the first movie to truly be about the first video game fad of the late 1970s, though it came out just as the fad was imploding with the Video Game Crash of 1983. Even the movie's timing was bad, but still, it's all about games, so it has to be here on this list.

There is little doubt that Steven Spielberg is one of the - if not the - best directors of the last 50 years. He has produced hit after hit and almost all of his movies have proved that they have real staying power and even years later we still love them and love to discuss them. Spielberg is a master at pacing his movies and including some of the coolest and most talked-about scenes ever, just like the scenes on this list.

The Rolling Boulder - Raiders Of The Lost Ark

There are opening scenes, and then there is the opening scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not only does the opening sequence, with Indy (Harrison Ford) and his partner played by Alfred Molina perfectly define the character that we would come to adore over the decades, but it includes one of the best action sequences ever. The final booby trap Indy must escape is, of course, the giant rolling boulder and it still leaves us all breathless.

Quint's Speech - Jaws

Spielberg's Jaws is often considered the first true "summer blockbuster," despite the director's initial reluctance to make it. That mostly has to do, of course, with the shark. If you dig a little deeper though, it's the human characters that really make the movie so enduring. Quint, played by Robert Shaw, tells one of the most iconic stories in film history when he recounts his experience on the ill-fated USS Indianapolis during World War II.

The Red Dress - Schindler's List

One of the best tricks that Spielberg pulls in his Best Picture-winning film Schindler's List is humanizing an event - The Holocaust - that was so vast and the numbers so overwhelming that it's hard to really understand. One thing he does so effectively to do this is showing the lone girl in a red dress, the only color in the movie until the very end. The red dress is seen later in a pile of clothing of victims of the atrocity, bringing a really emotional gut punch to the whole movie, which is already one of the hardest to ever rewatch.

Biking Past The Moon - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Until Titanic, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was the highest-grossing movie of all time and it's easy to understand why even decades later. The movie is remarkably well-made and beautifully shot. The most enduring shot has to be the sight of Elliott and ET flying past the moon on the bicycle.

The Opening Scene - Saving Private Ryan

The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan completely changed how war films are made, especially movies about World War II. The brutal action sequence of the army rangers hitting the beaches of Normandy on D-Day produces a visceral reaction from all who see it and has been praised for accurately depicting what it was like on that fateful day in June 1944. It's the biggest reason the movie is one of the best war movies ever made.

Playing The Music For The First Time - Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind isn't as talked about as many of Steven Spielberg's movies, but one scene that no one forgets is when the humans and the aliens trade music notes in an attempt to learn to communicate. The melody is unforgettable and you're problem humming it right now.

The First Time Everyone Sees The Dinos - Jurassic Park

It's hard to explain what a cultural bombshell Jurassic Park was when it landed in theaters in the summer of 1993 to anyone who wasn't alive at the time. It was huge and the special effects, the dinosaurs, were a huge reason why. The moment that the characters first set eyes on previously extinct animals is simply magical.

Saluting The Kamikazes - Empire Of The Sun

Empire of the Sun is the most underrated movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Even at the time it flew under the radar. Throughout the movie, Christian Bale's character endures a lot and the moment he watches the Japanese kamikaze pilots take off as the war is ending is deeply emotional for him and the audience.

Arguing In The Fire - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade is the most fun of the three original Indiana Jones movies. The chemistry between Indy and his father, played by Sean Connery is what makes the movie so charming. Nowhere is this better seen than when the two of them are tied up together by their captors and manage to light the room on fire and save themselves by moving into a fireplace that is more than it seems.

The Stairwell Argument - Munich

When Ali (Omar Metwally), a PLO member, and Avner (Eric Bana), a Mossad agent in Munich find themselves in the same safe house, they have a serious and intense discussion about the future of Palestine and Israel and who will control it in the near and far futures. It's elegantly shot with smoke from the two men's cigarettes lingering in the air, just as the question of the fate of the Palestinians and Israelis is.

Defiance - The Color Purple

Oprah Winfrey's performance in The Color Purple is heartbreak, powerful, and emotional. The scene in which she defies the white men she encounters on the street tells you everything you need to know about her character and the message of the movie.

Lincoln's Discussion With Grant - Lincoln

Whenever Daniel Day-Lewis takes on a role, you know you're going to be in for a treat. Of all his many award-winning roles, none are quite as amazing as his performance of President Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln. His conversation with General U.S. Grant (Jared Harris) after the Siege of Petersburg is a quiet part of the movie that says so much about both men.

The Car Race - Ready Player One

One of the biggest changes between the book Ready Player One and the movie is the addition of a car chase for the first key. It's a smart decision as it plays perfectly in the movie and the action sequence is the kind of chase you can watch over and over, and it's chock full of easter eggs, just like the rest of the movie.

The Subway Ride - Bridge Of Spies

For anyone who grew up in the '60s, '70s, or '80s, the Cold War occupies a significant amount of memories, especially of The Berlin Wall, In Bridge Of Spies, the scene when Tom Hanks' character travels from West Berlin to East on the subway, crossing where the wall would be built is an amazing sequence that puts an exclamation point on the job he is doing.

Short Round's Getaway - Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

While Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom might not be as beloved as the other two in the original trilogy, it still has that signature Steven Spielberg charm. The scene when Short Round, played by a young Ke Huy Quan races in to rescue Indy and speed away in a car he's not even big enough to reach the pedals on, is everything you could want from a scene like it.

Frank Getting Away From The Hotel - Catch Me If You Can

There are a ton of fun, memorable scenes in Catch Me If You Can but the best is the moment Tom Hanks' character and Leonardo DiCaprio's meet in person for the first time. It's a chaotic scene as Frank Abagnale (DiCaprio) confuses Hanratty (Hanks) and escapes by the skin of his teeth.

The T-Rex Skips Customs - The Lost World: Jurassic Park

There's no question that The Lost World: Jurassic Park doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, but there is still one great scene when the T-Rex escapes the boat at the port in San Diego and goes on a Godzilla-like rampage. Sure, it's a little cheesy, but that's okay, it's still super fun.

The Burning Train - War Of The Worlds

The burning train in 2005's War of the Worlds is one of the spookiest scenes ever seen in a Steven Spielberg movie. As the ghost train flies by with flames coming out of every door and window, the assembled crowd can only look on in silent shock, just like the audience.

John Adams Speech - Amistad

Sir Anthony Hopkins' performance of John Adams in Amistad is one of the best portrayals of a U.S. President in film history. His speech at the end of the trial is as emotional as it is inspiring and simply the best part of a very hard movie to watch, but an easy one to love.

The United States has a lot of great cities and most of those cities have at least one great movie set in them. Some cities, like New York or LA, have a lot, so narrowing it down to one can be tough. Other cities, like Kansas City or Memphis, have fewer films set in them, but those films are classics. Here is our list of movies set in 32 great American cities.

Los Angeles - The Big Lebowski

There are a lot of movies set in Los Angeles. Narrowing it down to one is almost impossible, so we chose a movie that at its heart is pure LA. The Big Lebowski has become one of the most beloved movies of all time, and since the protagonist, The Dude (Jeff Bridges) plays "the laziest man in Los Angeles County," well, his movie just had to be on the list.

Atlanta - Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind may have some very problematic themes, to say the least, but it is still the highest-grossing movie (adjusted for inflation) of all time. Set in and around the city of Atlanta during the Civil War, it's a timeless bit of history both in story and in production.

Houston - Rushmore

Director Wes Anderson is from Houston and Rushmore, as only his second feature film, has a bit of an autobiographical feel to it. It is set in his hometown, and much of it was filmed there as well, including his own high school for the fictional Rushmore Academy.

San Francisco - Vertigo

San Francisco is one of the most iconic and picturesque cities in the whole country so it's no surprise that a lot of movies have been shot there. Everything from The Rock to Bullitt, to more. However, there is no way you can't pick the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo to go on this list. Not only is it one of Hitchcock's best, it's among the best films of all time.

Philadelphia - Rocky

When you mention Philadelphia on a list like this, almost everyone is going to think of one movie: Rocky. There may be no movie more identified with the city it takes place in than the 1977 Best Picture winner. Sure, there are other fantastic movies set in the City of Brotherly Love, but none compare to Sly Stallone's classic. Or, if we're honest, all the other movies in the Rocky franchise.

Dallas - Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club is a heartbreaking, but incredible picture. Matthew McConaughey's performance earned him a well-deserved Oscar and while Dallas, Texas, has been the setting for quite a few films, none are as important, or as good, as this one.

Cleveland - Major League

In the opening song to Major League, Randy Newman sings "Cleveland, city of light, city of magic." It's meant to be ironic in the song, but the movie is as much a love letter to the city and the fans of the former Indians (now Guardians) baseball team. It's one of the best sports movies ever made and there is nothing more Cleveland than long-suffering sports fans.

Austin - Dazed And Confused

When you watch Dazed And Confused, you feel Austin in the 1970s as much as you see it. Director Richard Linklater truly made a love letter to his hometown and his high school years with this classic film, filled with amazing moments and hilarious quotes. It's truly one of the best movies set in Texas.

Washington DC - All the President's Men

Washington DC is an iconic world capital and as such, has been the setting for dozens of movies. From biopics about Presidents like Nixon to horror movies like The Exorcist, DC has seen it all. There isn't a movie that oozes DC power and corruption quite like All The President's Men, which tells the story of the two reporters who broke one of the biggest scandals of all time with the Watergate break-in.

Miami - Scarface

Florida has been described as a sunny place for shady people and there is no film that portrays that better than Scarface. Al Pacino's classic performance as Cuban-criminal-turned-refugee-turned-drug-kingpin is a stone-cold classic. There are lighter films set in Miami, but there are no better films than the dark and violent Scarface.

New York City - Do The Right Thing

How do you pick just one movie to represent New York City on film? It could be a classic Woody Allen movie or one of the many rom-coms set in the Big Apple. Maybe it's a comedy like Ghostbusters. It's an impossible task, but for this one, we've settled on a native New Yorker's classic. Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing simply is New York.

Boston - Good Will Hunting

Boston is one of the oldest and most iconic cities in the U.S. Picking one movie from here is tough, but you simply can't go wrong with Good Will Hunting. Written by and starring two Beantown stars, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the movie was filmed all over town and Boston is as much a character in the film as Will and Chuckie Sullivan. Just the name "Chuckie Sullivan" oozes Southie.

San Diego - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

San Diego may only be about 100 miles from the capital of the film industry, but sometimes it feels like a million. There are a few movies set there, but fewer than you would think. Still, it's easy to pick the best one. Anchorman was an instant classic and all the humor holds up as well today as when it was released in 2004.

Seattle - Sleepless In Seattle

While it's true that much of Sleepless In Seattle actually takes place in New York, including the classic final scene, it's still a movie very much about Seattle in the early '90s. It's a classic Tom Hanks rom-com filled with some of his funniest lines and was among the first movies to put Seattle on the Hollywood map (though far from the only).

Memphis - The Firm

Memphis may be the home of Elvis, but it hasn't seen a ton of movies set in it. The iconic southern city invented rock and roll and still hosts some of the best music festivals in the country, but it's just not the most picturesque place to set a movie. The Firm goes against that wisdom with great success and as much of the film was actually shot there, you get a real feel for what the city is all about.

St. Louis - Meet Me In St. Louis

For many years, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the United States. The town started to lose its luster towards the middle of the 20th Century, but it's still a classic American city. Surprisingly few films are set there, but there is no greater classic than Meet Me In St. Louis, set at the apex of the city's history during the 1904 World's Fair.

Detroit - Dreamgirls

Motor City. Motown. Detroit is known for two American icons. The auto industry and Motown records. The latter is where Dreamgirls comes from as a fictionalized version of the amazing music scene in the city in the 1960s. Like other cities on this list, Detroit may have lost some of its luster, but it'll never lose its history.

Minneapolis/St. Paul - Fargo

The Coen Brothers grew up in Minnesota, so that makes Fargo their most personal film in a way. No other movie oozes The Land of 10,000 Lakes quite like the Academy Award winner. From the ubiquitous snow to the spot-on accents, there is simply no other movie about the Twin Cities or the state of Minnesota quite as good.

Chicago - The Untouchables

Chicago has long been one of America's most iconic (and largest) cities. There have been dozens and dozens of great movies filmed there, including most of the late, great John Hughes movies. If you travel abroad, though, you'll find that around the world, the city is still famous for Al Capone and Chicago's organized crime during prohibition. That means you have to include The Untouchables on this list.

Las Vegas - Ocean's Eleven

Ocean's Eleven is one of the great heist movies of all time. Whether it's the original starring the Rat Pack in the 1960s, or the amazing 2001 version starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and the rest of that amazing cast, you get a full view of "cool" Las Vegas. Both movies represent different eras of the gambling mecca, but the more modern version is the better movie, if we're honest.

Birmingham - Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes is not only a wonderful representation of Birmingham, Alabama, it's a great representation of the whole state. Sure, you might think of Forrest Gump for the state, but Gump travels all over the place, while Fried Green Tomatoes sticks close to home and highlights everything about Birmingham folks that makes them great.

Nashville - Nashville

The city of Nashville means one thing to most people: Country music. So it tracks that the best movie set in Nashville is not only called Nashville, but is about breaking through the competitive music scene in the city. The Robert Altman classic shows why the city is such a crossroads in American music.

New Orleans - A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams may have been born and raised in St. Louis, but he is most associated with New Orleans. NOLA, as it's known, is maybe the most unique city in America and it's been the subject of all kinds of storytelling over the years, but A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story like few other.

Pittsburgh - Fences

Like many other rustbelt cities, Pittsburgh's best days seem to be in its past, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have interesting stories to tell today, even if they are about its past. Fences is a perfect example of that. The Academy Award-nominated movie starring the brilliant Denzel Washington isn't always the easiest movie to watch, but it's just so satisfying in the end, even as tragic as it is.

Columbus - Ready Player One

According to Ready Player One, the future belongs to Columbus, OH. It's not the most likely place to be tech capital, but in the sci-fi movie filled with '80s nostalgia and endless amazing easter eggs, it is just that. We'll just have to see if this version of a dystopian future pans out.

Tampa - Cocoon

Tampa is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, but its film history is pretty thin. One major exception to that is the classic Cocoon. With an all-star cast including Wilford Brimley, Don Ameche, Steve Guttenberg, Jessica Tandy, and Brian Dennehy, the movie is set in Florida for good reason, it's about retired folks finding the fountain of youth, of sorts. Two things long associated with the Sunshine State.

Kansas City - Kansas City

Jazz is one of the truly "American" forms of music and Kansas City is one of the homes of the homegrown art form. The movie Kansas City draws on that rich history as director Robert Altman, who was born and raised in the Missouri city, made a true love letter to his hometown, showing the highs and lows of Kansas City's most important historical era in the 1930s.

Denver - Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead is a strange, but wonderful movie if you are in the mood for it. While the Colorado mountains have long held a mystique for Hollywood, the city of Denver itself hasn't been held in quite the same esteem. This movie shows why it should, and as Denver is growing by leaps and bounds these days, we'll probably see more of the Mile High City in the future.

Baltimore - Hairspray

Whether it's the original version of Hairspray directed by John Waters or the more recent musical version, both ooze the great city of Baltimore in the early '60s. If The Wire is the definitive take on the city on television, Hairspray is a different, yet equally important take on the silver screen.

Charleston - The Notebook

Set in Charleston, SC, The Notebook is one of the best romantic movies of all time. Though the love is interrupted by World War II, and it's set in a number of locations, the movie still highlights just what Charleston was and is today, to some extent.

Cincinnati - Traffic

Cincinnati is a great river city in American and it feels like there should be more stories to tell about the city. There surely are and while Traffic is set in a number of places around the world, the story that takes place in Cincinnati feels the most American of the whole movie. It's a story that could happen anywhere, but setting in Cincinnati makes it uniquely American.

San Antonio - Cloak & Dagger

If you grew up in the '80s and had cable TV, there is a good chance you watched Cloak & Dagger a lot. It was on all the time in the mid-eighties and it remains an under-appreciated gem by anyone who didn't grow up watching the Dabney Coleman classic. One of its most iconic scenes happens on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

We have seen many great TV shows based on movies and even more great movies based on TV shows. However, there are also quite a few movies that spawned now-forgotten TV spin-offs or never had the chance to be adapted for television in the first place. Let's take a look at some of our favorite cinematic classics with captivating stories that we would love to see continue (or be reimagined) on the small screen.

The Mad Max Movies (1979-2024)

George Miller's Mad Max movies (1981’s The Road Warrior, in particular) planted the seed for how modern post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows are depicted. As happy as we have been to see the saga continue with acclaimed sequels like 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, we would love to see even more stories from the Wasteland in a TV series, even if that means an animated adaptation.

Mystery Men (1999)

A superhero movie that deserves a reboot is Mystery Men — a sharp, quirky comic book satire way ahead of its time that follows a misfit group of wannabe costumed vigilantes. As superhero movies and TV shows dominate Hollywood, now is the perfect time for a series adaptation that either brings back Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, and others in their original roles or is even more faithful to the source material, which is about a man with a flaming carrot for a head.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Following the success of the Apple TV+ original TV show called Servant, which he produces, we believe one of the best M. Night Shyamalan movies deserves to be brought to the small screen. Our choice would be a continuation of 1999's The Sixth Sense, which would see Haley Joel Osment reprise his Academy Award-nominated role as Cole Sear as an adult who continues to use his gift to help dead people in need.

The Goonies (1985)

Instead of the Goonies sequel that fans have been waiting for, there was once an idea to develop a TV series about a group of friends who try to create their own version of the classic kids movie on a tight budget. We cannot deny that is an interesting idea, but we would still rather see a TV show that sees the grown-up stars of the original (including Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, and Ke Huy Quan) return to go on a new adventure with their onscreen children.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

One could argue that we already got a great show which depicts the teen lifestyle in the disco era with That '70s Show. However, it certainly did not capture the decade's essence as genuinely as a more direct spin-off of Richard Linklater's awesome party movie, Dazed and Confused, probably could.

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

There have actually been two previous attempts to adapt the whimsical fantasy epic, The NeverEnding Story, into a TV show — one animated and one live-action — but neither lasted longer than a season. Perhaps with strong writing, a decent budget, and modern special effects, a new series based on Michael Ende's novel could be a real hit.

The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984)

One of the best movies and TV shows about the multiverse is The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, which stars Peter Weller in the title role of a rock star who moonlights as an interdimensional hero. Films and series dealing with that topic are more popular these days than ever, which means now is a perfect time to adapt the cult favorite sci-fi comedy into a series, perhaps even an animated version that brings Weller, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, and Clancy Brown back to voice their original roles.

Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988)

One star who has already teased the idea of bringing her iconic and hilarious alter ego back to the small screen in animated form is Cassandra Peterson, who is better known for hosting special presentations of great horror movies as Elvira. She was first brought to the big screen in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark but if a cinematic return is not in her future, an animated Elvira series would be more than welcome.

Escape From New York (1981)

What makes Escape from New York, one of director John Carpenter’s best movies, an enduring cult hit is its anti-heroic protagonist, Snake Plissken, who is tasked with rescuing the president from a maximum security prison that used to be the Big Apple. Fans would love to see more of Kurt Russell as the hardened, eye-patch-wearing war veteran struggling to survive the dystopian landscape of his war-torn future, perhaps in an animated continuation of the original.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

We are surprised there was not already an attempt to capitalize on the record-breaking success of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with a TV show that would reimagine the story and show the alien on more bizarre adventures with Elliot and his family. After all, most might agree that it sounds like a better follow-up than that horror-centric E.T. sequel that Steven Spielberg once pitched.

Candyman (1992)

Producer Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta’s 2021 requel to Candyman — Bernard Rose's adaptation of Clive Barker's short story — reimagined Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd) as one of many victims of injustice who assumed the titular mantle. Why not build from this concept with a horror anthology TV show that explores other "Candymen" and how they became mysterious urban legends in their respective communities?

Mean Girls (2004)

Screenwriter Tina Fey and director Mark Waters' Mean Girls was instantly considered one of the best high school movies of all time and spawned a hit Broadway musical that was later remade for cinema. The only thing missing from this franchise is a TV spin-off that further explores the volatile complexities of the teen social scene that is, perhaps, told from the point of view of Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) and Regina George's (Rachel McAdams) children. 

The Incredibles (2004)

There have actually been several TV shows inspired by some of the best Pixar movies, except for the one that, arguably, deserves a spin-off the most, The Incredibles. It is a wonder there is not already a Disney+ series that either shows more from the glory days of vigilanteism (as briefly depicted in the opening flashback) or follows the continuing adventures of the eponymous superhero family.

World War Z (2013)

Max Brooks' original novel that inspired the Brad Pitt-led World War Z was a depiction of an ongoing conflict between the living and the dead but framed as an oral history. Continuing the story and telling it from multiple perspectives, perhaps even as faux docuseries, would be a great way to honor the source material and give us even more zombie action.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017)

Just because Luc Besson's otherwise visually stunning space epic, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, flopped at the box office, that does not mean we should not see more from the titular intergalactic crime fighter and his partner. Besides, there is enough source material from the original French comic book to inspire seasons' worth of cosmic adventures for Valerian and Laureline.

Eternals (2021)

Some might argue that Chloé Zhao's Marvel movie based on Jack Kirby's comic about a group of immortal warriors would have worked better as a TV show in the first place. Considering its very loose ties to the MCU canon, they could easily start from scratch and produce a new episodic interpretation of Eternals for Disney+ and no one would bat an eye.

The Nice Guys (2016)

Fans of Shane Black have long demanded a sequel to his quirky crime thriller about a pair of mismatched private eyes brought together by a perplexing case in 1970s Los Angeles. Even though a series adaptation of The Nice Guys might not be the same without Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling's chemistry, it might be fun to see even more eccentric cases featuring their characters, nonetheless.

Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)

Writer and director Drew Goddard's star-studded mystery thriller, Bad Times at the El Royale, is a prime example of a movie that could easily be remade as a miniseries, which could even improve its hefty story. On the other hand, an anthology series depicting even more shady, violent activity at the eponymous hotel could be a fun idea, too.

 Ready Player One (2018)

Director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel, Ready Player One, brought to life a spectacular world in which your greatest pop culture obsessions can become your reality. Therefore, with the proper licensing, there are infinite storytelling possibilities in the VR gaming simulation known as the OASIS that we would love to see in a series.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

A group of small-town citizens struggles to survive when motor vehicles and other mechanical and electrical devices become sentient and bloodthirsty after a comet passes over in Maximum Overdrive. While the Stephen King-helmed adaptation of his own short story, Trucks, is one of the most heavily criticized films based on his work, the concept could still make for a fun and unique miniseries or even an ongoing post-apocalyptic drama.

Bright (2017)

From director David Ayer, Bright stars Will Smith as a human cop who becomes partners with an orc (played by Joel Edgerton), much to his chagrin, until they are forced to set aside their differences and prevent a magic wand from falling into the wrong hands. With a greater focus on its world-building and character development, a crime procedural set in the same modernized fantasy world as this Netflix original film could be truly fascinating.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

In 2003, a pilot for a series based on the Academy Award-winning modern film noir, L.A. Confidential, was filmed (and starring Kiefer Sutherland) but did not get picked up, and talks of another try in 2017 would also go nowhere. We would say there is no reason why one of the most celebrated detective movies of its time should not be able to continue as a procedural dripping with '50s-era style.

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (2019)

If you ask us, producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal's adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark would have worked better as an anthology horror movie instead of, essentially, a darker version of 2015's Goosebumps about teens plagued by an evil book. An even better idea might be an anthology TV series that brings writer Alvin Schwartz and illustrator Stephen Gammell’s popular series of chilling folk tales to life one episode at a time.

Clue (1985)

In 2011, there was a miniseries based on the board game, Clue, but with an all-teen cast instead of the likes of Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, and others who were portrayed in Jonathan Lynn's hilarious film adaptation. We recommend bringing those classic characters back but re-envisioning them and their purposes for a whole new kind of mystery told over the course of several episodes

Halloweentown (1998)

Considering it spawned three sequels, it is surprising that Disney Channel never made one of the family-friendly network's spookiest original movies, Halloweentown, into a series. The not-so-scary witch movie introduces so much that could be explored in the titular realm where ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and other creatures that we know as going bump in the night live in harmony.

Sky High (2005)

One of the best superhero movies not based on a comic is Disney's Sky High, which sort of feels like a story about costumed vigilantes if written by John Hughes. There were so many characters at the titular high school for superheroes-in-training who deserve to get their time in the spotlight and could with a quasi-anthology series taking place there.

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

Drag queens are more popular these days than they were when Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo donned wigs, heels, dresses, and heavy makeup in one of the best movies about drag performers, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. It seems that now is the perfect time for a series that continues the adventures of Noxeema, Vida, and Chi-Chi, if not another irresistible trio of road-tripping drag queens.

Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes! (1978)

While not widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest horror-comedy movies, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! boasts an uproariously unique concept that deserves to be revisited, but not with a fifth feature-length installment. We propose something like the early '90s animated spin-off series but reworked into a live-action project that pokes fun at the recent wave of post-apocalyptic survival shows like The Walking Dead, but with giant, man-eating fruit running amock.

Last Action Hero (1995)

Imagine a series that builds off of the plot of Last Action Hero — in which a boy magically enters the world of an action movie — and follows a young pop culture obsessive given the ability to enter the world of any TV show or movie he wants and offering help in their situations. It would be especially cool to see the main character crossover with an actual current series each week but, if not legally feasible, an adventure series that pokes fun at genre conventions in the same way the original did might still be fun.

Major Payne (1995)

One of Damon Wayans' funniest roles is the titular, discharged marine who mentors JROTC cadets in Major Payne. A sitcom based on the film could be a fun coming-of-age comedy, especially if the original actor came back to reprise is role. If not, it sounds like a perfect job for his son, Damon Wayans Jr.

Drive (2011)

One of the best Ryan Gosling movies, Drive, ends with the skilled wheelman known only as Driver (Gosling) forced to go on the run after a heist goes horribly wrong. Director Nicolas Winding Refn's neo-noir demands no continuation, but a series following the nameless hero offering his skills to more people in need, all the while looking over his shoulder, could be fun.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Director Stephen Norrington's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is one of the least-liked comic book movies of its time, with even star Sean Connery admitting he hated it. Perhaps a series that gives each of the iconic characters — including Allan Quartermain, Dr. Henry Jekyll, The Invisible Man, and the vampiric Mina Harker — room to breathe would be a better way to do Alan Moore's original comic justice.

We can probably think of another large set of movies that deserve TV shows, but for now, getting these 32 off of the ground sounds like a good idea.

There is nothing more exciting than watching the most skilled drivers drive the fastest cars at the edge of their limit. Great movies about auto racing are a rush, no matter what kind of racing it is. It might be street racing, or on a track, but either way, it'll leave you breathless. These movies are just what want when you have a serious need for speed. 

Days Of Thunder

On the heels of the wild success of Top Gun, Tom Cruise and director Tony Scott teamed up for another adrenaline-fueled movie replacing fighter jets with stock cars in Days of Thunder. The film featured some of the most intense auto racing ever shown in a movie to that point and it was another giant hit for the Cruise/Scott team. Cruise even co-starred with his future wife Nicole Kidman in the movie.  

Rush

Rush is based on the true story of the drive for the 1976 Formula 1 championship between Englishman playboy James Hunt and the dour and serious Austrian, Niki Lauda. It's an intense movie both on and off the track as the rivalry was fierce. Lauda suffered a horrific crash during the season that bonded the two, but that didn't slow their fight for the final checkered flag against each other. 

Cannonball Run

No track, no rules. That's the Cannonball Run. A bunch of teams load into their custom cars for a cross-country race for the ages. The comedy features a completely bonkers cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jamie Farr, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, and more. The cast alone is worth a watch.  

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Many people will argue that Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is the greatest racin' movies of all time. It's hard to argue against it. Not only is the movie hilarious, but the racing scenes are pretty great too. Shake AND bake! 

Speed Racer

If you grew up in the '80s, the odds are you were a big Speed Racer fan. While the movie doesn't have the same nostalgia, it's actually a pretty faithful adaptation that features some really trippy racing scenes, just like the cartoon. 

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning isn't the best movie on the list, but it's not a bad movie, either. It's pretty obscure, and that's too bad if for no other reason than it's the semi-true story of Wendell Scott, who was the first Black driver in NASCAR. Scott is played by Richard Pryor and anytime he's in a movie, it's worth anyone's time. 

Lucky Logan

To be fair, Logan Lucky is only tangentially about NASCAR racing, but it's such a fun movie, we had to include it. The movie is really about a heist at a NASCAR track, the Charlotte Motor Speedway, during a race, the Coca-Cola 500. So sure, it should count, right? 

Need for Speed

Movies adapted from video games are usually a mixed bag. Some work, many don't. Need for Speed falls in the latter category, for sure. That doesn't mean the racing scenes won't give you an adrenaline rush, however, because they will. It might not be your first choice, but if you love fast cars, it's here for you. 

Grand Prix (1966)

1966's Grand Prix is a race movie for true race fans. Originally shot in 70mm, it blew people away with the race action. The story is incidental here, though it is ostensively about one season of Formula 1. It's really all about the racing scenes, they are remarkable, even to this day. 

Ferrari

If there is one thing Michael Mann knows how to do, it's how to make cars look really cool. While 2023's Ferrari was a disappointment at the box office, that should deter you if you're a fan of racing or Ferraris. The movie isn't perfect, but any scene with a car in it is great. All of them. 

The Last American Hero

Junior Johnson was a towering figure in the history of NASCAR. The Last American Hero is a biopic, starring Jeff Bridges as Johnson, covering the early start of his racing career and his moonshining roots. It's been forgotten by some people these days, but it's super fun and a must for any NASCAR fan. 

Driven

Director Reny Harlin, a master of movies made for adrenaline junkies, and writer and star Sylvester Stallone teamed up for the 2000 release, Driven about the CART racing series (then called the Champ series). Like Days of Thunder a decade early, this was American auto racing at its best on the big screen. It's not as good as the Tom Cruise classic, but it's still pretty awesome. 

The Fast and the Furious Franchise

You knew we couldn't leave the Fast and Furious movies off this list. There's nothing professional about the drivers, but don't let that fool you, they're still the best. Do we really need to say much more about his monster franchise?

Ford V. Ferrari

Ford V. Ferrari is just a great movie in every way. Christian Bale and Matt Damon both crush it with their performances and the racing scenes are amazing. The story follows the true story of Carroll Shelby (Damon) and Ken Miles (Bale) in their quest to help Ford beat perennial champs at Le Mans, Ferrari. It's a must-see for any racing fan. 

Freejack

Freejack is a bonkers movie. That's both a good and a bad thing. The plot is ridiculous, as rich people in the future steal bodies from the past to extend their lives. Yeah, it's confusing and ridiculous. Add in the fact that Mick Jagger plays the guy hoping to steal Emilio Estevez's body when he crashes in an auto race and well... it has to be seen to be believed. 

The Speed Kings

The Speed Kings is on this list for one reason: it was completely groundbreaking. Made in 1913 and starring the great Fatty Arbuckle. The silent film was one of the earliest to feature actual race footage, which at the time was something most people had never seen. It's worth seeking out for the historical nature of the short film. 

Winning

Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Robert Wagner team up in this movie about a driver, Newman, who desires one thing in life - to win the Indy 500. Newman was, of course, a keen race car driver himself, so this is the Hollywood legend in his element, not to mention he's co-starring with his wife (Woodward). 

Death Race 2000

One of the best cult movies about auto racing is the sci-fi action flick Death Race 2000. This Roger Corman-produced movie is like the violent cousin of The Cannonball Run. There's nothing funny about this cross-country race, but man, the race scenes are just so cool. 

Le Mans

You just knew Steve McQueen had to pop on this list. One of Hollywood's most legendary gearheads loved to make cool car movies and was part of more than one of the best car chases in the history of movies. In Le Mans, as the title suggests, McQueen plays a driver at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The movie even features actual footage of the 1970 race. 

Gran Turismo

Like other video game adaptations, Gran Turismo isn't the best movie, overall. I also like the game though, it features some great car scenes. it's easy to criticize the plot, as many critics did when it was released in 2023, but the actual racing is fantastic, as most critics agreed, and if you love cars going fast on film, it's definitely worth checking out. 

The Love Bug

There is no more iconic car in the world than the VW Beetle and the most famous Beetle of them all is Herbie from The Love Bug. The enduring franchise goes all the way back to 1969 with this one. Over the next 35 years or so, they would release another five Herbie movies and they remain beloved today. Don't worry about the plot hole that has a 4 cylinder Beetle winning car races, just go with it. 

Cars Franchise

Millions of kids first fell in love with car racing movies after watching Cars. The 2006 Pixar film has a dedicated following and has spawned a number of sequels and spinoffs and become an important piece of Disney's brand since it was first released. The original also fittingly features Paul Newman in his final (voice) role. 

Stroker Ace

Director and former stunt coordinator Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds made a heck of a team when it came to driving movies. The two teamed up for Cannonball Run and Smokey & The Bandit before making Stroker Ace in 1983. While the movie bombed at the box office, it became a bit of a cult hit as a regular movie on cable TV in the mid-1980s. It's not great, but it's got its moments and Reynolds is as charming as ever. 

Ready Player One

Ready Player One isn't really a movie about car racing, but we included it because the race toward the beginning is just so epic. Where else would ever see the Mach 5 from Speed Racer going against the monster truck Big Foot and the van from The A-Team? In a movie filled with great easter eggs, the race has some of the best. 

Snake & Mongoose

2013's Snake & Mongoose flew under the radar, even among gearheads, so if you haven't seen it, that's not surprising. If you love racing, especially drag racing, this movie is one you should seek out as it's surprisingly good and tells a great history of the sport. 

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain is a bit over-the-top and frankly, cheesy. But the racing scenes are great! So while it's tough to watch as it's overwrought and saccharine-y sweet at the same time, the racing is worth it, at least once.  

Grease

Sure, Grease is a love story about high school kids, but you can't deny it has one of the most legendary racing scenes ever put on film. The street race in the LA river is totally iconic and to leave it off would be just wrong. 

Wreck-It Ralph

Like a few other movies on this list, Wreck-It Ralph isn't strictly about car racing. Or real car racing at all, but how can you deny the greatness that is Sugar Rush?? You simply can't and that's why it should be any list like this. 

Fireball 500

Fireball 500 is what would happen if you make Beach Blanket Bingo at a race track. While the racing scenes are surprisingly good, the movie is pretty ridiculous and worth checking out to see the cultural artifact that it is. 

The Racers

Rudolf Caracciola was one of the early heroes of F1 and The Racers is a movie loosely based on his life and career. His career spanned decades and was not without controversy, but it makes for a great movie, with Kirk Douglas playing the fictionalized version of Caracciola, called Gino Borgesa.

The Gumball Rally

in the mid-70s, cross-country races were all the rage in Hollywood and maybe the most famous is 1976's The Gumball Rally. It's even inspired races like it in real life. That's saying something about how great the racing scenes are, which were groundbreaking at the time. 

Viva Las Vegas

While the movie is really pretty bad, Viva Las Vegas is notable for two things, one, it was a hit, mostly because it starred Elvis Presley, and two, it's responsible for the theme song that you are current humming to yourself right now. So that alone makes worthy of inclusion here. 

In a movie all about finding an Easter Egg, like Ready Player One, there are going to be a lot of Easter eggs within it. The movie, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ernest Cline, is chock full of pop culture references from the late 20th Century, some going as far back as the 1960s. There are probably hundreds of easter eggs hidden throughout the movie, but we've settled on 32 of the less-than-obvious ones. 

Pee-Wee Herman's Bike

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is a cultural touchstone for many born in the '70s and it's so fun to see it represented in Ready Player One. It's subtle, as no character actually references it and it has about 10 seconds of screen time, but as Aech, Parzival, and Art3mis walk into Aech's workshop, viewers can spy Pee-Wee's bike leaning against the wall in the background. 

Police Synchronicity Shirt

Music plays a big role in the movie, with a soundtrack filled with '80s bangers. Even some of the music of the decade not heard in the movie are represented. In the beginning, as Wade (Tye Sheridan) leaves his house, his neighbor is wearing a tee shirt from The Police's 1983 album Synchronicity. 

Mortal Kombat Button

In the Ready Player One future, 2045 to be exact, everyone in the world spends their time in The Oasis, a virtual reality world. The easter eggs are not confined to The Oasis though. In the real world, Toshiro (Win Morisaki) wears a Mortal Kombat button on his suit.  He also decorated his goggles with a Batman sticker. 

Cocktails & Dreams Neon Sign

There are a few places in the Oasis that are chock-full of '80s references. The game is all about its creator's favorite things from the '80s, so most of the characters are obsessed with the pop culture of the decade. One subtle reference appears in Aech's clubhouse, a neon sign for Cocktails & Dreams, the bar that Tom Cruise's character opens in 1988's Cocktail. 

Rush's 2112 Album

If you've read the book, you know that the legendary band Rush plays a big part in Halliday's (Mark Rylance) youth. There is no Rush on the soundtrack of the movie, though their song "Tom Sawyer" was used in the trailer. That doesn't mean Rush isn't represented though. In fact, the album cover for their album "2112" is all over the place, including on a poster in Halliday's childhood room at the end. 

School House Rock

After discovering the 3rd key, Wade and Samantha, played by House Of The Dragon cast member Olivia Cooke, are discussing the third clue. Fans of School House Rock will remember that three is the magic number and they thought it could be important, so they wrote in their notebook. 

Lost In Space Robot

Perhaps the oldest pop culture reference in the movie comes in the form of a toy robot from the 1960s TV show Lost In Space. Halliday is shown briefly holding it towards the end of the movie in the recreation of his childhood room. Though Lost in Space pre-dates most of the references in the movie, the show's popularity endured for decades and the show was even rebooted for a Gen X audience by Netflix in 2018. 

Simon Button

In 1978 the Milton Bradley company released the electric game Simon. It's been a hit ever since, and it was important to Halliday. It's seen in one of the scenes in his library in the Oasis, and when he announces the easter egg game after his death, he's wearing a Simon button in the video. 

Donkey Kong, Jr. Poster

Video games play a huge role in Ready Player One and there are references all over the place from them. One of the most subtle references comes from the 1982 Nintendo release, Donkey Kong, Jr. It is shown on a wall in the bedroom of a frustrated Oasis user. 

Spaceballs Winnebago

Mel Brooks' Spaceballs was filled with classic Brooksian jokes, like the heroes driving a beat-up spaceship shaped like a classic '70s Winnebago. A life-sized model of the ship can be seen in Aech's workshop at Art3mis and Parzival chat. 

Ratner's Restaurant 

For some eagle-eyed viewers with a knowledge of New York City of old, you might catch a quick glimpse of the legendary East Village restaurant Ratner's during the car race. With locations on Delancy Street and Second Avenue, Ratner's was a legendary Kosher dairy joint that was popular with movie stars and celebrities, as well as everyday New Yorkers. It closed in 2002 after almost 100 years of service. 

Joust Sticker

Video games, especially those from the '80s, play a big part in Ready Player One. In one of the earliest scenes in the movie, when Wade is getting ready to enter the Oasis, he puts on his goggles, and viewers watching closely can see a small sticker with the logo from the game Joust on them. 

Ace Chemicals

The car race towards the beginning of the movie - the first challenge in the game has a ton of easter eggs and one of those is an Ace Chemicals building. Ace Chemicals is, of course, where the Joker became the Joker in Batman comics after falling into a vat of chemicals.

Jack Burton's Truck

You know what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like this? "Watch out for my truck!" That's right, Jack Burton's semi from Big Trouble In Little China is one of the many obstacles in the race across New York City, just as the race enters Chinatown. 

Speed Racer's Mach 5

As the racers join the field for the race scene, there are a number of famous pop culture vehicles and one is Speed Racer's legendary Mach 5 race car. It turns out, we learn later that it's Daito's main car in the Oasis. 

Dead Kennedy's Logo Patch

When we finally meet the "real" Aech, Helen (Lena Waithe), she's wearing an old army jacket covered in patches. The Wonder Woman logo is seen, as is the Thundercats logo and some others. The coolest patch though, has to be the logo of the legendary punk back The Dead Kennedys next to the Wonder Woman patch. 

The Knight Rider Delorean

Parzival's Delorean is not exactly one of the more subtle references on this list, obviously in tribute to Back To The Future. But there is a modification on it that isn't so obvious. At the front of the car is the red light made famous by K.I.T.T. in Knight Rider. It's also worth mentioning that the "Zemeckis Cube" that Parzival buys and uses later to reverse time 30 seconds is a tribute to Robert Zemeckis, the director of Back To The Future. Furthermore, in the book, there is an additional modification to the Delorean, Parzival has added a Ghostbusters logo that isn't there in the movie, sadly. 

Holy Hand Grenade

The Holy Hand Grenade is not a very subtle reference in the movie, but the meaning behind it is. You might know that the Holy Hand Grenade comes from Monty Python And The Holy Grail, but did you know that the name Parzival is also taken from Arthurian lore? While he doesn't appear in the Monty Python movie, Wade's gamer tag comes from another one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. 

Marvin The Martian Statuette 

There are a lot of things on the floor in one of Halliday's memories in the archive of his brain, and one of them is a small statuette of Marvin The Martian from only Looney Tunes cartoons. 

Goldie Wilson For Mayor Poster

Back To The Future features quite a bit in Ready Player One and one of the less obvious easter eggs is the "Goldie Wilson For Mayor" poster hanging in Aech's hangout space as Parzival gets ready for his date with Art3mis. On the opposite side of the mirror, there is a Wil Wheaton For President poster in the same style that is a subtle reference back to the book where Star Trek star Wil Wheaton is the VP of the Oasis Council. 

Greatest American Hero Logo Sticker

One of the hardest easter eggs to spot has to be the Greatest American Hero sticker on Artemis' Akira bike. It's there, but it's tough to see. The Greatest American Hero has an outsized legacy for many in Gen X, as the show only aired for 45 episodes, but the theme song has lived forever. 

He-Man Lunch Box

One of the earliest references in Ready Player One comes as Wade gets ready to enter the Oasis for the first time in the movie. He sets his glasses down on a classic 1980s He-Man lunch box. All the cool kids had them in the '80s. 

The A-Team Van

The van that the A-Team drove in the show by the same name is one of the coolest cars in Hollywood history so it just had to make an appearance here. It's one of many cars on the start line for the race. 

Jack Slater Marquee

Now we're getting meta! On the marquee of a movie theater in the race is the name of the movie "Jack Slater" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is, of course, a reference to another movie-in-a-movie from the '90s movie The Last Action Hero. That movie also has a great soundtrack of '80s songs, like Ready Player One.

Christine

Of all the cool cars in the race scene, maybe the hardest to identify is Christine from the movie Christine. It's a perfect fit for the movie, of course, as another movie based on a Stephen King novel, The Shining, plays a huge role in the movie as one of the challenges for the players to beat. 

A Madball

There were a lot of toy fads in the 1980's. Cabbage Patch Kids, Pound Puppies, Koosh balls, and, as seen in Ready Player One, Madballs. The line of soft squeezable balls with gross-looking faces were a huge hit briefly in the middle part of the decade. In the movie, Art3mis throws a "Dust Brain" version of a Madball into the Mecagodzilla, blowing up Nolan Sorrento's (Ben Mendelsohn) avatar. 

RoboCop

RoboCop is one of two movies that feature Peter Weller's characters in Ready Player One. Parzival dresses as Buckaroo Bonzai for his date with Art3mis, and before that, as Parzival is walking through the Oasis, he walks past an avatar of RoboCop. It's a brief moment and you might not catch it, but it's there. 

Silver Cup Studios

The race through the streets of New York in the movie goes past some iconic NYC landmarks. Wall Street, Chinatown, and the Empire State Building are all seen, as is a less well-known landmark, Silver Cup Studios. The iconic sign on top of Silver Cup Studios in Queens is well known to New Yorkers and fans of The Highlander, as it's destroyed in the climatic battle in the sci-fi fantasy classic. While The Highlander doesn't play much of a role in the film version of Ready Player One, it is quite prominent in the book. 

Leonardo The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

There are tons of fun avatars in the Oasis, far too many to list here. One of the most fun has to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle who walks by Parzival in the Oasis. It's Leonardo, to be exact and there is no mention or even an acknowledgment as he breezes by, smiling.  Just another day in the Oasis. 

Freddy Krueger

Okay, we admit, this one is a little more obvious than most of the easter eggs from Ready Player One on this list, but Freddy Krueger is one of the first '80s references viewers see and he's only one of a number of '80s horror icons in the movie, along with Jason, Chuckie, and more. 

1960s Batmobile

Of all the Batmobiles to use, the fact that director Steven Spielberg chose the one from the 1960s TV show is perfect. Remember, in the '80s, before Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, the Adam West Batman was the definitive live-action Batman. Anything else would have felt weird. 

1980s Cereal Boxes

Ready Player One relies on a lot of nostalgia to succeed, for better or worse, and there is nothing more nostalgic than sitting in front of the TV and watching your favorite Saturday morning cartoons with a big bowl of sugary cereal. Of course, they had to include some examples of the cereal boxes kids were pouring those sugar bombs out of! 

Some of what many would consider to be the greatest movies of all time are also those based on classic and beloved novels. And while there are folks out there who think you don’t need to read the book after watching the movie, there are dozens of examples that prove otherwise. 

From Academy Award-winning dramas to a few landmark fantasy films and just about everything in between, here are 32 books that you might still want to read after you watch the movie. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s start strolling through this library of great titles… 

Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and the Michael Crichton book on which it was based are both cultural touchstones in their respective worlds. And while they share the basic concept of a disaster falling upon an amusement park full of cloned dinosaurs, there are some key differences that make reading the book an entirely different experience.

The Shining  

Stephen King is no fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, the 1980 adaptation of his horror novel of the same name. Kubrick’s version makes all kinds of changes when it comes to the characters (played by Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, and Danny Lloyd) and the overall departure of his original intentions.

The Harry Potter Books

Even though there were eight Harry Potter movies (The Deathly Hallows was split in two) that were all at least two hours long, a lot of material was cut when adapting J.K. Rowling’s popular fantasy books. While we wait for the upcoming Harry Potter series on Max, now would be a great time to go back and read all the novels.

Dune

Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Dune (the second half is due in March 2024) gets a lot of things right when it comes to adapting Frank Herbert’s influential sci-fi epic, but like other movies based on fantasy novels, there’s a lot left on the page. This classic, 896-page epic won't be a quick read but it's a classic. 

To Kill A Mockingbird  

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is considered one of the great American novels, and it's a must-read (if you haven’t already) even after watching the 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. The narration by Scout throughout Lee’s book adds an incredible quality and pacing to the story, a childlike wonder that isn't quite captured in the screen version.

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz  

L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is totally worth reading, especially if you’ve seen the 1939 film adaptation. And while both share similar story components, the original text is full of so much more, including a longer stay in Oz, an army of mice saving Dorothy and company from the poppy field, and very different versions of those well-known characters.

The Hobbit And Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels, some of the best literary experiences of all time, were famously turned into two trilogies by Peter Jackson. And while the movies are awesome in just about every possible way, Tolkien’s original books include so much more story. No extended version could contain all of this.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer 

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer stands a good chance of winning a ton of awards, and rightfully so. But if you want to go back and read more about J. Robert Oppenheimer, his life, and role in the creation of the Atomic bomb, American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s 700-page biography is going to fill in a lot of the blanks.

The Color Purple  

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a Pultizer Prize-winning novel that should be read at least once in your life. Yeah, it was turned into a decorated movie adapted by Steven Spielberg (with a musical-based version coming out in December 2023), but Walker’s rich text and plot threads add so much to the story.

World War Z   

It’s hard to imagine a movie adaptation being less like the source material than 2013’s World War Z. Unlike the movie, which focuses on one character experiencing Hell on Earth, Max Brooks’ novel is set up like an oral history with each chapter focusing on a different, and sometimes, terrifying event, narrated by various characters. 

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption has been the highest-rated movie on IMDb for a very long time, and is considered one of the top-tier Stephen King adaptations. Interestingly enough, the 1994 movie starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is based not on a novel, but a 127-page novella, originally included in the book Different Seasons.

It

Stephen King’s It, all 1,138 pages of it, tells the fascinating and frightening story of a group of kids (later adults) teaming up to defeat a demonic entity multiple times throughout their lives. The 1990 miniseries, and a pair of theatrical releases that followed years later, only touches on part of King’s epic, and the full story must be explored. 

Ready Player One 

Steven Spielberg’s 2018 adaptation of Ready Player One is fun and all, but it’s an almost completely different experience when compared to Ernest Cline’s original novel. There are more than a dozen major differences ranging from minor changes to massive reimaginings of key sequences.

The Martian  

If you got a kick out of the blend of comedy, drama, and intense sci-fi action in Ridley Scott’s The Martian, then Andy Weir’s novel of the same name is going to be something to check out. It has the same tone but more of it.

All You Need Is Kill (Edge Of Tomorrow)

All You Need is Kill was later turned into Edge of Tomorrow (also known as Live Die Repeat) with Doug Liman taking on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel. There were all kinds of changes made for adaptation ranging from its characters and story to how the ending plays out.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower  

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is based on his book of the same name, is a wonderful adaptation that mostly sticks to the source material. However, there are enough changes to make reading the coming-of-age novel worth a read, specifically its epistolary presentation.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump the movie and book are two completely different beasts, so much so that watching and reading each version is an entirely different experience. Nearly every aspect of the story was changed in some way when being adapted into an Oscar-winning film, including Forrest’s personality and its ending. Forrest even goes to space in the book, which never happened in the movie.

Pride And Prejudice 

With so many different adaptations of Pride & Prejudice over the years, sometimes it’s fun to go back and read Jane Austen’s original novel to see how each version sticks, or diverts, from the source material.

I Am Legend 

Though I Am Legend the book and movie follow an almost identical path through the majority of their respective stories, the 2008 film adaptation starring Will Smith makes a drastic change to Richard Matheson’s original novella with its ending. We won’t ruin it for the uninitiated, but it completely changes how you see Dr. Robert Neville. 

2001: A Space Odyssey 

Stanley Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke shared credit on the 2001: A Space Odyssey screenplay, which Clarke later turned into a novelization. In addition to some shifts in the tone and style, the novel also makes the main portion of the story a mission to Jupiter opposed to Saturn as seen in the classic sci-fi epic.

Gone Girl  

We could write a whole article about how David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of Gone Girl differs from Gillian Flynn’s novel. In fact, the entire third act was rewritten by the acclaimed author for the movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

The Accidental Billionaires (The Social Network)

Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book, The Accidental Billionaires, which was later adapted by Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher as The Social Network, details the founding and early days of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. If you’re looking for a more detailed (as surprising as that may be) look at the social media giant, this book will do the trick.

The Hunger Games Books

Some would say The Hunger Games is a better movie than book, but the only way to know for sure is by reading Suzanne Collins’ 2008 young adult dystopian novel and its various sequels (and prequel).

In Cold Blood  

In 1967, Richard Brooks adapted Truman Capote’s 1966 true crime thriller, In Cold Blood, a painstakingly crafted breakdown of a quadruple-murder and the two men who carried out the senseless act of violence. Capote’s words just fly off the page, especially in the tense and foreboding opening chapter. 

Fight Club 

Fight Club the movie and book have the same basic premise: a nameless narrator befriends the man he’s always dreamed of being, starts an underground combat group, and then things get out of hand. However, if you want to see characters and situations not covered in David Fincher’s movie, as well as a different ending, check out Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

Little Women 

There have been a total of seven adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s 19th-century coming-of-age novel, Little Women, each making minor changes of their own over time. If you’ve seen one, two, or all of them, you should probably read the book to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. 

No Country For Old Men 

The Coen brothers’ Academy Award-winning adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men is one of the best films of the 21st century, but the book is also more than worthy of a read. It’s sparse, it’s violent, and features a lot more of Tommy Lee Jones’ character as he provides the narration throughout.

American Psycho 

After making your friends watch American Psycho, why not have a book club with Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name. Surprisingly enough, Mary Herron’s 2000 adaptation is a toned down version of Patrick Bateman’s descent into madness, and cuts back a lot of the central character's outlook on life and other social groups.

Trainspotting  

Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, which was later adapted into a film of the same name by Danny Boyle, is more of a series of short stories than the film starring Ewan McGregor. The book is also written in the Scottish dialect. While the text can sometimes be a challenge, it's never enough to take away from this story that is at times hilarious and other times heartbreaking.

Matilda  

Danny DeVito did an outstanding job bringing Roald Dahl’s Matilda to life back in 1996, but this doesn’t mean it’s a 100% faithful adaptation. This is a good reason to go back and read the timeless children’s book, as it’s similar but different, familiar yet fresh. There are also a number of changes in the 2022 musical inspired by the book, meaning fans of the Netflix movie should check out the book if they haven’t already.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted for screen and stage numerous times, but it’s never too late to go back and read the fantastical and whimsical novel. It’s fun to see how Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Tim Burton’s more faithful 2005 adaptation compare to this fun children’s book with all its bad eggs and imaginative treats.

The Exorcist 

William Peter Blatty wrote both the novel and film versions of The Exorcist, but this doesn’t mean they are entirely the same. The book, which came out only two years before William Friedkin turned it into a movie, is surprisingly even darker, more sinister, and more graphic. On top of that, there are also numerous minor differences throughout its story, so much so that reading it is a fresh experience.

With a whole slew of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations coming to theaters (and streaming services) in the coming months, you can expect to see some major changes to this list in the near future. 

It’s the classic good versus evil. The inherent evilness of adults is thwarted by innocent and resilient kids. Battles between kids and adults have been a staple of movies for decades, but some fights rise about the rest. Here’s the list of some of our favorites. 

The Goonies vs. The Fratellis - The Goonies

In The Goonies, the gang of kids known as the Goonies, played by Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan, Josh Brolin, et al…  are up against a two-front fight against the grown-ups. Some developers want to buy their houses to expand their country club, but the more acute battle is against the bumbling crime family known as the Fratellis. Once they defeat the Fratellis, including the brothers played by Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi, and find One-Eyed Willy’s gold, paying off the developers to win that fight is easy. The Goonies never say die! 

Elliott vs. The G-Men - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

One of Steven Spielberg’s greatest gifts as a filmmaker is keeping a child-like feeling of innocence and wonder about the movies. Surprisingly, there are only a few of his movies where the kids are actually the heroes. The most iconic of which is, of course, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It feels a little trope-y these days, but it set the standard for those tropes, so we’ll let it pass. E.T. is also amazingly well-paced and enjoyable every time you watch it. In the end, it's those innocent kids played by Drew Barrymore, Henry Thomas (as Elliott), and Robert MacNaughton that bring down the mostly faceless government bad guys. 

Parzival vs. IOI - Ready Player One

Decades after E.T., Steven Spielberg was back making a film that put kids against grownups, this time set in a video game, about a teenager triumphing over the bad guys in Ready Player One. Parzival (Tye Sheridan) is our computer-generated hero (and the kid behind the avatar Wade Watts). Together with his band of merry avatars, Parzival takes on the evil IOI corporation and its CEO, Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) in a battle for the soul of the Meta-verse…er…the OASIS.

The Wolverines vs. The Communists - Red Dawn

In director John Milius’ Cold War fever dream Red Dawn, a group of high school students take on an army of Cubans. The plot may be absurd, but the movie will always be a Gen X classic. Released at the height of the Cold War in the eighties, it taps into the psyche of teens who fantasize about what it would be like to form a militia with their high school buddies. Okay, maybe that’s not a popular dream, but it still makes for one hell of a movie. Especially with the all-star cast that includes Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, and Lea Thompson as the Wolverines. 

The Students vs. The Terrorists - Toy Soldiers

Much like Red Dawn, Toy Soldiers imagines what it would be like if a group of terrorists took control of an American boarding school. When the adults that are supposed to take on these situations fail to act, it’s up to the boys, led by Sean Astin and helped out by adult Lou Gossett, Jr., to take the terrorists out. Come to think of it, there sure were quite a few movies like this in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. 

Doug Masters vs. The Bilya Ait Force - Iron Eagle

Okay, now it’s getting ridiculous. In yet another movie about teenage boys taking on large militaries, Iron Eagle pushes believability to the end of its rope. Doug Masters is a high school pilot who wants to join the U.S. Air Force like his dad, but gets bad news when he is rejected from the Academy. But he gets a chance to prove himself when his dad is shot down by the fictional “Bilya” and Masters, played by Jason Gedrick and his mentor Chappy (Lou Gossett, Jr. again) are forced by the military’s inaction to steal a couple of fighter planes and rescue his father themselves. Yeah, it makes no sense on the surface, but it’s still a classic. 

Kevin McAllister vs. The Wet Bandits - Home Alone

No list like this could be complete without the all-time winner in this category. What else can be said about Home Alone that hasn’t already been said a million times? Let’s be real, the plot, with young Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) being left behind as the rest of the family goes overseas, is almost as silly as the military movies on this list. It’s of no matter how we get there though, the movie is a stone-cold classic because of the dozens of ways Kevin thwarts the Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), even if it’s all slightly homicidal and way more violent than it seems at first. 

The Emerson Brothers vs. The Vampires - The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys is a little different, because it’s really a vampire movie, obviously, and vampires are generally centuries old in the movies. Still, it’s a couple of brothers, the Emersons, played by Jason Patric and the late Corey Haim, who are left to battle it out with the undead. In the end, it’s Grandpa that saves the day when he kills the head vampire, Max. 

Katniss Everdeen vs. The Capitol - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games series may be the grandest of all the battles that teenagers fight in these movies and Katniss takes on society itself, in addition to President Snow. The war is won by many more than just Katniss in the end, but it’s her defiance during the 74th Hunger Games that sparks the revolution.

The Cortz’s vs. Fegan Floop - Spy Kids

This is about as classic as it gets. Two kids, unaware that their parents are spies, are sprung into action when their mom and dad are kidnapped by the evil Feegan Floop. Spy Kids is stylish and fun and has held up remarkably well, which explains how it launched a very successful franchise, with a fifth installment set for release later this year on Netflix.

The Students vs. Alien Teachers - The Faculty

One of the weirdest movies of the ‘90s was The Faculty. Starring Fast & Furious mainstay Jordanna Brewster in her first feature film, the movie follows a group of students who discover the faculty of their high school are really aliens… or are they? There are enough twists and turns to make the movie fun, but really, it’s about watching the all-star cast, which in addition to Brewster includes Salma Hayek, Piper Laurie, Josh Hartnett, Famke Janssen, Clea DuVall, Usher, Bebe Neuwirth, Elijah Wood, and Jon Stewart. Yes, that Jon Stewart. 

Miles Morales vs. Kingpin - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The appeal of Spider-Man has always been that he’s just a regular high school kid-turned-superhero. Nothing amps up that appeal quite like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and wow does it work. Miles feels way younger than his fellow Spider-Mans in the MCU, so when he leads the gaggle of Spider-persons in victory over Kingpin and his henchman, it feels like the kids won again. 

The Lost Boys vs. The Pirates - Peter Pan

The classic tale that just might be the origin story for the idea of kids battling the adults to the death is, no doubt, Peter Pan. There have been a whole lot of Peter Pan-based movies in history, from Hook to Neverland but for most people, their introduction, if not through the original book, is Disney’s animated film from 1953. So much of the mythos of the character and his fellow Lost Boys come from it, and it, like most pit Peter against the dastardly Captain Hook, and we all know who’s going to come out on top. 

Stanley And Hector vs. The Warden - Holes

Holes is a very underappreciated movie. Not only was it the breakout film for Shia LaBeouf, who plays Stanley Yelnats, but there are also amazing performances by Jon Voight and Sigourney Weaver. Weaver plays the baddie, the warden of a weird prison for kids called Camp Green Lake, which is neither green nor a lake. And in addition to LaBeouf, there are several other kids among the cast, including Khleo Thomas, who plays Hector "Zero" Zeroni. It’s a classic tale of an adult authority figure lying about what goes on, while the kids are left to prove they are in the right, which, of course, they do in the end. 

Harry Potter vs. Voldemort - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is really a shout-out to the whole Harry Potter series, but Order of the Phoenix fits the best of any one individual film. We finally get to see Harry confront He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It’s hardly the only time Harry and the rest of the Hogwarts student body take on adults, but it is the worst of them all, and of course, like always, the kids outsmart him and win in the end. 

Order of the Phoenix also has several of the Hogwarts students going up against Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Extra credit here goes to Harry and the other students who joined Dumbledore's Army, and to Fred and George Weasley, who defied the professor and her rules with their grand exit from the school.

Looking at this list, it sure seems like this trope is in danger of dying out, and that would be a tragedy if it did. Just reading down the films, you immediately see how different they all are, despite seeming very similar at their core. So here’s to many more decades of the younger generation defeating the older, a tale that we’ll never tire of.

I think it is safe to say that Simon Pegg is the embodiment of every pop culture nerd’s dream come true. For instance, he was raised on the Star Wars movies and would go on to make a cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and also loved the original Star Trek TV show as kid before he was offered the part of Scotty in the cinematic reboot. And, those are just a few of his space movies.

The British actor, comedian, writer, and producer has explored just about ever genre imaginable, and to consistently wonderful effect, on both the big screen and small screen. In fact, narrowing down the best Simon Pegg movies and TV shows is a task not for the faint of heart, but I think I managed to do it pretty well, along with a tip on how to watch them streaming, digitally rent, or physically purchase each title. We shall start with the brilliant comedy series that made him a household name…in the United Kingdom, at least.

Spaced (1999-2001)

A recently dumped young man (co-creator Simon Pegg) and his platonic female friend (co-creator Jessica Hynes, née Stevenson) pretend to be a couple in order to live in a flat that fits their demanding budgetary restrictions.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg TV shows: Simon Pegg officially launched his iconic working relationship with filmmaker Edgar Wright when he and Hynes asked him to direct Spaced - an award-winning, cult favorite comedy series that brilliantly subverts common, relatable sitcom tropes by cleverly incorporating recognizable genre conventions.

Stream Spaced on Tubi.
Stream Spaced on IMDb TV.

Buy Spaced digitally on Amazon.
Buy Spaced on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

A recently dumped slacker (co-writer Simon Pegg) and his best friend and housemate (Nick Frost) try to save their loved ones when London becomes overrun with flesh-eating, reanimated corpses.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg movies: Speaking of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright subverting sitcom tropes with genre conventions, that is essentially what they do with Shaun of the Dead, resulting in not just one of the best horror-comedy movies and most believable zombie movies, but the very first romantic comedy with zombies ever made.

Stream Shaun Of The Dead on Starz.
Rent/buy Shaun Of The Dead digitally on Amazon.
Buy Shaun Of The Dead on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

A forcibly transferred, but competent, police officer (co-writer Simon Pegg) and his new partner and friend (Nick Frost) investigate a series of strange, deadly “accidents” in their quaint, seemingly idyllic village.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg movies: Co-writer and director Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg strike fried gold once again with Hot Fuzz, which is not only renowned for its brilliant blend of comedy with over-the-top, gun-toting action, but Pegg’s earnest and heroic performance and Wright’s masterful visual storytelling. 

Rent/buy Hot Fuzz digitally on Amazon.
Buy Hot Fuzz on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The World’s End (2012)

An aging slacker (co-writer Simon Pegg) and his four childhood friends (including Nick Frost and Martin Freeman) unwittingly become the last hope for humanity when they reunite for an epic pub crawl on the night of a terrifying, apocalyptic invasion.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg movies: Co-writer and director Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg complete what has come to be known as the Cornetto Trilogy with the dazzling The World’s End - their own comedic interpretation of the sci-fi disaster thriller that also sees Pegg and Frost in a refreshing role reversal from the two previous installments.

Rent/buy The World’s End digitally on Amazon.
Buy The World’s End on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Paul (2011)

A pair of British sci-fi fans (co-writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) touring the most famed UFO sightings in the United States cross paths with an actual extra-terrestrial (voiced by Seth Rogen) who has escaped Area 51 after decades of captivity.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg movies: A film that could have been the third installment of the Cornetto Trilogy, if not for Edgar Wright not being involved, was Paul - director Greg Mottola’s hilarious road trip movie that also offers a clever revisionist history of the alien invasion movie genre.

Stream Paul on Starz.
Rent/buy Paul digitally on Amazon.
Buy Paul on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Truth Seekers (2020)

A group of amateur paranormal investigators who post videos on the internet of their adventures scoping out supposedly haunted areas come across a bizarre conspiracy that puts the fate of the world in their hands.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg TV shows: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost would later reunite on the small screen as both co-stars and co-creators of Truth Seekers - an Amazon Prime exclusive series basically made for X-Files fans, that offers a hilarious take on the phenomenon of ghost hunting reality shows. 

Stream Truth Seekers on Amazon Prime.

The Boys (2019-Present)

Feeling vengeful toward the world’s celebrated costumed vigilantes after a devastating tragedy, an electronics store clerk (Jack Quaid) teams up with a former CIA operative (Karl Urban) and his ragtag team to expose corrupt and simply evil superheroes for who they really are.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg TV shows: Fun fact: for Garth Ennis’ original The Boys comic book series, Hughie Campbell was designed by illustrator Darick Robertson to look like Simon Pegg, which is why the then 49-year-old was cast as the character’s father on Eric Kripke’s viscerally brutal and powerfully sardonic TV series adaptation for Amazon Prime.

Stream The Boys on Amazon Prime.

Mission: Impossible Movies (2006-Present)

A highly-skilled, daring agent for a top secret intelligence organization (Tom Cruise) finds himself going rogue and being forced to improvise his way through insurmountable obstacles for the sake of the world’s safety, with the help of his trusted crew.

Why they are some of the best Simon Pegg movies: After first appearing as a technician in director J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible III, Simon Pegg would reprise his role as Benji Dunn in 2011’s Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as a newly minted field agent and has since become one of the Mission: Impossible movies’ most important protagonists, and his tenure is far from over.

Stream Mission: Impossible III on Amazon Prime.
Rent/buy Mission: Impossible III digitally on Amazon.

Stream Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol on Amazon Prime.
Rent/buy Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol digitally on Amazon.

Stream Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation digitally on Amazon.

Stream Mission: Impossible - Fallout on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Mission: Impossible - Fallout digitally on Amazon.

Buy the Mission: Impossible movies on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Star Trek Movies (2009-2016)

The son of a dead space explorer (Chris Pine) leads the crew of the USS Enterprise against a malevolent extra-terrestrial race, a dangerous mole within their organization, and another ruthless enemy they find while stranded on an uncharted planet.

Why they are some of the best Simon Pegg movies: The second time J.J. Abrams cast Simon Pegg in a cinematic adaptation of a cult favorite 1960s television show was in the role of Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in his 2009 Star Trek reboot, which the actor would reprise in Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 and in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond (which Pegg also co-wrote) to unanimous praise.

Rent/buy Star Trek digitally on Amazon.

Stream Star Trek Into Darkness on Hulu.
Stream Star Trek Into Darkness on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Star Trek Into Darkness digitally on Amazon.

Stream Star Trek Beyond on Hulu.
Stream Star Trek Beyond on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Star Trek Beyond digitally on Amazon.

Buy the Star Trek movies on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Ready Player One (2018)

A teenager (Tye Sheridan) who spends most of his time escaping the punishing reality of 2045 in an immersive virtual reality simulation, competes to gain control of the game before a corrupt corporate executive (Ben Mendelsohn) can claim it for himself.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg movies: Simon Pegg has also had the pleasure of working with director Steven Spielberg a number of times, most prominently in the role of OASIS co-creator Ogden Morrow in the Ready Player One cast in this thrilling and often foreboding blast of nostalgia inspired by Ernest Cline’s best-selling novel.

Stream Ready Player One on HBO Max.
Rent/buy Ready Player One digitally on Amazon.
Buy Ready Player One on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Hector And The Search For Happiness (2014)

After a psychiatrist (Simon Pegg) realizes that he can longer give his patients any honest solutions to their problems, he decides to travel the world and seek out what it truly means to be happy.

Why it is one of the best Simon Pegg movies: In one of his more down-to-earth films, Simon Pegg gives heartfelt performance in the title role of Hector and the Search for Happiness - an inspiring drama based on the novel by François Lelord.

Stream Hector And The Search For Happiness on Amazon Prime.
Rent/buy Hector And The Search For Happiness digitally on Amazon.
Buy Hector And The Search For Happiness on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Keep in mind, there will be more upcoming Simon Pegg movies to look forward to after this binge, such as his Mission: Impossible sequels and the animated movie, Hump. Speaking of animated movies about animals, you can also hear Pegg reprise his role as an adventurous, one-eyed weasel in the Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild cast on Disney+. 

People love video games, and people also love movies. So it's really no shock that when Hollywood goes looking for popular IP to turn into films, it looks at video games frequently, despite the fact that the vast majority of movies based on games are unpopular or unsuccessful, or both. However, there is a subset of the video game movie that has proven to be, generally speaking, more popular and more successful than Tomb Raider or Assassin's Creed. Those are the movies that aren't based on existing game properties, but instead take place inside games in largely original worlds. Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy is the most recent success story here.

There have been some great movies set inside the world of games. In some, video game characters come to life. In others, real people enter the world of video games and must learn to follow those rules. I'd argue nothing on this list is actually a bad movie, but only one of them can be the best.

8. eXistenZ

Ok so, eXistenZ is... weird. It's a David Cronenberg movie, and that's really all you need to know to know just how weird it is. Because it's a weird Cronenberg movie, it's not the sort of thing that everybody is going to love. However, if you love weird-ass movies and you missed this one, it's worth checking out. It has Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law, and that right there is a pairing you don't want to miss. It's a movie where video games are played on biotechnology game pods that look like lumps of melted flesh. Then you jack into them like The Matrix, even though that looks like the last thing in the world a sane person would want to do.

7. Ready Player One

Ready Player One was an incredibly popular book that went hard on the 1980s nostalgia. It created an online video game that basically consumed the entire internet and turned the whole thing into a pop culture reference machine. When Steven Spielberg took on the movie, he was able to reshape the reference-fest into a surprisingly strong movie. It follows a collection of gamers as they scour the four corners of their massive online game for the clues that will solve a puzzle and give them total control of the game. The movie is the superior version of the story, and the references are great if you're into them.

6. Jumanji: The Next Level

The third Jumanji movie is the second one to use a video game structure in its plot. While it's maybe not as good as its predecessor, Jumanji: The Next Level is still a fun movie. It adds some brand new characters, which allows the video game avatar versions of those characters to do more and stretch their acting chops a bit. It also still has all the fun video game action that we've now come to expect from this franchise.

5. Tron

There was an era when setting a movie inside of a video game was essentially impossible. Once upon a time, games either didn't exist or were so simple that you couldn't build characters there. Arguably, this was still the case in 1982, and yet Tron was born and it worked. The grandfather of all the movies on this list, Tron see Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) transported inside a computer, where he travels among the programs, like Brice Boxleitner's Tron, in an effort to take down the Master Control Program. Tron wasn't a massive hit in its day, but it was a technical achievement that paved the way for computer-based effects, which nearly every movie relies on today.

4. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

While the first Jumanji movie brought a board game to life, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle upgraded the premise for the digital age. It brought four characters inside a video game world with a quest to complete. Each avatar had special abilities and weaknesses that needed to be managed. All the mechanics of video games play into the story, allowing the movie to go big with the action in every conceivable way. And with a "rock" solid cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black, Welcome to the Jungle is just too much fun.

3. Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy was the sequel that we never thought we'd see. While the original film became a cult hit, those don't often get expensive sequels. While Legacy might not have pushed movie special effects into an entirely new world the way the original film did, it was among the early examples of digital de-aging technology (which, I'll admit, has aged poorly, but was still impressive in its day). And Tron: Legacy is honestly better than its predecessor in every other way. The action scenes are stronger, the characters feel more, well, alive, and the soundtrack is one of the all-time greats. Now if we could only get that third movie.

2. Wreck-It Ralph

There may be many movies that take place inside actual video games, but Wreck-It Ralph is one of the few that doesn't try and send a normal human inside the game somehow in order to give the audience a reason to care. Wreck-It Ralph is entirely about the characters that live inside the game, but there's no way we're not going to end up caring about them. The movie follows the titular Ralph, the pre-programmed bad guy of a classic '80s style game who is tired of playing the villain and goes looking for a way to be the hero. While the movie has plenty of the required classic game references, it's in the original characters and the original worlds that the movie truly shines.

1. Free Guy

The newest movie to be set largely inside a video game is, almost certainly, the best. Free Guy follows Guy, played by Ryan Reynolds, who is an NPC inside a video game who begins to grow and evolve on his own. It's funny and it's emotional. It has great video game-based jokes and references, but there's no requirement that you understand any of it as the story works regardless. It's not just a great video game movie, it's a great movie, period. Some of the movies on this list are funny, some have heart and some build strong video game worlds, but Free Guy does all of the above, and also includes a hilarious Chris Evans cameo.

A couple of the movies on this list have already spawned sequels, and the word is Free Guy might get one too, so we certainly haven't seen the end of movies set inside video games. In the end, every movie on this list is better than the majority of movies based on actual game titles. Someday the code will be cracked on movies based on actual game properties, but until then, we'll have these movies that show us the best parts of games and the best parts of movies together.

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Based on the best-selling debut novel by Ernest Cline, 2018's Ready Player One was an expansive sci-fi action-adventure that introduced audiences to a dystopian world which was simultaneously old and new. More specifically, it centered around the disenfranchised lives of wayward strangers who are connected by their desire to discover the lost fortune of mysterious billionaire James Halliday, the creator of the virtual reality world known as OASIS.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance, this '80s loving otherworldly odyssey didn't become a critical darling but it grossed nearly $600 million at the box office and earned an Oscar nomination for its visual effects. Now that it's been over three years since this blockbuster blasted onto the big screen, what is the Ready Player One cast doing now? Put on your virtual reality goggles and take a look!

Tye Sheridan (Wade Watts/Parzival)

As Wade Watts, i.e. Parzival, an avid Gunter who frantically searches for clues hidden inside the OASIS in order to unlock James Halliday's lost fortune, Tye Sheridan played the male protagonist in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. Most notably, Sheridan made his debut in Terrence Malick's masterpiece, The Tree of Life. Later, he received his first starring role in Jeff Nichols' Mud. Also, Sheridan plays Scott Summers, i.e. Cyclops, in the X-Men reboot series, which includes X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and Deadpool 2. Additionally, Sheridan can be seen in Joe, The Yellow Birds, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, The Stanford Prison Experiment, and The Mountain.

Most recently, Tye Sheridan headlined the space-based drama, Voyagers. Furthermore, Sheridan appeared in The Night Clerk (which he also produced), Quibi's Wireless, and the video game, Madden NFL 21. Next, he'll be seen in Paul Schrader's The Card Counter. Right now, the actor is filming a role in George Clooney's The Tender Bar. Additionally, Sheridan is signed on to star in Black Flies and The Things They Carried.

Olivia Cooke (Samantha Cook/Art3mis)

In the role of Samatha Cook, better known as Art3mis, a determined Gunter who forms a kinship with Wade, Olivia Cooke played the female protagonist. Most notably, Cooke starred in A&E's Bates Motel. Additionally, the English actress played Becky Sharp in Amazon Prime's mini-series, Vanity Fair. Her other television credits include Modern Love, The Secret of Crickley Hall, and Blackout. Furthermore, outside of TV, Cooke starred in Ouija, The Quiet Ones, Thoroughbreds, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. She's also recognized for her performances in Life Itself, Katie Says Goodbye, The Limehouse Golem, The Signal, and last year's Sound of Metal. Additionally, the young talent was seen in One Direction's "Autumn Term" music video.

Most recently, Olivia Cooke starred in Pixie and Little Fish. She also had a starring role in Naked Singularity, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Currently, Cooke is in the midst of filming the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. She's signed on to appear in Apple TV+'s Slow Horses.

Mark Rylance (James Halliday/Anorak the All-Knowing)

Playing the part of James Halliday, i.e. Anorak the All-Knowing, the inventor of OASIS who creates a scavenger hunt that leads to his vast fortune, Mark Rylance is the overarching protagonist of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. Most notably, Rylance won an Oscar for his supporting turn as Rudolf Abel in Spielberg's Bridge of Spies. Later, the actor reunited with the acclaimed filmmaker to play the title role in The BFG. Also, Rylance is a three-time Tony winner through his performances in Broadway's Boeing Boeing, Jerusalem, and Twelfth Night. His other notable film credits include Dunkirk, The Gunman, The Other Boleyn Girl, Hearts of Fire, Anonymous, and Blitz.

Last year, Rylance starred in Waiting for the Barbarians and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Next, he'll be seen in Terrence Malick's The Way of the Wind, Adam McKay's Don't Look Up, The Outfit, and The Fantastic Flitcrofts. Also, Rylance will appear in Brady Corbet's The Brutalist and he'll soon reunite with Simon Pegg for Peacock's The Undeclared War.

Ben Mendelsohn (Nolan Sorrento/IOI-655321)

As Nolan Sorrento, a.k.a. IOI-655321, the malicious head of IOI who savagely hunts for James Halliday's Easter Egg in order to take over the OASIS, Ben Mendelsohn plays the primary villain. Most notably, Mendelsohn won an Emmy for his supporting turn in Netflix's Bloodline. Outside of television, Mendelsohn is best known for his standout performances as Director Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andrew "Pope" Cody in Animal Kingdom, and Talos in Captain Marvel. Elsewhere, the actor appears in Mississippi Grind, Killing Them Softly, Starred Up, The Dark Knight Rises, Robin Hood (2018), The King, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Darkest Hour.

Most recently, Ben Mendelsohn produced and played Ralph Anderson in HBO's The Outsider. He's also seen in Babyteeth and heard in HBO Max's Infinity Train. Next, the actor stars in Joe Wright's Cyrano. He also recently filmed the thriller, Misanthrope. Additionally, Mendelsohn reprises his role as Talos in Disney+'s MCU series, Secret Invasion. The actor is also heard in the much-anticipated video game, Squadron 42.

Simon Pegg (Ogden Morrow/Curator)

In the role of Ogden Morrow, i.e. the Curator, James Halliday's best friend and the co-creator of the OASIS, Simon Pegg plays an emotional part in Ready Player One. Most famously, Pegg co-wrote and starred in Edgar Wright'sCornetto film trilogy, which includes Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End. Additionally, Pegg co-wrote and starred in Paul. Pegg plays Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible movies and Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the recent Star Trek blockbusters.

Most recently, Simon Pegg co-created, produced, and starred in Amazon Prime's Truth Seekers. He also produced BBC Two's Out of Her Mind. Additionally, Pegg directed Pom Klementieff's short film, Au Revoir, Chris Hemsworth. Next, the actor will be heard in America: The Motion Picture. Right now, Pegg is reprising his role as Benji in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8. Additionally, Pegg will once again voice the title character in the CG-animated prequel, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. Furthermore, he will reunite with Mark Rylance in Peacock's The Undeclared War.

Lena Waithe (Helen Harris/Aech)

Playing the part of Helen Harris. a.k.a. Aech, Wade's best friend and a fellow Gunter, Lena Waithe made her film debut in Ready Player One. Most notably, Waithe won an Emmy for writing Netflix's Master of None, where she also plays Denise. Additionally, the award-winning television writer created Showtime's The Chi and BET's Boomerang and Twenties. As an actress, meanwhile, Waithe can be seen in Westworld, Netflix's Dear White People, and Hulu's Bad Hair. She also lent her voice to Onward. Furthermore, Waithe wrote for Fox's Bones and Nickelodeon's How to Rock. She also penned and co-produced Queen & Slim. Additionally, Waite produced Dear White People, Step Sisters, Ladylike, The 40-Year-Old Version, and Amazon Prime's Them.

Next, Lena Waithe will star in Master of None Season 3. Additionally, the screenwriter wrote and produced Netflix's Beauty. She's also the producer behind Birth of Cool, A Thousand and One, and the upcoming documentary, The One and Only Dick Gregory.

T.J. Miller (i-R0k)

As i-R0k, an obnoxiously egotistical Gunter who's constantly belittled by Wade, T.J. Miller voiced a minor antagonist in Ready Player One. Making his acting debut in Cloverfield, Miller found fame and acclaim through his standout performance as Erlich Bachman in HBO's Silicon Valley. The comedic actor is also known for his supporting performance in Deadpool 1 & 2. Additionally, Miller lent his voice to The Emoji Movie.

T.J. Miller's other notable movie credits include She's Out of My League, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Office Christmas Party, and Yogi Bear. Furthermore, Miller lent his voice to Big Hero 6 and How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2. Outside of film, the actor wrote, produced, and played the titular character in The Gorburger Show. Most recently, Miller was seen in Underwater and The Stand-In. He was also heard in the short film, Street Walking. The comedian doesn't have any upcoming projects on the docket. After a series of allegations were made against Miller, that might not change anytime soon.

Philip Zhao (Zhou/Sho)

In the role of Zhou, i.e. Sho, a young Gunter on a quest to discover Halliday's Easter Egg alongside Daito, Philip Zhao plays a supporting character in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. This property-mashing blockbuster served as the child actor's screen debut. Likewise, the film remains Zhao's only screen credit; he has no future projects lined up.

Win Morisaki (Toshiro/Daito)

Playing the part of Toshiro, i.e. Daito, a fellow Gunter, Win Morisaki was a reserved character who eventually warmed up to Wade in Ready Player One. Most notably, Morisaki is the lead vocalist of the J-pop boy band, PrizmaX. His other film credits include Shodo Girls, A Yell From Heaven, Parade, Thriller Restuarant, Listen to the Universe, and last year's Humanoid Monster Bela. Additionally, Morisaki is heard in Children of the Sea and the video game, Death Come True. Also, the actor voiced Mr. Mistoffelees in the Japanese dub of Cats.

Last year, Win Morisaki starred in The Real Thing. Most recently, Morisaki was seen in the Japanese drama Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudou. Next, the actor will star in Cherry Blossom Tower.

Hannah John-Kamen (F’Nale Zandor)

As F'Nale Zandor, the steadfast leader of the Sixers, Hannah John-Kamen played a secondary antagonist in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. The actress is most commonly recognized for her performance as Ava Starr, i.e. Ghost, in Ant-Man and the Wasp, andis remembered for her performances as Yalena "Dutch" Yardeen in Syfy's Killjoys, Ornela in HBO's Game of Thrones, and the title role in Netflix's The Stranger. Also, she played the part of Wilhelmina "Helm" Watson in Peacock's short-lived series, Brave New World.

Additionally, Hannah John-Kamen lent her voice to the role of Naia in Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Furthermore, John-Kamen appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Tomb Raider. She was heard in the Dark Souls video game series. Most recently, John-Kamen appeared in SAS: Red Notice. Next, the actress will be seen in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Also, John-Kamen is soon slated to star in the horror movie, Unwelcome.

You can stream Ready Player One on HBO Max here.

The great Steven Spielberg has never really stopped making movies. In fact, he’s continued to direct a new movie just about every other year since his career began. But one major highlight for the legendary filmmaker in recent years was the adaptation of Ernest Cline’s bestselling novel Ready Player One in 2018. The blockbuster was an imaginative spin on the sci-fi concept and now has room to continue following the recent release of Ready Player Two.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One sequel hit bookshelves and became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. The author has shared that he always had the possibilities of sequels in his head while writing the original novel, the production of the Warner Bros movie certainly helped move along the process of penning Ready Player Two. As Cline recalled:

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Ernest Cline shared that the making of the Ready Player One movie inspired him to get working on the sequel. And Steven Speilberg would actually call him up and ask where he was on Ready Player Two. Y’all, imagine the filmmaker behind Indiana Jones and E.T. asking you how your book is coming along? It’s just wild.

Ready Player One was Ernest Cline’s debut novel, and an explosion of a way to break into the industry. It was a widely loved science fiction story about the globally shared virtual universe known as the OASIS and the series of incredible puzzles young Wade Watts seeks to solve in order to inherit its creator’s vast fortune. When one writes something so beloved, it can be rough to follow it up. Cline explained:

And Ready Player Two didn’t quite live up to the expectations of the original, albeit there were impossible expectations that were built up in the past decade of the book’s existence. The book garnered an average of 3.5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads in comparison to the original’s over 4-star acclaim. Critics of the novel call the sequel too much of a rehash of Ready Player One, though overall it has more fans than flakes.

Ernest Cline has shared that a Ready Player Two movie is currently in the “early stages” of being developed. We’d imagine Steven Spielberg would once again be involved, even as a producer. The Ready Player One movie dazzled fans by mixing up a lot of the puzzles from the book and, if the sequel decides to do the same thing, it may take longer to adapt.

Have you picked up Ready Player Two and, if so, what did you think of it? Vote in our poll below and check out all the book-to-movie adaptations coming out this year here on CinemaBlend.

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One of the upcoming movies that a lot of people seemed to really want is the sequel to Space Jam. The original movie combined the Looney Tunes with the most popular basketball player ever and a Nike commercial, and cemented itself in nostalgic history. Moviegoers thought that sequel starring today's version of Michael Jordan was something that really needed to happen, and somehow those fans (Warner Bros) willed Space Jam: A New Legacy starring LeBron James into existence.

We recently got our first real look at Space Jam: A New Legacy in the form of the film's first trailer, and the result was...interesting? While the new Space Jam will contain basketball and it will have Looney Tunes, it will also have a lot more. The trailer reveals a movie that is basically the WB cinematic universe, with references to everything from Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, to Hanna-Barbera cartoons and more. It's reminding people a lot of another movie they've seen before, and not the original Space Jam. Instead, it's more like Ready Player One.

Ready Player One was about a virtual reality video game where essentially any pop culture property you could think of existed. Those properties took the form of different worlds within the game space, and here we're getting something very similar. Between the original novel and the Steven Spielberg film based on it, there were almost more easter eggs and references than there was plot-- because in many ways the references were the plot. While it's unclear from the trailer just how important all these references are to the movie itself, it does appear they'll be all over the movie, and much like Ready Player One, there are going to be an insane number of character appearances to sift through.

In the end, if it weren't for the basketball game at the center of the plot and the fact that the main human actor is an actual professional basketball player, then Space Jam: A New Legacy would be nearly unrecognizable as a Space Jam film. There's so much more going on here that was never part of the original 1996 original starring Michael Jordan. It's difficult to not imagine that movies like Ready Player One played a part in inspiring the movie that A New Legacy turned into. It also has the benefit of making the sequel feel less like the original, although it still resembled another project.

It's sort of impossible to not draw the parallels between Space Jam: A New Legacy and Ready Player One, especially because both are Warner Bros. films. Many of the easter eggs and references in Ready Player One were from WB films simply because they were the easiest references to make, and that means that we're getting a lot of identical references in the two movies, including what appears to be a significant role for The Iron Giant in both films.

And there will likely be more. Certainly Space Jam: A New Legacy isn't giving up all its cards in the trailer, and so we can likely expect the new film to look even more like Ready Player One before it's all over.

Who else is ready to return to the OASIS? We're nearly a month away from the release of Ernest Cline's latest novel, Ready Player Two, the much-anticipated sequel to the 2011 sci-fi novel Ready Player One. For years, details on the anticipated sequel were pretty impossible to come by, but now that the release is so close (November 24!), we know a few exciting things about the book, including the plot.

We're going off of the official description of the book for a couple of these, but there are some other interesting tidbits I've pulled together about the book's release as well. Also, this article contains a couple of big spoilers from Ready Player One, but if you haven't read the book yet, it's unlikely you're clamoring for details about the sequel. Still, if you've only seen the movie, I suggest turning back now and reading the original book, which plays out a bit differently though it gets to a similar conclusion.

There's A Game-Changing Technological Advancement For The OASIS

The synopsis for the book starts out by explaining that mere days after Wade Watts wins the hunt for the eggs and secures his place as the heir to the OASIS, he discovers "a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous -- and addictive -- than even Wade dreamed possible."

This new technological advancement sounds amazing... or does it? The "and addictive" part gives me pause. At the end of Ready Player One, Halliday discourages Wade from hiding inside the OASIS forever. He considered that a lesson he learned too late in life. So maybe there's a reason he left this new piece of technology in the vault, rather than upgrading the OASIS before he died.

That brings us to the next bit of information we got from the description...

There's A New Quest Offering A Mysterious Prize

Along with the technological advancement found in the vault is a riddle with a new quest for Halliday's last Easter Egg, which hints at a mysterious prize. This is another great tease in the book's description, as we know Halliday's a quirky guy. It could be anything. Wade's avatar is already immortal and all-powerful as of the end of Ready Player One. What could possibly top that? 

I'm also wondering if we're going to see all of Wade's quest for the final Easter Egg. It took Wade years to crack the first clue in the original hunt for the eggs. Will we dive straight into the hunt for this new prize in Ready Player Two? Or will the story move drastically forward in time after the introduction and pick up at a later point in his ownership of the OASIS, where he's still searching for Halliday's last Easter egg but also busy running things in cyberspace? We'll have to wait and see.

There's A New Rival In Town 

The description also mentions a new rival, one who is "unexpected, impossibly powerful and dangerous." Who is this person and what is it that he wants? The obvious assumption would be the OASIS, but maybe there's more to his motives, as the description notes that he's willing to kill millions to get what he wants, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. With "two worlds at stake," it seems like a big step up in the danger department from the greedy and occasionally murderous Sorrento and IOI in Ready Player One.

Ready Player Two Appears To Be About The Same Length As Ready Player One 

Moving beyond what we know about the story, let's look at some of the other details making the rounds. Penguin Random House has Ready Player Two's page count at 384, which is the exact same number of pages as Ready Player One's hardcover edition. So it's looking like the sequel will be the same length. The audiobooks actually differ slightly, assuming what's listed on Audible for Ready Player Two is the accurate length and not an estimation. Ready Player One's audiobook clocks in at 15 hours and 40 minutes, while Ready Player Two currently shows a length of 16 hours even.

Wil Wheaton Will Narrate The Ready Player Two Audiobook 

If you're an audiobook listener, you may remember that Wil Wheaton narrated Ready Player One. According to what Ernest Cline told Wheaton at the New York Comic-Con panel earlier in October, Wheaton was the one and only person on his list of suggested narrators for the first audiobook. Cline said he was "just blown away" by Wheaton's past narration. The former Star Trek: The Next Generation star has provided narration for a number of audiobooks, including numerous John Scalzi novels, as well as Joe Hill's Full Throttle and an Audible exclusive edition of Andy Weir's The Martian. Wheaton is confirmed to return to the OASIS for the narration of Ready Player Two. The audiobook is expected to release on the same day as the hardcover.

Is Ready Player Two Going To Be Adapted To A Movie? 

I wish I could include this as a thing we know about the book, but as of right now, it's unclear what -- if any -- the plans are to bring this followup to the big screen or whether or not Steven Spielberg is available or interested in returning to direct. Ready Player One earned nearly $583 million at the worldwide box office and reviews were largely positive among critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 72%. While there's been no announcement about plans for a followup to the 2018 film, perhaps the arrival of the new book will stir up interest and we'll get some good news in the future.

And that's about all we know so far. But honestly, that's enough for me. As fun as it might be for Ernest Cline to drop some clues about some of the references we might find in Ready Player Two, part of the joy of reading the first one was the constant sprinkle of retro references throughout the book. It's going to be very exciting to see what's in store when Ready Player Two arrives on November 24, 2020. If you haven't already, pre-order it here.

Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One seems ripe for a sequel. There’s an endless array of pop-culture references that can power a story like the one that we way in the book (and Steven Spielberg movie), so all it should require is a new quest on which Wade Watts, aka Percival, can go on now that he has unlocked the mysteries of the OASIS and solved James Halliday’s series of riddles.

As it turns out, the Austin-based author DOES have a follow-up story coming to bookshelves, and now we know its storyline. Titled Ready Player Two, the novel will pick up where the original story left off, with Wade taking over Halliday’s empire. Only, in the vaults of the eccentric gamer’s estate, he unlocks yet another powerful tool that will attract all sorts of enemies. EW has the official book description, which reads as such:

Sounds like a sequel! But does it sound like a movie? As you know, Steven Spielberg directed the adaptation of Ready Player One back in 2018, with X-Men star Tye Sheridan playing the lead role of Wade. Would they like to return to a film sequel? Sheridan recently was asked this by ComicBook, and he admitted:

Textbook safe answer. The bottom line is that Ready Player One earned $582 million at the worldwide box office, which should be more than enough to justify a sequel. Steven Spielberg doesn’t even have to return for it. This could be one of these franchise situations where new filmmakers step up and put their imprints on Cline’s world, like when JA Bayona joined Jurassic World, or Steven DeKnight took over Pacific Rim.

Much like Tye Sheridan, we will play the waiting game, and as soon as we have new Ready Player Two news, we will drop a quarter into the slot.

Ready Player One came out in 2018, and you know what? I’m still thinking about it. Having read the book, there are a lot of differences between the movie and the novel that make them totally different in a lot of ways. But that’s half the fun of the film, since so much of it feels fresh and new if you’re already familiar with the story.

We’ve talked about how there’s something about the movie that may be even better than the book, and we’ve also parsed through some of the mystery of the film. But I think we’re far enough from the film’s release that I can now just gush over how insane the movie is with some its pop culture references. So without further ado.

Parzival's Epic Tour of OASIS

Early on in the film, Wade Watts, a.k.a Parzival, describes the virtual world of OASIS. He mentions how you can be pretty much anyone or anything you want in the simulated world. He also says that you can go anywhere you want, too, mentioning how you can climb Mount Everest if you feel so inclined to. But not alone mind you. With Batman!

I love this moment in the film because it creates such an imaginative world right off the bat (no pun intended). Plus, it's different from the book. If you aren’t aware, the book is pretty much entirely dedicated to the ‘80s. And while Batman was definitely in the ‘80s to be sure, the Batman in the movie is a more modern version. So it was mind blowing to know that anything in pop culture, no matter the decade, was fair game for the movie.

The Race For the Copper Key

In order to acquire a copper key to advance to the next challenge, Parzival goes on a wild ride in a DeLorean (because of course he does). The race he enters is utter madness, with cars flipping in the air and crashing with reckless abandon. But the part that really blows my mind is when Parzival's crush, Art3mis, enters the race since she’s riding Keneda’s bike from the cult classic film, Akira.

And the best part is when she does the Akira slide beneath a truck. The Akira slide, if you didn’t know, has actually been imitated in a lot of different cartoons, so it was just cool that it made its way to the big screen and got the homage that it so rightfully deserved.

Parzival Beats King Kong

Speaking of the big race, the final boss of the race is King Kong. And nobody beats King Kong. That’s why the race is so impossible! There’s also a T-Rex in the race, which is obviously its film’s director, Steven Spielberg, having a little fun and referencing his own movie, Jurassic Park.

But back to Kong. Parzival discovers an underground tunnel and drives backward beneath King Kong to win the race. What makes this moment mind blowing, though (besides the fancy driving) is that it actually makes King Kong scary. This is no small feat, since King Kong is rarely scary. Maybe only in Kong: Skull Island does he actually elicit fright. As a huge fan of monster movies in general, I appreciated seeing a terrifying King Kong on the big screen destroying all the cars in the race. Hopefully King Kong can be terrifying again in the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong.

Mechagodzilla Emerges in the Final Battle of Castle Anorak

It’s hard to bring up King Kong without also bringing up Godzilla. In the final, epic battle of the film, the big bad, Nolan Sorrento, who wants to collect all the Easter Eggs and purchase OASIS, unleashes the ultimate weapon when he initiates Mechagodzilla.

The battle is epic, but the most mind blowing part is the fact that this is actually the first American appearance of Mechagodzilla! No lie. None of the three American Godzilla films have featured the big metal behemoth. And while this might offend some, I actually think the Mechagodzilla in Ready Player One is the best Godzilla-related anything we’ve ever gotten from America. I’m sorry, but this Mechagodzilla is actually intimidating, and the Godzillas we’ve produced stateside so far have been anything but.

Daito Uses the Gregarious 120 Artifact to Turn into the RX-78-2 Gundam

In the beginning of the movie, there's a massive battle on Planet Doom for the precious Gregarious 120 Artifact, which would allow anybody to pick the robot of their choice for 120 seconds. Daito wins the battle, and gets the Artifact, which he uses in the climatic battle against Mechagodzilla alongside Aech, who chooses the Iron Giant as her robot of choice.

I remember seeing this scene in the movie theaters, and the audience exploded with cheers when they saw a Gundam fighting Mechagodzilla on the big screen. This is the stuff that my dreams are made of and I still get goosebumps just thinking about the moment.

Everybody and Their Mother Joins the Battle at Castle Anorak

Yeah, I just can’t stop thinking about that final battle. After Art3mis shuts down the Orb of Osuvox, which takes down a shield at the Castle, Parzival shouts a battle cry for the key, and everybody who wants the third Easter Egg mobilizes into battle. The fight is awesome, but the most mind blowing part is the massive amount of different characters from some of my all-time favorite movies, shows and games. Just pause the final battle at any moment, and you’ll find a plethora of characters—Spawn, Gremlins, He-Man—running into the battle. The list just goes on and on.

But my favorite reference of all is of the Battletoads, as all three of them—Rash, Pimple, and Zitz—can be seen racing into the fight. Never in a million years did I ever think I would see my precious Battletoads on the big screen, but I did, and I have Ready Player One to thank for it.

Aech and Company Have to Survive The Shining

And lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the awesome homage to Stanley Kubrick's classic movie, The Shining. In order to get the second key, Parzival and his friends have to survive the horrors at the Overlook Hotel. But there's one huge problem. Aech hates horror movies!

The mind blowing part is all the famous scenes lovingly created for this movie. The blood from the elevator scene, the two twins in the hallway, the naked woman in the bathroom. It all actually plays a major part in the plot, and it’s funny to see Aech’s reaction to it all.

There’s a lot more stuff from the Ready Player One movie that still blows my mind, but those are the seven biggest. What moment (or moments) from Ready Player One blow your mind? Sound off in the comments.

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Those doing their part to self-quarantine have likely found themselves looking for new and interesting ways to pass the time. As much as we support your efforts to make the most of the streaming services you subscribe to, there's another way to fill your free time as a family and no screens are required.

Audiobooks are a great way for families to spend time together and get some reading done at the same time. I'm speaking from personal experience, as "books on tape" were my family's main means of entertainment on road trips when I was a kid. While you might not have a road trip planned in the near future, it's quite possible your family is dealing with an abundance of free time these days. Not only do audiobooks leave everyone's hands and eyes free for puzzles, arts and crafts, cleaning out the garage or whatever other projects are lined up to get done at home, with a well produced audiobook, you're also getting a top-notch reading experience from some world-class narrators. It's with that in mind that I share some recommendations for great audiobooks that should work well for the whole family.

Full disclosure: These are just some of my recommendations for great audiobooks to consider. If you're uncertain whether or not a book is appropriate for your child, I've also provided the link to Common Sense Media's review for each book, which should offer you more insight into the contents of the book and their recommended age bracket.

Finally, all of the books on the list are available through Audible/Amazon. A subscription is NOT required to purchase an individual book through Audible/Amazon, however, with Audible's credit system, a subscription may be a cost-saver if you plan to purchase several audiobooks.

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

We'll start with Harry Potter, because you really can't go wrong with J.K. Rowling's beloved tale of magic and adventure. The story of an orphaned kid who learns he's a wizard truly lives up to the massive hype. What's more, the Harry Potter audiobooks are fantastic. Jim Dale rightfully won two Grammys and several Audie Awards for his voice work on the U.S. release of these audiobooks. To say that he "does all the voices" for the characters, in addition to providing excellent narration of the story feels like an understatement. Dale delivers a brilliant performance throughout the run of these seven books, painting a picture in our minds of each and every character. Even if you've read the Harry Potter books multiple times, the audiobooks are a great way to revisit this story. 

Get the Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Audiobook here.

Common Sense reviews for all Harry Potter Books.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Harper Lee's beloved story is one my family listened to on a road trip when I was a child and I never forgot the experience, nor the story. Set during the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the point of view of Jean Louise Finch (aka Scout), a little girl whose father, Atticus Finch, is called to defend a black man who has been accused of sexually assaulting a young white woman. Harper Lee gives us the opportunity to try to understand the world from Scout's perspective, with themes that include racism, growing up and the importance of community, friendship and family.

Sissy Spacek handles the narration for the To Kill A Mockingbird audiobook, offering a gentle southern accent to Scout's POV.

Get the To Kill A Mockingbird Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for To Kill A Mockingbird.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Whether or not you've seen one of the film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's classic story, Little Women is a must-experience for kids and adults alike. The story of four sisters coming of age in the 19th century is a beloved classic for a reason. Audible actually has multiple versions of the audiobook available, including the recently-released Audible Original production performed by Laura Dern (who played Marmee in the most recent feature adaptation of the book) and a full cast of narrators to handle the additional voices.

Get the Little Women Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Little Women.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

So long, and thanks for all the fish! Why not escape Earth for a bit with Arthur Dent, a man who's rescued from Earth just before the planet is demolished. He and the alien who rescues him, Ford Prefect, embark on an adventure around the galaxy. Full of humor and adventure, Hitchhiker's Guide is the kind of adventurous sci-fi that the whole family can enjoy. And the audiobook is read by the great Stephen Fry, so it has that going for it too. If you like the first book, Douglas Adams has a whole series that follows.

Get the first Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Book 1.

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Even if you've already seen the movie, Ernest Cline's Ready Player One is a must-read for (slightly older) kids and parents alike. Set in the future and brimming with '80s nostalgia, the story centers on a kid who's trying to win a Willy-Wonka-like tournament in the hopes of earning the keys to the OASIS, which is effectively the internet of the future, a virtual reality world where people work, attend school, shop, socialize and play video games. While the core of the book remains intact in Steven Spielberg's feature adaptation, a lot of the story plays out differently in the book, which is why this one is well worth a listen for fans of the film. Oh yeah, and did I mention Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook?

Get the Ready Player One Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Ready Player One.

James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl

Speaking of Willy Wonka, while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory might've been the obvious pick for a list like this, I went with James and the Giant Peach, as it's a childhood favorite of mine and one of Roald Dahl's best. The story follows and orphaned kid named James who's forced to live with his aunts after his parents die. His adventure begins after he drops some magic crystals near an old peach. 

Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt, the audiobook is a great option for families looking for a story on the shorter side, as it only takes about three hours to get through. But if you're looking for more Roald Dahl stories, Audible has a collection available that includes James and the Giant Peach along with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Enormous Crocodile & The Magic Finger.

Get the James and the Giant Peach Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for James and the Giant Peach.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

If you're looking for adventure with a darker tone, you really can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Whether or not Disney gets around to adapting this gem of a story for the big screen remains to be seen, but kids and adults will undoubtedly appreciate Gaiman's story about a kid named Bod who's growing up in a graveyard and being raised by ghosts. Who better to narrate Neil Gaiman's book than the author himself? Ok, this might not be the case with all authors and their audiobooks, but the English writer does a lovely job of bringing this dark, magical tale to life.

Get The Graveyard Book Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for The Graveyard Book.

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

Another great option for an enchantingly humorous audiobook experience is Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, beginning with the first book, A Bad Beginning. So bad it's good? Yes. Even if you've seen the 2004 feature adaptation starring Jim Carrey as the villainous Count Olaf, or the Netflix series starring Neil Patrick Harris, these books are well worth a listen for families interested in joining the orphaned Baudelaire children as they attempt to evade the grasp of said Count.

Why is the audiobook a must-listen? Two words: Tim. Curry. The first book in the series offers narration by the excellent Tim Curry and and multiple other cast members providing voices to the narration.

Get the first A Series of Unfortunate Events Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1.

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

Kenneth Branagh's Artemis Fowl is expected to come to the big screen this year, so now's as good a time as any to read the book before it does. The first book in Eoin Colfer's series introduces us to the titular character, a millionaire, genius and criminal mastermind who also happens to be a 12-year-old kid who's about to embark on a magical adventure. Nathaniel Parker (Merlin, The Haunted Mansion) narrates the audiobooks in this series, including the first one, which clocks in at a reasonable six hours and change.

Get the first Artemis Fowl Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Artemis Fowl Book 1.

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

Adapted twice for the screen, once in 1985 for a PBS TV movie and again in 2007 with a feature adaptation from Gabor Csupo, Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terebithia, a story about two kids who create a magical kingdom in their imaginations, where both of them rule. Narrated by Robert Sean Leonard, the unabridged audiobook clocks in at an easy three and a half hours, which makes this story of friendship a great option for families looking for a relatively quick read.

Get the Bridge to Terabithia Audiobook here.

Common Sense review for Bridge to Terabithia.

Bonus:

If you're looking for more of the classic variety, try:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou (author and narrator)

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition - Anne Frank (read by Selma Blair)

The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum (read by Anne Hathaway)

Peter Pan - J.M Barrie (read by Christopher Cazenove)

Dune - Frank Herbert (read by multiple narrators)

Animal Farm - George Orwell (read by Ralph Cosham)

The X-Men franchise is coming to a close. Not necessarily by choice, but more by circumstance. Dark Phoenix, which opens in theaters tonight, will serve as the last X-Men movie made under this existing banner, and likely will be revived by Marvel Studios as part of the MCU in years to come.

Tye Sheridan, who plays Cyclops in the two most recent X-Men movies, joins the ReelBlend podcast this week to discuss his time in the role, his views on the series potentially going to the MCU, some behind-the-scenes secrets on the filming of these huge X-Men movies, and so much more.

Naturally, because Sheridan also played Wade Watts in Ready Player One – a beloved movie for the ReelBlend guys – we also had to pepper him with questions ab out filming that movie and working with Steven Spielberg. Tye can text Spielberg any time he wants. That makes Kevin super jealous.

Press play on this week’s episode. It’s a great listen!

In addition to the cool Dark Phoenix talk, the guys this week contributed more insight into Christopher Nolan’s next movie, Tenet. They break down the trailer for James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari. Jake and Sean review Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And Jake tells everyone why they should be watching Chernobyl on HBO.

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV.

ReelBlend has its Patron Saints. Christopher Nolan. Martin Scorsese. Steven Spielberg. But that doesn’t mean that we blindly follow the words and thoughts of these filmmakers. Sometimes, we vehemently disagree with something that one of our icons has said… which makes this week’s ReelBlend all the more interesting.

Episode #59 of the weekly podcast kicks off with a description of Nolan’s next film. And if you want to hear three brains simultaneously melt, then explode, listen to Sean, Kevin and Jake read the logline for Nolan’s new movie. It sounds incredible. The hard part will be waiting for this movie to get into theaters!

Speaking of theaters, the ReelBlend guys transitioned to the big conversation of the week, which is Steven Spielberg’s belief that no movie made for a streaming service should be eligible for an Oscar – even if it gets a theatrical release. Spielberg allegedly sided with Green Book over Roma in the recent Oscar competition, mainly because Alfonso Cuaron (yet another Patron Saint of ReelBlend) made his deeply personal movie for Netflix.

Spielberg wants to implement rule changes that would block films like Roma from competing for Oscars. The guys have a lot to say on this topic, so give it a listen.

Only Kevin managed to see Captain Marvel before the guys recorded this week. Jake and Sean will have seen it by next week, which mean you all have homework. Go see it before Episode #60, because while Kevin teased his reaction to Marvel’s latest in this episode, the guys will take a full dive in next week’s show, spoilers left and right.

The #Blend Game this week was dedicated to a personal favorite of the ReelBlend hosts: Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. They played #ChivoBlend, and Sean’s pick literally stunned Jake and Kevin. It’s times like this, we wish that we still did the Facebook Live video.

Finally, the boys have a very big announcement about a future meet up that we hope people can make it to. Listen all the way to the end for details!

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV.

Never mind Lady Gaga, Warner Bros. is the real star that rose in 2018. Disney seems to own just about everything at this point, so it's no surprise when one of its brands tops the box office. But Warner Bros. deserves a hat tip for still managing to set a new box office record during the same year as Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Incredibles 2.

Warner Bros.'s worldwide box office passed $5.6 billion in ticket sales, Variety reports, which was its biggest year to date, and up 9% from 2017. Much of the credit for that is being given to Aquaman -- DCEU's top movie worldwide, and it's still going strong into 2019 -- but also The Meg, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Ready Player One. More on their respective contributions in a minute.

That worldwide total is from a combination of roughly $1.95 billion domestic and $3.6 billion foreign. The foreign box office marked a jump of 17% from 2017, topping the previous record of $3.17 billion from 2014.

So the big story here is WB's improvement at the overseas box office, and how much that helped it reach a new record overall. It's also a promising story for moving forward, since the international box office was such a major player in 2018 in general -- from WB's Aquaman to Sony's Venom. It's no longer a death sentence for a studio or franchise if the U.S./Canada crowd sniffs at your movies.

As Variety noted, Warner Bros.'s 2018 saw record years in 21 territories -- including the all-important China, but also Russia, and Ukraine. Movies like Ready Player One and Rampage that did only OK business at the North American domestic box office were able to make big bucks overseas.

The DCEU's Aquaman just opened on December 21, but it was Warner Bros.'s top-grossing title of the year, with $866 million worldwide and counting. So far -- as of the first week of January 2019 -- $229M of that is from the domestic market and $637M from the foreign box office. We keep talking about the impact of China, and it has given Aquaman $261,246,391 on its own.

WB's second-biggest hitter was the Fantastic Beasts sequel, Crimes of Grindelwald, which picked up $629 million worldwide, from $157.5M domestic and around $472M worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. That's actually less than the first film ($814M total, from $234M domestic, $580M worldwide) but it was enough to take second for WB in 2018.

Ready Player One is another film that "only" made $138 million at the domestic box office but picked up $445 million overseas for a total of roughly $583 million, putting it behind Aquaman and Grindelwald. Jason Statham's The Meg also did big business overseas for the team -- earning $145.5M domestic and $385M foreign for a total around $530M.

Smaller films like A Star Is Born and Crazy Rich Asians also made money for WB, especially at the domestic box office, in a flip of the blockbusters script. Their lower budgets and high U.S. takes made for nice profits -- plus, it's looking like A Star Is Born is going to have its name-dropped multiple times at the 2019 Oscars.

So Warner Bros. ended 2018 just behind Disney for market share. That's what usually happens anyway, but at least this year WB can pop some champagne over its biggest year to date. We'll have to wait and see how 2019 treats the studio. It's looking like a big one for the Mouse House, but there's so much crowded into the year that moviegoers are going to be the real winners.

The following contains potential spoilers for several films.

While we all love movies and going to the theater, most of us can't see everything on the big screen This means making decisions about which movies are "must see" on those massive movie screens, and quite frequently, those movies tend to be big action blockbusters. After all, there's nothing quite like seeing a big blowout action scene in a dark theater on a giant screen.

2018 was a great year for action. From the always reliable comic book genre, to the even more reliable Tom Cruise, there were some beautifully choreographed fight scenes, perfectly shot stunts, and some spectacular CGI moments that made us run out of popcorn long before the credits began to roll. Here are my favorite action moments of the past year.

Black Panther - T'Challa Vs. Killmonger

2018 gave us three spectacular Marvel Studios movies and it started off with a bang with Black Panther. It was a remarkable movie for any number of reasons but one of the most important was the way the story used its villain, Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger. He's the film's "bad guy" but he has one of the most relatable, and potentially justifiable, motivations of any character in the MCU.

This is what makes the first battle between Killmonger and T'Challa so good. The fight scene isn't simply an excuse for action, it's an important moment that helps tell the story, as all action scenes should. We learn a great deal about both characters, especially Killmonger. While Black Panther ends with the traditional Marvel CGI spectacle, this fight scene is much simpler. Nobody has superpowers, and nobody is wearing magic armor. This makes the fight much more visceral. The audience feels like an actual spectator standing at the waterfall, along with all the other characters of the film.

Pacific Rim Uprising - Tokyo Battle

Just because it's nice to get a simple one-on-one fight sequence now and then, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the massive CGI-filled action explosion. Pacific Rim Uprising certainly gave us that in a huge final battle that destroyed several kaiju, a few giant robots, and most of Tokyo.

Where the original Pacific Rim was a remarkably grounded story considering its premise, the sequel went all-in on the fact that it was really just a giant monster fighting movie and wore it like a badge of honor. The big blow out fight at the end sees multiple robots taking on multiple monsters,which heralds that many more cool weapons, satisfying monster deaths, and by the end, it seems everything capable of combusting has exploded in a glorious display. It's movie fun in its purest form.

Ready Player One - Race For The Copper Key

While most movies save the best for last, Ready Player One decided the best way to engage the audience was to jump into a massive action setpiece from practically the very beginning. The first challenge our hero Parzival must overcome is part race and part demolition derby, and part easter egg hunt for the audience.

Almost as soon as we are introduced to the OASIS, we jump into the race that sees our main character jump behind the wheel of the Back to the Future Delorean and race against countless other characters. Other vehicles are being taken down by competing racers as well as the various obstacles of the course like dinosaurs and King Kong. It's a remarkable introduction to the digital world we'll be spending most of the movie inside, and one you'll want to watch again and again if only to find all the pop culture references that went by too fast to see the first time.

Avenger's Infinity War - Captain America To The Rescue

The massive final battle is probably the most memorable action sequence in Avengers: Infinity War. However, it's so big and overwhelming that, while there are some absolutely spectacular moments in it, we never really feel like we're actually seeing the entire battle, it's just too big. This is why the much smaller sequence where Captain America, Falcon, and Black Widow come to the rescue makes the list. It's far more satisfying.

This is really the finale of a larger sequence that starts with Wanda and Vision under attack from two members of Thanos' Black Order, but from the moment we hear the opening strains of the Avengers theme, we know we're in for something special. Cap comes out of the shadows, but he's really just a distraction so Falcon can fly in and kick somebody in the face. Then Black Widow comes in and shows us why she's so deadly. It's one of the few moments where our heroes get a definitive victory in the movie. The Order gets completely dismantled by our heroes. It's only a couple of minutes long, but it's beautiful.

Deadpool 2 - Convoy Assault

What happens when you put one of the guys who directed John Wick in charge of a comic book movie franchise? You get some of the best action scenes the genre has ever had. Deadpool 2 is full of great action, but the highlight has to be the assault on the convoy in an attempt to rescue Russell from Cable.

From the beautifully choreographed way that Domino's luck is demonstrated, to the close quarters hand-to-hand fighting and gunplay, pretty much everything about this sequence is fun to watch. It's easy to overlook just how good the action is because you're laughing so hard but it's clear that director David Leitch has done his best to make Deadpool 2 a great action movie as well as a great comedy.

Incredibles 2 - Train Chase

The original Incredibles was one of the best superhero movies ever made when it was released, and while the sequel doesn't hit quite that high note, it's a perfectly solid movie both as a Pixar family drama and a superhero action movie.

The sequel is Elastigirl's time to shine, and she certainly does with a solo action sequence that shows us just how formidable a hero she really is. Starting with a high-speed chase on a specially designed motorcycle and moving on to trying to stop a runaway train, this animated action scene is as good anything we saw in live action this year, and better than a lot of it too.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout - HALO Jump

If a year ever comes where a Mission: Impossible movie doesn't make a list like this, then it's probably time to hang up the franchise. You can always count on Tom Cruise and company to put on a stunning visual display and Mission: Impossible - Fallout was no exception.

It's hard to choose which big action setpiece from the film should be on the list, and I'm not filling up half the list with this one movie. In the end, it has to be the most impressive stunt, the HALO jump that saw Tom Cruise actually jump out of an airplane, several times, at a height no actor had ever jumped out at before. If that had been all, it wouldn't have made this list. But we then see Cruise pull off some impressive action, in three long take sequences, that just ups the impressiveness of this to new levels.

The Meg - Final Battle

At the polar opposite from Tom Cruise pulling off one of the most impressive practical stunts in film history is Jason Statham versus a giant shark. Movies are weird man.

The Meg is a movie that takes itself only as seriously as it needs to and then lets the rest just go crazy. While the massive megalodon only terrorizes our band of heroes for most of the film, in the finale the creature gets loose and goes after a beach full of vacationers. The mayhem is off the charts and it only gets crazier when Jason Statham and his friends start firing torpedos at the thing from single passenger submersibles. It's bonkers in all the best ways and so much fun to watch.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Spider-Man vs. Kingpin

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a movie that has justifiably been receiving acclaim from pretty much all corners of the film world. It somehow is able to be the seventh starring role for the wall-crawling hero in less than two decades while also being one of the most unique movies in years.

In the movie's finale, the alternative universe plot and the unique and creative art design come together beautifully, creating a fight between Spider-Man and Kingpin where basically anything can happen, and it usually does. The ground beneath their feet and everything around them is always in flux, so you're never quite sure what's going to happen next. Yet, the focus is always on the characters, and the young Spider-Man's first chance to prove, mostly to himself, that he is worthy of taking up the title of Spider-Man.

Aquaman - Black Manta/Rooftop Chase

Aquaman is a movie full of impressive visuals mostly having to do with the creation of the underwater kingdoms. However, the best action sequence in the film actually takes place entirely on land. It sees Arthur Curry and Mera doing battle with Black Manta and a collection of Atlantean soldiers.

What makes this sequence so great is the way James Wan has fun with the camera. Our two lead heroes get separated early on in the battle, and rather than simply cutting between the two fights, The camera smoothly transitions between the two. We see Mera running across a rooftop in the background of a fight between Aquaman and Black Manta. After zooming in on her for a while, the camera pans out to catch Aquaman again later. It's a fun way to follow the action that also allows us to enjoy the beautiful Sicilian scenery.

Warning: spoilers for various films from 2018's release schedule are in play. If you're afraid of spoiling some of the year's most memorable movie moments, bookmark this list and come back later.

2018 was a pretty spectacular year at the movies, and you only need to look back at the release calendar to remember some of the biggest moments of the year. But another, more surprising, way to see how good the year has been to cinephiles and pop culture is to take a look at the most memorable quotes of the year. In that respect, the moviegoers were indeed spoiled.

Normally, it's a firm tradition to have 10 solid lines of dialogue, and that's it. However, 2018 provided 12 moments of wordy wisdom and conversational coziness that demanded the field be expanded. With critics claiming movies aren't as quotable as they used to be, this is something quite special. So break out your notebooks, or print out this list and fasten it to your fridge, because these are the best lines of dialogue the past year has given to moviegoers.

"All these protocols and procedures to make it seem like you have it under control. But you're a bunch of boys making models out of balsa wood. You don't have anything under control!" - Janet Armstrong, First Man

While First Man may have come and gone from the popular conversation at galactic pace, there's still some aspects of the film that made themselves known. In particular, Claire Foy's performance as Janet Armstrong, Neil's beleaguered wife is one that you'll probably be hearing about as the awards season drums continue to beat.

Most assuredly, the big moment that'll make her clip reel is when during the Gemini 8 mission's infamous rough patch, Janet tells off a couple of Neil Armstrong's NASA peers. Janet is the human core to First Man's historical story, and her reactions throughout the film ground the audience's perspective. So this moment of fiery condemnation says what we'd all pretty much be thinking in that scenario, and then some.

"You should have gone for the head." - Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War

Sometimes, the most chilling moments in movie history happen with very little fanfare. Towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the battle of Wakanda suggests that maybe, just maybe, our heroes have defeated Thanos, and prevented the apocalypse. But while Thor buried an ax right into the purple tinted tyrant's skin, it wasn't a total killshot; which lead to some famous last words before Thanos executed The Decimation.

Pivotal moments like this live or die on those "famous last words." If they're too flowery, you can see the moment coming a mile away. However, if they're too cold, the significance doesn't come through as well as it should. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely understand this approach pretty damned well, as they honed in on the right words to clue the audience, and Thor himself, towards the devastation ahead.

"If we're kind and polite, the world will be right." - Paddington, Paddington 2

Ever since the smash hit release of Paddington, the brown Peruvian bear mentioned in the title has become a symbol of the kindness the world wishes to see in itself. His kind but firm nature has been a welcome addition to popular culture, and has inspired the world to be a little kinder.

So the fact that Paddington 2 continued the trend, in particularly divisive times, was a welcome respite from the usual zoom and boom seen at the movies. And leave it to Aunt Lucy to give Paddington Brown the best piece of advice that a young bear, as well as a young moviegoer of the human race, could ever hold onto through such trying events.

"Bok bok, bitch" - Peik Lin, Crazy Rich Asians

Awkwafina has had a hell of a 2018, with her roles in both Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians allowing her to steal the spotlight with the right amount of snark and sass. Out of the two though, her role as Peik Lin, best friend to Constance Wu's Rachel, is the more hard hitting in the comedy world of 2018. With her signature brash attitude, she delivers a pep talk for the ages when it comes to Rachel's issues with her boyfriend's mother.

Even better, Peik rounds out her sound words of advise with a metaphor involving a game of chicken, which is totally ad-libbed but fits perfectly into the panoply of colorful attitude and style that Crazy Rich Asians used to make itself a certified hit. Sure, it's a huge laugh line and it's extremely quotable, but it also stands out as why this film was such a mega hit with audiences, turning it into a cultural statement for this year's push towards diversity.

"Welcome to Jurassic World" - Dr. Malcolm, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

It's the sort of line spoiler-filled trailers dream of being able to run in their ad campaign. In the case of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, it's also a chilling portent that nails the twist ending right on the head. With bookending scenes of testimony courtesy of Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm, there's no better way to say the genie's out of the bottle than to give the storied chaotician this heavy line.

With the dinosaurs out in the wild, and humanity poised to clash with their primal ways in a very immediate way, the callback to John Hammond's triumphant welcome in Jurassic Park ties the legacy of the series firmly to its latest entry. It's creepy, it's doom filled, and it's an uber-effective tease to the next sequel in the series.

"Music is essentially twelve notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It's the same story told over and over, forever. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes." - Bobby, A Star Is Born

It's hard enough to make a film that can stand out in a year as crowded as 2018. But to make a notable remake of a film so oft repeated as A Star Is Born is quite a feat in and of itself. Co-writer / director Bradley Cooper did just that, as he turned the traditional Hollywood story of the fickle nature of fame into a modern masterpiece that captured the hearts and minds of audiences all over.

But even better is the fact that the script to Cooper's modern remake contains such a gem that not only speaks to the nature of music; it also calls its own shot. A Star Is Born has been told so many times, it was a valid concern to bring up the fact that it had been done so many times before. Yet just like those musical notes Sam Elliot tells Lady Gaga about, his viewpoint on the story made it fresh and heartbreaking all over again.

"Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships. 'Cause they knew death was better than bondage." - Killmonger, Black Panther

Black Panther is, without question, one of 2018's largest cultural touchstones. Director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole landed a 1,2 punch of a hit superhero film, coated with social relevance and biting commentary. Perhaps the most poignant moment of such commentary is in the final words of Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger.

As he sits, dying in the light of the Wakandan sun, he issues this last request to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa. Knowing he'd never be free again after the actions he'd done through the film's chain of events, Killmonger's bold statement only draws further dimensions into his character's motivations. It makes him one of the best villains of the year, as well as one of the biggest conversation points to the film's narrative meaning.

"Why do you have to make everything so fucking complicated?" - August Walker, Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Oh, the mighty F-Bomb. In a PG-13 movie, you're only ever allowed one, two tops; so you have to make them count. Sure enough, there were two pretty big movies that used that limited usage in the best way, Mission: Impossible -- Fallout being one of them. Naturally, that moment came out of one of the film's villains.

Henry Cavill's August Walker basically said what every villain wants to say when creating a layered and nuanced plan for revenge against their own Ethan Hunt-like foil. Sometimes, the simplest plan is the one that works best; and seeing as major movie villains haven't learned that lesson over the past few decades or so, August's frustration calls this out in perfectly comedic fashion.

"3 for 1? How can that be profitable for Frito Lay?" - Gary, Game Night

Game Night is the perfect example of taking a stock comedy concept, and injecting some new life into the mix. Nowhere does the film show this more promisingly than in the inclusion of character Gary, played for maximum laughs by Jessie Plemmons. What begins as a simple lie, told to him by Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, turns into one hell of a punchline.

With Gary's overly inquisitive nature not allowing him to let go of the matter, he ponders just how a "3 for 1" deal on chips is not an indication of a party that he's not invited to, but rather a deal too good to pass up. It's the sort of quick a film like Game Night needs to stay fresh, and it's a joke that hasn't lost its crunch since being opened in the early months of 2018.

"We're four misfits who don't belong together, we're playing for other misfits. They're the outcasts right at the back of the room. We're pretty sure they don't belong either. We belong to them." - Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody

The legacy of Queen has always been one that strived to include everyone in the room in on their unique brand of fun and showmanship. If there was any point that Bohemian Rhapsody had to make in its narrative, this is quite possibly the most important. So leave it to Freddie Mercury to be the one to tell the world just what made the band so special to the world.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic that, while not pleasing to critics, knew how to get some significant touchstones absolutely correct. Writer Anthony McCarten's inclusion of such a line boils down the appeal of Queen to one simple statement. It's something that fans have always cherished, and the band has always embodied. In times where music fans may feel left out in their own everyday lives, it's nice to be reminded that somewhere, there's a group of misfits out there waiting for you to join in on the fun.

"It's fucking Chucky!" - Sixer #6, Ready Player One

Behold, the second, and probably more effective F-bomb of 2018. Who would have thought that a nostalgia soaked PG-13 thrill ride like Ready Player One would have brought such "harsh language" to the party? It's Spielberg. No one ever expects him to really play that card. However, knowing his own playbook rather well, it's nice to see that Steven Spielberg can play around with expectations and reality in his own special way.

Thanks to Zak Penn and Ernest Cline's decision to deploy the holiest of holy movie profanities was a pretty big step. The extra cherry on the top is the fact that it pertains to a moment involving Chucky from Child's Play, a well known proponent of such language. It's a moment where pop culture, and the expectations of the material in front of the audience, collide and produce a perfect moment of surprise comedy.

"Anyone can wear the mask. YOU could wear the mask. If you didn't know that before, I hope you do now." - Miles Morales, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

If 2018 had a quote to live by, it would most certainly be Miles Morales' closing lines from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. In a year where personal identity and representation have been two big hallmarks of discourse, having a movie directly address those concerns was a sure fire way to enter the popular conversation. But, as with any message, the right words can turn a simple statement into a bold one.

After having been exposed to many different spider-people in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the audience learns the same lesson that Miles does while stumbling his way into the heroic mold he now occupies: anyone can be a hero. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you do, so long as your intention is pure, and you can stand by your convictions. While it arrived late in the year, this very statement is the sort that perfectly sums up the year we've had in 2018, with a message of hope to carry us all into 2019.

Each year in cinema gives us countless movie moments, scenes that come to represent the films themselves as well as becoming part of the cultural zeitgeist for that year, if not longer. There is no exact formula for what makes a movie moment, but whether it is surprising, emotionally moving, frightening, gut-busting or just plain badass, it has to be memorable. There is also a sub-category of movie moments that are defined simply by the visceral reaction they elicit in audiences; these are the WTF movie moments.

These moments leave you shocked, aghast, disgusted or confused, with the common denominator being that they all evoke an instinctual "What the fuck?!?!" from audiences. This year provided more than its fair share of WTF movie moments, but as lists demand, we have separated the wheat from the chaff and whittled it down to 10. This is far from all-inclusive, so let us know what movie made you say "What the fuck?!" this year in the comments, but here are our 10 best WTF movie moments of 2018.

Warning: The following will contain SPOILERS for multiple 2018 movies. So if you haven't seen a movie, just skip past that entry if you don't want to be spoiled.

Hereditary-The Beheading

Probably more than any other genre, horror movies produce the most WTF moments and that makes it more difficult for a horror movie, where we are expecting this, to truly shock us. Ari Aster's Hereditary does just that. After suffering an allergic reaction at a party, Alex Wolff's Peter rushes his sister Charlie, played by Milly Shapiro, to the hospital. Peter is panicking, wracked with guilt and fear and he is driving recklessly. As Charlie's throat closes up she sticks her head out the window to try and get some air. Peter swerves to avoid an animal in the road and boom, Charlie is decapitated by a pole on the side of the road. The sickening sound and the reality of what just happened is reflected on Peter's face and our own, as we think, 'Did they really just do that? What the fuck?'

Ready Player One-The Shining Sequence

Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is chock full of Easter eggs and fun references to classic films, but by and large, they provide warm, nostalgic fuzzies more than anything that would qualify as a WTF moment. But Steven Spielberg is a low-key horror master and the quest for the Jade Key ended up being one of the film's most memorable moments. The action took place in a recreation of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining and featured a truly WTF sequence, especially for those unfamiliar with The Shining. Aech meets the creepy Grady twins and escapes a hallway filled with blood only to enter room 237 and find that its guest is not quite as appealing as she initially appears. It is shocking, disgusting and completely nuts and thus qualifies as one of 2018's best WTF movie moments.

Annihilation-The Doppleganger Dance

If there were an award for most WTF moments per movie in 2018, Annihilation would probably be the front-runner. Whether it be the intestines moving like a snake in a cut-open stomach or the faceless bear making an eerily human sound, Alex Garland's sci-fi film, like the novel it took its inspiration from, is full of WTF moments. It saves its biggest WTF moment for last though when, upon finally reaching the lighthouse, Natalie Portman's Lena faces off with her double, born from her own blood, she battles herself. There is a suffocating feeling to the scene, coupled with the unearthly score and like Lena, we don't know what is going on or if escape is possible. This mindfuck of a scene ultimately leads to the film's ambiguous ending, where we are left with a question of whether it was Lena or her doppleganger that made it out of the Shimmer.

Blockers-Butt Chugging

It's not just horror and sci-fi that provided truly WTF moments at the movies this year, comedy contributed as well and there was no more raunchy comedy this year than Kay Cannon's Blockers. The film finds John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz's characters on a mission to stop their daughters from losing their virginities on prom night. They wind up in a situation where, to gain entry to a party, they have to participate in a chugging competition with high school kids. Only this isn't your standard chugging. Determined to protect his daughter's purity, John Cena's Mitchell accepts a beer funnel into the less traditional end and attempts to chug. When the cops arrive, he freaks and the funnel spits the butt beer back into the face of Ike Barinholtz's Hunter. It is gross and hilarious and the whole time you're thinking 'what the F, is this actually happening?'

Sorry To Bother You-The Twist

Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You takes place in an alternate universe and is a weird blend of comedy and fantasy that produces plenty of WTF moments. But its biggest WTF moment, and probably the wildest movie twist of the year, comes when Lakeith Stanfield's Cassius Green discovers that the company that has lifted him out of poverty is using people like chattel in a way he never imagined when a naked horse-person falls out of a bathroom stall. It is jarring, confusing and bizarre in a way that few moments can match. These half-human, half-horse mutants, named Equisapiens, are meant to be a hyper-efficient form a labor that reflects the dehumanizing effects of capitalism that the film is critiquing. It is a WTF moment for the ages and one that you wish you could either forget, or experience again for the first time.

Avengers: Infinity War-The Snap

Avengers: Infinity War was the biggest movie of 2018 and it also boasts one of, if not the best WTF moment of the year. Ever since we knew that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was building to a clash between the Avengers and Thanos, there was the specter of possibility that we would see Thanos, with a full complement of Infinity Stones, snap his fingers and wipe out half of the universe as he did in 1991's Infinity Gauntlet #1. Yet, a lot of people aren't familiar with the comics. Even if you were expecting the moment to play out, you likely were not prepared for it when it actually happened. I was left thinking, 'WTF, they actually did it?!' Yes, yes the directors did. Seeing the heroes fade to dust, as their friends watched on helpless cemented Thanos' snap, now called The Decimation, with a permanent place in pop culture.

Three Identical Strangers-The Truth About Why The Triplets Were Separated

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. In a banner year for documentaries, one of the biggest WTF moments came from a fascinating and heartbreaking true story. Three Identical Strangers tells the story of triplets who were all adopted by different families and were unaware of each others' existence until they discovered one another as young adults. But the story takes a much darker turn once it starts digging into why these three identical siblings were separated and raised with no knowledge of one another. They discover that the nefarious adoption agency intentionally split up the triplets, as well as an unknown number of other twins as part of a research project for a psychologist who wanted to know the effects of nature vs. nurture. It's a disgusting and jaw-dropping revelation that elicits a 'what the fuck' with a heavy tone of condemnation.

Suspiria-The Dance

Like Black Swan and the miniseries Flesh and Bone, Luca Guadagnino's remake of Suspiria follows in the proud tradition of stories featuring dance that make you feel like you need a shower afterwards. If you thought the trailers had an unsettling quality to them, that's just a taste of what the actual film has in store. In one of the movie's most messed up moments, Dakota Johnson's character Susie Bannion is dancing for her instructor, played by Tilda Swinton. Thanks to the witch magic at play, Susie's dancing controls the body of another dancer in a different room. As Susie dances, the other girl is thrown up against the mirrors and has her body twisted and contorted, breaking bones and spilling blood. She is left on the floor, a knot of limbs, soaked in drool and urine. It is brutal and shocking and a truly WTF moment.

Mid90s-Stevie's Fall

Thanks to the internet, YouTube and cell phone cameras, watching people fall and wreck themselves, is a national past time. But despite how often we see this, it can still make us wince. Such is the case in Mid90s. Sunny Suljic's Stevie is a shy, nice kid, with a rough home life who desperately wants to fit in and look cool to his new friends. So when he attempts to follow them and jump his skateboard across the gap between two roofs, we are rooting for him. That makes his long and shocking fall to the table below all the tougher to watch. At this point you think 'this kid has got to be dead.' But he isn't and he gets up, only to have his head covered in blood. It's a real WTF moment as you are seeing a fragile kid suffer what looks like major head trauma.

Mandy-The Chainsaw Duel

What would a list of WTF movie moments be without a Nicolas Cage appearance? The actor has given us so many over the years but never has his Nicolas Cage-ness been so leaned into as it was with the fantastical, heavy metal, action-horror movie Mandy. The film finds Nicolas Cage's Red Miller on a quest for revenge, a quest that leads him into a chainsaw duel with a cult member. Let me repeat that: a chainsaw duel. Red battles the cult member, whose chainsaw is absurdly long and it is just what you would hope it would be: cheesy, ridiculous, bloody and beautiful. It also has a crimson-faced Nic Cage yelling throughout. Simply put, it is a gloriously bonkers WTF moment that you don't understand how it exists, but are glad it does.

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Is it game over for good or are we going to get to play again? That's the question pondered by those hoping to see a sequel to this year's blockbuster, Ready Player One. Steven Spielberg's return to blockbuster filmmaking racked up a solid score at the worldwide box office earlier this year alongside overall positive reviews. The premise seems ripe for a sequel with the infinite worlds of the OASIS yet to be explored. As of yet though, no sequel has been announced. However, if we get to press start on this game once more, it looks like Art3mis will be back because Olivia Cooke is contracted for sequels, as she explained:

It sounds like Olivia Cooke doesn't know much more than we do about whether or not Ready Player One will get a sequel, but just because she hasn't heard anything doesn't mean it isn't going to happen. If it does, she is signed on to return so Art3mis and Samantha would be back. The fact that she told Digital Spy that she has signed her life away also makes it seem like she is contracted for multiple sequels should they come to fruition.

In this day and age of franchises and sequels, it makes sense that Olivia Cooke would be contracted for multiple films just in case Ready Player One gets a sequel. Felicity Jones was contracted for more than just Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but given that film's ending, her return seems... unlikely. If Olivia Cooke is contracted for sequels, you have to imagine that the other stars (or at least Tye Sheridan) are as well.

Olivia Cooke also noted that the Ready Player One novel does not have a sequel yet and speculated that perhaps a movie would have to wait until a sequel is written. While Ernest Cline's 2011 novel does not have a sequel, the author has stated that he is working on one, and the end of the film opens up some interesting avenues for a sequel book and film to explore.

The real deciding factor on a sequel to Ready Player One is probably, as it often is, money. Around the film's release, we found out that on top of its lofty, but not unheard of, budget of around $175 million, Ready Player One also had a costly marketing campaign and the film would need to make $420 to $500 million just to break even. Domestically, Ready Player One did okay, making $137 million, but over three-quarters of its box office came from overseas where it racked up $445 million, for a worldwide total of over $582 million, good for sixth-best on the year. That is over the $500 million reported it needed to break even, but whether it is enough to justify a sequel remains to be seen.

Given the success with foreign audiences and the fact that a sequel film wouldn't be an original blockbuster, but part of an existing franchise with name recognition, I would think that a sequel could perform really well overseas again. For the moment, we'll have to wait and see if and when we get to play again. To see movies that definitely are happening, and soon, check out our 2018 release schedule.

Ready Player One is a movie that revels in all of its easter eggs and pop culture references. However, it turns out there's at least one reference that very likely nobody noticed. That's because the easter egg wasn't a reference to some popular, or even obscure, piece of 1980s pop culture. It was actually a reference to the movie itself. Composer Alan Silvestri reveals in one of the special features attached to the Ready Player One Blu-ray that the opening piece of music he composed to introduce the virtual world, titled "The Oasis," actually contains the second clue of the film's contest in its entirety, only you don't notice because the words are spoken in Latin. According to Silvestri...

In point of fact, ovum patrice tui is actually the Latin for "father's egg" the phrase that starts the chorus, not easter egg. The Latin words for easter egg are actually pashca ovum. Alan Silvestri got his Latin a bit confused, but don't we all now and then? Either way, it's still a great easter egg of its own, that actually includes the words easter egg.

It seems that Steven Spielberg had requested music that sounded religious in nature, including the use of a choir, to be used when the audience first sees the OASIS. This led Alan Silvestri to begin to consider how he might create such music. He took his inspiration from the film itself and actually translated one of the clues in Ready Player One into Latin, adding some additional lyrics to make up the chorus of the piece. One assumes the "father" here is James Halliday, the creator of the contest and the "father" of the OASIS as the man who created it. You can listen to the piece of music below. The chorus starts at about the 51-second mark with the line Silvestri mentions above. It also confirms the correct Latin words for "easter egg."

It's not clear from what is said in the Blu-ray special feature why Steven Spielberg was looking for the first piece of music inside the OASIS to sound this way, though it's certainly fitting. It's specifically mentioned in the Ready Player One novel that James Halliday spoke Latin, and that Wade Watts studied it in school as well for that reason. It doesn't really come up in the film version, but Spielberg did read the novel, so perhaps that inspired him.

Since not a lot of people speak Latin, it seems unlikely many people paid much attention to the words sung by the choir, but if you had, you would have received one piece of the movie's puzzle a lot earlier than the rest of the characters. Ready Player One is now available on Digital and Blu-ray.

Back to the Future is over 30 years old, but you wouldn't know it based on how well Steven Spielberg remembers it. Steven Spielberg was a producer of Back to the Future back in the 80s but he also directed Ready Player One, which meant he was in the perfect position to make sure the digital recreation of the famous Delorean was as close to the real thing as possible. Supervising Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom explains in one of the special features attached to the new Ready Player One Blu-ray that Spielberg even remembered exactly how the time machine's exhaust was created on the set back then, which meant they could recreate it by using the proper sound. According to Rydstrom...

The Delorean in Back to the Future was a real car and digital effects just weren't that advanced in 1985. As such, the desire to have your exhaust expel a lot of steam meant doing it practically. Ready Player One didn't need to do that, but since the film still wanted to create all of the 80s nostalgia as perfectly as possible, they still wanted to create all of the vehicles sounds properly, so that the version inside the OASIS sounded like the real thing. Most of the time, that involves research in order to figure out how a particular sound was originally created. However, in the case of this one particular sound, no research was needed, because Steven Spielberg somehow remembered.

It would be one thing if Speilberg had directed Back to the Future and had thus been overseeing the entire production. However, Steven Spielberg was actually the producer. While clearly involved in the production, you wouldn't expect him to necessarily remember a lot of the details. Producers tend me more "big picture" guys, and yet, somehow he knew this random bit of trivia.

It sounds like Steven Spielberg remembered most of the other details about how sounds were created for Back to the Future as well. Since the vehicle did different things in Ready Player One than it did in Back to the Future, simply using the same sounds wasn't going to work, but knowing how those sounds were created means being able to use the same methods to create the sounds you need.

Ready Player One is available now on Digital and Blu-ray.

Earlier this year, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, a popcorn blockbuster, became a somewhat divisive film when there was a backlash against its celebration of nostalgia and pop culture. While I found the complaints about the film's nostalgia misguided and argued against them, Ready Player One is far from perfect and there is plenty of stuff to make fun of it for. To that end, Honest Trailers are often the best at highlighting a movie's problems in a fun and entertaining way. With Ready Player One now on home video, we have the latest Honest Trailer that makes fun of the movie's pop culture references. Check it out:

"So this is how imagination dies." That's just savage. The ouroboros-like nature of Ready Player One's story that is based on the culture around tons of other pre-existing stories is definitely something to consider. The way this trailer highlights the lack of creativity by the characters in a seemingly limitless virtual world is pretty spot on too. A Holy hand grenade, a Gundam, Batman and a Hadouken (or Kamekameha, it was hard to tell), Ready Player One has no shortage of moments meant to elicit a cheap pop from audiences recognizing their favorite nostalgic properties. Even the Honest Trailer does it; I totally forgot that Power Rangers wannabes the VR Troopers were a thing.

This Honest Trailer also makes a killer point about how there was this grand fight to save the virtual playground of the OASIS, all while society is crumbling and overpopulated on a dying planet that we killed. The priorities were definitely problematic. And maybe I'm seeing a pattern that isn't there, but I feel like Screen Junkies' Honest Trailers are always super keen in picking up on situations in movies that would smell terrible. The whole bit about running on a treadmill in a skin-tight bodysuit in a van with the doors and windows shut is hilarious. Maybe there was dialogue about some kind of deodorizing technology in the suit that got cut in the edit.

Although probably the funniest part of this Honest Trailer is how it highlights the ridiculousness of Olivia Cooke's Samantha being seen as anything other than beautiful because of a birthmark, as if she is some hideous beast that Wade can only love because he got to know her personality as Art3mis first. Obviously someone could feel that way about himself or herself, we don't always see ourselves the way others do, but it's a little harder to buy when the character looks like Olivia Cooke. This is pretty common though in movies and TV, where some objectively attractive actor is given a small imperfection that their character obsesses over.

Ultimately, despite the backlash against the nostalgia in the film, Ready Player One still became one of the biggest movies at the box office so far in 2018. Steven Spielberg's blockbuster earned its place on the scoreboard with a $582 million worldwide gross, anchored by a great overseas performance. The visual feast was not cheap, possibly needing $500 million just to break even, so perhaps that performance was good enough for a sequel with more pop culture barrages to enjoy and make fun of.

Ready Player One is now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. For all your latest movie news, keep an eye on CinemaBlend.

We're certainly getting spoiled on big budget tentpoles this spring and summer, and some of those are heading to Blu-ray DVD and Digital this month. I'd love to talk about the inspiring action sequences in Ready Player One and the feel-good The Rock moments in Rampage, but let's be honest, your eyes have probably already been drawn to that July 31 Digital releases column, where Avengers: Infinity War is sitting, waiting for you to consume it from the comfort of your own home.

While you wait, do peruse over the list of other stuff coming this month. In addition to the aforementioned titles, there are some really funny comedies and some popular horror flicks also heading into homes this month. So whether laughs, scares or heavy action are what you are into, you should have multiple options. Take a look, below. Unless otherwise noted in the early Digital releases column, Digital releases are out the same day as Blu-ray and DVD copies.

Looking for June's big releases? No worries, we have you covered.

Tuesday, July 3 DVD, Blu-ray And Digital Releases

Blockers

New Girl: The Final Season

The Jurassic Games

Beirut

7 Days In Entebbe

Finding Your Feet

Journey's End

Ismael's Ghosts

Another WolfCop

Borg vs. McEnroe

The Cured

Don't Grow Up

The Female Brain

Where is Kyra?

Week of July 3 Early Digital Releases

Ready Player One

Truth or Dare

I Feel Pretty

Chappaquiddick

Super Troopers 2

Lean on Pete

Tuesday, July 10 DVD, Blu-ray And Digital Releases

A Quiet Place

Chappaquiddick

Future World

Lean on Pete

The Magicians: The Complete Third Season

The Leisure Seeker

211

Rosewood: The Complete First Season

Sweet Country

The Exorcist: The Complete Second Season

Tuesday, July 17 DVD, Blu-ray And Digital Releases

Rampage

I Feel Pretty

Truth or Dare

Super Troopers 2

Isle of Dogs

The Good Place: Season 2

Wayward Pines: The Complete Second Season

Son of Zorn: The Complete Series

Sneaky Pete: Season 1

Traffik

Disobedience

You Were Never Really Here

Pitch: The Complete Series

Second Chance: The Complete Series

The Expanse: Season Three

The Tunnel: Vengeance, Season 3

Week of July 17 Early Digital Releases

Tully

Overboard

Tuesday, July 24 DVD, Blu-ray And Digital Releases

Ready Player One

Operation Red Sea

Incident In A Ghostland

The Con Is On

Week of July 24 Early Digital Releases

Life of the Party

Little Pink House

Breaking In

Tuesday, July 31 DVD, Blu-ray And Digital Releases

Overboard

Tully

The Miracle Season

Counterpart: The Complete First Season

Final Portrait

Kings

Dark Crimes

Star Wars Rebels: The Complete Fourth Season

Week of July 31 Early Digital Releases

Avengers: Infinity War

Bad Samaritan (August 3)

Tackling Ernie Cline's Ready Player One created all sorts of new obstacles for Steven Spielberg, despite the fact that the legendary director remains on the cutting-edge of most storytelling techniques. It's one thing to shoot a movie that takes place in an alternate, not-too-distant future where the bulk of our civilization lives in stacked trailers. For most of the movie, Spielberg had to create a digital realm known as the OASIS, where avatars interact and go on adventures, all in the name of solving a pop-culture-infused treasure hunt. How did he do it? An exclusive clip CinemaBlend now has from the Ready Player One DVD and Blu-ray shows that Spielberg created the OASIS using VR. See how:

The Ready Player One bonus features take audiences deep into the making-of process on Steven Spielberg's latest film, from the way that it deftly recreated the 1970s and '80s touchstones of books, television, music and movies (hello, Stanley Kubrick), to the way that the director reimagined the OASIS, as it was conceived on the pages of Ernie Cline's book. How does a director DIRECT scenes that take place in a virtual world... since one would assume that he can't take a look at physical scenes and realize where his cameras should go?

As this clip explains, Spielberg was able to don a VR headset and "see" the scene as he storyboarded it. It allowed him to make visual changes in the moment, and concoct his sequences before they went into the camera -- or the computer, so to speak. It's a new way of directing, and it doesn't surprise us on the least that it's Spielberg who is at the forefront of the push of this particular envelope, reinventing how stories like Ready Player One are told.

Released earlier this year, Ready Player One tells the tale of Wade (Tye Sheridan), a lonely gamer who'd obsessed with the game created by his idol, Halliday (Mark Rylance), who will leave his fortune to whomever solves his riddles, Willy Wonka style. The film found its audience, earning $581 million worldwide. That's good for Spielberg's sixth-highest grossing film! Watch the trailer, to get a sense of the magic:

Ready Player One currently is available on digital. It will reach DVD, Blu-ray and 4K on July 24, and can be pre-ordered now by clicking here. It's one of the best films of 2018, and should be picked up. You will have a blast pausing every frame, combing for pop culture Easter eggs.

There are few companies in the world that can build hype on the level of Marvel Studios, but nothing compares to what they did for Avengers: Infinity War. For the last three-plus years we've constantly been hearing that the blockbuster is the capstone film for every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, and that sentiment has driven a ridiculous number of people into theaters. How many people, exactly? Enough for the feature to now be the record holder for biggest domestic and global opening of all time. Check out the numbers of the full top 10 below, and then join me after for analysis!

While Avengers: Infinity War has not yet made its debut in China (which will happen on May 11th), the blockbuster is still already off to the fastest start in history. The $250 million figure you see above was enough to help the film snag the domestic opening record from Star Wars: The Force Awakens - which made $248 million in its first three days - and in total the feature has thus far made $630 million globally. That's way more than enough to make it the biggest international opening of all time, as that label was previously held by The Fate of the Furious, which made $541.9 million when it came out last spring. In case it's not clear, these numbers are absolutely nuts.

Fans will remember that the original Avengers movie was the first ever title to make more than $200 million in a single weekend domestically, so it's fitting that Avengers: Infinity War be the first feature to break the $250 million barrier. At this pace, the movie should be the fastest to ever reach $1 billion, which is another record held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, having met that milestone in just 12 days. Right now it's unclear where its final numbers will end, mostly because Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story will be coming out in just a few weeks, but there is no question that it will inevitably called one of the most successful films ever created.

Really the only downside of Avengers: Infinity War doing so well this weekend is that the rest of the Top 10 looks insanely lackluster by comparison. John Krasinski's A Quiet Place did decently, bringing its domestic total up to $148 million with a $10.7 million fourth weekend, but it was the only feature to make eight figures. Almost every other title faced a steep drop... with two exceptions. For starters, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein's I Feel Pretty starring Amy Schumer only dipped 49.3 percent in its second week, holding on to third place and bringing its gross total up to $29.6 million.

The other title is actually Marvel's first big 2018 release, as Black Panther seemed to benefit from the arrival of the new blockbuster. The Ryan Coogler-directed film only fell 11 percent, moving up three slots in the rankings and adding another $4.4 million to its crazy $688 million total here in the United States.

As mentioned, Avengers: Infinity War has some stiff competition coming up later in May... but don't expect it to lose its number one spot any time soon. While this weekend sees the arrival of three new wide releases, including the romantic comedy remake Overboard, the Jason Reitman-directed motherhood drama Tully, and the horror feature Bad Samaritan, none of them will put up numbers anywhere close to the Marvel feature (which should make somewhere in the neighborhood of $125 million). Check back next Sunday to see how it all shakes out!

Chances are that if you read this site, there is no question of what movie you'll be seeing this weekend: Avengers: Infinity War is finally here and years of build and anticipation will at long last pay off in an unprecedented cinematic event. Judging by the numbers and just basic common sense, if you see Infinity War this weekend you will not be alone in a half-empty theater. The Russo Brothers' film is the best advance-selling superhero movie of all time and early tracking gives the Marvel movie a shot at dethroning Star Wars: The Force Awakens' incredible $247.97 million domestic opening weekend.

These numbers are as grand as you would expect and I imagine that a week from now we'll be trying to wrap our heads around this film's performance, but there is one reality that is worth considering: What do you do if Infinity War is sold out? A nightmare scenario to be sure but if you didn't pre-order tickets ahead of time, even though this movie will be dominating most theater screens, it's a legitimate possibility that it's sold out when you want to see it. Should this happen, you could just write off the movies this weekend and wait until you can see Infinity War, or you could give something else a chance.

You'll see Thanos versus the Avengers sooner or later, just be sure to stay off of social media until you do. But there is a great variety of good movies in theaters right now that don't feature Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The following films are all fun, entertaining and different and they are all certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Here are the movies you should see if Infinity War is sold out.

Blockers

A huge component of the Marvel film formula that has made the MCU so successful is humor. So if you were looking to laugh this weekend and you don't mind your humor being a bit (see: a lot) raunchier than the humor you'll see in a Disney movie, look no further than Blockers. Kay Cannon's directorial debut far exceeded the low critical expectations that teen sex comedies usually have. The film stars Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena as three parents determined to stop their teenage daughters from completing a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. It has been praised for its humor, performances and heart. With I Feel Pretty and Super Troopers 2 releasing last week, Blockers has quickly fallen out of the public conscious but it is worth your time and a good way to put a smile on your face after missing out on Infinity War.

Ready Player One

If you were craving a fun, blockbuster film experience, complete with huge battles and incredible special effects, Steven Spielberg's latest film, Ready Player One, is a pretty good consolation prize. The film isn't perfect but the complaint that it is just superficial nostalgia isn't remotely accurate. Ready Player One is an absolute blast and you're bound to have a smile on your face the whole time the characters are in the virtual world of the OASIS. This is the kind of movie that deserves to be seen in 3D on the biggest screen possible. Ready Player One has done exceptionally well at the international box office and with a sequel novel on the way, I wouldn't be surprised to see a sequel film in the coming years. A Steven Spielberg blockbuster is something no film fan should ignore and there is arguably no better substitute for the spectacle of Infinity War than Ready Player One.

Isle of Dogs

I wanted to include something of a more independent nature on this list and while Disobedience with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams releases this weekend, it isn't playing everywhere. Isle of Dogs is now in wide release and provides a great entry point for those unfamiliar with Wes Anderson. The director's films aren't for everyone, but Isle of Dogs is a beautiful movie that is suitable for audiences of most ages. The charming stop-motion film follows a boy who sets out in search of his dog in a future Japan. Pretty far on the cinematic spectrum from Infinity War, Isle of Dogs represents a great opportunity for those feeling adventurous to expand their horizons with something completely different. Like most Wes Anderson films, Isle of Dogs boasts an incredible voice cast and is a cinematic achievement that is different than Infinity War, but still impressive and worth seeing.

Black Panther

What better way to sate an MCU craving than to see this year's groundbreaking film in the franchise? At this point, we've long since had to start recycling superlatives to discuss Black Panther and its performance. This is one of Marvel's best films to date with a compelling villain and a real message. Black Panther is hitting Blu-ray next month, but revisiting Rachel Morrison's cinematography on the big screen one more time doesn't sound like a bad idea. Watching Black Panther again is actually a good refresher before Infinity War, which will have a huge battle take place in Wakanda. Black Panther is still playing in plenty of theaters and more than just being something to watch in lieu of elusive Infinity War tickets, Ryan Coogler's film would actually serve as a great double feature for those with tickets who want to maximize the marvelousness of this weekend.

A Quiet Place

With the majority of audiences packing theaters to the brim this weekend seeing Infinity War, there is arguably no better weekend to see John Krasinski's modern horror classic, A Quiet Place. This is a movie where maximizing the experience requires a silent theater where audience members are conscious of how much noise they make. But to be honest, the best theater would be one with fewer people in it and Infinity War guarantees that will be the case. This near-silent film is a brilliant counterpoint to the bombast and spectacle of Marvel's event movie. If you've been sitting out the horror renaissance of the last few years, there is no better film to catch up with. And hey, people are pulling for John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to be the MCU's Mr. & Mrs. Fantastic, so there is some hypothetical reasoning to check out what these two bring to the table for MCU fans.

One might debate the quality of some of Steven Spielberg's movies, but one thing that is truly unquestionable is his legacy as a blockbuster filmmaker. In the last 40-plus years he has made some of the biggest and most popular features of all time, and it has cemented his legacy as a pop culture icon. Furthering proving that point is the latest box office milestone he recently passed, as he has become the first director to see the total gross of their films globally exceed $10 billion.

Looking at Steven Spielberg's career numbers on Box Office Mojo, it's been noticed that this past weekend's haul for Ready Player One was enough to bring the filmmaker's global total to $10.01 billion. It will surprise nobody that the biggest earners include Jurassic Park ($983.8 million), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($786.6 million), and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial ($717.0 million) - but there is something pretty shocking to be found in the numbers. According to the statistics, going back to 1975 only two movies in Spielberg's career failed to make more than $100 million globally: 1941 ($92.5 million) and Always ($74.1 million)

Steven Spielberg's career numbers are certainly helped by the fact that he has been consistently working in the last five decades, sometimes putting out two movies in a single year, but you really recognize how amazing his achievement is when you compare the figures to other blockbuster directors of Spielberg's ilk. For example, James Cameron - who has two $2 billion earners on his resume - only has a career total of $6.138 billion. Peter Jackson made two incredibly successful trilogies based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, but his magic number is only $6.52 billion. Perhaps even more amazing, George Lucas ($3.1 billion) and Ridley Scott ($3.9 billion) are nowhere close.

As noted in my box office report a few weeks ago, Steven Spielberg did go a few years without making a real monster hit, but it seems that Ready Player One has snapped that negative streak. Since being released at the end of March, the movie has made over $114 million domestically, and $475 million globally. It's on pace to become his sixth biggest film of all time, as its about to beat Saving Private Ryan ($481.8 million), but probably won't reach War of the Worlds ($591.7 million).

Steven Spielberg is a true blockbuster champion, and it's important to note that he's far from finished. He may be 71 years old, but he still has more than a few projects in the pipeline, including another Indiana Jones movie and a remake of West Side Story. It's honestly not that hard to believe that he could wind up being the first filmmaker to make more than $11 billion globally before he feels it's his time to fold up his directors chair.

Summer has not even officially started yet, but there are already some huge movies out that are worth keeping an eye on. One example came last month with the release of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, and Warner Bros. continued that streak into April with the early release of Rampage. However, while Rampage won the box office in its opening weekend, the shift away from the film's original April 20 release date back one week to April 13th seems to have had the effect of cutting into Ready Player One's bottom line.

Spacing out the releases of blockbuster movies has become a science in Hollywood, and that science was put to the test when Marvel Studios shifted Avengers: Infinity War from May 4 to April 27. In a move seemingly meant to compensate for Disney's shift, Warner Bros. moved Rampage ahead one week to debut on April 13, which effectively kept the gap between the Dwayne Johnson starrer and the next Marvel movie the same length. However, as an unintended result, because of this change, Rampage has been forced to compete with Ready Player One a whole week earlier than expected, and this past week Spielberg's ode to 1980s pop culture dropped 55% to take in $11.2 million in its third weekend. Rampage has most certainly gone on to become a box office win for Warner Bros. this weekend, but the victory may have also come at the cost of another WB project.

Avengers: Infinity War's move clearly put Rampage in a tight spot, but there's still a clear case to be made that Warner Bros. made the right call debuting the film earlier. If the studio had chosen to hold Rampage for after Infinity War's release, the sheer number of competing projects on the horizon would've made it tough to fit Rampage in any time after Infinity War on the crowded summer schedule. In fact, ever the busy actor, The Rock even has another blockbuster set to hit theaters in July with the release of Universal's Skyscraper, and Johnson's schedule to promote movies in between his other projects is tight. So, debuting Rampage closer to films like Ready Player One and Tomb Raider became the best option. Now, as a result of the close release proximity, both Ready Player One and Rampage could potentially make less money than they would've managed with a broader gap separating their respective release dates.

Ready Player One is not the only movie to get cannibalized by another film from the same studio. In addition Forbes also noted that Blockers may have also been adversely affected by the strong showing of Truth or Dare. Both films are Universal projects (albeit from wildly different genres), but Truth or Dare's move from April 27 to April 13 arguably shortened Blockers' window by two full weeks.

Now we will just have to wait and see how Rampage and Ready Player One do as other big blockbusters start to debut and join the competition. CinemaBlend will bring you more of the latest box office news as new information is made available to us. For now, if you are looking for more up-to-date details on all of this year's biggest film debuts, head over to our movie premiere guide!

Not only is Brad Peyton's Rampage the first video game adaptation to ever get a 50 percent or higher on Rotten Tomatoes, but it managed to take the top spot at the box office in its opening three days. Of course, also hard not to notice that John Krasinski's A Quiet Place gave it some serious competition with a fantastic second weekend. Check out the full chart below, and join me after for analysis!

With a take of $34.5 million, Rampage made just enough money to be called the number one movie in America - and it's a modest start for the would-be blockbuster. The film carries a hefty reported budget of $120 million, largely thanks to the expective digital creature effects that the film utilizes - but in the long run it should be an immensely successful win for Warner Bros. Why? Because the reality is that it can totally coast domestically while it rakes in cash worldwide. In foreign markets its already made an additional $114 million, which means it has already made back its budget and will probably take care of its marketing costs in the coming weeks (it's worth noting that it has a nice cushion week that separates it from The Avengers: Infinity War).

As far as Dwayne Johnson movies go, Rampage is right in the middle of the pack when it comes to opening weekends. It didn't do quite as well as his previous collaboration with Brad Peyton, as San Andreas made $54.6 million when it debuted in summer 2015; but it did outpace their first time working together, as Journey 2: The Mysterious Island only pulled in $27.3 million during its opening frame in winter 2012. It will probably end up as an average earner for the star when all is said and done, but that shouldn't really matter in the long run considering the incredible amount of money Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle made in recent months.

While I focus on Rampage because it grabbed the top spot, I can't ignore the amazing performance put on by A Quiet Place during Round Two with audiences. Horror is clearly clicking with American audiences right now, as John Krasinski's movie continues a trend started by major successes like Split, Get Out, and IT. Not only is it incredible that it only dropped 35.1 percent in its second weekend, but the film is also now on the verge of becoming the fifth title in 2018 to reach a nine-figure box office score domestically (and will do so by the end of tomorrow). We are in the midst of watching an awesome genre boom, and it definitely helps that it's being supported by phenomenal features like A Quiet Place.

Continuing that argument, the numbers put up by Jeff Wadlow's Truth or Dare further show mass audiences' hunger for horror - though it's a movie very different than A Quiet Place in the quality department. Critics destroyed it (15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), and audiences have been kind of "meh" about it (indicated by a "B-" on CinemaScore), but at the end of the day the Blumhouse low budget strategy allows it to be called a big win. The film, starring Lucy Hale, only cost $3.5 million to make, which means that an opening of $19.1 million immediately puts it in profit territory. Hopefully producer Jason Blum decides to put that money towards much better films, because this one really killed a nice hot streak.

Because it seems that no major film wants to be within a week of release of The Avengers: Infinity War, we have a slow Friday ahead of us - with the arrival of Jay Chandrasekhar's Super Troopers 2, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein's I Feel Pretty, and Deon Taylor's Traffik. We'll be back next Sunday to see how the Top 10 shifts, so join us again then!

This story will have Ready Player One spoilers. Stop reading now if you haven't seen the movie!

The closing scenes of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One introduced a new wrinkle that we didn't read about in the book. Not Wade (Tye Sheridan) and Samantha (Olivia Cooke) closing the OASIS for two days a week -- though that was an original choice. Instead, we saw Wade -- after winning the overall competition -- interact with his idol, James Halliday (Mark Rylance), in the program that the genius created. Only, Halliday is dead. Isn't he? CinemaBlend recently had Ready Player One screenwriter Zak Penn as a guest on the recurring podcast ReelBlend, and when we asked his for clarification on this unusual scene, Penn revealed to us:

That's right, Ernie Cline, the author of the source novel for Ready Player One, is hard at work on a follow up story that will be set in the OASIS. And seeing as how Cline worked hand in hand with Zak Penn on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's movie, there's no chance that he'd allow him to make such a major change to the status of James Halliday (Mark Rylance) without teasing that this might be a concept that he wants to explore about the OASIS.

In the scene in question, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) meets with Halliday (Rylance) in a recreation of the programmer's childhood bedroom. A young version of Halliday also sits there playing a console video game on an old TV set. Halliday acknowledges that he keeps this version of himself nearby. Does this mean that Halliday somehow found a way to upload his consciousness INTO the OASIS, and he can personify himself at any stage of his existence? It seems like a master of virtual reality would have that capability.

ReelBlend is a LIVE podcast on CinemaBlend's Facebook page. As soon as the show is completed on Facebook, you can download the latest episode (and all past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. You can also find ReelBlend on Spotify, Google Play, and basically everywhere that you download podcasts.

Meanwhile, follow the show on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the three co-hosts at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakes and @KevinMcCarthyTV. And to listen to the full episode with Zak Penn as a guest, press play below:

Ready Player One is full of more pop culture easter eggs and references than it might be possible to count. However, one of the most popular moments in the film was originally going to include Jurassic Park dinosaurs. Zak Penn recently revealed on CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast that the scene in the climactic battle that sees Child's Play's Chucky make an appearance was originally going to be a Jurassic Park velociraptor. The problem? It's actually a little tough to throw a dinosaur out of a moving Delorean. According to Penn...

Steven Spielberg had said during the production of Ready Player One that he was generally against the referencing of his own films, only allowing the Delorean from Back to the Future, which he produced, to make the cut. Based on what Zak Penn says, Spielberg wasn't looking to include this reference to Jurassic Park that was in the original script. Penn is also sure to clarify that the T-rex that appears early in the movie is explicitly not supposed to be the one from Jurassic Park but is instead simply a dinosaur. Ultimately, the decision not to use the velociraptor worked out, as the logistics of throwing a dinosaur out of a car was going to end up being a problem anyway.

As cool as seeing a velociraptor in Ready Player One could have been, having now seen the final version, it's difficult to imagine seeing anything other than a homicidal doll in that spot. Chucky was perfect, as he tore through numerous enemies, and was also the cause of the PG-13 movie's single allotted F-bomb.

Zak Penn says that removing most of the Steven Spielberg related references was ultimately the right decision, as including them in a movie that Spielberg also directed would have likely taken a lot of the audience out of the movie. It's hard to say if that was true, but clearly, the decision worked overall, as most viewers have been happy with Ready Player One overall.

ReelBlend is a LIVE podcast on CinemaBlend's Facebook page. As soon as the show is completed on Facebook, you can download the latest episode (and all past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. You can also find ReelBlend on Spotify, Google Play, and basically everywhere that you download podcasts.

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV. They will be back at it next week, LIVE on CinemaBlend's Facebook page. See you then!

If you've seen Ready Player One, you know that the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, had a Willy Wonka-esque quality to him. Just like the chocolate factory proprietor, James Halliday offered one lucky fan the opportunity to have the keys to the kingdom and control over a fantastical world full of joy and whimsy that brings happiness to countless people. The similarities are obvious, so it's not surprising that a couple years back, there were rumors that Steven Spielberg was trying to coax Willy Wonka himself, Gene Wilder, out of retirement to play James Halliday. The role ultimately went to Mark Rylance, and according to Ready Player One screenwriter Zak Penn, this Wilder rumor was just a rumor, as he explained:

Speaking during an exclusive sit down on CinemaBlend's weekly podcast, ReelBlend, to discuss Ready Player One spoilers, Zak Penn makes some great points about casting James Halliday. The rumor that Gene Wilder would play James Halliday was a fun one, but it was just that; something that would be a fun nod to one of the actor's most famous roles, but it wasn't necessary for Ready Player One to be successful. And sadly, the beloved Gene Wilder passed away in August of 2016 at the age of 83. While Gene Wilder and his portrayal of Willy Wonka are iconic, there are other characters capable of playing eccentric inventors.

Casting Steven Spielberg's frequent collaborator Mark Rylance is far from slumming it. Mark Rylance is an Academy Award winner and a highly regarded and capable actor. You don't look for an actor who is already like the character, you look for an actor with the skills to become the character. Similar to how you don't only look at bald people when casting a bald character, you look at who can bring the most to the role and who can become the character. And yes, I now want to see Daniel Day-Lewis and Mark Rylance cast in a buddy snail movie just to see how far the method acting goes. Zak Penn continued:

While I have not read the book, Mark Rylance's performance in the Ready Player One movie was great, and it's even more impressive when you consider all he had to do and how important James Halliday is to the movie even though he isn't the main character. The key to the OASIS contest is getting to know James Halliday not superficially, but emotionally; how he felt about his life and his creation, what he loved and what he regretted. Mark Rylance conveyed all the intellect, quirky awkwardness, childlike whimsy and sorrow that were necessary for such a complex character. The whole film is a blast and Mark Rylance is also awesome as the wizard Anorak. And just like Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka, Mark Rylance maintained a constant twinkle in his eye.

This is just part of a super geeky and fun conversation with Zak Penn on our ReelBlend podcast discussing Ready Player One, as well as everything from Star Wars to Meryl Streep. The ReelBlend podcast is a LIVE weekly podcast on CinemaBlend's Facebook page. You can check out this and past episodes on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. You can also follow the show @ReelBlend and the team at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakes and @KevinMcCarthyTV. Take a listen to the full episode of ReelBlend with Zak Penn below:

If you've listened to ReelBlend the past few weeks -- and if you haven't, what's wrong with you? -- then you know that we have been strong advocates for Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. The blockbuster legend was an ideal choice to adapt Ernie Cline's best-selling page-turner, itself a story that's drenched in nostalgia for a pop-culture era that Spielberg helped to create and shape. So when we were given the opportunity to have Ready Player One screenwriter Zak Penn on the show, we jumped... and it led to one of the best movie-geek conversations in ReelBlend history.

Zak Penn's previous credits include The Avengers, X2: X-Men United, The Incredible Hulk and the classic college comedy PCU. The man knows geek culture. Hell, he has helped establish the type of geek culture that we're all now buying into. So it was a dream to have him on for ReelBlend, where he helped us break down the new Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer, discuss the film's decision to premiere at Cannes, and weigh in on the latest Unpopular Decision, which pits the Back to the Future trilogy against the original Star Wars trilogy. Kevin thinks BTTF is better than Star Wars (and Sean actually agrees with Kevin). Zak tells them both why they are so very wrong.

From there, it's a deep dive into Ready Player One spoilers, so dig in if you already have seen Steven Spielberg's roller-coaster ride through the OASIS. We discuss so many fascinating topics, from the building of The Shining scene to the rumor that Spielberg once wanted Gene Wilder to play Halliday in the movie. This one's a must-listen!

Because Zak Penn's such a good dude, he joined ReelBlend for the full hour, and that means that he played #StreepBlend with us! We all wrestled with our choices for Meryl Streep's BEST performance. We came up with four different movies. But because it's Streep, all four could be correct. Give that a listen.

ReelBlend is a LIVE podcast that we do on CinemaBlend's Facebook page. As soon as we are done on Facebook, you can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us!

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV. We will be back at it next week, LIVE on CinemaBlend's Facebook page. See you then!

Warning: SPOILERS for both A Quiet Place and Ready Player One are both in play. If you still haven't seen one or both of these films, and want to remain unspoiled, bookmark this piece and come back once you're current.

If you look at the box office landscape of the past couple of weeks, there are two Steven Spielberg-inspired films on the market at this moment. One is the naturally Spielbergian Ready Player One, a film based on material that was not only inspired by the director's filmography, but also directed by the man himself. The other is a more surprising pick, as John Krasinski's co-written/directed A Quiet Place drew a lot of cues from the legendary director's work. And believe it or not, the latter film is the better of the two Spielberg-like movies. Right now, you're probably shaking your head, questioning everything I've just said to you. But fear not, as the case can be made, and it is about to be laid out in detail. We'll issue one last spoiler warning for both Ready Player One and A Quiet Place, as both will be discussed at length. With that in mind, let's begin to tear into what makes a Spielberg flick tick.

What Makes A Spielberg Movie

So the basic DNA of a Steven Spielberg movie varies depending on the type of Spielberg you're looking for. You can go for a historical film, like Saving Private Ryan; an experimental film, like A.I.: Artificial Intelligence; or a blockbuster thrill ride, like Jaws and Jurassic Park. But at the center of all three sub-genres is the usual, effective bag of tricks: identifiable characters, a plot that goes from emotionally introspective to tense at the drop of a hat, and the ability to make us believe the impossible is possible - no matter how farfetched. With all three of those aspects in play, you make a fantastic Spielberg movie, no matter what the subject matter is.

Saving one man through the craziness of World War II, believing a robot could be a real boy, and fearing dinosaurs and sharks on a regular basis have all been made possible through his hand. All three of those examples are a testament to what has kept Steven Spielberg simultaneously in the history books and the popular conversation. The groundwork is now properly laid for us to take a look at how A Quiet Place and Ready Player One both measure up to that standard.

How A Quiet Place Succeeds As A Spielberg Movie

John Krasinski's A Quiet Place knowingly evokes shades of Jaws, as it plays around with how much we can see the monsters throughout the film, as well as other factors the film has been made famous for. Specifically, it also weaves an effective family drama inbetween the tension-filled set pieces, as we see the Abbott family dealing with the loss of their youngest member and the impending arrival of a new one. So while A Quiet Place is definitely a horror thriller, it has a good first act of set-up that endears us to this family, lets us know the rules of their world, and makes us fear these far-flung creatures that could never exist in our world.

So by time the second and third act kick off, all of the perilous action that the film puts the entire family through is all the more thrilling, as those characters are now people we want to root for. By the time the heartbreaking death of John Krasinski's Lee Abbott rolls around, the Jaws comparison completely earns its weight, as seeing him sacrifice himself is as sad as watching Quint get gobbled up by Bruce the shark. If you took the character building of Jaws and mixed it with the creature feature thrills of Jurassic Park, you get the framework of just how well A Quiet Place works.

How Ready Player One Fails As A Spielberg Movie

Looking at the trifecta of believing the impossible, emotionally introspective work, and identifiable characters, A Quiet Place works in spades. Sadly, Ready Player One barely covers two of the three categories, with one that it fails in completely. While the film does leave us being able to buy the illusion of the OASIS, and toys with emotional introspection through the story of James Halliday, Ready Player One doesn't leave us with any characters to truly identify with. Much like the OASIS is packed with Easter eggs and nods to '80s humor, it's up to what the user does with them in order to craft an effective experience.

Blame it on the numerous pop culture references flying through Ready Player One and its source material, but beyond the point of identifying with Wade because he's the protagonist, we don't have a lot to work with. We aren't given enough time with Wade and his friends to really get to know their dynamic and their own stories before the action comes into play. By time that first race is over, we're left breathless with the thrills, but not totally convinced that Wade won because of his plucky attitude. Worst of all, the family drama he faces at home is so barely touched upon, so we feel nothing when his aunt and her boyfriend die in a blaze of explosive wrath. It barely registers as a plot point.

Conclusion

Ultimately, without a proper build-up of characters and the world they inhabit, the story that Ready Player One tries to tell, while being fun, isn't exactly that tense. Ernest Cline's novel was inspired by Spielberg directed and produced films of the era, but there wasn't enough room for the director himself to put his special touch into the film's story. It's a thrill ride, but not one that digs deep into the magic Steven Spielberg films are known for. Meanwhile, A Quiet Place merges the better pieces of Spielbergian canon and effectively walks the line between emotion and spectacle that his best films do blindfolded. Both films are entertaining and exciting ways to pass the time, but over time and multiple viewings, one film will hold up better than the other as an example of an effective Spielberg blockbuster, with A Quiet Place winning the silent majority.

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Ready Player One lost this most recent weekend's box office battle, but the film has still put together some serious business over the last couple weekends. Thanks to some solid international ticket sales, Ready Player One has already crossed the $300 million mark worldwide and is actually closing in on $400 million already.

Thanks to a $143 million week in China, Ready Player One actually hit the $300 million mark on Friday, meaning everything the film did over this last weekend has actually helped the movie come awfully close to hitting $400 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ready Player One is already Warner Bros. most successful movie ever in China. It's also the first Steven Spielberg movie to break the $300 million barrier since The Adventures of Tintin in 2011.

This is very good news for everybody involved as the film was going to need to make a reported $420 - $500 million just to break even, and with the film now having brought in an estimated $391 million, that no longer seems outside the realm of possibility. Ready Player One just opened in Germany and Poland at the end of last week and it doesn't open in Japan until April 20, so there are still regions getting a chance to see the movie for the first time, so the box office is far from done with Ready Player One.

This also makes Ready Player One the fourth highest grossing movie of the year so far and considering the fact that two of the top three are Chinese features that have seen little box office success outside of China, that's pretty impressive. Ready Player One is also the fourth highest grossing domestic movie of the year, behind Black Panther, Peter Rabbit, and Fifty Shades Freed. There's less than $20 million separating RPO from the number two spot, so there's a pretty good chance it will get there, though, the gap between Black Panther and everything else is so big that pretty much everybody except the biggest movies will be fighting for second place for the rest of the year.

Competition is about to heat up the box office, however. John Krasinski's A Quiet Place has already surprised the industry with a stronger than expected opening weekend and this weekend will see Dwayne Johnson return to the big screen in Rampage. Then, on April 27 we'll see Avengers: Infinity War arrive, and after that, the rest of the traditional summer blockbusters begin to hit in fairly quick succession.

Time will tell how Ready Player One ultimately finishes at the box office, but overall it seems like the pop culture extravaganza has been a success.

Alongside superheroes, horror movies have become the biggest and hottest trend in Hollywood. And now, following major hits like Split, Get Out, and IT, John Krasinski's A Quiet Place is proving to be the latest genre feature feature to put up huge numbers. As you can see below, it just had an absolutely stellar opening weekend, and made nearly twice as much as its nearest competitor. Check out the full Top 10 below, and we'll break down the numbers after!

There were whispers this past week about whether or not A Quiet Place would be able to take down Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, but it turns out that it was really no contest. It's notable that the sci-fi thriller based on Ernest Cline's novel actually performed incredibly well in its second week - dropping only 40 percent - but it was still no match for the thrills of John Krasinski's latest. The horror movie rode into the weekend on a wave of fantastic buzz (it's currently holding a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 184 reviews counted), and audiences showed up wanting to know why critics were freaking out.

A Quiet Place doesn't need to make any more money to turn a profit (it was made for just $17 million), but it will be interesting to see how high it continues to ride through the rest of April. Yes, Avengers: Infinity War will stop it dead in its tracks - along with any other movie currently out in theaters - but it should make for a good showdown next week. Watercooler chatter will likely convince a good number of people to check out the film before spoilers spread to far, and that should make it fascinating competition for the silly, action-heavy Rampage starring Dwayne Johnson.

Before we dive into the rest of this weekend's new releases, I'll take a special moment to highlight the latest notable achievement accomplished by Ryan Coogler's Black Panther - which is still holding on in fourth place nearly two months after its release. I hinted that it would happen last week, but the $8.4 million earned these past three days was enough to push the film past Titanic on the all-time domestic chart, meaning that it is now the third most successful blockbuster ever to be released in the United States. Only two movies have done better, and that includes Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.7 million) and Avatar ($760.5 million). The Marvel Studios film will have to settle for its current position, as there is no way it will eclipse those totals by the end of its run, but that doesn't undercut the insane run we have witnessed the past few weeks, which has been mind-boggling.

Now turning attention back to Friday's wide releases, it should be recognized that Kay Cannon's Blockers put up one hell of a fight against Ready Player One as well. The comedy - which caught its own wave of buzz after its SXSW Film Festival - made its entire reported budget back in its first three days, and was just a few million short of claiming second place. It scored slightly under A Quiet Place in terms of CinemaScore - getting a "B" versus the horror flick's "B+" - but positive word of mouth could see it making a solid amount of cash by the time that it leaves theaters.

The other two new wide releases this weekend included John Curran's Chappaquiddick and Sean McNamara's The Miracle Season - but neither of the two based-on-a-true-story dramas managed to stir up a great deal of interest. Admittedly they were released in half the number of theaters as A Quiet Place and Blockers, but their numbers aren't exactly impressive. You'll notice that Chappaquiddick only made enough for 7th place ($6.2 million), while The Miracle Season didn't even make it on to the chart ($4.1 million was only good enough for 11th place).

As mentioned earlier, Brad Peyton's Rampage is the big new release coming out this Friday, but it will be joined in theaters by the horrors of Jeff Wadlow's Truth or Dare, the tennis drama in Janus Metz's Borg vs. McEnroe, and Richard Lanni's animated Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero. Check back next Sunday to see how the chart shifts!

The man who practically invented the modern blockbuster, Steven Spielberg, returned to the genre with last weekend's Ready Player One. The entertaining spectacle debuted with a solid, if unremarkable $53.2 million over the 4-day Easter frame. With no real blockbusters until next weekend's Rampage, you might think that Ready Player One could cruise to another victory this weekend, but it's actually looking like Parzival and Co. may have to settle for second place to Jon Krasinski's horror film, A Quiet Place.

Entering the weekend with serious buzz and near-universal critical acclaim, A Quiet Place is poised to make some noise at the box office and take the top spot with a mid-$20 million debut, recouping its budget of $17 million. The horror renaissance continues, and while A Quiet Place won't hit the numbers of a name property like IT, the film is skewing younger and benefits from a PG-13 rating. Ready Player One is predicted to take second place on the leaderboard with somewhere in the low-$20 million range for its second weekend, according to Deadline. Rounding out the top three will probably be the R-rated comedy Blockers. The film, starring Leslie Mann and John Cena has earned positive reviews for a raunch comedy and is expected to land somewhere in the mid-teens or even up to $20 million this weekend.

Falling out of first is certainly not ideal for Ready Player One; however, it sounds like it will be a reasonably tight race and the drop could certainly be worse. Ready Player One has a long way to go to become profitable, possibly needing to make somewhere in the neighborhood of $420 to $500 million overall. Fortunately, the film is doing really well overseas, earning $128 million in its first weekend and it is playing especially well in China, taking in $61.7 million last weekend. Blockbusters like Ready Player One play especially well overseas, so the celebration of pop culture may have even longer legs with foreign audiences than domestic ones. The film has received what I would argue is some bad reviews, but audiences still seem to like it for the most part, as it has earned an A- CinemaScore. I would argue Steven Spielberg's latest is a blast, full of crowd-pleasing moments that deserve to be seen on the big screen.

Ultimately, this is a really great weekend for film fans whatever you see. You've got a new horror classic in A Quiet Place, a ridiculously funny adult comedy in Blockers and something that should never be ignored, a new Steven Spielberg film in Ready Player One. Plus, if you're in the right market, you can even check out Wes Anderson's stop-motion charmer, Isle of Dogs. Not even counting movies that have been out for a bit longer, that's a really fun, well-reviewed lineup that caters to whatever your cinematic tastes happen to be. No matter the order of the box office, film fans win. To see what the rest of the year holds for movie fans, check out our 2018 release schedule.

Warning: SPOILERS for Ready Player One (both the movie and book) are ahead!

Adapting a popular book into a movie or TV show is tricky. In most cases, those involved with the adaptation need to make sure to honor the source material, but then there are also instances where creative liberties need to be taken so that the story flows better in the re-telling. In the case of Ready Player One, while the movie hit most of the main beats from Ernest Cline's novel, it also made a number of alterations, from changing the challenges to obtain James Halliday's keys to giving i-R0k an expanded role. While there are certain Ready Player One elements from the book that we missed seeing in the movie, the Steven Spielberg-helmed project did manage to improve upon the source material in a few ways, and one of the biggest was by making Daito and Shoto more important players in the story (pun slightly intended).

In the Ready Player One novel, Daito, a.k.a. Toshiba Yoshiaki and Sho, a.k.a. Akihide Karatsu, were Gunters like many of the users in the OASIS, and while they weren't on unfriendly terms with Parzival, a.k.a. Wade Watts, they also weren't particularly close with him. In the Ready Player One movie, Datio (played by Win Morisaki) and Sho (played by Phillip Zhao) had a closer relationship with Parzival and Aech, a.k.a. Helen Harris, with the four of them often hanging out with one another in James Halliday's incredible virtual world.

Starting off in the movie, it didn't appear as if Daito and Sho would be particularly important characters, as Wade spent most of his time chatting with either Aech or Art3mis. Even heading into The Shining's Overlook Hotel to look for the Jade Key and its corresponding gate, Daito and Sho don't say much. During the first half of the movie, one wouldn't be faulted for thinking that Daito and Sho wouldn't have much more to do. However the paths they go down compared to their literary counterparts deviate significantly once Nolan Sorrento and IOI learns that Parzival is Wade, and it could be argued that thanks to this change, Wade would not have succeeded in the end if it wasn't for the duo's help.

In the Ready Player One book, after Wade was forced to go into hiding following IOI's unsuccessful attempt to kill him, he learned from Shoto that the Sixers, IOI's goons, went to Japan and threw Daito out of his apartment window, making it look like a suicide. Shoto subsequently went into hiding himself and worked more closely with Wade, Art3mis and Aech to find James Halliday's Easter egg. Shoto was also present at Ogden Morrow's house when Wade arrived there, but because he was already plugged into the OASIS at that point, we never see these two meet in person. Shoto also appears to be a young adult within the book, but we don't learn much else about him, making him a tertiary character at best.

In the movie, on the other hand, both Daito and Sho play a more direct role in the latter half of the story, as they made contact with Aech, met up with her in real life and rescued Wade before he could be captured by IOI following the raid on the Resistance's base. While Daito is around Wade's age, Sho is an 11-year-old kid, making it all the more impressive what he's accomplished within the OASIS. From there, these two directly help in the effort to find James Halliday's Easter egg and thwart IOI's plans. Keeping Daito alive in the movie also pays off during the final conflict, because after sitting out a fair portion of the battle in the OASIS, he dives in and transforms into a life-sized Gundam to significantly weaken Sorrento's Mechagodzilla. Sho also has his own brief moment to shine during that same battle when he slices off i-r0k's arm from afar with a big throwing star. By the time Ready Player One ends, Daito and Sho are both still alive and kicking, and Wade decides to share control of the OASIS with them, Art3mis and Aech.

Had Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One stuck to the book closely, we wouldn't have gotten to know Daito and Sho that well, and the little time we did spend with them would have really only passed along that they were skilled Japanese gamers who nicknamed themselves after swords. Fortunately, they were given a lot more to do in the movie, and it paid off. Rather than just being bit players, they were actively-involved, fleshed-out characters with distinct personalities. Wade, Art3mis and Aech remained the primary protagonists within Ready Player One, but at least now Daito and Sho feel crucial to the story. Ernest Cline is working on a sequel novel to Ready Player One, and if that is someday adapted for a cinematic setting, here's hoping that both Daito and Sho will remain key characters in the movie's version of the events.

Ready Player One is now screening in theaters, and you can learn what we here at CinemaBlend thought of the movie by reading our review and To 3D guide.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Ready Player One. Don't read ahead until you've been to the OASIS.

Even before its release and now in the wake of it, Ready Player One has been subject to a swift backlash for the way the movie incorporates pop culture. Much like Ernest Cline's novel upon which it's based, Steven Spielberg's film explores the OASIS, a virtual world chock full of references to movies, TV and video games, especially those of the 1980's. The critique of Ready Player One seems to be that this movie is simply a hollow shell, meant to draw audiences in with the warm embrace of nostalgia for a game of spot the reference, at the expense of an original, meaningful story.

The criticism faced by Ready Player One is unsurprising in today's entertainment landscape. While the reboot and sequel craze has been going on for some time, there's a recent focus on reviving millennial properties of the 80's and 90's while also evoking the spirit and style of those eras. Tapping into fond childhood memories of a demographic with increasing buying power is seen as a cheap ploy and exponentially more overt when a film features a parade of references like Ready Player One does.

Yet many of these gripes were seemingly preordained because of the fanboyish novel. Thus, several opinions were fully formed before the movie's release. Watching the actual film, it is clear that while Ready Player One does have an appreciation for the pillars of pop culture, it is far more than just nostalgia bait (or memberberries if you prefer).

Having never read the novel, I was fully prepared for a cavalcade of references, an endless stream of callbacks and shout outs to pop culture icons that would be constantly calling attention to themselves, but I was pleasantly surprised when that wasn't the case. Sure there are dozens upon dozens of Easter eggs to find, but they never distracted me. I actually had to remind myself to try and spot the references when they weren't blatant. The references sort of faded into the background for me because of how Steven Spielberg got me invested in the protagonists and their quest.

Parzival may drive a DeLorean and wear a Thundercats belt and Art3mis may ride Kaneda's bike from Akira, but they are their own characters. Each expressing digitally how they see themselves and what they want the world to see, with a little bit of their interests sprinkled in. Others in the OASIS may have chosen Spawn or Ryu as avatars, but not Wade and Samantha. The characters we were asked to follow, they had to earn our fandom, it wasn't baked in.

Not everything was perfect, and sequences like Parzival trying on outfits was a bit of obvious pandering, but overall Spielberg doesn't allow the references to become too distracting or forced. Even the final battle on planet Doom, which was packed to the brim with Easter eggs, never overwhelmed. With the exception of a few killer geek out Easter eggs that served story purposes (It's a Gundam!), the references never took my focus away from my concern for Art3mis's safety or desire to see Parzival make it into the castle.

James Halliday's contest for the egg may have had the trappings of pop culture, but pop culture wasn't the point of it. Halliday was trying to teach a lesson about life and what he wanted for the OASIS. He had something to say about very real world things, like friendship and love, heartbreak and regret. He was a cautionary tale about wealth and power, as the OASIS did not bring him happiness and grew into something he never intended. Halliday created a contest for the ultimate fanboy, where only a person who truly understood him and his message could win. The gunters at IOI had all the pop culture knowledge, but they missed the human element at the heart of the contest. Wade won because he understood what Halliday wanted and how to avoid his mistakes, making him the right steward for the OASIS.

Mutual interests are what first sparked the relationship that blossomed between Parzival and Art3mis. Parzival's choice to wear a Buckaroo Banzai outfit in the hopes that Art3mis would get the reference was more than a way to sneak in another nostalgic reference, it showed his desire to make a real human connection in a digital realm. Pop culture is a connection point for people. If you bond with someone over your love of fine art or hiking or sports is that somehow more real, more valid than bonding over Back to the Future or Halo or Firefly? That is why I take umbrage with the nostalgia hate this movie has received. Lost in all of the talk of the problems with fanboy culture and looking at the past through rose-colored glasses are the reasons nostalgia makes us feel happy in the first place, and the ways it can be good.

What's so wrong with being taken back to your childhood? Nostalgia gives us a sense of belonging, of happiness and a shared history. Fandom can certainly go overboard but that's true of anything. There is actually research to suggest that nostalgia is good for you. Often the reasons things maintain a presence in pop culture and foster nostalgic memories is because they resonated in the first place, entertaining us, connecting us and inspiring us.

Nostalgia might make things fuzzy, but it is not blinding. I know I won't be able to contain my cringe if I watch the original Power Rangers series now. Despite my fond memories, it simply doesn't hold up. Whereas something like Hey Arnold! and The Adventures of Pete and Pete would still be brilliant as ever. Nostalgia only goes so far, as the diminishing returns of the Transformers movie franchise can attest to. Quality must be there, and that's why the nostalgia grab by Hollywood doesn't concern me. If Hollywood wasn't using nostalgia to get our attention and our money it would be using something else: spectacle, sex, tech, whatever.

Nostalgia is fine just so long as we are aware of it, enjoy it in moderation and it doesn't come at the expense of forward thinking. Ready Player One isn't perfect and it has problems, but nostalgia doesn't weigh it down or get in the way of the adventure if you don't let it. Besides, the heralding of nostalgia as some sort of virus infecting the culture is a simplistic view that misses all of the joy it brings to people. With all of the problems in the world, sometimes we all need to just feel like a kid again.

The following contains SPOILERS for Ready Player One.

Ready Player One had a solid opening weekend and is getting equally solid reviews for being an enjoyable adventure movie that fans of pop culture will especially enjoy. The ride is certainly an enjoyable one, but that doesn't mean it is entirely without bumps.

The film had a lot of ground to cover in its two and a half hour runtime, and in order to do so, it moves at a pretty fast clip. As such, the movie leaves a handful of questions unanswered by the end. Some of these are intentional mysteries, but others just feel like dangling threads. Here are some questions we have about Ready Player One.

Who Discovered The Race?

At the beginning of Ready Player One, we learn that the first clue had already been deciphered and that it led to a race that, thus far, nobody had been able to complete. We're told that the identity of the person who solved it was unknown, but how can that be? The hunt had only been going on for five years. It's not like this stuff was lost to the ages. Was finding the race seriously worth zero points on the scoreboard? Did the avatar really decide to remain anonymous? There would have been no harm in making yourself known, at least inside the OASIS. Unless, of course, the puzzle had never actually been solved, and the race just opened on its own in order to get things moving, perhaps as a fail-safe instituted by James Halliday himself?

What's The Deal With The Resistance?

When Wade gets grabbed shortly after his aunt's trailer explodes, he finds out that he's actually been rescued by a friend, Art3mis. Samantha, as we learn is her real name, welcomes Wade to "the Resistance," but we never really learn what that means. We see lots of people wandering around the building our characters are in and we see a lot of tents, implying people are living there, but that's about all. She refers to the person who grabbed Wade as "her guy," implying she has some position of authority within this organization, but we never receive any details. It seems like this group is all working together to try and beat IOI to the egg, but that's never made clear. How did this group come together? How big is it? We don't know. We also assume many of them ended up in the loyalty center with Samantha, but she doesn't do anything to help rescue them when she escapes.

How Did Art3mis Know How To Contact Aech, Diato And Shoto?

When Wade escapes after IOI raids "the Resistance," he gets picked up by a trio of friends he's never met in person. Aech, Daito and Sho tell Wade that Samantha sent them a message to pick Wade up. How exactly did this happen? Are these three part of the Resistance?. It's clear that Samantha has never met any of them in person, and at the beginning of the movie, Aech doesn't appear to know Ar3mis beyond reputation. How did she have their contact info in her phone? Also, did she know the three of them traveled together? Nobody else seemed to know that, so how did she get this info?

How Did Sorrento Not Know He Was Still Logged In?

At a key point in the story, our heroes get the drop on Nolan Sorrento because the guy keeps his password written down, therefore they are able to hack his OASIS rig. That's fine as far as it goes, but does it really make sense that he wouldn't know he was still in the OASIS? He was physically sitting in a chair with a pair of oversized sunglasses on his face. The OASIS may be a completely realistic simulation, but are we really supposed to believe it's so realistic you literally forget you're physically wearing the hardware? This isn't The Matrix, it's a VR video game.

What's The Deal With Halliday/Anorak?

After Parzival/Wade has successfully obtained the egg, he has a conversation with an image of James Halliday. Halliday impresses upon Wade the importance of living in reality and as he does, Parzival suggests that whatever he's talking to is not a game avatar. The image of Halliday confirms that he's not an avatar, but also that he's not actually Halliday. Perhaps the answer to this one is just semantic: an avatar is controlled by a person, while an NPC is just a computer program, but the scene seems to be hinting that there's something mysterious about how Halliday is appearing inside the OASIS. Is this potential sequel bait if Ready Player One does well enough to warrant one? It's not clear what is being suggested or if it matters.

How Was Morrow The Curator The Whole Time?

The final big reveal of Ready Player One is that Halliday's former best friend Ogden Morrow had actually been closely involved with the Hunt the entire time. He was the curator of Halliday's Archives, the one who gave Parzival an extra life for winning a bet with him. Except the indication was that the curator was actually an NPC, something which would have almost certainly been necessary at least some of the time. While the archives may not have been as popular as they once were, surely Gunters wandered in at all hours. Was Morrow on call 24/7? Did he ever sleep? Would Parzival have won his extra life if Morrow had been going to the bathroom at that particular moment and was AFK?

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, as well as Ernest Cline's original novel! Read ahead at your own risk!

Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is an ode to anything and everything that geeks love from the 1980s, except for the work of Spielberg himself. The film intentionally steers clear of its own director's films, but that doesn't mean that Spielberg didn't consider using one specific reference. In fact, the director recently opened up in an interview and admitted that he almost considered paying homage to Ernest Cline's novel and his own work on Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade by having Wade Watts use a "Grail diary." Spielberg explained:

So while there aren't many overt references to Steven Spielberg movies in Ready Player One, the Grail diary from the book almost played a massive role in the film. In the book, it's what Wade Watts uses to keep track of his information regarding James Halliday's Easter egg and plot his strategy to win the contest. In the context of Spielberg movies, the Grail diary is the book kept by Sean Connery's Henry Jones Sr. to keep track of all of his information on the Holy Grail. It likely would've been easy to include in the film, but Spielberg ultimately decided to keep it out of his adaptation, which has me wondering if that was a way of getting back at Ernest Cline for his digs at Indiana Jones in the book.

It definitely would make perfect sense for Steven Spielberg to include a nod to the Grail diary in Ready Player One, per the director's recent remarks to USA Today. The Indiana Jones version of the book is considerably important in the search for the Holy Grail, and Indiana Jones ventures to Berlin to prevent it from being incinerated. In fact, he even gets it autographed (unintentionally) by none other than Adolph Hitler.

Ready Player One is currently in theaters. Are you looking for more information about Steven Spielberg's latest blockbuster? Check out our full review of the film, as well as our comprehensive To 3D guide to figure out which Ready Player One ticket you should buy!

This past Easter weekend saw the release of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, and it resulted in the director's best opening for a film since 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Ready Player One pulled in $41.2 million over the weekend for a domestic total of $53.2 million, factoring in the Thursday debut. This opening bow may have exceeded expectations, but Ready Player One can't be considered a winner just yet. To be a true box office success, the film still has a ways to go and may need to somewhere between $420 million and $500 million globally just to break even.

Needing nearly a half a billion dollars just to break even is a tall order and a risky proposition. This is just an estimate, and I doubt the studio will tell us exactly what the amount is, but suffice it to say this movie needs to make money. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ready Player One cost an expensive, but hardly unheard of, $175 million. If you've seen the film, you know that every bit of that money can be seen on screen, as this movie is a true visual spectacle, and the OASIS really comes to life and deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

On top of the $175 million price tag, Ready Player One had a major marketing push that upped its overall cost significantly. Despite being a blockbuster from Steven Spielberg, Ready Player One is not a known property in the way most modern blockbusters are, and its source material is not super well known or part of a popular franchise. So the choice to spend so much on the film and marketing was a gamble that if audiences were aware of and properly sold on the film, they would come out for a new original blockbuster.

While the race is far from won, Ready Player One does have some positive signs going for it beyond its domestic opening weekend. Steven Spielberg's latest flick drew in $128 million in foreign markets over the weekend, bringing its worldwide total so far to $181.2 million. The overseas take includes a $61.7 million debut in the increasingly important Chinese market, which has provided financial justification for sequels in recent years. There is still a long way to go, but the film is also riding on positive reviews (75% on Rotten Tomatoes) and an A- CinemScore.

Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow are hoping for something like a Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle-like performance where the film has long legs at the box office and continues to pay down that bill. Whatever the true cost of the film, the investment will be worth it if this film succeeds. Author Ernest Cline is already working on a sequel novel, so a success here could mark the beginning of a new franchise and future box office returns. Ready Player One has a fair bit of room to work, too. The next big blockbuster is the Dwayne Johnson vehicle Rampage on April 13, but it's hard to say if it will enjoy the same kind of critical reception as Ready Player One. But other than that, there isn't much similar blockbuster competition until Avengers: Infinity War arrives at the end of the month and destroys all.

Ready Player One is in theaters now, so be sure to buy the right ticket and come back to let us know what you thought after you've seen it. For all the biggest movies hitting theaters this year, check out our release schedule.

Warning! Spoilers to follow for Ready Player One. Come back later if you haven't seen it yet.

Steven Spielberg is an unimpeachable legend of the science-fiction genre. The sheer awesomeness of Jurassic Park alone would make him a candidate for this stature, but then the man also has Close Encounters of The Third Kind, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and Minority Report on his filmography. The man clearly knows how to weave a story with a futuristic/technological bent... but watching Ready Player One it's hard not to notice that he fails to do one thing that is really crucial to this kind of storytelling: he never actually gives audience a larger sense of the world in which the central narrative is taking place, or any idea of what normal life is like.

It should be recognized up-front that Ready Player One carries a whole ton of exposition in its first act -- so much so that it requires forced voiceover narration from Tye Sheridan's Wade Watts. There is a lot to quickly get across so that the audience can understand what's going on, from the history of James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and the OASIS, to the Easter egg hunt that has been in effect ever since Halliday's death. But when it comes to how all of this makes the movie's world different than our own, it falls short. Sure, Columbus, Ohio has become a hotspot in America, and that people of all ages are obsessed with the game, but the film lacks important context that is needed to give the story meaning and the protagonist depth.

Surprisingly, this issue could be identified as a problem born in the complications of adaptation, because all of these missing details are very much present in Ernest Cline's novel. While the movie version of Wade Watts is almost exclusively depicted as a "Gunter," using every waking moment searching for Halliday's three keys, the Ready Player One book offers much more to his everyday life. Instead of just having Sorrento casually mention that schools could be made to look like those in John Hughes movies, Wade actually attends classes; and he deals with personal complications like being so broke he can't actually travel off-world and explore the game like everyone else. Those elements are completely missing in the film, and they are problematic omissions.

The principal problem that emerges from the lack of world building is the fact that the setting of the Ready Player One movie feels entirely ordinary, and by extension doesn't really give the OASIS any kind of apparent significance. Sure, we're told that people go to school and work inside of the program, but it's the classic issue of telling instead of showing. With so much emphasis on Gunter activity and Planet Doom, there's very little in the movie that suggests it's the society-changing technology that it's supposed to be. Really, it just comes across as outrageously popular video game, which isn't really the point.

Not only is the OASIS diminished by the lacking background in Ready Player One, but Wade Watts is also severely undercut as a protagonist. As alluded to, the book paints the character as being incredibly poor, but able to succeed in the great Easter egg hunt because of his ingenuity and knowledge. The benefit of knowing who Wade is outside of the game gives us a reason to cheer him on as he's playing it. The movie basically removes half of this equation, though, and while you can still cheer on Wade because he clearly knows his stuff, his journey simply isn't as compelling because of the deleted conflict, and there's a degree of satisfaction removed from what he's ultimately able to accomplish.

Ready Player One is a fun big screen adventure with a lot of eye-popping imagery, but it also leaves a lot to be desired in its creation of its world. For a movie that's supposed to be all about the special creation of a vast virtual universe, it's surprisingly narrow in its focus, and while asking what society is like beyond the Easter egg hunt seems like a simple question for a blockbuster with its scope, it's one that is unfortunately left unanswered.