With an endless number of movies just one click away, it can be pretty daunting to decide what to watch on movie night — especially when stuck at home. But a fun way to program a movie marathon of sorts is by looking at the list of the highest-grossing movies of all time worldwide.
But then, it’s never as fun to watch the Rohirrim arriving at Pelennor Fields inThe Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kingall by yourself. This is whyMovies Anywherenow allows you to share your love of your favorite movie by sending aScreen Pass*so friends and family can also shout “Arise, arise, Riders of Theoden!” as well.
Below, we’ve rounded up 9 of the highest-grossing movies currently available onMovies Anywherethat are alsoScreen Pass-eligible. Happy viewing!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The culmination of eight films worth of story, and the end to one of the most popular film franchises sinceStar Wars, there were many ways in whichHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2could have gone wrong. Thankfully, directorDavid Yatesstuck the landing with a film that feels both epic and intimate. There are constant payoffs to the entireHarry Potterfranchise, from the action-filled showdowns to relationships in peril. Truly, the film had fans smiling from ear to ear while crying their eyes out when it was first released.
The set pieces are breathtaking, the death scenes are unexpected and emotional, andAlexandre Desplat’s score perfectly captures the melancholy of the film’s operatic nature; the acknowledgement that this epic story is coming to an end and things will never be the same. Watching the statues around Hogwarts come to life to protect their home remains one of the finest scenes in the entire franchise, and you’ll definitely cry over Snape’s flashbacks all over again.
The Fate of the Furious
The eighthFast & Furiousmovie is the only one in the franchise that features a hilariously effective baby reacting toJason Stathamfuriously punching a bunch of bad guys, and that alone makes it an absolute must-watch.The Fate of the Furiousturns everything in this high-flying franchise to 11. You thoughtFast & Furiousdid crazy stunts before? How about a race on the icy landscape of the Arctic whereDwayne Johnsonstops a literal torpedo with his bare hands? Oh, and then there’s the character twists. How about Dominic Toretto betraying his family for mysterious reasons? And did we mention the baby?
TheFast & Furiousfranchise changed forever afterFast Five, and audiences across the globe got on board with its over-the-top stunts and shenanigans.The Fate of the Furiousis a high-octane good time, with plenty of humor, great cars, and a growing cast of characters you can’t help but love.
Have you ever wanted to see aStar Warsmovie set entirely underwater?Aquamanhas you covered. From the moment he first debuted as Aquaman,Jason Momoahas stolen every scene he’s been in. So when it was time for anAquamansolo film, Momoa more than delivered to become a commanding yet utterly charming leading man.
Aquamanis one of the most purely fun superhero movies in years. It has a certain sense of wonder you seldom get in this type of blockbuster film nowadays. There’s phenomenal world-building that introduces a larger universe without showing too much, and a literal drumming octopus, which is just about the coolest thing to ever happen in a superhero movie. If there’s one scene that should make you want to share your love of this film with your friends or family, it’s the Trench scene where Aquaman and Mera are attacked by dozens upon dozens of monsters that dwell the depths of the ocean. This scene is not only visually stunning, but it also combines the exhilaration of a superhero movie with the kind of horror thrills only directorJames Wancan provide.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
In 2020, it’s kind of hard to grasp just how monumentalThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingwas. A three-and-a-half-hour epic (over 4 hours in the Extended Edition) that’s comprised mostly of incredible action set pieces and resolution to plot points introduced in the other two films, that managed not only to become the second film in history to earn over $1 billion at the box office, but also became the third film to win 11 Oscars (it was a clean sweep asROTKwon for every category in which it was nominated).
Even 17 years later, the set pieces inReturn of the Kingremain as impressive as when the film first premiered. The mixture of practical and visual effects, together withPeter Jackson’s eye for finding the right emotional connection in every fight scene, keeps the action grounded in the characters. And despite only knowing them for three films, by the end of this you feel like you’re saying goodbye to lifelong companions. This is the definition of spectacle cinema, a crowning achievement in knowing how to use every cinematic tool at your disposal while telling a story that resonates with audiences. If you know anyone in your life who hasn’t seen Théoden King rally the Rohirrim at theBattle of Pelennor Fields, make this one a priority, and while you’re at it, why not make it a whole weekend and marathon the entire trilogy in Extended Edition onMovies Anywhere?
The Dark Knight Rises
We don’t talk enough aboutThe Dark Knight Rises.Christopher Nolan’s last Batman film had impossible expectations, having to followThe Dark KnightwithoutHeath Ledger’s Joker. Though that film and that performance cast a long shadow, the trilogy-capper still had a fantastic villain in the form ofTom Hardy’s Bane.
This Bane is a more tragic figure than we’d seen before in comics and films, and Hardy sells his performance with extreme nuance. His performance is purely physical, commanding every scene he’s in. you’re able to tell everything Bane is thinking and feeling only with his eyes. And Bane isn’t even the only Batman villain joining this film.Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman is the perfect foil for this Bruce Wayne, able to turn from a damsel in distress to femme fatale in the blink of an eye, always playing with Wayne’s naivete.
On a production level, this film is outstanding.Hans Zimmerdoes his best musical work of the trilogy, and Nolan’s work with the IMAX format really makes the set pieces in this film shine. Look no further than Bane’s attack on the Gotham City stadium for proof!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Peter Jackson had a difficult challenge withThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. From production issues, to high expectations, it’s surprising that the film ended up being as fun as it is. The cast is fantastic and their chemistry is palpable. Though the look of the film is instantly recognizable to fans ofThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy, the tone is distinctively different, starting with the addition of full-on songs.
The scene where we first meet all dwarves at Bilbo Baggins' house is both hilarious and quite melancholic, and the “Misty Mountains Cold” song is extremely catchy. If you have only seen Gollum in the original trilogy, you owe it to yourself to check outThe Hobbitto experience the next level of Weta Workshop’s wizardry.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
With how much the wizarding world of Harry Potter changed and how dark and gritty it became over the years, it is easy to forget just how magical that first film was. DirectorChris Columbuscreated a world that was truly unlike our own, full of wonder and magic, with every detail hiding a story of its own. Though the young cast was pretty inexperienced at the time, it is still a joy to see them interact with one another, and the main trio’s friendship comes to life nearly instantaneously.
Arguably the most faithful adaptation of the books,The Sorcerer’s Stoneis just small-scale enough that it has more time to focus on character and world-building, while still hinting at a larger, more epic story to come. Nearly 20 years later, the scene where we first enter the wizarding world atDiagon Alleyremains as magical as ever, thanks in part toJohn Williams’enchanting score.
The Dark Knight
What’s left to say aboutThe Dark Knight? We’ve seen dozens of superhero films since it premiered, but few have managed to be as cinematically impressive, as grounded in character and emotion, and simply as stunning as this one. They say a hero is nothing without their villain, andThe Dark Knighthas one of the greatest movie villains of all time, Heath Ledger’s Joker.
The Dark Knightmasterfully blends the feel of noir-like films with the comic-book tropes you’d expect from a Batman movie, delivering a grounded character-driven film that is unlike anything we’d seen at the time of the film’s release. Much of this is due to Ledger’s performance as Joker, an enigmatic, chaotic evil entity that becomes the very antithesis of the Batman, and challenges everything about him.
Did you know that bothShrekandShrek 2premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in competition? True story! The sequel to the groundbreaking, Oscar-winning animated film doubles down on everything that made the original such a phenomenon. There’s even more jokes, more parodies of fantasy tropes, and even better musical numbers.
For many Gen-Z and late ’90s millennials,Shrek 2was the first way they saw a movie buck the tropes of some animated movies their parents and grandparents grew up with, and a film that treated its audience with respect and didn’t stop to explain its pop culture references. There is a reason, nearly 20 years after it premiered, that the Internet remains so enamored withShrek 2, and it’s at least in part due to the cinematic masterpiece that is the “I Need A Hero"scene.
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