A video I watched got me thinking. What do you think is the movie that the most people have seen? Let's say among currently living people in the US.

I would go with Home Alone, since that's on every year, old people have likely seen it, and most kids have seen it at some point during the holidays.

Runner up, maybe a Harry Potter or a Star Wars? I feel like HP has way more young viewers, but Star Wars would win among adults.

Back to the Future and Forrest Gump would've been in the running if it wasn't for kids under 10.

And maybe Lion King is in there somewhere.

Titanic also came to mind, but again, kids under 10 keeps it from #1.

"Your mom gone wild"

/general board

Whatever it is, it's probably a Disney animated movie. Maybe Pixar. Toy Story?

Wizard of Oz

A Christmas Story
Everybody had seen it every holiday season, more than twice.

Has to be a kids cartoon movie.

You mean which movie the greatest number of people have seen? Or by total view count?

I assume it would be a Disney move from before '99.

The first.

If it's any Disney movie, I think it's either Lion King or Toy Story. But probably lean towards Lion King.

I don't think anything before the 90's would have younger kids and nothing after would have people over 60.

If talking theatrical ticket sales, I'd say something like Star Wars. But I think OP means viewings, which would include TV - OTA, video, and streaming. In that case I'm going with a Disney animated feature. I could say Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, but I'll actually go with a more recent entry that was an ever-present phenomenon that any Dad with a daughter of up to 10 or so will recognize - Frozen.

It's a Wonderful Life

http://www.mrob.com/pub/film-video/topadj.html

Bruce Almighty said:

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Wizard of Oz

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Yeah I was thinking either this or The Sound of Music.

Gone With The Wind

The Ten Commandments

Star Wars, no doubt. At first I thought "Wizard of Oz" since every grandparent thinks all kids over the last 50 years need to see it. But it's mid, and Star Wats rocks and spawned about 3 industries (theme parks, toys movie franchises).

Ima say Lion King. That's a VHS/DVD/stream that has been on repeat, in many households, for generations. Wizard of Oz doesn't get the repeats IMO (I've seen it once, in elementary school).

Star Wars is definitely up there but I feel like it's predominantly for boys, whereas Disney animated is for all kids.

Maybe Toy Story..?

Rex Racer said:

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Gone With The Wind

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I think this still holds the record for most tickets sold, which is a better metric than box office revenue.

I would be surprised if anyone under 25 has watched gone with the wind or wizard of oz in significant numbers.

My vote would be something like the Lion King since kids still love it.

If you count them as one movie, I'd say the Star Wars sequel trilogy (episodes 7-9).

Ohhh, WATCHED, not botched. ..

The Lion King or Avatar

Madmarttigan said:

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I would be surprised if anyone under 25 has watched gone with the wind or wizard of oz in significant numbers.

My vote would be something like the Lion King since kids still love it.

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I think the op was for number of people, not number of viewings.

His answer seems to support that.

Interesting topic. There is probably a cross-section of movie that lands between the oldest people alive and youngest. Some of the oldest people were born in the 1920s, and could have been watching movies since the 30s. That lands on Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and Snow White. Of those 3, Snow White probably tops b/c of the now younger generations watching it. Maybe Wizard of Oz next, and I would guess fewer younger people have seen Gone With the Wind.

The question would become how many of the older people who watched Snow White have seen something like the Lion King? Many of them probably have grandkids, and now possibly great grandkids with whom they have watched it.


All I know for sure is that if we are talking total number of views, my daughter single handedly would have put Encanto in the top 10.

I'd say Home Alone as well. I don't know anyone who has not seen it, which I can't say for any other movie.

Star Wars no...as there is a significant amount of people who just don't watch sci-fi/fantasy. Its still probably top 5. Hard no on Potter. It's BO isn't that impressive and it doesn't get near the TV following other contenders get and adults simply aren't watching unless they have kids or happen to be a fan. My kids read the books but they never were interested in the movies for whatever reason.

GOTW no. Of the classics, I'd bet a lot more people have seen Oz or Its a Wonderful Life.

Lion King, Toy Story, ET, Christmas Story (impressive since it's all TV) are all up there. Jurassic Park.

How about R rated movie? T2? It's a soft-R and who didn't show this to their kids as soon as possible?

That's what I answered I don't think those movies have the most people because the younger generations haven't watched

The classics also have nearly 2 full additional generations who watched them compared to modern movies, and were in a time when entertainment choices were far more limited.
Put another way, most people born since the civil war would have had the opportunity to see GWTW or The Wizard of Oz. And as I posted above, GWTW dwarfs every other movie in ticket sales, with its multiple releases over the decades,

I just don't think many people under 35 have seen GWTW. I would say maybe 15% of them, and that's being optimistic.

Compared to say Home Alone or Lion King, and that's probably 60%+?

Anecdotally, my parents are in their early 60s, I'm fairly sure they've never seen GWTW, and they watched Home Alone with us all the time as kids, and now with their grandkids.

Yes. Box Office there is no contest. But GWTW doesn't have TV or video exposure which is huge. I'd bet more people born in the past 40 years haven't seen GWTW than have. Oz definitely has gotten more exposure in modern times. I think much less post 2000 but it's still out there.

I don't know anyone around my age who has seen GWTW... and I'm 36.

I think Wizard of Oz blows away GWTW.

But I still don't think Oz makes the top 5. Maybe top 10 though. Way more popular with kids.

Romeo and Juliet (the Leonardo DiCaprio version)

I'll go with Jurassic Park.

Probably not 1, but Grease has to be high up there. No one can get through a public education without at least 3 viewings.

That's a good one.

Definitely Not A Cop said:

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Romeo and Juliet (the Leonardo DiCaprio version)

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Don't think that one is even close. I don't think I've even seen it all the way through.