List RulesVote for your personal favorite end-of-the-world, doomsday or post-apocalyptic film.
The best way to celebrate the end of the world is by watching the best Doomsday movies of all time to get in the mood. To that end, fans have ranked this list of the top doomsday movies. These movies about the end of the world have been voted by fans of the genre. The best ones appear first, so vote for your favorites to get them to rise to the top of the list. You can click on the doomsday movie titles to get more information about the films. Find out who the directors were, year of release, top-billed cast, and more.
These are the top films in the doomsday film genre, meaning that each and every one of these is a movie about the end of the world or takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Be it the motifs of the doomsday film genre or just some of the most common archetypes. The films on this list cover multiple genres and are voted on by people who really care about doomsday movie lists.
Show your appreciation for movies like Independence Day or The Matrix by voting for them. If we missed any doomsday movies on this list, please add them to the list yourself, as this is an open list which means you can add any movies whenever you like (choices are subject to moderation). Don't forget, not all end of the world Doomsday movies are sad and action-packed. Some are sentimental and emotional roller coasters, such as Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.
This list has everything from sci-fi classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and animated hits like Wall-E. Want to watch these apocalypse movies right now but don't own them? Don't worry, it's not the end of the world. Many of these end of times flicks are streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime. These top Doomsday movies will help you get prepared for the apocalypse.
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1
1,060548Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward FurlongReleased: 1991
Directed by: James Cameron
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science fiction action thriller film written, produced and directed by James Cameron. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert... more
2
1,19061728 Days Later
Cillian Murphy, Christopher EcclestonReleased: 2002
Directed by: Danny Boyle
28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland. The film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan... more
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Independence Day
Will Smith, Jeff GoldblumReleased: 1996
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction disaster film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. The film stars Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch,... more
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Armageddon
Bruce Willis, Ben AffleckReleased: 1998
Directed by: Michael Bay
Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster thriller film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of... more
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I Am Legend
Will Smith, Emma ThompsonReleased: 2007
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
I Am Legend is a 2007 American post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954... more
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The Day After Tomorrow
Emmy Rossum, Jake GyllenhaalReleased: 2004
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American climate fiction-disaster film co-written, directed, and produced by Roland Emmerich and starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum, and... more
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The Day the Earth Stood Still
Patricia Neal, Michael RennieReleased: 1951
Directed by: Robert Wise
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein, directed by Robert Wise, and starring Michael Rennie,... more
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WALL-E
Sigourney Weaver, Laraine NewmanReleased: 2008
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story follows a robot... more
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Shaun of the Dead
Martin Freeman, Simon PeggReleased: 2004
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British horror comedy film directed by Edgar Wright. In a small flat on the outskirts of London, Shaun (Simon Pegg), a 30-something dull loser, must protect his girlfriend... more
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Children of Men
Julianne Moore, Clive OwenReleased: 2006
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction thriller film directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James's 1992 novel of the same name, was credited to five writers,... more
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Dawn of the Dead
Ving Rhames, Ty BurrellReleased: 2004
Directed by: Zack Snyder
This film is a 2004 American horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his feature film directorial debut. A remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name, it is written by James Gunn and... more
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28 Weeks Later
Rose Byrne, Idris ElbaReleased: 2007
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
28 Weeks Later is a 2007 British-Spanish post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film, structured as a sequel to the 2002 critical and commercial success, 28 Days Later. 28 Weeks Later was co-written... more
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Dawn of the Dead
Tom Savini, Ken ForeeReleased: 1978
Directed by: George A. Romero
This film is a 1978 Italian-American horror drama film written and directed by George A. Romero. It was the second film made in Romero's series, but contains no characters or settings from them, and... more
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Bird Box
Sandra Bullock, Sarah PaulsonReleased: 2018
Directed by: Susanne Bier
Bird Box is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic film directed by Susanne Bier, based on the novel by Josh Malerman. A woman (Sandra Bullock) and a pair of children are blindfolded as they make their way... more
- 15196139
12 Monkeys
Brad Pitt, Bruce WillisReleased: 1995
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
12 Monkeys, also known as Twelve Monkeys, is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film La Jetée, and starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine... more
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Zombieland
Emma Stone, Amber HeardReleased: 2009
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Zombieland is a 2009 American zombie comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone,... more
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The Book of Eli
Denzel Washington, Mila KunisReleased: 2010
Directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
The Book of Eli is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic neo-Western and action film directed by the Hughes brothers. A lone man sets off to fight his way across America in order to protect a sacred book... more
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2012
Amanda Peet, Woody HarrelsonReleased: 2009
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
2012 is a 2009 American science fiction disaster adventure film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny... more
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The Road
Charlize Theron, Viggo MortensenReleased: 2009
Directed by: John Hillcoat
The Road is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic drama film directed by John Hillcoat from a screenplay written by Joe Penhall, which is in return based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2006 novel of the... more
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Mad Max: Fury Road
Tom Hardy, Charlize TheronReleased: 2015
Directed by: George Miller
Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 action film directed by George Miller. In a post apocalyptic desert wasteland where gasoline and water are scarce commodities, Max Rockatansky (Max Hardy) joins forces... more
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The Return of the Living Dead
Clu Gulager, James KarenReleased: 1985
Directed by: Dan O'Bannon
This film is a 1985 American black comedy/zombie horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa and Linnea Quigley. The film tells the story of how... more
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Night of the Comet
Geoffrey Lewis, Mary WoronovReleased: 1984
Directed by: Thom Eberhardt
Night of the Comet is a 1984 disaster-comedy film written and directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney. The film was voted number 10 in Bloody... more
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The Day the Earth Stood Still
Jennifer Connelly, Keanu ReevesReleased: 2008
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 2008 American science fiction film, a remake of the 1951 film of the same name. The screenplay is based on the 1940 classic science fiction short story "Farewell to... more
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#Alive
Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hyeReleased: 2020
Directed by: Cho Il-hyung
#Alive is a 2020 South Korean zombie film directed by Cho Il-hyung. The rapid spread of an unknown infection has left an entire city in ungovernable chaos, but one survivor remains alive in isolation.... more
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War of the Worlds
Tom Cruise, Morgan FreemanReleased: 2005
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American epic science fiction disaster film and a loose adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman... more