Entertainment
The Best Movies About Magic
List Rules
Vote up your favorite movies that prominently feature magic or magicians
The best movies about magic include some of the most riveting and fascinating films ever made. From the bravado and intrigue of magic movies like The Prestige and The Illusionist, to the hilarity of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, the films about magic listed here are worth a watch (or two, and watch very carefully). These movies feature some of the best fictional magicians of all time, too. What's your favorite movie about magic? Definitely rerank this list in any order you want to try your own hand at misdirection.
Not all magic movies are lighthearted. Some, like Richard Attenborough's 1978 movie Magic (starring Anthony Hopkins), are actually quite creepy. The life of a magician isn't always a happy one. Making a living selling illusions to the world can lead to madness, and deadly competition.
Some of the films on this list are fictional accounts of the lives of some of the world's greatest and most famous magicians, especially Harry Houdini. In the 1953 classic biographical film Houdini, Tony Curtis plays the late, great escapologist and Janet Leigh plays his wife, Bess Houdini. If you're interested in movies about magic, this one is a must see.
In 2013, the thriller movie Now You See Me, about a group of thieving illusionists, was released. The film featured an all-star cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman, among them. Year after year, movies about illusionists and magic continue to capture audiences' imaginations.
If you like these films, be sure to check out our list of the best sorcerer movies.
Ranked by
- 1Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
- Released: 2006
- Directed by: Christopher Nolan
An illusion gone horribly wrong pits two 19th-century magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), against each other in a bitter battle for supremacy. Terrible ...more - 2Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel
- Released: 2006
- Directed by: Neil Burger
A master magician named Eisenheim (Edward Norton) vies with Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) of Vienna for the hand of noblewoman Sophie (Jessica Biel), the girl he once loved. He brings his ...more - 3Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Charismatic magician Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) leads a team of talented illusionists called the Four Horsemen. Atlas and his comrades mesmerize audiences with a pair of amazing magic shows that drain ...more - 4Danielle Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
- Released: 2001 - 2011
- Directed by: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, David Yates
Harry Potter is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by author J. K. Rowling. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films. A spin-off ...more - 5Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: David Yates
The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief ...more - 6Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest
- Released: 1998
- Directed by: Griffin Dunne
Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic), ...more - 7Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Robert De Niro
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
To win the heart of his beloved (Sienna Miller), a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) ventures into the realm of fairies to retrieve a fallen star. What Tristan finds, however, is not a chunk of ...more - 8Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: Jon M. Chu
After fleeing from a stage show, the illusionists (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson) known as the Four Horsemen find themselves in more trouble in Macau, China. Devious tech wizard Walter Mabry ...more - 9Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Glynis Johns
- Released: 1964
- Directed by: Robert Stevenson
When Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber), the children of the wealthy and uptight Banks family, are faced with the prospect of a new nanny, they are pleasantly surprised by the arrival ...more - 10Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
When street rat Aladdin frees a genie from a lamp, he finds his wishes granted. However, he soon finds that the evil has other plans for the lamp -- and for Princess Jasmine. But can Aladdin save ...more - 11Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Eli Roth
Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious ticktock noise. He soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and his feisty neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are ...more - 12Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Kevin Lima
Banished by an evil queen, Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) from a fairy-tale world lands in modern Manhattan, where music, magic and "happily ever after" are sorely lacking. She is adrift in this ...more - 13Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell
- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Andrew Fleming
After transferring to a Los Angeles high school, Sarah (Robin Tunney) finds that her telekinetic gift appeals to a group of three wannabe witches, who happen to be seeking a fourth member for their ...more - 14Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina
- Released: 2010
- Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) is just an average guy, but the wizard Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) sees in him a hidden talent for sorcery. He becomes Balthazar's reluctant protege, getting a crash ...more - 15Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Torin Thatcher
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: George Marshall
While working as a Coney Island entertainer, Harry Houdini (Tony Curtis) meets and falls madly in love with Bess (Janet Leigh). The two quickly marry, and with her at his side, the magician begins ...more - 16Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith
- Released: 1978
- Directed by: Richard Attenborough
Corky (Anthony Hopkins), a failed magician, adopts a new ventriloquist act with an abrasive dummy named Fats, and suddenly finds himself lined up for a television show. When the unbalanced Corky ...more - 17Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Rob Marshall
Now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that ...more - 18Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter
- Released: 2010
- Directed by: Tim Burton
A young girl when she first visited magical Underland, Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) is now a teenager with no memory of the place -- except in her dreams. Her life takes a turn for the ...more - 19Jacob Latimore, Seychelle Gabriel, Sasheer Zamata
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: J.D. Dillard
Sleight is a 2016 American drama film directed by J.D. Dillard. A young street magician (Jacob Latimore) is left to care for his little sister after their parents' death and turns to illegal ...more - 20Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone
- Released: 2020
- Directed by: Zoe Lister Jones
An eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers. - 21Scott Bakula, Kevin J. O'Connor, Famke Janssen
- Released: 1995
- Directed by: Clive Barker
Private eye Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) travels to Los Angeles and meets with a new client, Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen). Swann reveals that she and her husband -- famed magician Philip Swann ...more - 22Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff
- Released: 1963
- Directed by: Roger Corman
Magician Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) is still deeply depressed two years after the death of his beloved wife, Lenore (Hazel Court). One day, he's visited by Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre), who has ...more - 23Adam DeVine, Jeffrey Tambor, Gillian Jacobs
- Released: 2020
- Directed by: Mark Waters
A straight-laced banker returns to magic camp, which he attended years ago as a boy, to work as a compassionate and fun-loving counselor while also keeping his eye on winning first place in the ...more - 24Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes ...more - 25Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Don Scardino
Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and his partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), have reigned as kings of the Las Vegas strip for years. Their work rakes in millions of dollars, ...more
