Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Published Oct 8, 2026, 9:24 PM EDT
In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 3000 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom. You can also hear Jake every week as the resident film and TV journalist on Track Radio.
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The history of film dates back to 1888, although the supposed starting point of Louis Le Prince's Roundhay Garden Scene is debated by some. Nevertheless, there is no debating how impressively extensive cinema's 137-year catalog is, with technological advancements and improvements in film-specific storytelling helping to enhance its quality.
Among this long history of cinema are a select few gems that have done the unthinkable and proved universally popular. Given the rise of social media and the ability for any viewer to share their opinion with the world, for a film to avoid negativity and find its place in the hearts of audiences, regardless of age or taste, is an achievement that shouldn't be underestimated. With that in mind, here's a look at seven of the most universally loved movies of all time, ranked.
1 'Back to the Future' (1985)
Image via Universal PicturesAs the opening of a stage musical and the box office re-release this year prove, the universal love for Back to the Future has perhaps even increased over time. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the movie follows the charismatic but insecure Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he and his mad scientist friend Doc Emmett L. Brown (Christopher Lloyd) travel through time via a DeLorean to save the lives of those they love.
One of the biggest box office hits of 1985, Back to the Future was an enormous hit upon arrival, turning Fox into a global star almost overnight. Packed with memorable moments, the film is crucially just as funny as it is emotionally engaging and boasts a near-perfect 95% score from audiences on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film won an Academy Award for Sound Effects Editing back in 1986, losing out on a screenplay trophy to Witness in one of the worst snubs of that year.
2 'Jurassic Park' (1993)
Image via Universal PicturesThe summer blockbuster has lost its charm in recent years, as it was once the perfect box office slot for the biggest and best films. In 1993, that slot went to Jurassic Park, the story of paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), as they are invited to visit an island theme park populated by dinosaurs ahead of its public opening. However, little do they know the danger they are about to face.
As many of the most beloved films do, Jurassic Park spawned a dino-sized franchise and six sequels to date, with the most recent, Jurassic World Rebirth, becoming one of 2025's biggest box office hits. However, none have ever matched the awe-inspiring vision of the original, with groundbreaking CGI and animatronics still dropping jaws to this day.
3 'The Breakfast Club' (1985)
Image via Universal PicturesThe teen movie has often proven universally popular, mainly for its ability to capture a moment in time for a generation of adolescents. Of all the best this genre has to offer, none are quite as beloved as The Breakfast Club. Following five high school students as they spend a Saturday in detention together, the film details their differences and finds their unlikely similarities as their lives are changed forever in just one day.
On its 40th anniversary, this 1985 John Hughes cult classic has been receiving plenty of love, proving popular in its limited box office re-release in September. A genius coming-of-age story that is both a visual time capsule of the mid-1980s and an enduring tale of acceptance and identity, teenage lives are still being changed with one viewing of The Breakfast Club.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Iconic Fandom Should You Join? Harry Potter · Lord of the Rings · Star Wars · Star Trek
Eight honest questions about how you actually are: what you put on when you need cheering up, how deep you go into the things you love, what you argue about, what you keep on your shelf. Answer them and we will tell you where you belong. Four of the biggest fandoms on earth are taking new members, and they could not be more different from one another.
⚡Harry Potter(Wizarding World)
💍Lord of the Rings(Middle-earth)
⚔️Star Wars(A Galaxy Far Away)
🖖Star Trek(The Final Frontier)
FIND YOUR PEOPLE →
01
What do you put on when you need cheering up? Nobody is brave about this one.
AThe same thing I have watched a hundred times. BSomething long, slow and beautiful. CSomething big and loud with a great score. DOne clever episode of something hopeful.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
How deep do you go into something you love? There is no shallow end here, only different deep ends.
AI know every character and all the gossip. BI have read the appendices and studied the maps. CI have a ranked opinion on every instalment. DI want to know how the world actually works.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
What do you and your friends actually argue about? Every fandom has one argument it has been having for years.
AWhich one of us is which type. BWhether the adaptation got it right. CWhether the new stuff ruined the old stuff. DWhether the right thing was actually done.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
How do you feel about a room full of strangers? Every one of these comes with a very big room.
AGreat, and I will know everybody by the end. BFine, as long as they take it seriously. CBrilliant, especially if there is something to dress up for. DHappy, provided the conversation is interesting.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
Where would you rather spend a week? Pick on instinct rather than on budget.
AAn old castle somewhere rainy. BMountains, long walks, no phone signal. CA desert with an unbelievable night sky. DA city built around a university.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
What do you believe about people, mostly? All four of these stories have an answer, and they disagree.
AMost of them turn out better than expected. BThe smallest ones decide the biggest things. CAnybody can change, even very late on. DWe work it out if we keep talking.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What is actually on your shelf? Look over at it before you answer.
AEverything I owned when I was twelve. BHardbacks, in order, read more than once. CFigures, posters, and a few things still boxed. DBooks about how things work, plus a model or two.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What do you actually want from a story? Eight questions in, this is the one that picks your fandom.
AA place I can go back to whenever I need it. BA world complete enough to get lost in. CSomething huge I can share with everybody. DAn idea that changes how I think.
REVEAL MY FANDOM →
Membership Confirmed Your Fandom Is…
Four of the largest communities on the planet, and four completely different reasons to belong to one. Here is yours, what it would give you, and the argument you would be having within a week.
Harry Potter
You belong to the fandom that is really about comfort. Hogwarts works on people because it is a place rather than a plot, and the pull is not the wizard war so much as the corridors, the food, the weather and the sense that somebody is expecting you.
- You are drawn to belonging, which is why this fandom sorted itself into houses within about five minutes and has never stopped.
- This is the most social of the four, and the one most likely to know which type every single person in your life would be.
- The books are built to be reread rather than analysed, and rereading is exactly what you do with things you love.
- The new HBO series is bringing the whole thing back one book at a time, which means the arguments are about to start all over again.
Lord of the Rings
You belong to the deepest fandom on this list, the one where somebody has always read further than you and is quietly delighted to say so. Middle-earth rewards patience more than any other world in popular culture.
- You like the sense that the story you are reading is only the visible part of something enormous, which is precisely how Tolkien built it.
- This fandom takes adaptation seriously to a degree that other fandoms find slightly alarming, and it has good reasons for that.
- Your favourite thing about the books is probably the bit that is not action at all, which is the walking, the songs and the long goodbyes.
- Nobody here thinks heroism belongs to the powerful, and the whole story exists to make that argument.
Star Wars
You belong to the loudest and largest tent of the four, the one where three generations are all watching the same thing and none of them agree about any of it. That disagreement is not a flaw in this fandom, it is the main activity.
- You want something you can share with absolutely everybody, from a six year old to a grandparent, and this is the only one on the list that really does that.
- Nobody argues like Star Wars fans argue, and the argument has been running since roughly 1980 with no sign of resolution.
- The pull here is sensory before it is narrative, since it is the sound design, the score and the look of a used and dented galaxy.
- You would be first in the queue, in costume, with strong opinions and a genuinely good time.
Star Trek
You belong to the thinking fandom, the one that turns up for the argument rather than the explosion. Trek has always been a series of ethical problems in space, and the people who love it love being asked what they would have done.
- You are an optimist in a way that is currently unfashionable, and this is the only major franchise still willing to say the future might be better.
- The best episodes are the ones where nobody fires anything, which is a sentence that makes perfect sense to this fandom and to nobody else.
- Starfleet Academy brought the franchise back to a classroom in 2026, which is appropriate, because Trek has always been a bit of a seminar.
- You would want the conversation afterwards more than the episode itself, and here you will always find somebody willing to have it.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
4 'Alien' (1979)
Image via 20th Century FoxTo define a genre, like the previously mentioned The Breakfast Club, is impressive enough. Ridley Scott’s Alien managed to define two, becoming one of the flagship horror and sci-fi movies of not just the 1970s but of all time. The film follows the crew of the commercial space towing vessel Nostromo, who, after attending to what they thought was a distress call, soon find themselves under siege from a terrifying monster.
Everything from the movie's central monster to its iconic tagline ("In space, no one can hear you scream") has been cemented into popular culture ever since Alien debuted. Key to the movie's universal popularity is Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), a defining female character who paved the way for many more badasses that followed. For many, this is the greatest horror or sci-fi film ever made, and for all, it's certainly in the conversation.
5 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)
Image via Columbia PicturesWhen it comes to movies that are beloved by both audiences and critics, few have managed to have the same impact as The Shawshank Redemption. The movie follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a man sent to prison for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite being innocent. Having to navigate the harsh reality of life behind bars, the last thing Andy expects is to find hope and a best friend in the form of longtime inmate Red (Morgan Freeman).
From career-best performances to a pitch-perfect ending, The Shawshank Redemption was rightfully heralded as a masterpiece by critics and nominated for an impressive seven Academy Awards. However, it is the film's life-affirming message, proving to be one of the best entries into the hopecore sub-genre, that likely helps it stay universally beloved after over three decades. Widely cited as one of the best movies of all time, Frank Darabont’s masterpiece is one everyone should watch at least once.
6 'The Lion King' (1994)
Image via Walt Disney Home EntertainmentIt seems that animated movies don't quite face much of the same scrutiny as live-action tales. To some extent, this is because of the ability to make animated creations perfectly infallible and universally endearing, with only the coldest of hearts unable to melt at the sight of a cute cartoon character. With that in mind, it should be no wonder that a film like The Lion King is on this list.
But rarely has an animated movie been quite so successful with both critics and audiences. Winning two Oscars from four nominations, The Lion King was also an enormous success at the box office, earning just shy of $1 billion worldwide on a budget of only $45 million. From an iconic soundtrack that inspired a stage musical to stunning animation and a story so timeless that it is loosely based on a Shakespeare play, few animated movies have ever quite had the impact of The Lion King.
7 'Goodfellas' (1990)
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesMartin Scorsese's filmography is bursting at the seams with masterpieces. From Taxi Driver to Killers of the Flower Moon, few directors can match the consistency, quality, and longevity of the Academy Award winner. Although some of his best remain divisive in smaller circles, there is perhaps none from his catalog to be quite as universally beloved as Goodfellas.
From the immortal opening line: "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster," right through to the film's captivating closing sequence, not a moment of Goodfellas isn't touched by the artistry of a genius at the peak of his powers. Featuring the trio of Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, each at their very best, the film weaves between the hilarious, the emotionally poignant, and the shockingly violent, portraying the perfect picture of the highs, lows, and in-betweens in the life of Henry Hill (Liotta). As far as gangster flicks go, there isn't one more universally loved than Goodfellas.
Release Date September 19, 1990
Runtime 145 minutes
