Most “referenced” movies on IMDb
Another interesting way of looking at movies is the number of times a movie is referenced by other movies. It gives some indication of how influential a movie has been and how it has infiltrated our culture. I downloaded the movie links data from the IMDb (see this page) and summed up, for each movie, the number of other movies that it was “referenced in”, “spoofed in”, or “featured in” other movies.
Number one, with 502 references, is The Wizard of Oz. Think of how many times you’ve heard “I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” “I’ll get you my pretty… and your little dog too!,” “Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!” or “I’m melting! I’m melting!” You have to see these movies just to know what people are talking about, whether or not the movies are good–but mostly they are good.
One of the movies that is missing from the New York Times list (see previous post) is The Matrix. Although the movie makes no sense upon close examination, it’s still an unbelievably cool movie, whose style has been very influential. It is the only movie from the 1990s that is in the top ten most-referenced. It’s astounding that the Times’ list does not contain it, but does have lesser action flicks, such as Mad Max. Not that I consider Mad Max a bad movie–and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is terrific! But, really, The Matrix not in the top one thousand??!? As an exercise to the reader, find the visual reference to Mad Max in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Without further ado, here’s the list of the most referenced films:
Rank
References
Title
1
502
Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
2
496
Star Wars (1977)
3
336
Psycho (1960)
4
261
Godfather, The (1972)
5
259
“Star Trek” (1966)
6
249
Casablanca (1942)
7
244
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
8
223
Jaws (1975)
9
198
Gone with the Wind (1939)
10
188
Matrix, The (1999)
11
186
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
12
183
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
13
181
Pulp Fiction (1994)
14
179
Taxi Driver (1976)
15
178
Alien (1979)
16
174
Apocalypse Now (1979)
17
171
Terminator, The (1984)
18
165
King Kong (1933)
19
164
Exorcist, The (1973)
20
162
Frankenstein (1931)
21
161
Citizen Kane (1941)
22
157
Shining, The (1980)
23
157
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
24
155
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
25
151
Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
26
144
Vertigo (1958)
27
143
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
28
139
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
29
136
Titanic (1997)
30
134
Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
31
134
Jurassic Park (1993)
32
131
Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The (1974)
33
128
Aliens (1986)
34
122
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
35
121
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
36
113
Blade Runner (1982)
37
110
Rocky (1976)
38
107
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
39
104
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
40
104
Dirty Harry (1971)
41
103
Nightmare On Elm Street, A (1984)
42
102
Scarface (1983)
43
102
Graduate, The (1967)
44
102
Dracula (1931/I)
45
100
Superman (1978)
46
99
Halloween (1978)
47
96
“Simpsons, The” (1989)
48
94
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
49
92
Friday the 13th (1980)
50
92
Carrie (1976)
51
91
Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
52
91
“I Love Lucy” (1951)
53
90
Goldfinger (1964)
54
89
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
55
89
North by Northwest (1959)
56
88
Sound of Music, The (1965)
57
86
Planet of the Apes (1968)
58
85
“Twilight Zone, The” (1959)
59
81
Batman (1989)
60
79
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
61
78
Blair Witch Project, The (1999)
62
77
Forrest Gump (1994)
63
76
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
64
76
Metropolis (1927)
65
74
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
66
74
Dr. No (1962)
67
74
“X Files, The” (1993)
68
73
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
69
73
Gojira (1954)
70
73
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
71
73
Back to the Future (1985)
72
72
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
73
72
Evil Dead, The (1981)
74
71
Rear Window (1954)
75
71
Deliverance (1972)
76
71
Birds, The (1963)
77
69
“Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The” (1962)
78
68
Independence Day (1996)
79
68
Die Hard (1988)
80
68
“Gilligan’s Island” (1964)
81
67
Triumph des Willens (1934)
82
67
RoboCop (1987)
83
67
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
84
67
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
85
67
Easy Rider (1969)
86
66
Ghost Busters (1984)
87
66
“Brady Bunch, The” (1969)
88
65
On the Waterfront (1954)
89
65
Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
90
65
Goodfellas (1990)
91
65
Blues Brothers, The (1980)
92
65
“Saturday Night Live” (1975)
93
65
“Oprah Winfrey Show, The” (1986)
94
64
Shaft (1971)
95
64
Mary Poppins (1964)
96
63
Spartacus (1960)
97
63
“Batman” (1966/II)
98
62
Third Man, The (1949)
99
62
Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
100
62
Some Like It Hot (1959)
101
62
Lion King, The (1994)
102
62
High Noon (1952)
103
62
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
104
62
“Jeopardy!” (1984)
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