The Top 10 Virus Outbreak and Pandemic Films Ranked by IMDb

The Top 10 Virus Outbreak and Pandemic Films Ranked by IMDB

There are so many ways to judge a movie’s success. So far, we’ve ranked the top virus outbreak and pandemic films by box office numbers and by Metacritic ratings. This week, it’s IMDB ratings. When you analyze the charts, you might find interesting factoids, like how I Am Legend made the most money, but Twelve Monkeys ranked the highest on IMDB. Why is that? Do audiences just like Will Smith in films, no matter how good the film is? Check out this week’s list and make your own comparisons.

The Top 10 Virus Outbreak and Pandemic Films Ranked by IMDB

10. Light of My Life – IMDB score 6.6

This 2019 sci-fi thriller which was written and directed by Casey Affleck focuses on society ten years after a pandemic has wiped out half of the world’s population. One dad does everything to protect his daughter during all of this. It stars Anna Pniowsky, Casey Affleck, and Tom Bower. The movie has an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 on IMDB, with more than 7500 votes.

9. Blindness – IMDB rating 6.6

Blindness tied with Light of My Life for average IMDB rating, but with more than 68,000 votes, this 2008 film takes 9th place. The movie, which stars Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, focuses on a passenger who suddenly goes blind, sees a doctor, and then the doctor goes blind and the pandemic begins. Blindness won several awards for its cinematography and Julianne Moore landed a best actress award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror.

8. Contagion – IMDB rating 6.7

This 2011 movie has more than 257,000 votes with an average rating of 6.7. It’s not hard to see why it was such a popular movie. Just take a look at its cast, which includes Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, and Sanaa Lathan. It’s another feature film that focuses on a disease turned pandemic and a vaccine needed to stop it. The movie was nominated for quite a few awards, including best picture by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 2012.

7. 28 Weeks Later – IMDB rating 7.0

On the Metacritic site, 28 Weeks Later comes in at number two with a score of 78, but on IMDB, the movie drops to 7th place. It focuses on months after a rage virus on the population of Great Britain. Now it’s time to repopulate the earth again. The 2007 movie stars Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, and Robert Carlyle and was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.

6. World War Z – IMDB rating 7.0

With more than 580,000 votes World War Z takes sixth place. The 2013 adventure film stars Brad Pitt, who plays Gerry Lane, a United Nations investigator who must stop a zombie pandemic. World War Z grossed an incredible $540 million at the box office. Just like Will Smith’s I Am Legend, was Brad Pitt the draw or was it the storyline or action? The movie has been nominated for 24 awards, winning three including best picture from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 2014.

5. The Andromeda Strain – IMDB rating 7.2

It came in tenth on the Metacritic scale, but this 1971 black-and-white movie jumped to fifth on the IMDB ratings. The Andromeda Strain was based on the 1969 book of the same name by famed writer Michael Crichton and was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing. With 32,000-plus votes, the movie was popular among its viewers.

4. I Am Legend – IMDB rating 7.2

This should be the name of Will Smith’s autobiography because ‘almost’ every action movie he does is golden. I Am Legend has more than 664,000 votes and a 7.2 IMDB rating. The 2007 film is based on a novel by Richard Matheson, and there were multiple adaptations of the book, including 1964’s The Last Man and 1971’s The Omega Man. This one centers on New York City and a virus running rampant which wiped out so many people. Will Smith’s character Robert Neville is responsible for finding a cure.

3. Train to Busan – IMDB score 7.5

Moving up toward the top of the chart, Train to Busan is a 2016 South Korean horror film about a zombie apocalypse. With more than 135,000 votes, the thriller Train to Busan had an average 7.5 rating. The movie was nominated for Best Horror Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 2017.

2. Children of Men – IMBD score 7.5

Sitting at number two on the IMDB list is Children of Men, a 2006 movie that stars Julianne Moore and Clive Owen. With more than 450,000 votes, the movie carries a 7.5 average rating. Fast forward to 2027, when women have become infertile and a woman who becomes pregnant is carried to a sanctuary for protection.

1. 12 Monkeys – IMDB rating 8.0

This 1995 film stars two of the best action stars of our generation, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. With more than half-million votes, 12 Monkeys sits at number one on our IMD list. The movie focuses on a deadly virus that wipes out almost all of humanity and the survivors go underground. It’s interesting to see how ratings differ from site to site. 

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