(Photo by 20th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection. The Poseidon Adventure)
20 Movies to Watch on New Year’s Eve
It may be a new year but we’ve still got the same love for movies, and we’re ringing in 2026 by looking back at some of our favorite films and scenes that took place on New Year’s Eve. Whether you’re looking for a movie centered on the holiday itself (Four Rooms, New Year’s Eve, Y2K) or you just want to watch an iconic NYE scene (Forrest Gump, When Harry Met Sally, Ocean’s 11), we’ve compiled this list of 20 movies to watch as we close out 2025, and we’re ranking them by Tomatometer.
When Ronald Neame’s The Poseidon Adventure hit theaters back in 1972, critics praised it as “the best disaster flick of the ’70s” with “compelling characters and extraordinary special effects.” The mystery/thriller follows the surviving passengers of the S.S. Poseidon as it’s overtaken by a tidal wave on New Year’s Eve. “[It] remains one of the gold standards in the disaster genre,” a critic wrote. The film is currently available to stream on Fandango at Home and holds an 82% on the Tomatometer.
Also included in this list is Rob Reiner‘s BAFTA-winning romcom When Harry Met Sally…. Who could forget that New Year’s Eve scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal? Reiner’s critically-acclaimed Sleepless In Seattle, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, is also listed below, due to its pretty memorable NYE ending.
So, before you press play on 2026, be sure to explore the list of movies below. And if you don’t have time to watch them all, keep scrolling for some throwback trailers and movie clips.
Critics Consensus: Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's masterpiece Sunset Boulevard is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, black comedy, and character study.
Synopsis: An aging silent film queen refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young screenwriter to help [More]
Critics Consensus: Drawing on strong performances by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of Mario Puzo's Mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken.
Synopsis: The compelling sequel to "The Godfather," contrasting the life of Corleone father and son. Traces the problems of Michael Corleone [More]
Critics Consensus:Phantom Thread's finely woven narrative is filled out nicely by humor, intoxicating romantic tension, and yet another impressively committed performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.
Synopsis: Renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the center of British fashion in 1950s London -- dressing [More]
Critics Consensus: Rob Reiner's touching, funny film set a new standard for romantic comedies, and he was ably abetted by the sharp interplay between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
Synopsis: In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a contentious car ride from Chicago [More]
Critics Consensus: As fast-paced, witty, and entertaining as it is star-studded and coolly stylish, Ocean's Eleven offers a well-seasoned serving of popcorn entertainment.
Synopsis: Dapper Danny Ocean is a man of action. Less than 24 hours into his parole from a New Jersey penitentiary, [More]
Critics Consensus:Sleepless in Seattle is a cute classic with a very light touch and real chemistry between the two leads -- even when spending an entire movie apart.
Synopsis: After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). When [More]
Critics Consensus: Tom Hanks' rigorously earnest performance keeps Forrest Gump sincere even when it gets glib with American history, making for a whimsical odyssey of debatable wisdom but undeniable heart.
Synopsis: Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), [More]
Critics Consensus:The Poseidon Adventure exemplifies the disaster film done right, going down smoothly with ratcheting tension and a terrific ensemble to give the peril a distressingly human dimension.
Synopsis: En route from New York City to Greece on New Year's Eve, majestic passenger ship the S.S. Poseidon is overtaken [More]
Critics Consensus:Strange Days struggles to make the most of its futuristic premise, but what's left remains a well-directed, reasonably enjoyable sci-fi fantasy.
Synopsis: Former policeman Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings [More]
Critics Consensus:High School Musical is brazenly saccharine, but it makes up for it with its memorable show tunes, eye-popping choreography, and appealing cast.
Synopsis: Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), the star athlete at a small-town high school, falls for nerdy beauty Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne [More]
Synopsis: Experiencing writer's block, rising music star Layne Price reluctantly visits a mysterious fortuneteller whose flamboyant advice she misconstrues. Heading home [More]
Critics Consensus:Holidate's self-aware approach to rom-com formula is refreshing, but it's offset by a questionable premise and unnecessarily vulgar jokes.
Synopsis: Fed up with being single on holidays, two strangers agree to be each other's platonic plus-ones all year long, only [More]
Critics Consensus:Y2K earns points for ambition and sheer audacity, even if it struggles to keep the laughs coming while maintaining a messy tonal blend.
Synopsis: On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves [More]
Critics Consensus:Four Rooms comes stocked with a ton of talent on both sides of the camera, yet only manages to add up to a particularly uneven -- and dismayingly uninspired -- anthology effort.
Synopsis: Working New Year's Eve at a hotel in Hollywood, Calif., the new bellhop, Ted (Tim Roth), has no idea what's [More]
