The year is winding down, which means it’s time to start planning out your celebrations for New Year’s Eve. For many, that means a night with friends that involves watching some kind of music-filled special, lots of fizzy drinks, and staying up until midnight to welcome the new year.
If you’re looking for something a little more lowkey, maybe consider a movie night? For decades, cinephiles have celebrated New Year’s Eve by meticulously planning the exact time to start their favorite movie so a key moment happens right when the clock strikes 12. This year, we’ve saved you the trouble by putting together this list of 10 movies with unforgettably iconic scenes and when you need to start them for the scene to happen at midnight. Boot up Pluto TV, HBO Max, and more to kickstart your New Year’s movie party now.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
If you’re going hunting for a Ghostbusters movie to watch this holiday season, 1989’s Ghostbusters II is probably the last one on your list. While the film was still a massive hit, you can’t deny that it’s a little toothless compared to the original, largely thanks to its tamer, more family-friendly humor and stylings in the wake of its 1986 animated counterpart, The Real Ghostbusters’ success.
Nonetheless, Ghostbusters II has one advantage: It’s set around late December, with New Year’s Eve serving as the deadline to stop the film’s big bad, Vigo the Carpathian. If you start the movie at 10:19 PM, the Ghostbusters will rappel into the film’s finale at midnight, punctuated by Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman exclaiming “Happy New Year!”
Back to the Future (1985)
Did you know that if they made Back to the Future today with Marty living in 2025, he would be going back to 1995? That honestly sounds terrifying, but thankfully, I can watch the original to stop thinking about that. Back to the Future is a rare example of a practically perfect movie. While Back to the Future Part II is definitely my favorite thanks to its far-flung future setting and visual effects, I can’t deny how incredible the original is because of its sharp writing, clever concept, and absolutely stacked cast.
It’s got some of the most unforgettable scenes in movie history, whether it’s Marty threatening to melt his younger dad’s brains as “Darth Vader from Planet Vulcan” or Doc and Marty trying to fix the Delorean. But if you have to pick one scene to see when the year ends, it’s pretty obvious. Start the film at 10:19, and Marty will return to 1985 at exactly midnight. Sci-fi fans, this one is for you.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Much like how Back to the Future is a classic slice of Americana, Forrest Gump is a beloved American classic. However, while the tale of Back to the Future is a hopeful and triumphant one, Forrest Gump is known for its punctuated moments of heartbreak and sorrow. As such, it may be the saddest moment on the list. And it makes sense, considering just how much of Forrest Gump is about one man enduring some of the most depressing and horrific things to ever happen to one individual.
But, unlike most other movies on the list, it has one scene set around New Year’s. If you start Forrest Gump at 10:38, you’ll get to celebrate the new year on a cold bridge as Forrest cheerfully tries to celebrate the occasion with a depressed, confetti-covered Lt. Dan.
Beetlejuice (1988)
The Ghost With The Most has left quite a distinct mark on pop culture, despite barely being in the film that bears his name. After decades populated by the beloved Beetlejuice cartoon (1989) and a sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (2024), 1988’s Beetlejuice remains a surprising classic in line with the dark supernatural comedy Ghostbusters popularized a few years before. A lot of that is thanks to its incredible cast, including Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and an unforgettably slimy Michael Keaton performance.
You could try to time it to the film’s iconic finale dance or perhaps Beetlejuice’s failed wedding to Lydia, but that’s no fun. Instead, start Beetlejuice at 10:31 PM, and you’ll ring in the new year with Beetlejuice being summoned to the corporeal world for the first time and uttering his iconic catchphrase, “It’s showtime!”
Die Hard (1988)
The debate will probably rage on for eternity about whether or not 1988’s Die Hard is a Christmas movie (I’m firmly in the camp that it is, for the record), but there’s no denying its status as a quintessential action film. With a star-making role for Bruce Willis and the unforgettable introduction of Alan Rickman as the terrifying Hans Gruber, Die Hard surprised everyone.
Everyman John McClane makes for a compelling hero, and the grounded action is exciting and incredibly tense. And while it definitely isn’t a New Year’s movie, it’s the perfect holiday action romp to ring in the new year with. Start the film at 9:58 PM, and you can mark midnight by dropping Hans Gruber from Nakatomi Plaza instead of a ball in Times Square this year.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
It’s difficult to know what film started the trend of timing a key movie moment to happen at exactly midnight, but a strong contender might be 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. I obviously don’t have to explain to you the cultural importance of Star Wars as a whole and what it means to films and sci-fi fantasy as a genre, especially if you’re already planning on watching this modern masterpiece to send out 2025 on a high note.
If you do watch A New Hope, start the film at 10:02 PM, and you’ll see the Death Star explode right at midnight. Note this timestamp is for the Disney+ version of A New Hope, which matches up pretty closely to the Blu-ray, digital, and DVD releases. However, if you’re watching the original cut, you’ll need to start at 10:05 PM.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
If you are, for some reason, looking to ring in the new year with a prequel instead of the original trilogy, I’m not here to judge you. But at the very least, I can steer you toward the better of the prequels. Rather than the dull Phantom Menace (1999) or the convoluted Attack of the Clones (2002), you can end the year on a high note if you start 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith at 11:02 PM.
And who wouldn’t want to end the year with this one? While the prequels could generously be called a mixed bag, Revenge of the Sith has a lot of great performances and edge-of-your-seat action, including the gorgeous lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin and the rise of Darth Vader. But if you start at 11:02 PM, you’ll get Obi-Wan’s iconic “Hello there!” quote happening at exactly midnight.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
One has to mention the film that popularized this trend, 2019’s once-in-a-lifetime event, Avengers: Endgame. Surely, at least one of you reading this is already planning on running some kind of MCU marathon this year. The MCU will finally be winding down its current phase in 2026 via Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, so it’s the perfect time for a rewatch.
Yes, if you are going to marathon the MCU for New Year’s, the MCU is an easy one. There’s the exciting beginnings of Iron Man (2008), or the white-knuckle action of Captain America: Civil War (2016), but Endgame is just too perfect, too obvious for this event. Start Endgame at 9:29 PM so that Tony will snap his fingers right at midnight, and you can all start the year with a good cry over his emotional death.
The Room (2003)
No one said you are obligated to only watch certified classics on New Year’s Eve. Sometimes, you just have to watch the most infamously bad movie of them all. 2003’s The Room is legendary for being the weirdest passion project to ever hit the mainstream, a bizarre indie film about love, betrayal, and playing football whenever you have a spare couple of minutes.
Whether you’re watching the cringe original or the hilarious adaptation of the film’s making, The Disaster Artist (2017), there is perhaps no moment in The Room more memorable than Johnny and Mark’s awkward rooftop discussion about women and relationships, so be sure to start the film at 11:22 PM to ring in the new year with the film’s classic “Oh hi, Mark” delivery.
Casino Royale (2006)
It certainly seems like it’s going to be a while before we get a new James Bond. The franchise is quietly rebuilding as new owners, Amazon MGM Studios and Denis Villeneuve, work on a new film. Until then, there’s always the recently concluded Daniel Craig era of Bond films, which have become cherished classics in the eyes of many fans.
Sadly, Craig’s Bond is a bit too busy being a gloomy murder machine to have any Christmastime adventures. And while you could go for some of his higher-octane later adventures like No Time To Die (2021) or Spectre (2015), why not go back to a simpler, more traditional Bond adventure: 2006’s Casino Royale. If you start the film at 9:39 PM, you’ll ring in the new year with Craig’s very first “Bond. James Bond.”
