Movies You Can Watch on New Year’s Eve and When to Start Them

James Fleck

There’s only one month left until we leave this God forsaken year behind us and we’re so close. Before we know it, it’ll be New Year’s Eve. Like with most things this year, New Years celebrations are going to look pretty different.

One tradition that’s gotten popular in the last few years is starting a movie at a very specific time so some climactic moment happens right at midnight. Without further ado, here’s a list of potential movies to watch and when to start them. Since we’ll be discussing the climax of most of these movies, consider this your spoiler warning.

Star Wars (1977)

One of the most popular moments to ring in the new year is with the Death Star’s destruction. This happens at the 1:57:17 mark, so to have a midnight explosion you’ll need to start at exactly 10:02:43 PM. This is measured with the Disney+ version, so if you’re watching via DVD or VHS, it’s worth making sure your version lines up.

Toy Story (1995)

Want to fall with style into 2021? Buzz and Woody’s miraculous flight comes at the 1:14:50 mark, so you’ll want to start “Toy Story” at 10:45:10 PM for Buzz’s fall to turn into flight. Again, this is measured with the Disney+ version so make sure to make adjustments if you’re watching a different version. 

Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

“Into the Spider-Verse” surprised audiences worldwide with its gorgeous animation style and three-dimensional characters, with the highlight being Miles Morales’ leap of faith scene. To take the leap into 2021 with Miles, you’ll want to start “Spider-Verse” at 10:36:24 PM, measured using the Netflix version.

Back to the Future (1985)

You only get one opportunity a year to travel from one year to the next, unless you’re Marty McFly. If you want to travel from 2020 to 2021 at the same time Marty travels from 1955 back to 1985, start “Back to the Future” at exactly 10:19:10 PM.

Scott Pilgrim Versus the World (2010)

For a movie about over the top martial arts/video game fighting for a maiden’s honor, “Scott Pilgrim Versus the World” has a simple yet deep moral: the power of self-respect is so much stronger than anyone gives it credit for. If you start “Scott Pilgrim” at 10:20:42 PM, Scott will dramatically pull a magic sword of self-respect from his chest, starting your 2021 off right. Again, this is measured with the Netflix version.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019)

Undoubtedly one of the biggest movie events in recent memory, “Infinity War” and “Endgame” boast some of the most climactic scenes ever, so I’m including multiple potential starting points. For “Infinity War,” if you want to have Thanos snap away half the universe at midnight, start at 9:48:52 PM. For “Endgame,” you can start at 9:58:37 PM for Hulk to snap at midnight, 9:43:38 PM for the beginning of the portals scene, or 9:29:30 PM for Iron Man’s final snap.

The Incredibles (2004)

When you think of “The Incredibles,” what’s the first scene you think of? Don’t lie, we all know it’s the infamous “Honey, where is my supersuit?” No, unlike the rest of the films on this list, it’s not the climax, but it’s an iconic scene and will ensure you start 2021 laughing. To achieve peak meme value, start the movie at 10:27:00 PM, once again measured using Disney+.

 

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