50 film and movie quiz questions for your next quiz night

Film rounds are reliable crowd-pleasers. Everyone watches movies. Even the team that claims they "don't really follow pop culture" will suddenly have opinions when a Star Wars question comes up.

The challenge is asking questions that feel fair. "Name the third assistant director of Citizen Kane" is a terrible question. "Who directed Jaws?" is solid. The best film questions make people think without feeling impossible.

Here are 40 questions that work, organised by difficulty and covering everything from Oscar winners to popcorn blockbusters.

Classic and Easy Questions

These are for warming up. Most teams should get 7 or 8 out of 10.

1What 1997 film features a ship that sinks after hitting an iceberg?

Answer:Titanic(click to reveal)

2In The Lion King, what is the name of Simba's father?

Answer:Mufasa(click to reveal)

3Who played Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films?

Answer:Johnny Depp(click to reveal)

4In which film does a boy wake up to find his family has left for Paris without him?

Answer:Home Alone(click to reveal)

5What colour pill does Neo take in The Matrix?

Answer:Red(click to reveal)

6Which animated film features a clownfish looking for his son Nemo?

Answer:Finding Nemo(click to reveal)

7Who plays Wolverine in the X-Men films?

Answer:Hugh Jackman(click to reveal)

8In which film does Tom Hanks play a man stranded on a desert island?

Answer:Cast Away(click to reveal)

9What is the highest-grossing film of all time?

Answer:Avatar (2009)(click to reveal)

10Who directed Jaws?

Answer:Steven Spielberg(click to reveal)

Oscars and Award Winners

For the film buffs who follow awards season.

11Which film won Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards, making history as the first non-English language film to win?

Answer:Parasite(click to reveal)

12Who is the most nominated actor in Oscar history?

Answer:Meryl Streep (21 nominations)(click to reveal)

13What 1994 film won Best Picture, beating The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction?

Answer:Forrest Gump(click to reveal)

14Which actress has won the most Oscars for acting?

Answer:Katharine Hepburn (4 wins)(click to reveal)

15Which film became the first sequel to win Best Picture?

Answer:The Godfather Part II(click to reveal)

16What 2023 film starring Cillian Murphy won Best Picture?

Answer:Oppenheimer(click to reveal)

17Which animated film was the first to be nominated for Best Picture?

Answer:Beauty and the Beast (1991)(click to reveal)

Famous Quotes

Read the quote, teams name the film.

18"Here's looking at you, kid."

Answer:Casablanca(click to reveal)

19"I'll be back."

Answer:The Terminator(click to reveal)

20"May the Force be with you."

Answer:Star Wars(click to reveal)

21"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Answer:Jaws(click to reveal)

22"Life is like a box of chocolates."

Answer:Forrest Gump(click to reveal)

23"I see dead people."

Answer:The Sixth Sense(click to reveal)

24"You talkin' to me?"

Answer:Taxi Driver(click to reveal)

25"To infinity and beyond!"

Answer:Toy Story(click to reveal)

26"I'm the king of the world!"

Answer:Titanic(click to reveal)

Actors and Directors

Testing knowledge of who makes the films.

27Who directed Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill?

Answer:Quentin Tarantino(click to reveal)

28Who played the Joker in The Dark Knight?

Answer:Heath Ledger(click to reveal)

29Which director is known for E.T., Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List?

Answer:Steven Spielberg(click to reveal)

30Who plays Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road?

Answer:Charlize Theron(click to reveal)

31Who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

Answer:Peter Jackson(click to reveal)

32Who plays Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Answer:Scarlett Johansson(click to reveal)

Trickier Questions

These will separate the real film fans from the casual viewers.

33What year was the first talkie (film with synchronised dialogue) released?

Answer:1927 (The Jazz Singer)(click to reveal)

34Which studio's logo features a roaring lion?

Answer:MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)(click to reveal)

35In Inception, what object does Cobb use as his totem?

Answer:A spinning top(click to reveal)

36Which film holds the record for most Oscar nominations without a win?

Answer:The Color Purple (11 nominations)(click to reveal)

37What was the first animated film produced by Pixar?

Answer:Toy Story (1995)(click to reveal)

38In The Shawshank Redemption, what does Andy Dufresne crawl through to escape prison?

Answer:A sewage pipe (500 yards of it)(click to reveal)

39Which Hitchcock film features a famous shower scene?

Answer:Psycho(click to reveal)

40What is the real name of the superhero known as Iron Man?

Answer:Tony Stark(click to reveal)

Tips for Film Rounds

Show your working. When revealing answers, add a bit of context. "The answer is Citizen Kane, which is often called the greatest film ever made" gives teams who didn't know something to remember.

Accept reasonable alternatives. If someone writes "Lord of the Rings" instead of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," give them the point unless the distinction matters.

Consider a visual round. Film stills, paused at recognisable moments, work brilliantly.

Mix franchises with standalones. Marvel and Star Wars fans will dominate if you focus too heavily on their territory.