Movie Marathon Themes

Do you need some movie marathon theme ideas? It’s your lucky day! Below is a list of a ton of movie marathon themes.

Some of these links go to pages on this site containing a complete suggested movie marathon schedule! Score!

Other links go to external webpages with good movie marathon theme ideas. Typically the authors on other sites aren’t quite as obsessive-compulsive as me, so you may not get an entire sample schedule laid out. If I ever make my own article for that movie marathon theme, I’ll be sure to link that instead, ok? I’m thinking of you here.

I’ve got a list of other ideas without links at the bottom of this article. Someday, we will fulfill my dream of filling them all in with links. Help me by sending me any movie marathon themes you find on the interwebs!

So without further ado: movie marathon theme ideas!!

Film Franchise Movie Marathon Themes

The most common movie marathon theme is a film franchise. We film enthusiasts love watching a film franchise in its entirety. The handy thing about film franchises, is many of them come in convenient box sets too!

Action / Adventure Franchises

James Bond - Casino Royals — 50 years and 50 hours of James Bond adds up to quite a movie marathon!

James Bond – The quintessential action hero, with over 48 hours of movies to marathon to.
Marvel Cinematic Universe – The best comic book movies available, all set in the same universe and telling a continuous story.
X-men – Another popular comic book movie franchise, with some highs and lows in quality. That’s what they make reboots for, right?
Batman – The caped crusader has two recent trilogies and the Justice League movies just starting up.
Superman – The man of steel has been vanquishing enemies since the 1980s, and has gotten considerably more moody since then.
Fast and Furious – With seven movies released and more on the way, you can get you fill of car chases and things that go boom at a fast and furious movie marathon.
Rocky – Rocky has been the boxing underdog for a couple decades now. That’s a lot of hours of Sly Stallone taking punches.

Family Friendly Franchises

Inside Out — Disney / Pixar is a powerhouse of animation for young and old alike

Disney – Disney has a staggering catalog of movies. So many in fact, you can’t fit them all in a single 24-hour movie marathon. Try focusing on the Pre-Renaissance Era and Post-Renaissance Era of Disney Animation Studios to get started.
- Hand Drawn Ultra Marathon – Like the hand-drawn Disney movies? Try watching 18 in 24-hours!
Pixar – The new storyteller on the block, Pixar consistently delivers emotionally moving kids films.
The Muppets – If animation isn’t your thing, how about a 24-hour movie marathon of hand puppets?

Fantasy Franchises

Return of the King — The Lord of Rings makes an epic movie marathon theme

The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit – The story that spawned a thousand dungeon and dragon games, told over six movies and 20 hours of extended edition glory.
Harry Potter – Learn all about “the boy who lived” and in eight movies and 20 hours. Tell your TV to Lumos!

Science Fiction Franchises

Boldly go watch 15 Star Trek films in your next movie marathon!

Godzilla – The big G defined the monster movie genre with a career spanning 60 years and 30 films. Thank you nuclear accidents!
Star Trek – The original, the next generation, and now the reboot in 13 films. Engage!
Star Wars – A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a film franchise was born that would that would spawn a million action figures. Enjoy the space opera in seven movies and counting.
The Planet of the Apes – there must be something pretty compelling about a world in which apes are the dominant species. They made nine movies on the subject!

Horror Film Franchises

Friday the 13th — It’s like stabbing fish in a barrel to find a horror franchise you can movie marathon!

Friday the 13th – It has been a bad few decades for horny teenagers camping on crystal lake. Slash your way through 12 films!
A Nightmare on Elm Street – Everyone’s favorite wise-cracking child murderer has infiltrated dreams for nine movies. Don’t fall asleep during this movie marathon!
Night of the Living Dead – George Romero created the zombie that we know and love today. You have six films in this series to devour.
Halloween – The serial killer Mike Myers sure keeps busy. He single-handedly invented the slasher film as we know it today, and stars in ten films.
Saw – watch people get tortured in eight films. Sounds like…fun?

Comedy Franchises

Police Academy Still Shot — The made seven Police Academy movies? Well alright then.

The Pink Panther – Inspector Jacques Clouseau tries to find the pink panther diamond in eleven Pink Panther movies. That’s 19 hours of hilarious police incompetence.
Police Academy – Speaking of police incompetence, a somewhat funny concept of citizens being recruited as police was successfully spread out across seven movies. Will you accept the 10.5 hour Police Academy challenge.

Best Genre Movie Marathon Themes

Horror

Alien — Why not introduce a variety of horror into your movie marathon?

My horror movie marathon picks – Horror fans are the most enthusiastic movie marathoners. Why not try a tour of the best horror films through the years?
Director Eli Roth’s movie picks and schedule
Voiceover artist Brendon Small’s movie picks and schedule
Director Edgar Wright’s movie picks and schedule
Director Joe Dante’s movie picks and schedule
Slayer’s Kerry King’s movie picks and schedule

Comedy

Airplane Still Shot — Some comedies age really well. Pick out the best for an uproarious movie marathon!

My comedy movie marathon picks – A tour of the best comedy every era in movie history had to offer.
Comedian Scott Aukerman’s picks and schedule
Director Paul Feig’s picks and schedule

Other Genre Movie Marathon Themes

Shawshank Redemption Still Shot — Stephen King is a movie marathon theme all by himself

Action (or how about Action Movie Sequels Better than the originals)
Apocalyptic – Because don’t we all fantasize about starting civilization over after a fiery nuclear holocaust? (answer: no – not me).
Car Chase – If you have a need for speed, check out all of the best car chases put on film in one movie marathon.
High School / College Movies – Formal schooling takes up about a quarter of our lives. Bring it all back with these movies.
Martial Arts – The landscape of martial arts on film is vast. Watch a sampling of the best martial arts films in 24 hours.
Monsters – Movie monsters! Some giant, some not. All scary.
Movies About Movies – While I’m a little tired of Hollywood movies depicting how great Hollywood is, its impossible not to love Ed Wood.
Political – Don’t get enough politics from 24-hour cable news? Have a 24-hour movie marathon of American politics!
Science Fiction
- Robot Movies – We all need a little more RoboCop and Terminator in our lives.
- Time Travel Movies – Go beyond Marty McFly with … The Three Stooges Meet Hercules? (and others)
Stephen King – Is Stephen King a genre? Regardless, he is a prolific writer with 65 movies to his name. Check out some of his best in one movie marathon.
Trippy – A mind-blowing movie marathon tailor made for recreational drugs.
Vampire – 24 hours of our favorite blood-sucking undead monsters!

Best Movies of a Decade

Sixteen Candles — We all know movies from the 1980s make the best movie marathon material

The 1990s
- 1992
The 1980s
- 1984 -Why 1984? Oh, because Sixteen Candles and A Nightmare on Elm Street, that’s why.
- Movies from 1987 – Why 1987? Because…The Running Man? Er, Innerspace? Hm. I’m not sure 1980s nostalgia always works out for the best.

Best Actors

Drunken Master Still Shot — Jackie Chan has action and comedy – everything you need for an awesome movie marathon!

Jackie Chan – Arguably the most famous movie martial artist who does his own stunts with humor and style.
Liam Neeson – The sensitive yet strong Irish kicker of butt.
Kevin Costner – The king of movie dramas, Kevin Coster, in 24 hours.
Tom Hanks – Everyone loves Tom Hanks, in part because of the ridiculously long list of excellent movies he made. This movie marathon is shooting fish in a barrel.
Jean-Claude Van Damme – John Claude Van Damme does seem to have one of the longest and most underappreciated movie careers among the action stars.
Kurt Russell Movies – He has done more than Escape from New York you know. Like, Escape from L.A.

Best Directors

My Neighbor Totoro Still Shot — Miyazaki is a movie marathon theme in one person. Nothing compares to his quirky, fantastic style.

Hayao Miyazaki – Watch the entire filmography of “Japan’s Walt Disney” in 24 hours.

Best Foreign Films

Seven Samurai Movie Still — Get some culture in your life by selecting foreign films as your movie marathon theme!

Around the World in a 24-Hour Movie Marathon – The best of world cinema in only 24 hours.

Other Movie Marathon Theme Ideas

Hamlet Still Shot — Hamlet is almost a movie marathon all by itself

“Before They Were Famous” Movies – A great collection featuring early work by Scarlet Johansson, Jeff Goldblum, Sylvester Stallone, and many others.
The longest films – Have a movie marathon consisting of the fewest possible movies.
Best Picture Oscar Winners – Take a look at the list of best picture Oscar winners and find something you like.
Highest Body Count – If action and adventure is not enough, have a movie marathon that boasts the highest on-screen kills!
Biggest Flops – Revel in the most expensive movie marathon ever made – with the biggest studio flops ever!
Movies in Alphabetical Order – Because why not do a movie marathon that plays out like a radio phone call prank?