New Year's Eve 2026 falls on Thursday, December 31
Movies for New Year's Eve
17 picks · updated October 2026
A surprising number of good films save their biggest scene for midnight on December 31st: a confession at a party, a casino heist on the Las Vegas Strip, an ocean liner turning over. These are the ones to put on while you wait for the countdown.
How this list was chosen
Chosen by hand: each film has a New Year's Eve scene that matters to the story, most of them at or near midnight.
When Harry Met Sally...
The iconic New Year’s Eve climax perfectly distills the tension between long-standing friendship and the realization that a life partner has been standing in plain sight.
Explores: Friendship vs Romance, Gender Dynamics, Unrequited Love.
The Apartment
Insurance clerk C.C. Baxter lends his apartment to executives for their affairs, and Fran Kubelik's run from a New Year's Eve party to his door ends the film.
Explores: Corporate Ambition, Moral Compromise, Loneliness.
The Hudsucker Proxy
Joel Coen
Installed as a puppet president to sink the company's stock, mailroom boy Norville Barnes ends up on a skyscraper ledge at midnight on New Year's Eve 1958.
Explores: Naive Protagonist, Corporate Greed, American Dream.
Holiday
George Cukor
Engaged to an heiress, self-made Johnny Case wants to quit work young, and finds an ally in her rebellious sister Linda at a New Year's Eve party.
About Time
Richard Curtis
After an awkward New Year's Eve party, 21-year-old Tim learns the men in his family can travel back in time, and goes straight back for the midnight kiss.
Explores: Time Travel, Appreciating Life, Father-Son Relationship.
Radio Days
Nostalgia for the golden age of radio anchors this coming-of-age narrative, culminating in a New Year’s Eve that bridges the gap between childhood and adulthood.
Explores: Nostalgia, Childhood memory, Golden Age of Radio.
Strange Days
The frantic, neon-soaked countdown to the new millennium serves as the ultimate backdrop for this gritty exploration of memory, technology, and urban decay.
Explores: Virtual reality, Police corruption, Memory voyeurism.
Peter's Friends
Kenneth Branagh
Reuniting with old college friends at a country estate forces a reckoning with how much has changed since the optimism of youth faded away.
200 Cigarettes
Risa Bramon Garcia
The desperate scramble to find a date or a party in 1981 New York City embodies the specific, frantic anxiety inherent in every New Year’s Eve.
Trading Places
John Landis
Class warfare and social mobility collide in this razor-sharp satire where a life-altering bet reaches its fever pitch during the chaos of the holiday season.
Explores: Class Warfare, Social Mobility, Identity Swap.
The Poseidon Adventure
Ronald Neame
A capsized ocean liner during a New Year’s Eve celebration forces a group of survivors to confront their own mortality and redefine leadership under pressure.
Explores: Survival Against the Odds, Group Dynamics Under Pressure, Leadership in Crisis.
Ocean's Eleven
Lewis Milestone
Danny Ocean's crew of World War II paratroopers plans to rob five Las Vegas casinos at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.
Boogie Nights
Paul Thomas Anderson
At Jack Horner's New Year's Eve 1979 party, a humiliated Little Bill shoots his wife, her lover and himself, and the late-'70s high tips into the '80s crash.
Explores: The American Dream, Loss of Innocence, The Dark Side of Fame.
The Godfather Part II
Francis Ford Coppola
At a New Year's Eve 1958 party in Havana, as Batista falls, Michael Corleone kisses his brother Fredo and says, “I know it was you.”
Explores: Family Legacy, Power and Corruption, Immigration and Assimilation.
Sunset Boulevard
Hiding out in a faded silent-film star's mansion, a broke screenwriter discovers he is the only guest at the lavish New Year's Eve party she throws for him.
Explores: Hollywood obsession, faded stardom, delusion.
Phantom Thread
Paul Thomas Anderson
In 1950s London, couturier Reynolds Woodcock refuses to go out on New Year's Eve, so his muse Alma goes to a costume ball alone — and he follows.
Explores: Power Dynamics in Relationships, Obsession, Artist and Muse.
Ghostbusters II
Ivan Reitman
A river of slime under Manhattan and a painting of Vigo the Carpathian bring the Ghostbusters back, ending with the Statue of Liberty marching on New Year's Eve.
Explores: Teamwork, Underdogs, Saving New York.
Common questions
What are some good movies to watch on New Year's Eve?
For a classic romantic tone, When Harry Met Sally... is essential. If you prefer high-stakes action, The Poseidon Adventure or Ocean's Eleven provide thrills, while 200 Cigarettes captures the specific frantic energy of trying to find a party in the city.
Are there any movies specifically set on New Year's Eve?
Yes, several films feature the holiday prominently. When Harry Met Sally... concludes with a famous New Year's Eve confession, 200 Cigarettes follows a group of friends throughout the night, and The Poseidon Adventure centers on a disaster occurring during a New Year's Eve celebration.
Can you recommend a movie about time travel for New Year's Eve?
About Time is a good fit. It opens at an awkward New Year's Eve party; the next morning, 21-year-old Tim learns the men in his family can time travel, and his first trip is back to that party for the midnight kiss he missed.