This list of

disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, offensive (military), military/terrorism, terrorist att ...

s represents over half a century of films within the

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

. Disaster films are motion pictures which depict an impending or ongoing

disaster A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. '' Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by na ...

as a central plot feature. The films typically feature large casts and multiple storylines and focus on the protagonists attempts to avert, escape, or cope with the disaster presented.

Man-made disasters

* '' Ablaze'' (2001) * ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English), backdraught (British English) or smoke explosion is the abrupt combustion, burning of superheated gases in a fire caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a windo ...

'' (1991) * ''The Burning Sea'' (2021) * '' City on Fire'' (1979) * ''

The Core ''The Core'' is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D. J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tcheky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, and Alfre Woodard. ...

'' (2003) * '' Crack in the World'' (1965) * ''

Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for ' Hell') is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century narrative poem '' The Divine Comedy'', followed by and . The ''Inferno'' describes the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante himsel ...

'' (1935) * ''

Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...

'' (1996) * ''

Deepwater Horizon ''Deepwater Horizon'' was an ultra-deepwater, Dynamic positioning, dynamically positioned, Semi-submersible platform, semi-submersible offshore drilling Oil platform, rig owned by Transocean and operated by the BP company. On 20 April 2010, ...

'' (2016) * '' Fire!'' (1977) * ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

'' (1998) * '' In Old Chicago'' (1937) * '' Ladder 49'' (2004) * ''

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...

'' (2016) * '' Red Skies of Montana'' (1952) * '' The Tower'' (2012) * ''

The Towering Inferno ''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The ...

'' (1974) * '' Trapped'' (2001)

Natural disasters

* '' 10.0 Earthquake'' (2014) * '' 10.5'' (2004) * '' 13 Minutes'' (2021) * ''

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

'' (2009) * '' 2012: Doomsday'' (2008) * '' After the Shock'' (1990) * '' Aftershock: Earthquake in New York'' (1999) * ''

Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...

'' (1998) * ''

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

'' (1997) * ''

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

'' (1978) * '' Beyond the Poseidon Adventure'' (1979) * ''California Firestorm'' (2002) * '' Christmas Icetastrophe'' (2014) * ''Christmas Twister'' (2012) * ''

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

'' (1978) * ''

Dante's Peak ''Dante's Peak'' is a 1997 American disaster film directed by Roger Donaldson, written by Leslie Bohem, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, and Charles Hallahan. The film is set in the fictional town of Dante's Peak where the inhabitant ...

'' (1997) * '' The Day After Tomorrow'' (2004) * '' Deep Impact'' (1998) * ''

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis. Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...

'' (1933) "the first studio produced narrative disaster picture." * ''Devil Winds'' (2003) * '' Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York'' (2006) * ''

Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

'' (1974) * '' Earthquake in New York'' (1998) * '' Fire Twister'' (2015) * ''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

'' (2007) * '' Flood!'' (1976) * ''Flood: A River's Rampage'' (1997) * '' Geostorm'' (2017) * '' The Great Los Angeles Earthquake'' (1990) * ''

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

'' (2020) * '' Hard Rain'' (1998) * '' Heatwave!'' (1974) * '' The Hurricane'' (1937) * ''

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

'' (1979) * ''

Ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

'' (1998) * '' The Impossible'' (2012) * '' Into the Storm'' (2014) * ''Killer Flood: The Day the Dam Broke'' (2003) * '' Krakatoa, East of Java'' (1969) * '' Magma: Volcanic Disaster'' (2006) * ''

Meteor A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...

'' (1979) * ''Nature Unleashed: Avalanche'' (2004) * '' Nature Unleashed: Earthquake'' (2005) * ''Nature Unleashed: Fire'' (2004) * ''Nature Unleashed: Tornado'' (2005) * '' Night of the Twisters'' (1996) * '' The Night the World Exploded'' (1957) * '' NYC: Tornado Terror'' (2008) * '' On Hostile Ground'' (2000) * '' The Perfect Storm'' (2000) * ''

Pompeii Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...

'' (2014) * ''

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

'' (2006) * '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972) * '' The Quake'' (2018) * '' The Rains Came'' (1939) * '' Raise the Titanic'' (1980) * '' S.O.S. Titanic'' (1979) * '' San Andreas'' (2015) * ''

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

'' (1936) * ''Seattle Superstorm'' (2012) * '' St. Helens'' (1981) * ''

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

'' (1999) * ''Super Cyclone'' (2012) * '' The Happening'' (2008) * '' Tidal Wave'' (1973) * '' Tidal Wave'' (2009) * ''Tidal Wave: No Escape'' (1997) * ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Titanic: The Legend Goes On'' (2000) * '' Tornado!'' (1996) * ''Tornado Warning'' (2002) * ''

Twister Twister most commonly refers to a tornado. Twister or Twisters may also refer to: Aviation * Pipistrel Twister, a Slovenian ultralight trike * Silence Twister, a German homebuilt aircraft design * Wings of Change Twister, an Austrian paragli ...

'' (1996) * '' Twisters'' (2024) * '' Tycus'' (1998) * ''

Volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

'' (1997) * '' The Volcano Disaster'' (also known as ''Nature Unleashed: Volcano'', 2005) * '' Volcano: Fire on the Mountain'' (1997) * '' The Wave'' (2015) * ''

When Time Ran Out ''When Time Ran Out...'' is a 1980 American disaster film directed by James Goldstone and starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset and William Holden. The supporting cast features James Franciscus, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Burgess Meredi ...

'' (1980)

End of days

* '' The Day After'' (1983) * '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1961) * '' When Worlds Collide'' (1951) * '' Knowing'' (2009)

Aircraft

* ''Airport'' (film series), 1970s series of four airplane-themed disaster films ** ''Airport'' (1970 film), a film based on Arthur Hailey's book **''

Airport 1975 ''Airport 1975'' (also known as ''Airport '75'') is a 1974 American air disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film ''Airport''. It was directed by Jack Smight, produced by William Frye, executive produced by Jennings Lang, a ...

'', sequel to the 1970 film **''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars an ensemble cast of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Br ...

'', sequel to ''Airport 1975'' **'' The Concorde ... Airport '79'', 1979 sequel to ''Airport '77'' *''

Airspeed In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air it is flying through (which itself is usually moving relative to the ground due to wind). In contrast, the ground speed is the speed of an aircraft with respect to the sur ...

'' (1998) * '' Alive'' (1993) * '' The Doomsday Flight'' (1966) * '' Fire and Rain'' (1989) * '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965) * '' Flight of the Phoenix'' (2004) *'' The High and the Mighty'' (1954) * '' The Hindenburg'' (1975) * '' Sully'' (2016) * '' Survive!'' (1976) * ''

Turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers with no disruption between ...

'' (1997) * '' United 93'' (2006) * ''

Zero Hour! ''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" ...

'' (1957)

The atomic age

* '' Atomic Train'' (1999) * '' Atomic Twister'' (2002) * '' Control'' (1987) * '' Friend of the World'' (2020) * '' The Lost Missile'' (1958) * '' Miracle Mile'' (1988) * '' On the Beach'' (1959) * '' Panic in Year Zero!'' (1962)

Epidemics and pandemics

* ''

The Andromeda Strain ''The Andromeda Strain'' is a 1969 novel by American writer Michael Crichton, his first novel under his own name and his sixth novel overall. It documents the outbreak of a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism in Arizona and the team of scie ...

'' (1971) * '' The Cassandra Crossing'' (1976) * '' Contagion'' (2011) * ''

Outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

'' (1995) * '' Perfect Sense'' (2011) * '' Plague'' (1979) * '' The Stand'' (1994) * ''

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

'' (1980) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Warning Sign A warning sign is a type of sign which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are traffic signs that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver. While warning traffic ...

'' (1985)

Shipwrecks

* '' Beyond the Poseidon Adventure'' (1979) * '' Britannic'' (2000) * '' The Finest Hours'' (2016) * '' Gray Lady Down'' (1978) * '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002) * '' The Last Voyage'' (1960) * ''A Night to Remember'' (1958) * ''

'' (2006) * '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972) * '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (2005) * '' Raise the Titanic'' (1980) * '' S.O.S. Titanic'' (1979) * ''

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Titanic: The Legend Goes On'' (2000)

References

Bibliography

* * {{Global catastrophic risks Disasters Disaster films

Disaster A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. '' Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by na ...

Man-made disasters

Natural disasters

End of days

Aircraft

The atomic age

Epidemics and pandemics

Shipwrecks

See also

References

Bibliography