The Greatest Disaster Movies
AMC Movie List

The Greatest Disaster Movies

Stormy seas, burning high-rises, and volcanic eruptions. Which disaster pic destroys the competition?

rank title points votes your vote
1 The Poseidon Adventure
An ocean liner is struck by a tidal wave, on New Year's Eve, with Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, and Shelley Winters in formal attire. 390 1348
2 The Towering Inferno
Steve McQueen and Paul Newman race to save women, children, and attending dignitaries trapped in the world's tallest skyscraper. 376 1254
3 Armageddon
Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck are dispatched to ram an A-bomb into an asteroid, in this Michael Bay classic. 368 1408
4 Twister
Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt are a storm-chasing couple who bicker as they track tornadoes. The FX were nominated for an Oscar. 364 1410
5 Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star in the James Cameron epic about the ill-fated megaship. 364 1512
6 The Perfect Storm
George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg and their boat fight rough seas when they sail into the storm of the century. 324 1266
7 The Day After Tomorrow
Scientist Dennis Quaid battles a flood and a new ice age to reuite with his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) in this cautionary tale about global warming. 320 1408
8 Airport
Based on the Alex Haley best seller, featuring Burt Lancaster as a man dealing with a suicide bomber and bad weather. 186 1086
9 Backdraft
Jennifer Jason Leigh once quipped the fire was the leading role in this fireman pic which also costars Kurt Russell and William Baldwin. 172 632
10 Dante's Peak
Pierce Brosnan offers advice (and a strong embrace) to Linda Hamilton's small-town mayor, when the lava closes in. 141 1189
11 Volcano
Tommy Lee Jones can't have a quiet weekend with his daughter, after an unknown volcano blows near L.A. -1 1081
12 Earthquake
Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and Richard "Shaft" Roundtree are all on the scene when the Big One hits L.A. -8 1026
13 2012
When the Mayan prophecy comes true and the world begins to end, writer John Cusack must save humanity. -86 1186
14 Daylight
Forget volcanos and earthquakes: Sylvester Stallone is contending with a chemical explosion in NYC's Holland Tunnel. -224 894
15 Waterworld
Mother Nature shows her cruel irony, giving us a half-fish Kevin Costner who finds dry land in a flooded world but can't stay on it. -232 976