Top 20 Greatest Movie Crossovers EVER
#20: “Jackie Brown” (1997) & “Out of Sight” (1998)
Top 10 Greatest Jackie Chan Stunts
Both these films are based on Elmore Leonard novels and feature the same actor playing the same character; but admittedly, that’s more or less where the similarities between these movies end. Michael Keaton’s A.T.F. agent Ray Nicolette is a major character in “Jackie Brown,” but his importance is reduced to a brief cameo when he appears beside George Clooney and J-Lo in “Out of Sight.” Even so, it’s also an example of a movie crossover between two ingenious directors; in this case, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh.
#19: The Shared Tarantino & Rodriguez Universe
Another Top 10 Disney Movie Crossovers We Want
Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are close friends who have collaborated on more than one occasion. They also may have quietly created their own shared fictional universe. The most obvious example of this is “Grindhouse,” their collaborative double feature that contained two seemingly unconnected full-length stories with a few crossover elements. During Rodriguez’ “Planet Terror”, we hear a radio Memoriam for Jungle Julia, a character who appeared in Tarantino’s “Death Proof”. The two films also share a character named Earl McGraw. McGraw has also appeared in Rodriguez’s “From Dusk ‘Till Dawn'' and Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Volume 1”. The characters’ presence across these films suggests that all these seemingly disparate movies take place within the same universe.
#18: “The Monster Squad” (1987)
Top 20 Greatest Giant Movie Monster Fights of All Time
Throughout the 1920s to 1950s, Universal continuously released a string of stellar horror films. This shared universe consisted of classic movies like “Frankenstein,” “The Mummy,” and “The Invisible Man.” Long after Universal had stopped making these films, TriStar released a movie called “The Monster Squad” that reunited all the big names and put them under one roof. Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, The Wolf Man, Gill-man, the Mummy, Van Helsing, and some vampire brides all made appearances. It was wonderfully nostalgic for older audiences to see the creatures get together, as well as an exciting opportunity for ‘80s kids to meet classic movie monsters.
#17: “Rugrats Go Wild” (2003)
Despite containing “Rugrats” in the title, this movie is actually a crossover between the famous babies and “The Wild Thornberrys.” Both Nickelodeon franchises were insanely popular. “The Wild Thornberrys” ran from 1998 to 2004 and “Rugrats” enjoyed an astonishing unbroken run between 1991 and 2004. They were also popular enough to warrant their own films. While “Rugrats Go Wild” served as the second “Wild Thornberrys” film, it was also the third “Rugrats” movie. Despite the crossover element and strong fanbases, the movie was not a success. It received negative reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office. To make matters worse for fans, both tv franchises ended their respective runs after this disappointing 2003 crossover.
#16: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948)
Perhaps the most bizarre and unexpected crossover movie of all time, “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” is widely regarded as one of the funniest movies ever made. It mainly serves as a spoof of classic horror movies, starring the legendary comedic duo Abbott and Costello. Like “The Monster Squad,” this movie also utilizes the famous Universal monsters. And despite the title, the movie actually contains three Universal creatures. Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and The Wolf Man all scare up some laughs. The movie was inventive, cleverly crafted, and hilarious. It also launched a series of further “Abbott and Costello Meet…” movies. They would later encounter the Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man.
#15: “Space Jam” (1996)
Top 10 Space Movies That Are Scientifically Accurate
It’s an idea that probably shouldn’t have worked: is a bizarre crossover between “Looney Tunes” and a highly fictionalized account of Michael Jordan’s brief retirement from the NBA. All the major “Looney Tunes” characters show up, alongside original toons like Danny DeVito’s Swackhammer. We also see Bill Murray playing himself and get a who's who of ‘90s NBA stars, including Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and Charles Barkley. Everyone is game for the outlandish story on display, and it only makes the movie that much more enjoyable.
#14: “Mothra vs. Godzilla” (1964)
Kaiju films became all the rage after “Godzilla.” One of the most popular standouts was 1961’s “Mothra.” By taking heavy inspiration from both “Godzilla” and “King Kong,” Mothra became an enormously popular kaiju. The monster proved so popular, in fact, that Toho Studios quickly went to work on a crossover event that would eventually be known as “Mothra vs. Godzilla” Released only three years after the original “Mothra”, the movie was a special effects extravaganza, filled to the brim with inventive filmmaking and epic battles. It may look a little crude by today’s standards. However, “Mothra vs. Godzilla” serves as an important piece of kaiju history.
#13: “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) & “Wayne’s World” (1992)
Top 10 Terminator Movie Moments
Despite having a long Hollywood career, Robert Patrick is still best remembered as the T-1000 who pursued John Connor in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. The T-1000 proved so popular that it made its way into “Wayne’s World,” a film released just seven months after “T2.” In one of the weirdest non-sequiturs in movie history, a speeding Wayne is pulled over by a motorcycle cop. The cop walks up to the car, removes his helmet, and reveals himself as the T-1000. There’s no in-universe explanation for this bizarre crossover. But since this is “Wayne’s World” we’re talking about, does it really need explaining?
#12: “Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman” (1971)
This is a classic example of a crossover between different franchises, genres of films, cultures and languages. “Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman” mashes up the wuxia and chambara genres from Hong Kong and Japan respectively, and the movie’s dialogue is in both Mandarin and Japanese. But the most badass of fight scenes don’t need dialogue, and this one’s got plenty. Featuring two major action heroes – one from each country – it’s a movie where friends become foes and an epic battle ensues to settle things once and for all.
#11: The View Askewniverse
Top 10 Movie Crossovers That Were Almost Made
First introduced in “Clerks”, Jay and Silent Bob are mainstays in Kevin Smith’s filmography. The films, comics, and TV shows that they appear in comprise Smith’s fictional universe the “View Askewniverse”. While they did star in their own films, the duo’s best moments arguably come in “Clerks” and “Dogma”. In these films, they go from loitering outside Quick Stop Groceries, to being seen as prophets and playing key roles in preventing the end of the world. While their banter is, of course, rather one-sided, they make for some of the most hilarious moments in both movies.
#10: “Glass” (2019)
Top 10 Notes: The Glass Menagerie
In 2000, M. Night Shyamalan released the superhero movie “Unbreakable”, which seemed like a standalone film. But at the end of his 2016 film “Split”, a final twist revealed that the film occurred within the “Unbreakable” universe. The major characters from both films came together for “Glass”, which served as both a “Split” crossover film and the end of the “Unbreakable” storyline. Fans of the latter had to wait nearly twenty years to see this hit screens. While the results weren’t entirely satisfactory, we have to commend Shyamalan’s commitment and creative vision.
#9: “Ready Player One” (2018)
Is Ready Player One Worthy Of All The Hype? - Spoiler Free Review! Mojo @ The Movies
We know, this isn’t a crossover in the usual sense, in that it doesn’t place different movies within the same universe. Instead, it features a virtual reality world chock-full of pop culture references and iconic characters. But we had to include it for just how many disparate franchises it brings together. There are WAY too many to count; but a few of the most outstanding cameos come when Wade Watts races his “Back to the Future” DeLorean through a city being destroyed by King Kong and “Jurassic Park’s” T-Rex. Then there’s the final battle, which pits RX-78-2 Gundam and the Iron Giant against Mechagodzilla. In these scenes, blink and you actually WILL miss an easter egg.
#8: “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018)
Top 10 Disney Princesses' Comfy Outfits in Ralph Breaks the Internet
The original “Wreck-It Ralph” featured a number of cute video game cameos, ranging from Sonic the Hedgehog to Clyde the orange ghost from “Pac-Man”. But the sequel managed to go even bigger, moving the setting from a video game arcade to the internet. This allowed cameos from a plethora of studios and properties, most notably Star Wars, Marvel, and of course Disney’s animated films. There’s R2D2 and C3PO … as well as Groot, Iron Man, and Stan Lee. But the real crossover highlight is when Vanellope meets the Disney Princesses. Each gets a turn in the spotlight, showcasing their individual quirks … and the things that they (very weirdly) have in common.
#7: “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (1943)
The Cult Classics That Inspired Lisa Frankenstein
The fifth movie based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein character ended up being a crossover film, featuring performances from Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr. This ‘40s monster flick is one of the earliest examples of a successful crossover movie, bringing everyone’s favorite horror characters together to torture townsfolk and fight each other. It was a hit with audiences, and was followed by a slew of “ensemble” monster movies were made, one of which gave the Wolf Man the chance to meet Count Dracula in “House of Frankenstein.”
#6: MonsterVerse
Top 20 Best MonsterVerse Moments
King Kong and Godzilla first faced off back in 1962, in a film that remains the most attended “Godzilla” film in Japan ever, but featured the giant ape receiving last minute lightning powers. Fast-forward over half a century, and the Monsterverse is making their shared universe canon. This shared storyline began in 2014’s “Godzilla” reboot. The “Monsterverse” continued to expand in 2016’s “Kong: Skull Island”, which rebooted the “King Kong” story for younger audiences. That dynamic film was followed by “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” and the upcoming “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Unlike in the crossover movies of old, visual effects are finally at a point that they can give these two behemoths the destructive and epic crossover they deserve.
#5: “Star Trek Generations” (1994)
Top 10 Star Trek Movie Moments
It was the character crossover that fans had been dreaming about. Although William Shatner’s Captain Kirk is retired and missing in the year 2293, he and Patrick Stewart’s Picard meet up after Jean-Luc goes through the Nexus; an energy ribbon that allows those within it to experience their wildest dreams for an infinite amount of time. It’s in the Nexus that the two captains meet up to stop Doctor Tolian Soran. The crossing of the two generations of this sci-fi series helped give the movie plenty of box-office success.
#4: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)
Top 10 Movie Crossovers
The combination of animation and live-action wasn’t the only great crossover this movie brought us. In his fictional world of Toontown, Roger rubbed shoulders with numerous iconic cartoon characters from several other franchises and studios, including Disney and Looney Tunes. In fact, in one notable scene, private detective Eddie Valiant falls through the sky with a particularly classic bunny and mouse. Looks like these two actually get along quite well! Of course, the epic piano battle with Daffy and Donald is also unforgettable.
#3: “Freddy vs. Jason” (2003)
Freddy Vs Jason
This mashup of the “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” franchises is definitely one of the best slasher movie crossovers ever – despite what the critics thought. Fans had been waiting since 1993 and the end of “Jason Goes to Hell” to see what kind of trouble these horror movie mainstays would get into together. After meeting in Hell, Jason upsets Freddy by not totally succeeding in the job Freddy wanted him to do, and that’s when the razor gloves and machetes come out in full force.
#2: “Alien vs. Predator” Series (2004-07)
Alien vs. Predator Movie Franchises
Though these sci-fi movie monsters had briefly crossed over thanks to an alien skull cameo in “Predator 2,” it’s “Alien vs. Predator” that really pit them against each other. Bringing to the big screen what was once just a comic book idea, the movie sees a group of archaeologists caught up in a battle between the titular monsters. With the psychological fear of the “Alien” franchise and the explosive fright of the “Predator” series, as well as eye-popping special-effects, it performed well enough at the box-office to merit a sequel in 2007.
#1: “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
Can Avengers: Infinity War's Box Office Records Be Topped? - The CineFiles Extended Cut
We may never see a more momentous and epic crossover event in our lifetimes than this all-star superhero spectacle. While “Endgame” was preceded by “Avengers,” “Age of Ultron,” and “Infinity War,” all those movies were overshadowed by the sheer scope of “Endgame.” It concluded a decade of plot and character development while working in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe properties. MCU veterans like Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor fought alongside relative newcomers like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, and Ant-Man. The fact that these lesser-known characters fit in perfectly with well established cinematic icons speaks volumes to the power and quality of the MCU. As a crossover, “Endgame” is the MCU’s crowning achievement.
