Movies like The Cricket and the King (1966)
The best movies like The Cricket and the King (1966) are Flying Home (2014), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and Untold: Chess Mates (2026). If The Cricket and the King hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedNew Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021)8.0/10 from 541 votes
- NewestUntold: Chess Mates (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseMonkey King: Hero Is Back (2015)Also in Chinese
Flying Home (2014)
Colin, an ambitious young American businessman, has a deal with a potential client, a rich Arab sheikh who is a passionate pigeon fancier. The sheikh has tried several times to buy a champion pigeon, but the owner continues to stubbornly refuse his offer. In an attempt to gain the trust of the Sheikh, Colin offers him a deal: if he manages to convince the owner to sell the champion pigeon, the sheikh will agree to do business with Colin's company. But when Colin meets Jos, the grumpy owner of the pigeon, and Isabella, his granddaughter, he realizes that this mission will not be as easy as he had hoped.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMillion Dollar Arm (2014)
In a last-ditch effort to save his career, sports agent JB Bernstein dreams up a wild game plan to find Major League Baseball’s next great pitcher from a pool of cricket players in India. He soon discovers two young men who can throw a fastball but know nothing about the game of baseball. Or America. It’s an incredible and touching journey that will change them all — especially JB, who learns valuable lessons about teamwork, commitment and family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUntold: Chess Mates (2026)
Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time, is challenged by Hans Niemann, a rising star who capitalizes on the meteoric growth of online chess. Niemann’s ascension culminated in an epic, controversy-shrouded victory over Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, which eventually led to allegations and revelations of cheating. Determined to clear his name, Niemann fights his way back to the top of the chess world, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch with Carlsen in 2024.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonkey King: Hero Is Back (2015)
The all-powerful Monkey King once roamed freely between Heaven and Earth, but after angering the Gods, he was imprisoned within an ice cage deep within the mountains. 500 years later, monsters attack a small village and a child flees to the mountains. Unknowingly, the child releases the Monkey King from his curse. With the help and encouragement from this special child, Monkey King saves the village from the evil monsters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJasper Jones (2017)
Fourteen-year-old Charlie's life changes when Jasper takes his help to dispose of the body of his girlfriend, Laura. He decides to look for the murderer and falls in love with Laura's younger sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRise of the Legend (2014)
In 1868 during the late Qing Dynasty, rampant corruption on the Imperial Court inflicts much suffering in people's lives. For years, the Black Tiger’s fearsome boss Lei Gong has been trying to get rid of the leader of the Northern Sea. One of his latest recruits is Fei, a fearless fighter who takes the Northern Sea leader’s head after a fierce fight. Just as Lei Gong believes he has total control of the port, a new gang called the Orphans rises in power. Led by Fei’s childhood friend Huo, the Orphans are out to eliminate all the criminal power from the port…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZog (2018)
Zog is a keen young dragon who wants to learn to fly, roar, and breathe fire, so he studies at the Dragon School. He is desperate to impress his teacher and win a golden star, but he is prone to accidents and he has to be helped by a kind young girl who patches up his bumps and bruises.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Heat of the Sun (1994)
Beijing, 1970s. The Cultural Revolution has driven most adults to the provinces leaving 14-year-old Monkey and his pals with free rein over the city. They hang around, get up to no good, and discover that unsolvable mystery known as "girls."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (2023)
Set in an alternate WWI reality where a senseless war rages on, two soldiers on opposite sides of the conflict play a joyful game of chess. A heroic carrier pigeon delivers the soldiers' chess moves over the battlefield as the fighting escalates. Neither soldier knows his opponent as the game and the war builds to its climatic final move. Whoever wins the game, one thing is for certain: there are no winners in war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNew Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021)
While living as an ordinary deliveryman and motor racing fan, Nezha encounters old nemeses and must rediscover his powers to protect his loved ones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Flying Guillotine (1975)
The Emperor's armies have developed a new weapon: a thrown blade that can remove someone's head from long distance. As the paranoid Emperor begins decapitating anyone he fears might be a threat, his guard Mau Tang becomes disillusioned with the excesses of his master. He leaves his post and takes up the quiet life of farming and raising a family. Eventually, though, his past catches up with him, and he must find a way to fight the flying guillotine if he is to save his head.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDynasty Warriors (2021)
In the turbulent late Eastern Han Dynasty, ambitious Dong Zhuo controls the court and the commonalty, and heroes from all over the country begin to rise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lost Bladesman (2011)
During the warring period of the three kingdoms, ancient China is in turmoil. To unify the country, general Cao Cao, the real power behind the Emperor, enlists the aid of the greatest warrior in the land, Guan Yu. However, Guan Yu is a loyal friend of Cao Cao's enemy Liu Bei so to persuade the peerless warrior to fight, Cao Cao takes his beloved Qi Lan hostage. After leading Cao Cao's forces to victory Guan Yu sets out with Qi Lan to rejoin Liu Bei. Now Cao Cao has deemed him too great a threat to live, and on the journey he must face all the forces at the Emperor's command sent to destroy him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQueen of Katwe (2016)
A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPegasus (2019)
Zhang Chi, a hubris and dominating six-time racing champion, falls from grace following a crisis. After a five-year suspension from the motorsport, the now single-father to a six-year-old boy throws down the gauntlet once again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Earth (1937)
China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the many hardships of life over the years; but the temptations of a fragile prosperity will endanger their love and the survival of their entire family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Gotta Believe (2024)
After dedicating the season to a teammate’s ailing father, a group of underestimated Ft. Worth youth baseball players takes its Cinderella run all the way to the 2002 Little League World Series—culminating in a record-breaking showdown that became an instant ESPN classic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPrizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)
At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hill (2023)
The story of Rickey Hill, who overcomes his physical disability and repairs his relationship with his father in a quest to become a major league baseball (MLB) player.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmpire of the Sun (1987)
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like The Cricket and the King and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Cricket and the King?
The closest matches to The Cricket and the King are Flying Home (2014), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and Untold: Chess Mates (2026). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Cricket and the King?
Start with Flying Home (2014), the closest match to The Cricket and the King.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Cricket and the King?
New Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021), rated 8.0/10 by 541 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Cricket and the King?
Untold: Chess Mates (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like The Cricket and the King?
Yes: Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015), Rise of the Legend (2014) and In the Heat of the Sun (1994).
How are movies similar to The Cricket and the King chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Cricket and the King, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.