Movies like The Running Man (1987)
The best movies like The Running Man (1987) are Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), Monster Hunters (2020) and Final Flight of the Osiris (2003). If The Running Man hooked you with its animation and science fiction, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSuicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)7.1/10 from 745 votes
- NewestLEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2026)Released 2026
Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020)
An intelligent 15-year-old high school student is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster Hunters (2020)
When an alien prison ship crash lands and unleashes creature after creature in the California desert, they make quick work of the army that tries to stop them. Now, the only hope of stopping the aliens rests with a secret branch of the government specializing in alien weaponry. But with the team untested in actual combat, the battle for Earth will be brutal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinal Flight of the Osiris (2003)
Immediately before the events of The Matrix Reloaded, the crew of the hovercraft Osiris discovers a quarter of a million sentinels drilling through the surface of the earth towards the last human city of Zion. But can the Osiris survive long enough to warn Zion?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2026)
The Mandalorian and Grogu join their misfit allies for an epic party, celebrating their heroism. As friends regale the crowd with tales of their adventures, a pirate threat looms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spine of Night (2021)
When ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind, a group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together in order to defeat it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)
A nationwide manhunt for Hank Venture leads to untold dangers and unexpected revelations, while The Monarch is literally out for Dr Venture's blood. An imposing evil from the past reemerges to wreak havoc on the Ventures, The Guild, and even the Monarch marriage—it will take friends and foes alike to restore the Ventures' world to order… or end it once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeathstroke: Knights & Dragons - The Movie (2020)
The assassin Deathstroke tries to save his family from the wrath of H.I.V.E. and the murderous Jackal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDC Showcase: Blue Beetle (2021)
SUFFERIN' SCARABS! Silver Age Blue Beetle is back! Thrill to the adventures of Ted Kord, alias the Blue Beetle, as he teams up with fellow Charlton Comics heroes Captain Atom, The Questions and Nightshade to battle the nefarious finagler of feelings, Doctor Spectro!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006)
In the year 2044 AD, the human race has amped-up its space exploration and reached out to the stars through the miracle of ROBOTECHNOLOGY, but not without bringing intergalactic war upon the Earth itself. Heroes will die and allegiances will shift. But in the midst of combat, perhaps peace will spring up through the charred remains of battered history. One of the greatest science fiction sagas of all time continues...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal (2015)
The Inquisitor is dead. The Ghost crew has connected with other rebel cells. And a new ally named Ahsoka Tano has emerged. Despite these successes and developments, the fight against the Empire takes a deadly turn, as the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader comes to Lothal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStarchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
Set on the subterranean Mine-World, a band of human worker are treated like slaves under the power of the evil overlord Zygon until one, Orin, unearths the hilt of a mythical sword that only he can master. Escaping the planet, he runs into the rogue smuggler Dagg and a pair of helpful droids and the princess, who all team up to return to the Mine-World with a plan to defeat Zygon and free Orin's enslaved people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaylight's End (2016)
Years after a mysterious plague has devastated the planet and turned most of humanity into blood-hungry creatures, a rogue drifter on a vengeful hunt stumbles across a band of survivors in an abandoned police station and reluctantly agrees to try to help them defend themselves and escape to the sanctuary they so desperately need.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisBabylon 5: The Road Home (2023)
Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
Amanda Waller's top-secret "Task Force X" — consisting of Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, and Copperhead — is on a mission to retrieve a mystical object so powerful that they're willing to risk their lives to steal it. However, the Suicide Squad isn't the only group of villains seeking to possess the object. It's a race for the golden prize, and second place isn't an option if they want to stay alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBatman vs. Two-Face (2017)
Former Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, one side of his face scarred by acid, goes on a crime spree based on the number '2'. All of his actions are decided by the flip of a defaced, two-headed silver dollar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBen 10 vs. the Universe: The Movie (2020)
A blast from Ben's past returns to do double the damage on Team Tennyson and planet Earth itself, forcing Ben to go interstellar to save the day. Based on the 2016 reboot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out (2012)
Luke Skywalker embarks on a mission to destroy an Imperial base, but is relentlessly chased by a group of fanatic girls who think of him as a celebrity. Meanwhile, Darth Vader engages a rivalry with Darth Maul, in order to prove that he's the best Sith Lord.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath Race: Inferno (2013)
Carl Lucas / Frankenstein has won four of his races and needs to win one more to win his freedom. Before his final race, Lucas and his team, car and all, are transferred to another prison where they will compete in a Death Race in the desert. Also, at the same time, Ceaser runs into a marketer who wants to franchise the Death Race program.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Meaning of Life (2005)
A sprawling look at the evolution of humankind, over the course of a billion years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Signal (2007)
A horror film told in three parts, from three perspectives, in which a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like this
Like The Running Man and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Running Man?
The closest matches to The Running Man are Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), Monster Hunters (2020) and Final Flight of the Osiris (2003). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Running Man?
Start with Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), the closest match to The Running Man.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Running Man?
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018), rated 7.1/10 by 745 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Running Man?
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Running Man?
Yes: Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), Monster Hunters (2020) and Final Flight of the Osiris (2003).
How are movies similar to The Running Man chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Running Man, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.