Movies like Abacus
The best movies like Abacus are Top Gun (1986), Queen of Katwe (2016) and The Deep Blue Sea (2011). If Abacus hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Thing (1982)8.1/10 from 8,429 votes
- NewestWhalefall (2026)Released 2026
Top Gun (1986)
For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisThe Deep Blue Sea (2011)
The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSeeking Justice (2011)
After his wife is assaulted, a husband enlists the services of a vigilante group to help him settle the score.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisArrival (2016)
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDead Sea (2024)
Stranded in the open sea after a fatal accident, a young woman and her two friends are rescued by a fishing vessel's captain, unaware that the ship harbors a chilling secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhalefall (2026)
Following the death of his father, Jay Gardiner goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Black Cat (1934)
After a road accident in Hungary, the American honeymooners Joan and Peter and the enigmatic Dr. Werdegast find refuge in the house of the famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig, who shares a dark past with the doctor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lucky One (2012)
A Marine travels to Louisiana after serving three tours in Iraq and searches for the unknown woman he believes was his good luck charm during the war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnit 234 (2024)
While working the night shift alone, Laurie Saltair discovers a comatose man, Clayton, in Unit 234 of her family’s storage facility. What transpires is a thrill ride of a cat-and-mouse game for Laurie and Clayton to survive the night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Highway in the Sky (1951)
James Stewart plays aeronautical engineer Theodore Honey, the quintessential absent-minded professor: eccentric, forgetful, but brilliant. His studies show that the aircraft being manufactured by his employer has a subtle but deadly design flaw that manifests itself only after the aircraft has flown a certain number of hours. En route to a crash site to prove his theory, Honey discovers that he is aboard a plane rapidly approaching his predicted deadline.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFinal Destination (2000)
After a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash, he prevents the accident only to have Death hunt them down, one by one.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thing (1982)
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBlack Box (2026)
Vero Airlines Flight 298 from New Orleans to Seattle becomes the center of a chilling supernatural mystery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
Based on an "actual event" that took place in 1943. About a US Navy Destroyer Escort that disappeared from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and sent two men 40 years into the future to 1984.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisStarman (1984)
When an alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona, the government tries to stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSunday in New York (1963)
An innocent upstarter visits her airline pilot brother and meets a stranger she tries to seduce.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLocked (2025)
When Eddie breaks into a luxury SUV, he steps into a deadly trap set by William, a self-proclaimed vigilante delivering his own brand of twisted justice. With no means of escape, Eddie must fight to survive in a ride where escape is an illusion, survival is a nightmare, and justice shifts into high gear.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Abacus?
The closest matches to Abacus are Top Gun (1986), Queen of Katwe (2016) and The Deep Blue Sea (2011). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Abacus?
Start with Top Gun (1986), the closest match to Abacus.
What is the highest-rated movie like Abacus?
The Thing (1982), rated 8.1/10 by 8,429 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Abacus?
Whalefall (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Abacus chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Abacus, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.