Movies like The Night the World Exploded (1957)
The best movies like The Night the World Exploded (1957) are Crack in the World (1965), Miami Magma (2011) and The Monolith Monsters (1957). If The Night the World Exploded hooked you with its science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDoctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009)7.5/10 from 229 votes
- NewestSignal One (2026)Released 2026
Crack in the World (1965)
Dr. Steven Sorenson plans to tap the geothermal energy of the Earth's interior by means of a thermonuclear device detonated deep within the Earth. This experiment causes a crack to form and grow within the Earth's crust, which threatens to split the earth in two if it is not stopped in time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMiami Magma (2011)
Antoinette Vitrini, a volcanologist, confirms her theory of a long-dormant underground volcano after an offshore-drilling rig bursts into flames. Now, she must stop catastrophic amounts of magma from pumping out right under Miami, Florida.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Monolith Monsters (1957)
Rocks from a meteor which grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe War of the Worlds (1953)
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this65 (2023)
65 million years ago, the only 2 survivors of a spaceship from Somaris that crash-landed on Earth, must fend off dinosaurs to reach the escape vessel in time before an imminent asteroid strike threatens to destroy the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisX: The Unknown (1956)
Army radiation experiments awaken a subterranean monster from a fissure that feeds on energy and proceeds to terrorise a remote Scottish village. An American research scientist at a nearby nuclear plant joins with a British investigator to discover why the victims were radioactively burned and why, shortly thereafter, a series of radiation-related incidents are occurring in an ever-growing straight line away from the fissure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl vs. Monster (2012)
Skylar finds out that her parents are monster hunters after she accidentally releases some monsters from a secret containment chamber; so she and her techno friends must recapture all the monsters and also save her mom and dad from these monsters who are out for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009)
A meeting in a London bus with jewel thief Lady Christina takes a turn for the worse for the Doctor when the bus takes a detour to a desert-like planet, where the deadly Swarm awaits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJourney to the Center of the Earth (2008)
On a quest to find out what happened to his missing brother, a scientist, his nephew and their mountain guide discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
A dangerous combination of radiation and insecticide causes the unfortunate Scott Carey to shrink, slowly but surely, until he is only a few inches tall. His home becomes a wilderness where he must survive everything from spiders living in the cellar to his beloved cat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle for Terra (2007)
A peaceful alien planet faces annihilation, as the homeless remainder of the human race sets its eyes on Terra. Mala, a rebellious Terrian teenager, will do everything she can to stop it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Andromeda Strain (1971)
When virtually all of the residents of Piedmont, New Mexico are found dead after the return to Earth of a space satellite, the head of the US Air Force's Project Scoop declares an emergency. A group of eminent scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone scrambles to a secure laboratory and tries first to isolate the life form while determining why two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived. The scientists methodically study the alien life form, unaware that it has already mutated and presents a far greater danger in the lab, which is equipped with a nuclear self-destruct device designed to prevent the escape of dangerous biological agents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBen 10 / Generator Rex: Heroes United (2011)
Ben Tennyson falls through a wormhole and encounters Rex. The two heroes must unite against a foe that can absorb their powers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInvaders from Mars (1953)
A boy tries to stop aliens that have taken over his town and are brainwashing its inhabitants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisBen 10: Race Against Time (2008)
Ben, Gwen, and Max must stop an extraterrestrial who plans to open a gateway that leads to an alien invasion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisSignal One (2026)
A computer scientist is invited by a tech billionaire to join his private facility on a Caribbean island to investigate extraterrestrial matter on Earth. When they make contact beyond our world, chaos erupts as we’re left to wonder: do they come in peace?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBen 10: Alien Swarm (2009)
Ben and a mysterious girl from his past must prevent an alien threat from destroying the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Wrinkle in Time (2003)
Meg and Charles Wallace are aided by Calvin and three interesting women in the search for their father who disappeared during a government experiment. Their travels take them around the universe to a place unlike any other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon 5: In the Beginning (1998)
Londo Mollari, the Centauri Emperor, recounts the initial contact between the Humans and Minbari, which resulted in a major incident and subsequent war, for an eager pair of youngsters wanting a story about love and conflict.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
An ancient tribe attempts to sacrifice Sanna as an offering to the Sun god to save their tribe from dinosaurs. Tara, a young man from another tribe, saves Sanna and takes her along with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
The crew of an atomic submarine battle to save the world from global destruction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisIntacto (2001)
An enigmatic tale of four people whose lives are intertwined by destiny are subject to the laws of fate. They discover that luck is something they cannot afford to be without as they gamble with the highest stakes possible in a deadly game from which only one of them will emerge intact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMimic: Sentinel (2003)
A man enclosed in a plastic bubble, his sister, and their best friend must defend an apartment complex from the mutant Judas Breed insects.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisVoo d.o.o. (2011)
After long years of bullying, one boy buys voodoo doll so he could have his revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
The Fantastic Four return to the big screen as a new and all powerful enemy threatens the Earth. The seemingly unstoppable 'Silver Surfer', but all is not what it seems and there are old and new enemies that pose a greater threat than the intrepid superheroes realize.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisGappa, the Triphibian Monster (1967)
An expedition in the South Pacific lands on a tropical island where the natives worship the mysterious deity Gappa. An earthquake opens up an underground cavern and a baby reptile is discovered inside. The natives warn the foreigners to leave the hatching alone, but they don't listen and take it back to a zoo in Japan. Soon after, moma and papa Gappa start smashing Tokyo looking for their kidnapped child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisTrailer Park Shark (2017)
A tropical storm floods Soggy Meadows trailer park and forces a hungry shark upriver.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
2012 (2009)
Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build "arks" to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisBattle Beyond the Stars (1980)
A young farmer assembles a band of diverse mercenaries to defend his peaceful planet from an evil tyrant.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Night the World Exploded?
The closest matches to The Night the World Exploded are Crack in the World (1965), Miami Magma (2011) and The Monolith Monsters (1957). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Night the World Exploded?
Start with Crack in the World (1965), the closest match to The Night the World Exploded.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Night the World Exploded?
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009), rated 7.5/10 by 229 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Night the World Exploded?
Signal One (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Night the World Exploded?
Yes: Crack in the World (1965), Miami Magma (2011) and The Monolith Monsters (1957).
How are movies similar to The Night the World Exploded chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Night the World Exploded, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.