Movies like The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
The best movies like The Day the Sky Exploded (1958) are Crack in the World (1965), 65 (2023) and Superman (1978). If The Day the Sky Exploded hooked you with its science fiction and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAkira (1988)7.9/10 from 5,108 votes
- NewestWhen I'm Ready (2025)Released 2025
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 & action
SnoozefestMovies 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 action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisSuperman (1978)
Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a plan to take over the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies 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 action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight (2002)
After being punished for retreat from combat, Ranger David Martel is given command of the Liandra, a haunted 20-year old Minbari fighting ship. He's escorting ambassadors to a secret archaeological site, the oldest city on record and a clue to a dangerous ancient race.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTitan A.E. (2000)
A young man finds out that he holds the key to restoring hope and ensuring survival for the human race, while an alien species called the Drej are bent on mankind's destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEarth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
Test space rockets exploding at liftoff and increased reporting of UFO sightings culminate in a direct attempt by alien survivors of a dead, extra-galactic civilization to invade Earth from impervious flying saucers, using ray-weapons of mass destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Trek: Insurrection (1998)
When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArctic Apocalypse (2019)
A massive influx of glacial melting triggers a new ice age in the Northern Hemisphere, forcing a family to make their way across the ice-covered landscape before they are frozen out for good.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPacific Rim (2013)
Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, Earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as Earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (2009)
An alien similar to Ra appears out of the Stargate, killing five soldiers and kidnapping another, a year after the original Stargate mission. A new team is assembled, including some old members, and they go in search of the missing soldier in order to find out how Ra could still be alive. Meanwhile, the alien Goa'uld kidnap Sha're and Skaara, implanting them with symbiotes and making them Goa'uld hosts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBabylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark (2007)
This instalment of Babylon 5 is in two parts: the first is about an entity that has possessed a worker. Colonel Lochley prevents a priest from performing an exorcism. The host is returned to Earth. The second has Galen trying to dupe President Sheridan into assassinating the future Centauri emperor to stop him from attacking Earth in around 30 years time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAsteroid: Final Impact (2015)
A deadly meteor storm has been labeled a one-time celestial occurrence, but astrophysicist Steve Thomas believes something worse is yet to come. After discovering his asteroid tracking satellite is secretly being used for military surveillance, Steve leaks the truth to the press, and it costs him his reputation, his job, and his friends. With the backlash of being a whistle-blower, the pressure threatens to tear his family apart, just when Steve discovers a threat to the entire planet: a giant dark asteroid invisible to current detection systems will soon strike the Earth. Barred from using his own satellite to prove the asteroid's existence, Steve is forced to work in the shadows in a desperate attempt to save humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen Worlds Collide (1951)
When a group of astronomers calculate a star is on a course to slam into Earth, a few days before, it's accompanying planet will first pass close enough to the Earth to cause havoc on land and sea. They set about building a rocket so a few selected individuals can escape to the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen I'm Ready (2025)
It's the end of the world. Seeking meaning and thrills in their last days alive, Rose and Michael embark on a cross-country road trip to see Rose's grandmother as a devastating asteroid threatens to wipe out life on Earth. Along the way they encounter other lost souls, each with their own very different perspective on the impending doom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (2018)
When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on a roll to super-save the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
Zenon Kar, a 13-year-old girl who lives on a space station in the year 2049, gets into some trouble and is banished to Earth. With help from some Earth friends she must find her way back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
British reporters suspect an international cover-up of a global disaster in progress... and they're right. Hysterical panic has engulfed the world after the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously detonate nuclear devices and have caused the orbit of the Earth to alter, sending it hurtling towards the sun.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
The controlled explosion of an atomic bomb in the Arctic Circle awakens a frozen dinosaur that will wreak havoc in New York City.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArmageddon (1998)
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAkira (1988)
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fifth Element (1997)
In 2263, a taxi driver is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGeostorm (2017)
After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong: the system built to protect Earth is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTransformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, Optimus Prime and the Autobots must team up with a powerful faction known as the Maximals. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, humans Noah and Elena will do whatever it takes to help the Transformers as they engage in the ultimate battle to save Earth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAsteroid (1997)
With the discovery of an incoming asteroid, the government of America formulate a plan to destroy it. When the plan fails, all the world can do is wait. The main impact zone is revealed to be Dallas, Texas. Generally, the plot follows the lives and reactions of several characters: an astronomer, her father, her son, two firefighters from Kansas, two young doctors in Dallas and the heads of the government agency in charge of the situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisTidal Wave: No Escape (1997)
A retired and disgruntled scientist is brought out of retirement to explain why tidal waves are wiping out coastal communities. But is he part of the problem?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
War of the Worlds (2005)
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRollercoaster (1977)
A young terrorist kills and injures patrons of a Norfolk amusement park by placing homemade explosives on the track of one of its roller coasters. After staging a similar incident in Pittsburgh, he sends a tape to a meeting of major amusement park executives in Chicago, demanding $1 million to make him stop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Day the Sky Exploded?
The closest matches to The Day the Sky Exploded are Crack in the World (1965), 65 (2023) and Superman (1978). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Day the Sky Exploded?
Start with Crack in the World (1965), the closest match to The Day the Sky Exploded.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Day the Sky Exploded?
Akira (1988), rated 7.9/10 by 5,108 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Day the Sky Exploded?
When I'm Ready (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like The Day the Sky Exploded?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to The Day the Sky Exploded chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Day the Sky Exploded, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.