Those who know anything about world records will know that they can be extremely specific. Chances are if it exists, then there is a record connected to it. Whether it is the biggest rubber band ball or the smallest painting, there are tons of records that most never knew anyone could accomplish.
Naturally, the same goes for movies. Filmmaking is, after all, a business, and with so much going into a film’s production, there’s bound to be a record or two broken in the process. While most records are predictable, others are a little more obscure. Here are some of the more unusual movie records out there.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Most Expensive Movie
While 2011’s Pirates sequel may be one of the more forgettable movies in the franchise, it stands as one of the most successful. The fourth in the series, the movie ran into complications early on which, combined with the actor’s salaries and the elaborate set designs, caused the budget to balloon beyond foreseeable levels.
In total, Stranger Tides cost a jaw-dropping $379 million dollars, quickly becoming the most expensive movie of all time. Even when adjusted for inflation, the movie is still the most expensive, beating out other equally expensive films like Cleopatra and Avengers:Infinity War. Thankfully, the movie went on to gross over a billion dollars, making back its budget and then some.
The Wolf of Wallstreet: The Movie With The Most “F-bombs”
No one can deny that Martin Scorcese’s biopic of Jordan Belfort is the epitome of excess. The wild, drug and sex fueled-life of one of America’s most dastardly white-collar criminals is about as off the rails as anyone could imagine. It’s not hard to imagine that this sensory overload managed to break a few records along the way, and this is particularly true in the movie’s use of the f-word. In total, the movie uses the word and its derivatives a total of 569 times. While this record has been contested by other’s, it’s still seen as the most profane movie to come out of Hollywood.
The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit Trilogies: The Largest Set
Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy went to painstaking lengths to get everything right. Viewers probably know about the hundreds of costumes and pieces of armor that were made for the movie, but one thing that fans may not know is that Hobbiton, the set used to represent the Shire, is the largest movie set in existence.
As we’ve said before, Hobbiton, located in New Zeeland, greatly outmatches other sets of its ilk. While its record has been questioned, there’s no denying that the nearly 15-acre town is a marvel of modern set design. The town was used for both the LOTR trilogy as well as The Hobbit films and is a popular tourist attraction.
Casino Royale: The Most Car Rolls
2006’s Casino Royale gave the Bond franchise a much-needed boost of energy and is considered to be one of the best films in the franchise. One of the ways producers helped to accomplish this was by using practical effects rather than CGI, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the frantic car chase scene near the film’s conclusion. The part where Bond flips his Astin Martin DBS by accident broke the Guinness World Record for the most car flips in a movie. To achieve this, the crew was forced to use a hydraulic system, as the DBS was too aerodynamic to roll over.
The Jesus Film: The Most Translated Movie
Produced by the evangelical group Campus Crusaders for Christ, The Jesus Film, or simply Jesus, is a somewhat standard retelling of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. Released in 1979, the movie tanked upon its first release, but that didn’t stop evangelical groups from turning it into a recruitment tool.
The movie has been translated in over a thousand languages, making it the most translated movie in history. Some have even speculated that it is the most watched movie of all time, though this is harder to prove.
Gandhi: The Movie With The Most Extras
The 1982 epic starring Ben Kingsley as the iconic civil rights leader is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Chronicling the life of Gandhi was no small feat, but Richard Attenborough pulled it off, earning an Oscar for best picture in the process. Contrary to Gandhi’s views on humility, the movie spared no expense in making the movie as historically accurate as possible. For example, 300,000 extras were recruited to play mourners at Gandhi’s funeral. This is widely considered to be the most extras of any movie to date. Now that CGI is used for the same purpose, it’s a record that’s not likely to be broken anytime soon.
Russian Ark: The Longest Continuous Shot
Cinephiles salivate at long, unbroken shots. While some movies have these, it’s usually done with clever editing and special effects. In the case of Russian Ark, though, all 110 minutes are comprised of a single, continuous shot.
The story of a French aristocrat reliving historical events in the halls of the Russian Heritage Museum is viewed as a marvel of filmmaking prowess. Shot during the dead of night and in a single setting, a dolly followed the lead actor on his journey. It’s a feat that had seldom been attempted before, and it might not be ever again.
Logistics: The Longest Movie Ever Made
There are many movies that claim to be the longest in history, and it’s become a coveted title among art films. Most are created as part of a museum piece or an art project and are never intended to be viewed in their entirety. That is a good thing, because, if someone sat down to watch Logistics, they wouldn’t bee able to leave their couch for a month. At 857 hours, Logistics would take over 35 days to watch from start to finish. The voyage of a pedometer as it makes its way from China to a storefront, Logistics shoots everything in real time, and each part takes about a day to complete. Potential viewers can watch the entire film for free on the Logistics’ website should they be in a daring and particularly patient mood.
Tiefland: The Movie With The Longest Production Cycle
Based on the opera of the same name, Tiefland was released in 1954 and has largely been ignored outside of Europe. That is a shame, because, while Tiefland may not be considered a classic, its troubled production cycle should make it a must-watch for film history buffs.
Production started in 1934, but the onset of the Second World War caused everything to halt for a decade. When the war ended and tensions settled, production continued, and the movie was finally released 20 years after it was first conceived. While other movies have attempted to claim its title—though rarely on purpose—Tiefland still stands as having the longest production cycle for a live action film.
Spectre: The Largest Explosion
While Spectre is by no means the best Bond movie, it is one of the most elaborate. Keeping with the tradition of making things go boom, Spectre went all out to make its action sequences as massive as possible, and one scene in particular literally blew the roof off its competition. The scene in which Bond and Madeleine escape from Blofeld’s lair ended with an earth-shaking explosion—easily the biggest of the entire franchise. But not only did the blast make Bond history, but it also broke the Guinness World Record for the largest explosion in a movie. Let’s hope that Bond keeps breaking records long into the future.
