Movies Based on Real-Life Disasters

Everest In 1996, eight people perished after being trapped in a blizzard while they were on the world’s tallest mountain.

K-19: The Widowmaker This fictionalized account of a real life nuclear accident on a submarine in 1961 flopped at the box office despite a big budget and stellar cast.

Tora!Tora!Tora! An ensemble epic of startling scope, this film about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor delivers both historical accuracy and riveting battle scenes.

Alive On October 13, 1972, the plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay and other passengers crashed into the Andes Mountains.

The Impossible The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami was one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.

Deepwater Horizon On April 20, 2010, the largest accidental oil spill in history began with a bang.

The Perfect Storm A fishing boat called the Andrea Gail was caught in a hurricane and sunk in 1991, tragically taking all hands with her.

Unstoppable While the characters in this high-speed thriller may be fictional, the story was inspired by a real-life incident in 2001.

Titanic Over 1,500 people died when what was then the world’s largest ship sank in 1912.