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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 

Limited Releases

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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

10. Deep Impact

Like Armageddon, but more dramatic...
NASA devises a plan to nuke two asteroids on a collision course with Earth to smithereens. Sound familiar? Released just two months before Armageddon, Deep Impact is more plausible, but Armageddon had the bigger box office. [Worldwide Gross $349 million; Metacritic Users Score 3.6]

9. Armageddon

Bruce Willis and Michael Bay save the world!
A Texas-sized asteroid is heading towards Earth, and the only hope our little planet has is Willis, Ben Affleck, Steve Buscemi, Liv Tyler, two space shuttles, and a bunch of nuclear weapons. I give us a 50/50 chance of surviving. [Worldwide Gross $555 million; Metacritic Users Score 5.4]

8. Dante's Peak

Can James Bond survive Dante's Peak?
A sleepy mountain town, a long dormant volcano, and a heartthrob scientist with a theory all add up to huge action on Dante's Peak. Who would have thought a volcano with that name could be so much trouble? [Worldwide Gross $178 million; Metacritic Users Score 6.1]

7. The Core

Science...schm-ience! Just nuke it!
When the Earth's core stops spinning and the world is coming apart at the seams, who ya gonna call? Hilary Swank and Aaron Eckhart, that's who! Their mission is to restart the planet's center using nuclear weapons. What can't those things do these days? [Worldwide Gross $74 million; Metacritic Users Score 3.7]

6. The Day After Tomorrow

He couldn't wait until 2012 to end the world...
Roland Emmerich's fascination with the end of the world found its roots in this global warming adventure that showcases some of his favorite obsessions, including massive tornadoes in downtown LA, giant hail storms in Tokyo, and hurricanes in London. That's some action-packed paranoia! [Worldwide Gross $544 million; Metacritic Users Score 5.7].

5. Poseidon

A sleek ship is touted as unsinkable...
I think you can guess what happens next. A remake of one of the first disaster movies, Poseidon has all of the original's appeal. An all-star cast, blockbuster effects, and a rogue 150-foot wave. As long as logic isn't something you mind leaving on dry land, Poseidon delivers some huge thrills! [Worldwide Gross $181 million; Metacritic Users Score 5.7]

4. Volcano

It's called Volcano but it takes place in L.A...
Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche do battle with a newborn volcano forming in downtown Los Angeles. How do you beat a volcano you ask? Well, it has something to do with blowing up buildings. Why didn't they just nuke it? [Worldwide Gross $120 million; Metacritic Users Score 6.5]

3. The Perfect Storm

A perfect storm for the perfect disaster...
The true story of fishermen fighting to survive a very large storm is the most down-to-Earth disaster movie on this list. But that doesn't mean we don't get big waves. Huge waves. Totally gigantic waves! Plus Clooney and Walhberg trying not to capsize. [Worldwide Gross $329 million; Metacritic Users Score 5.4]

2. Twister

Boy chases girl, girl chases tornado.
If you want to see the best movie about tornados, look no further than Jan de Bont's 1996 action extravaganza Twister. Written by Michael Crichton, Jeff Nathanson, and Joss Whedon, and starring Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, and (best of all) a flying cow, Twister delivers exactly what it promises...twisters![Worldwide Gross $496 million; Metacritic Users Score 7.8]

1. Titanic

Who knew people were so pretty back then?
Perhaps the most successful disaster movie of all time, James Cameron's Titanic broke box office records as well as its budget constraints. It still looks good thirteen years later, and proves that if you spend enough money, those special effects won't look dated for ages! [Worldwide Gross $1.8 billion; Metacritic Users Score 7.7]

Top Ten Horror Movies of 2009

Top Ten Holiday Movies

 

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