Movie Trivia Questions: Test Your Knowledge of the Film Industry’s History & Biggest Hits

Lately, the most successful projects at the box office have been remakes and sequels, reminding us that there’s nothing new under the Sun. As Black screenwriters fight to have their stories told amid all-too-familiar revivals, more people than ever are revisiting classic favorites from decades past to break up the repetitive storytelling. Thanks to the numerous streaming platforms available today, there’s no shortage of entertainment at the tip of your fingers; the next time you and your loved ones are enjoying a night in watching Netflix, try out our movie trivia questions and see who really knows their stuff.

For those most familiar with anything predating the 2000s, you’ll have the best luck answering from the throwback section below. Further down we have questions for modern movie lovers, testing your knowledge on everything from Disney and Marvel to movie trivia about some of the biggest names in Black entertainment. If you make it through the full list, tell us your score in the comments!

Throwback Movie Trivia Questions

Question: This legendary actress was a force to be reckoned with throughout 1970s “Blaxploitation” cinema:

Answer: Pam Grier.

Question: What was the first feature-length animated movie ever released?

Answer: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938).

Question: Which famous TV host was Jack Nicholson referencing when ad-libbing “Here’s Johnny!” in The Shining (1980)?

Answer: Johnny Carson from The Tonight Show.

Question: These three films are the only one in history to win the “Big Five” (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress) at the Oscars:

Answer: If It Happened One Night (1934), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Question: What’s Neo’s real name in The Matrix (1999)?

Answer: Thomas Anderson.

Question: Dolly Parton starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in which country musical?

Answer: Rhinestone (1984).

Question: Name the five student stereotypes we meet in The Breakfast Club (1985):

Answer: A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse.

Question: Which NBA icon appears in the cockpit of the 1980 dramedy, Airplane!?

Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Question: What was Quentin Tarantino’s first feature film as a writer and director?

Answer: Reservoir Dogs (1992).

Question: What’s the first film in the James Bond franchise?

Answer: Dr. No (1962).

Question: What’s the name of the infectious dance number near the start of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)?

Answer: “The Time Warp.”

Question: Who plays Arnold Schwarzenegger’s brother in Twins (1988)?

Answer: Danny DeVito.

Question: Whoopi Goldberg acted alongside Patrick Swayze in this 1990 movie:

Answer: Ghost.

Question: This movie starlet is killed off in the opening scene of Scream (1996):

Answer: Drew Barrymore.

Question: Who is the first child the Oompa Loompas sing about in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)?

Answer: Augustus Gloop.

Question: Which actor inspired Michael Myers’ eerie mask in Halloween (1978)?

Answer: William Shatner.

Question: Which Black comedian voiced Mushu in Disney’s Mulan (1998)?

Answer: Eddie Murphy.

Question: This was Andy Dufresne’s first job assignment behind bars in The Shawshank Redemption (1994):

Answer: Prison laundry.

Question: Who was the first solo female host of the Oscars?

Answer: Whoopi Goldberg in 1994.

Question: This 1996 comedy musical was Tom Hanks’ directorial debut:

Answer: That Thing You Do!

Question: In what year did the first Star Wars film come out?

Answer: 1977.

Question: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic (1997) character, Jack Dawson, hails from which city?

Answer: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Question: Who wrote the book that inspired the movie Jurrasic Park (1993)?

Answer: Michael Creighton.

Question: This 1975 thriller is considered to be the first-ever summer blockbuster:

Answer: Jaws.

Question: Which song do Wayne and Garth turn up to in their car in Wayne’s World (1992)?

Answer: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Question: Dolly Parton stars alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in this 1980 classic:

Answer: 9 to 5.

Question: Which 1984 Oscar-winner includes a character named Apollonia?

Answer: Purple Rain.

Question: In Rocky (1976), what does the fighter name his pet turtles?

Answer: Cuff and Link.

Question: Who directed the chilling horror movie, Psycho (1960)?

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock.

Question: Name Edward Norton’s character in Fight Club (1999):

Answer: Trick question, he doesn’t have one.

Question: Where does Ferris Beuller’s Day Off (1986) take place?

Answer: Chicago.

Question: For how long does Tom Hanks’ character run in Forrest Gump (1994)?

Answer: 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours.

2000s Trivia Questions

Question: Who played Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma (2014)?

Answer: David Oyelowo.

Question: Which social media platform is The Social Network (2010) about?

Answer: Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook.

Question: Where did filming for The Lord of the Rings trilogy take place?

Answer: New Zealand.

Question: Which breakfast food does Donkey promise to make for his new friend in Shrek (2001)?

Answer: Waffles.

Question: What’s the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time?

Answer: Joker (2019).

Question: Which “chick flick” does the following quote come from? “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t.”

Answer: Legally Blonde (2001).

Question: What are the highest-grossing movies of all time, with and without inflation taken into consideration?

Answer: With inflation, it’s Gone With the Wind (1939). Without, it’s Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Question: What do Bella and Edward name their daughter in Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) (2011)?

Answer: Renesmee.

Question: Who played the Green Goblin in Spider-Man (2002)?

Answer: Willem Dafoe.

Question: In To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), where do Lara Jean and Peter share their first high school kiss?

Answer: On the running track.

Question: Who was the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress?

Answer: Halle Berry in 2002 for Monster’s Ball.

Question: Who voiced the titular character in Coraline (2009)?

Answer: Dakota Fanning.

Question: Name the Las Vegas hotel targeted by the cast of Ocean’s Eleven (2001):

Answer: The Bellagio.

Question: Which Leonardo Dicaprio-led film holds the record for most F-bombs?

Answer: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

Question: This DC movie was unexpectedly canceled by Warner Bros. in 2022:

Answer: Batgirl.

Question: This late, legendary pop star judges a “walk-off” between Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander (2001):

Answer: David Bowie.

Question: Name all three of the films Jordan Peele has directed so far:

Answer: Get Out (2017), Us (2019) and Nope (2022).

Question: Name the fictional kingdom where Frozen (2013) takes place:

Answer: Arendelle.

Question: Which pandemic-era film was the first to gross over $1B at the box office?

Answer: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

Question: Where does Sex and the City 2 (2010) take place?

Answer: Abu Dhabi.

Question: Marvel’s Black Panther (2018) made history as the first superhero film nominated for this award:

Answer: Best Picture at the Oscars.

Question: What number does Lightning McQueen represent in Pixar’s Cars (2006)?

Answer: 95.

Question: Name the first foreign-language movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture:

Answer: Parasite (2019).

Question: In the 2022 Cheaper by the Dozen remake, this Black actress plays Zoey Baker:

Answer: Gabrielle Union.

Question: What does Zach Galifinakis’ character call the baby he finds himself taking care of in The Hangover (2009)?

Answer: Carlos.

Question: Denzel Washington played a villain in this 2002 Oscar-winning crime thriller:

Answer: Training Day.

Question: What does Gru plan to steal in Despicable Me (2010) after the Great Pyramid of Giza disappears?

Answer: The moon.

Question: The Devil Wears Prada (2006) includes a cameo from which famous designer?

Answer: Valentino.

Question: Which Michael Jackson classic does Jenna Rink perform in 13 Going On 30 (2004)?

Answer: “Thriller.”

Question: How many evil exes does Michael Cera’s character have to fight off in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)?

Answer: Seven.

Question: Who does Oprah Winfrey play in A Wrinkle in Time (2018)?

Answer: Mrs. Which.

Question: Where does The Help (2011) take place?

Answer: Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s.

Question: In Mean Girls (2004), Gretchen Weiners’ father is famous for allegedly inventing what?

Answer: Toaster Strudels.

Question: In Candyman (1992), which insect infamously comes out of Tony Todd’s mouth?

Answer: Bees.

Question: This 2008 sports drama was Chadwick Boseman’s first film:

Answer: The Express.

Question: Which fruit is Genovia famous for in The Princess Diaries (2001)?

Answer: Pears.

Question: Which Black rapper and actor voiced adult Simba in The Lion King (2019)?

Answer: Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino.

Question: Name the four houses at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films:

Answer: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

Question: How many of Nicholas Sparks’ romance novels have been adapted into films?

Answer: 12.