30 Greatest Disaster Movies

Channel 5's 30 Greatest Disaster Movies (UK Channel 5, 10-11.30pm, Sunday 20th September 2015) featured three Irwin Allen disaster movies, namely The Swarm, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. During the broadcast, Irwin Allen was referred to as "the daddy of disaster movies in the 1970s" and of course "the Master of Disaster".

Surprisingly, the list also featured several zombie and science fiction movies, possibly due to the fact that it was broadcast during an "End of the World" weekend on Channel 5 (even Celebrity Big Brother got involved in the theme). By including such movies in the genre, some older classic disaster features were omitted from the list including more vintage movies like The Rains Came and San Francisco. Hopefully, some day a list of the greatest "possible" disaster movies will be compiled, limited to real-world disasters (albeit with some added drama that all good movies need).

The 30 Greatest Disaster Movies

The 30 Greatest Disaster Movies in reverse order as compiled by a number of film critics and based upon US Box Office success (adjusted for inflation):

30. When the Wind Blows (1986)
29. Donnie Darko (2001)
28. Left Behind (2014)
27. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
26. The Swarm (1978, Irwin Allen)
25. The Core (2003)
24. 28 Days Later (2002)
23. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
22. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
21. Cloverfield (2008)
20. Dante's Peak (1997)
19. Outbreak (1995)
18. San Andreas (2015)
17. 2012 (2009)
16. Interstellar (2014)
15. Godzilla (2014)
14. Deep Impact (1998)
13. Airplane! (1980)
12. World War Z (2013)
11. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
10. The Perfect Storm (2000)
9. War of the Worlds (2005)
8. Armageddon (1998)
7. Twister (1996)
6. Earthquake (1974)
5. Independence Day (1996)
4. The Poseidon Adventure (1972, Irwin Allen)
3. The Towering Inferno (1974, Irwin Allen)
2. Airport (1970)
1. Titanic (1997)

Any other disaster movies that you think should be included in the list?