A film fan saw 777 movies in theaters in a year, setting a new world record – including watching the Mario movie 35 times

The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

How many movies did you watch last year? Either way, it’s definitely not as many as Zach Swope, the new Guinness World Record holder for ‘Most films seen in a cinema in one year.’

As per Guinness World Records, Swope saw an eye-watering 777 movies between July 2022 and July 2023, eclipsing the previous record of 715 movies held by France's Vincent Krohn.

Swope, who was raising awareness about autism, even caught multiple movies several times – including The Super Mario Bros. Movie 35 times and Thor: Love and Thunder 33 times. 

The staggering feat came with a few caveats for Swope to overcome: each movie had to be watched in its entirety – presumably, no bathroom breaks or quick naps – and they all had to be watched "independently of any other activity." So certainly no doomscrolling or checking future cinema listings on your phone, thank you very much.

Remarkably, Swope also has a full-time job and still found time to squeeze in several screenings a week. He first kicked off his mammoth feat with Minions: The Rise of Gru, before rounding things off with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

"Who knows, maybe I’ll go back and try to break my own record?" Swope said, while also revealing that the favorite film he watched in the 12-month period was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Swope might be pleased to hear that a new Mario movie, set to "broaden" Mario’s world, is in the works and set to release in 2026. 36 times is the charm, after all. 

For more, check out some of the upcoming movies coming your way very soon.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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