Top movies featuring Groundhog Day time loops

By Wonderwall.com Editors 8:30am PST, Feb 7, 2018

The same day repeating itself over and over again is a story element that's appeared in several Hollywood movies over the years. In celebration of 25th anniversary of "Groundhog Day," which hit theaters on Feb. 12, 1993, Wonderwall.com is looking back at some of our favorite time loop movies starting with the Bill Murray classic. "Groundhog Day" tells the story of a self-centered TV weatherman, Phil Connors, who is forced to relive the same day over and over again and re-examine his life. The movie — starring Andie MacDowell and Bill — was a modest commercial and critical success when it was released in 1993 but has gained a larger appreciation in the years since. "Groundhog Day" is now considered one of the best comedic films of all time and was added to the United States National Film Registry in 2006 for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Keep reading to see other time loop films!

"Edge of Tomorrow" is a thrilling sci-fi film with a time loop theme. Tom Cruise stars as Major William "Bill" Cage, a public relations officer with no combat experience who is forced by his superiors to join a military operation against aliens. Bill teams up with Special Forces soldier Rita Vrataski, played by Emily Blunt, to fight the intruders. He is killed in combat but he finds himself in a time loop that sends him back to the day before the battle every time he dies (we know, it's complicated!). "Edge of Tomorrow" was a huge box office success, grossing over $370 million worldwide and receiving positive reviews from critics. The 2014 movie was so successful that it is the ninth-highest grossing film in Tom Cruise's career and a sequel, "Live Die Repeat and Repeat," is currently in development.

Netflix always has the quality projects we love. "Naked" tells the story of Rob Anderson (played by Marlon Wayans), a substitute teacher who's planning to marry the love of his life, Megan Swope (played by Regina Hall). Rob is caught in a time loop as he keeps waking up naked in a hotel elevator on the day of his wedding. He must figure out how to grow up and commit to stop the cycle. While the Netflix original movie, which was released in August 2017, was not well-received by critics, audiences loved the film.

"Doctor Strange" has it all: magic, combat, mystery and — you guessed it — time loops. The 2016 Marvel film is about Stephen Strange, an arrogant but superbly talented doctor who loses his ability to perform surgery due to a car accident. Strange is eventually trained in sorcery and captures himself in a time loop to prevent Dormammu — the evil villain — from turning Earth into a dark dimension. "Doctor Strange" was another huge success for Marvel: The movie grossed over $677 million worldwide, was met with positive reviews from critics and received an Academy Award nomination for best visual effects!

At first thought, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" doesn't seem like a time loop movie, but one of the film's most important scenes involves just that. After Harry's godfather, Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman), is captured by Dementors, Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson) use a Time Turner device to relive the day and rescue Sirius. "Prisoner of Azkaban" is the third film in the "Harry Potter" film series and is considered by many critics and fans to be the best of the bunch. It grossed a total of $796.7 million worldwide, making it the second-highest grossing film of 2004, and received praise for its direction, the lead actors' performances and a notable change in the film series' tone.

"Looper" manages to involve assassins, crime, morality and time loops. The 2012 film is about criminal organizations that send victims through time to be killed by assassins called "loopers." Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a looper who learns that his next target will be a future version of himself. The movie received critical acclaim upon its release with many praising its acting, originality and thrilling pace. The movie was also a big box-office success, grossing $176 million on a $30 million budget.

Can you imagine reliving your murder over and over again? That's what college student Theresa "Tree" Gelbman, played by Jessica Rothe, goes through in "Happy Death Day." After multiple attempts at avoiding her death, Tree realizes she must confront her killer to stop the loop and save her life. The 2017 movie — which critics have described as "Groundhog Day" meets "Scream" — was met with positive reviews and grossed over $115 million worldwide on a $4.8 million budget!

Who doesn't love a time-looping, heart-wrenching teen drama? Halston Sage, Zoey Deutch, Cynthy Wu and Medalion Rahimi all star in "Before I Fall," a movie about a popular high school senior who finds herself reliving the same day over and over. Samantha Kingston, the popular student, must make the ultimate sacrifice to stop the loop. The movie was released in January 2017 to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. "Before I Fall" grossed $16 million worldwide against a $5 million budget and was one of the highest grossing independent films of 2017.

"12 Dates of Christmas" may be a Christmas movie, but that doesn't mean it wasn't influenced by "Groundhog Day"! The ABC Family TV movie tells the story of Kate (played by Amy Smart), who relives Christmas Eve — including a blind date with a man named Miles (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar) — over and over again. She must discover how to break the cycle and choose which romantic path to take. The cute romantic comedy received rave reviews from critics. "This holiday romance steals a page from 'Groundhog Day' and runs with it… It's a sweet, wacky… and nicely woven journey, with the endearing Smart adding an extra twinkle," an Us Weekly critic wrote.

One of the first-ever time loop movies is "Turn Back the Clock," which tells the story of Joe Gimlet, a tobacconist who married for love as a young man. After being hit by a car, Joe wakes up 20 years in the past and decides to relive his life and marry a wealthy woman instead of his true love. Lee Tracy and Mae Clarke star in this 1933 film that also featured an uncredited appearance from the Three Stooges. Talk about a throwback!

"Retroactive" features Jim Belushi and Kylie Travis in a time loop murder mystery. The 1997 film is centered on a psychiatrist (played by Kylie) who makes multiple trips through time to save a woman who was murdered by her husband (played by Jim). The black comedy has been praised for its explosive action scenes and sci-fi elements. Nothing better than a little time hopping, right?