Post-Apocalyptic Preoccupation

Why is Hollywood so fascinated by stories about the end of the world?

For decades, the entertainment industry has possessed a fascination—even an obsession—with the end of the world and post-apocalyptic scenarios. It all began back in the 1950s and 60s as the Cold War deepened and the threat of nuclear war loomed large. This was a repeated theme in episodes of The Twilight Zone. And who can forget the Planet of the Apes movies? 

With the advent of the twenty-first century and fears of Y2K, interest in the end of the age escalated and continues to gain momentum. Over the past couple of decades, there have been a steady stream of movies about the post-apocalyptic world, and they keep coming. Consumers can’t seem to get enough of the dystopian future. These movies feed our fear, pique our curiosity, and appeal to the dark side of our imagination.  

Here is just a small sample of a few of most popular post-apocalyptic movies of this century: