The most successful disaster movies in the last 10 years all have something in common. No matter the type of disaster, they leave us in awe. They also leave us with a renewed appreciation for life, regardless of whether the movie had a happy ending or not.

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For Hollywood bosses, disaster movies are appealing because they have a tendency to become box office hits. Because of this, smaller production groups also have a tendency to invest in these films too. The result? One comes to realize that a lot of popular disaster movies go on to have a B-movie counterpart.

Movie: Geostorm

Geostorm Dutch Boy system in space

Geostorm was seen as one of the riskiest box office entries of 2017 and for good reason. Sure, the movie boasts of a bankable lead star in the form of Gerard Butler. But generally, disaster movies are a hit or miss in Hollywood. Produced by Warner Bros., the futuristic movie imagines a time when the weather around the Earth can be controlled by a series of satellites. When this system malfunctions though, it’s up to Butler’s character and his brother to save mankind and the entire planet in the process.

B-Movie: Geo Disaster

B-Movie Geo-Disaster family standing together

Just like in Geostorm, the world starts to experience a series of natural disasters in this B-movie. These include an earthquake, a volcano eruption, and a tornado. Instead of satellites though, the disasters are said to be the consequence of dark matter colliding with the Earth. Meanwhile, at the center of all this devastation is a Los Angeles family who are struggling to stay alive. If you must know, this disaster movie was written and directed by Thunder Levin, the very same man behind the Sharknado tv movies (there are five of them).

Movie: Deep Impact

Tidal wave in Deep Impact

Back when this movie was released in 1998, it received praise for its use of special effects to convey a disaster of cataclysmic proportions. In Deep Impact, there is a comet headed for Earth and a team of astronauts has been tasked with putting explosives on the comet so that it would change course.

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The movie doesn’t just boast of large scale disaster sequences, it also placed heart-breaking drama at the center of the story. To prepare for the possibility that the planet is doomed, the U.S. government has issued a lottery to determine who among the population would be saved.

B-Movie: Asteroid: Final Impact

B-Movie Asteroid Final Impact cast looking up

In this B-movie, we meet a scientist who has become a whistleblower after he reveals that the military has been spying using his asteroid tracking satellite. Upon learning that a giant asteroid is headed to Earth though, he becomes determined to keep doing his job to try to save the world. Although a lesser-known film, it boasts of a recognizable cast that includes Lochlyn Munro who has starred in the movie White Chicks and more recently, the Netflix series Riverdale. He is joined by Mark Lutz who previously had guest roles in ER, Friends, and Angel.

Movie: Independence Day

Movie Independence Day ship emerging over New York

In this epic 1996 movie, there are unexplainable phenomena all over the world. At first, it was thought to be caused by meteors but soon enough, it becomes clear that Earth has come under attack. And when humans find themselves dealing with sophisticated alien technology, they must come together to defend the world or eventually be destroyed. The movie boasts of a stellar cast led by Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman. Even today, critics recognize Independence Day as one of the best alien invasion movies of all time.

B-Movie: Independence Daysaster

B-Movie Independence Daysaster spaceships in the sky

Some are under the impression that the Independence Day sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, was rather disappointing. Just wait till they see this (year) movie. Over the years, similar movies to Independence Day had been attempted and that includes Independence Daysaster.

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In this movie, the world comes under attack just as the country is in the middle of its Independence Day celebrations. As the alien assault starts, strange-looking balls start raining down from the sky. There are also large balls with spikes that mysteriously emerge from the earth.

Movie: The Day After Tomorrow

Movie The Day After Tomorrow frozen city

The title may sound trivial but The Day After Tomorrow leaves quite an impression in the end. That’s really not surprising since the film is written and directed by Roland Emmerich, the same man behind the Independence Day movies. In this movie, actor Dennis Quaid plays a paleoclimatologist who is determined to trek from Washington, D.C. to New York in order to reunite with his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) who has been caught in a storm that plunges the world into a sudden Ice Age. The cast also includes Sela Ward and Emmy Rossum.

B-Movie: Cold Zone

B-Movie Cold Zone on the phone

In this B-movie, the same thing pretty much happens. A storm sweeps across the globe and it pretty much freezes everything in its path. However, a scientist only realizes what is happening while he is vacationing with his family in Alaska. Being in a remote area, he and an environmentalist risk everything to warn the rest of the world and save as many people as possible. The cast includes Martin Cummins who has been starring in Netflix’s Riverdale as Tom Keller. He also stars in the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart as Henry Gowen.

Movie: San Andreas

Movie San Andreas building falling

In this 2015 disaster film, we witness another massive onscreen destruction of California after the San Andreas fault triggers a magnitude 9 earthquake. Caught in the middle of it is a family that is made up of Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, and Alexander Daddario. Meanwhile, the cast also includes Paul Giamatti, Archie Panjabi, and even Kylie Minogue. The movie may not have been a hit with critics but it managed to earn handsomely, nonetheless. In fact, it hauled in an estimated $474 million against a reported budget of $110 million.

B-Movie: San Andreas Quake

B-Movie San Andreas Quake characters

In this movie, a disgraced seismologist tries to warn the larger community that a devastating earthquake is about to his California. She eventually gets the word out but then she also has to race against time to save her own family as Los Angeles starts to sink into the ocean. Throughout the movie, there are several scenes of devastation and the actors’ performances are decent. Ultimately, however, the film just tries to accomplish a lot of things that it clearly doesn’t have the budget for.

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