There’s something sacred about selecting your first and last films of the year. Or, for the truly dedicated, timing a watch perfectly right so that a certain favorite scene—or even line of dialogue—plays at midnight, bidding farewell to the old year while ushering you into the new one. Consider it the cinematic equivalent of black-eyed peas, pomegranates and other good luck delicacies, if you will. (My own recommendation: no better way to see out a not-so-great year than starting an Alien viewing so that the first notes of the end credits hit just 30 seconds before the ball drops.)

So as 2025 ticks ever closer—and with our 2024 Year in Review right around the corner, coming January 8—we delved into the data to reveal the top ten films most obsessively rewatched by Letterboxd between December 30 and January 2. (The date range is intended to for the family time and/or festive debauchery that cause annual traditions to shift around here and there.) In other words: these ten films have been rewatched the most, by the most , on these dates.

Call it the When Harry Met Sally… effect: the romance genre reigns supreme on this list. To no surprise, Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron’s classic again makes its case as the perennial New Year’s Eve title, as many Letterboxd relayed to me earlier this year. Baby fish mouth, we love you!

Best Picture-winner The Apartment and Best Picture-almost-winner La La Land also earn celebratory toasts, though, unlike the other romances on this list, Damien Chazelle’s musical doesn’t feature an explicit New Year’s Eve scene. The bittersweet age of time, however? Check. Plus, an aptly named shout from New Year’s Eve, the second of Garry Marshall’s unofficial holiday trilogy following intertwining stories across one day (See: Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day).

Lastly, some delightful context for those unfamiliar with 1963’s Dinner for One, a German institution, Guinness World Record holder and testament to the universal language of pratfalls. Initially performed on stage in 1934, the two-hander sketch revolves around a wealthy woman celebrating her 90th birthday and her butler, who impersonates her long-dead friends.

British comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden had been staging Dinner for One for well over a decade by the time German entertainer Peter Frankenfeld caught a performance and invited the pair to reproduce it for his show. The resulting eighteen-minute recording—filmed in English and presented with no subtitles or dubbing, except for a short introduction in German—only broadcast occasionally until German television network Norddeutscher Rundfunk slotted it in for New Year’s Eve, 1972, at 6pm.

The rest, as they say, is history. Dinner for One has aired every December 31 in since, a ritual similarly embraced in other German-speaking countries and Scandinavia. As a newcomer to this long-standing tradition, I find that the short’s beloved refrain, frequently quoted in Letterboxd reviews, rings especially true for our top ten most obsessively rewatched-at-New-Year’s: “The same procedure as last year? The same procedure as every year!”

10. La La Land (2016)

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle.

“La La Land is a love letter to ion, art, film, music, Los Angeles and love itself. It thrives on juxtapositions: between romantic fantasy and realist cynicism, between professional success and personal flourishing, between Old Hollywood style and modern sensibilities, and between reverence for art and skepticism of it.”—Wesley

“when ryan gosling’s big feet do those tippity taps on that bench in the sunset i lose it”—Bel

9. New Year’s Eve (2011)

Directed by Garry Marshall. Written by Katherine Fugate.

“idc what anybody has to say i love this movie it’s so good”—Abbigail

“This movie has everything: Ashton Kutcher as a guy who HATES New Year’s Eve, Robert De Niro as a dying man who LOVES New Year’s Eve and character actor Jack McGee as a guy who says, ‘You went out for a slice of pizza and you may have met ‘the one.’ You know what you call that? Ser-en-dipity.’”—Ryan

“A silly, but totally watchable holiday horror film. The early 80s slasher films just have that beautiful mix of grime and glitter. Even the bad ones are worth a watch.”—Kelli

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien.

“This movie has like 8 different endings and I cried over every single one of them. Thank you, Tolkien and Peter Jackson, for creating a timeless masterpiece.”—Donix

“Lives up to its reputation and goes above and beyond anything I could’ve been waiting for anyways Viggo Mortensen you are the hottest man alive”—Muriel

“It's now been over 17 years since I first sat in the theater as a 12 year old and was completely blown away [by] The Fellowship of the Ring. These films still provide me with every bit as much excitement and awe as they did that night, and I don’t think that will ever change.”—Alex

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien.

“Surprised that I might love this even more than Fellowship. I could listen to my goat ‘best friends’ Frodo and Sam discuss how they’ll tell stories about each other forever 💜”—Nicole

“My family and I almost missed the New Year’s Eve countdown because we were watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (extended version)”—Tiff

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien.

“Beautiful story, endearing characters, and simply sublime scenery. I can’t wait to continue watching their adventures and quests”—Manu0013

“After all why not?…why shouldn’t I give it five stars?”—Vincenzo

4. The Apartment

Directed by Billy Wilder. Written by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond.

“Not a single moment of screen time was wasted, the script (and by proxy those performing) dance in such a precise rhythm that you almost forget you’re watching a film in the first place. Such a rare feeling nowadays.”—Haaniyah

“i adore them so much but i am not over jack lemmon using a tennis racket to strain [spaghetti]. WHO DOES THAT.”—Evan

“maybe kiss me my girl before i’m sick will be our always”—Hollie

2. Dinner for One (1963)

Directed by Heinz Dunkhase. Written by Freddie Frinton.

“Watching my grandfather (who is 93 years old) laughing at this while watching it for the 8352725726 time is the most wholesome thing that happened to me this year.”—CountJoghurt

“My favourite thing to make for dinner is reservations. There can only be one New Year’s Eve classic. The same procedure as last year!”—One Goodfella, who fittingly has rewatched Dinner for One and written this exact same review for the past five New Year’s Eves

1. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Directed by Rob Reiner. Written by Nora Ephron.

“The rom-com to end all other rom-coms. Nora Ephron is a genius for what she wrote here. Beautiful, comforting, perfection.”—Laurel

“if you start the best movie ever in existence at 10:30:28 PM they will kiss at midnight (new years) and it will change your life forever you’re welcome”—Milkywee