The 15 Most Confusing Movies of All Time, According to Viewers

Ever looked up the ending of a movie after you watched it? Well… you’re definitely not alone.

A formal list of the most confusing movies of all time has been assembled, according to how often the film’s title and “explained” is searched on the internet. After compiling a list of 150 films renowned for their puzzling plots and ambiguous endings, Im-a-puzzle‘s team analyzed searches that include a film title followed by “explained” in an effort to learn which top 15 films confused audiences the most.

Released in 2022, the list spans over six decades, beginning with Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” with the least amount of searches per month, totaling 4,200 searches. As the searches per month increase on the list, Christopher Nolan’s films land four of the 15 spots — including #1 for his 2020 puzzler “Tenet.” That film introduced the concept of “time inversion” and concerns different physical properties moving in different directions.

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“Tenet” is the newest film on the list alongside the 2020 Netflix release “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” but the oldest is Kubrick’s sci-fi classic “2001,” which was released in 1968 and perplexed audiences the moment it arrived in theaters.

15. “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) - Stanley Kubrick’s film reaches 4,200 searches per month

14. “Inception” (2010) - Christopher Nolan’s film reaches 4,500 searches per month

13. “Memento” (2000) - Nolan’s second film on the list reaches 4,600 searches per month

12. “The Matrix” (1999) - The Wachowski sisters reach 5,200 searches per month

11. “Predestination” (2014) - The Spierig brothers-directed sci-fi thriller reaches 5,900 searches per month

10. “Fight Club” (1999) – David Fincher’s adaptation reaches 5,900 searches per month

9. “Arrival” (2016)- Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi drama reaches 6,000 searches per month

8. “The Shining” (1980) – Kubrick’s second film on the list reaches 6,300 searches per month

7. “Nocturnal Animals” (2016) - Tom Ford’s dramatic thriller achieves 6,600 searches per month

6. “Interstellar” (2014) - Nolan’s third film on the list reaches 7,100 searches per month

5. “Mulholland Drive” (2001) - David Lynch’s notoriously confusing thriller reaches 9,700 searches per month

4. “Donnie Darko” (2001) - Richard Kelly’s film doubles “Mulholland Drive” with 18,000 searches per month

3. “Shutter Island” (2010) – Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller nearly doubles “Donnie Darko” with 31,000 searches per month

2. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (2020) - Charlie Kaufman’s Netflix movie reaches 50,000 searches per month

1. “Tenet” (2020) - Nolan’s latest film reaches an astronomical high totaling 70,000 searches per month

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