12 Best Movies Like Leave The World Behind

In late 2023, "Leave the World Behind" debuted with a brief theatrical window followed by a rollout on Netflix. The name of the film is also the title of the rental listing that Julia Roberts' character Amanda Sandford decides to book when looking for a weekend getaway with her kids and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke). But the idea of leaving the world behind takes on a more sinister meaning throughout the course of the weekend, as the end of the world begins without warning, leaving them stranded away from their city home. Soon, the rental's owner, G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali), and his daughter, Ruth (Myha'la), arrive at the house to shelter from the chaos, though they don't get a warm welcome from a suspicious Amanda.

The movie — which was directed by Sam Esmail, the creator of "Mr. Robot," and based on the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam — volleys between the world ending and the dynamic between the Sandfords and the Scotts, especially from Amanda's point of view as she goes from prickly to warm and back again. The film is singular in its vision of the world, with impressive shots of carnage and strife. It also has some interesting musical cues and a unique tone. However, it is still part of the ever-expanding end-of-the-world subgenre of films, and it shares themes with a bunch of other movies. We've compiled a list of a dozen films for you to check out if you liked "Leave the World Behind."

"Don't Look Up" is another Netflix exclusive dealing with the end of the world. But this time, two astronomers know for sure that the end is coming: They've seen a comet hurtling toward Earth that will hit the planet in six months, bringing an end to civilization as we know it. Those astronomers, Ph.D. candidate Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), try to get the general public to take an interest, but ultimately, no one cares. Even the president (Meryl Streep) cares more about trivial things, such as getting her dopey lover approved as a judge to the Supreme Court, than stopping the comet.

"Don't Look Up" paints a satirical picture of the apocalypse. Directed by Adam McKay with an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Mark Rylance, and Jonah Hill in addition to DiCaprio, Lawrence, and Streep, the film is often biting in its depiction of how dumb the authorities — and people in general — can be. Arguably for that reason, it was not as highly rated as some of the movies on this list. In Looper's review of the film, we came to the conclusion that "Don't Look Up" simply hit too close to home. It's sobering to think about what would actually happen if a huge comet was on a collision course with Earth, and that's what fans of "Leave the World Behind" will enjoy.

John Hillcoat's "The Road" is one of the best post-apocalyptic movies of all time. It's based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, and it follows a nameless man (Viggo Mortensen) and his little boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they do what they must to survive several years after the end of the civilized world. Not many people are left at this point and a lot of the ones that are have become dangerous cannibals. As such, the man and the boy keep to themselves, staying hidden from as many people as possible as they try to reach the coast, scavenging for everything they need along the way.

While "Leave the World Behind" and "The Road" are set at different points in the apocalypse, they could easily exist in the same world. And, like "Leave the World Behind," one of the major threads running through "The Road" is family. There's a combination of love and wilful neglect from the parents in both films — the man wants to give his son all the safety and comfort he can, but he doesn't understand his son's soft heart, just like the boy doesn't understand his father's increasingly cold demeanor. However, while the story is bleak, there are small moments of joy, such as the father and son finding an underground bunker full of food when they're starving and helping a disheveled old man (Robert Duvall).

Like "Leave the World Behind," "How It Ends" is an insular film set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. This one is about the dynamic between a father and his future son-in-law. Though the movie wasn't well-reviewed, scoring just 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, there's actually a lot to love here for fans of "Leave the World Behind." After all, part of the fun of these movies is thinking about what you would do in a similar situation, and this one is especially good for that.

The action centers around Will (Theo James), who is in a relationship with Samantha (Kat Graham). They are excited to learn they are going to become parents, but on a business trip to Chicago where Samantha's parents live, Will ends up arguing with her father, Tom (Forest Whitaker), instead of asking him for permission to marry his daughter. The pair can't seem to see eye to eye, so when something terrible happens when Will is on the phone with Samantha the next day, Tom decides to go get her in Seattle.

Will, of course, insists on going as well, despite his relationship with Tom being shaky. The dynamic between the two men is the main reason to watch "How It Ends." Whitaker is great as Samantha's military father, and he and James do a good job of finding the right tone for their relationship as they travel across half the country and find all manner of apocalyptic horrors.

At first glance, Danish director Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" seems very different from "Leave the World Behind." Both Von Trier and Sam Esmail have strong visions for their movies, and they don't seem to have much to do with one another. But beneath those differences lie two films that tell the tales of families dealing with existential threats. In Von Trier's movie, this is divided between Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), two sisters who see the coming apocalypse in very different ways. As the pair bicker, the potential end of the world is a backdrop for everything they do.

Things get weird at Justine's wedding, which takes place at the estate owned by Claire and her husband and is one of the most twisted weddings in movie history. It doesn't go to plan, and Justine gets so sick with depression that she can barely get out of bed. The apocalypse is both a metaphor for Justine's depression and a real thing, caused by a rogue planet called Melancholia hitting Earth. Dunst gives a wonderful performance as Justine; unsparing, complex, and hard to pin down as her struggles come up against the end of times. It's a lot more experimental than the other films on this list, but if you're looking for something in the same vein as "Leave the World Behind" with an arty twist, "Melancholia" is perfect.

Another apocalyptic movie helmed by a Danish director, Susanne Bier's "Bird Box" follows Sandra Bullock's Malorie as she navigates the treacherous landscape of a post-apocalyptic world with her two young children. Civilization has fallen because a force that makes you want to kill yourself if you lay eyes on it has begun appearing to anyone who goes outside. Malorie and all those who have survived have blindfolded themselves in an effort to keep it at bay. Though we never glimpse this force and only have a tentative understanding of what people see when they spy it, those in the movie have a deep fear of anyone they don't know.

Like "Leave the World Behind," "Bird Box" shows us the beginning of the end of the world: Malorie's story contains numerous flashbacks detailing how the apocalypse started and what ended up taking out most of the people she knew. This was one of Netflix's most successful movies when it premiered in 2018, and between the strong acting and the gripping action, it's a winner. It may not be the best Sandra Bullock movie out there, but it ticks a lot of boxes for fans of "Leave the World Behind."

Not to be mistaken for the 2023 action thriller of the same name starring Joel Kinnaman, 2021's "Silent Night" is about a party at Nell (Keira Knightley) and Simon's (Matthew Goode) country house at Christmas. Old friends come to enjoy the season with them, but we slowly start to understand that something else is going on as the joy and spirit of the holidays give way to something else. A feeling of melancholy, especially experienced by Nell and Simon's eldest son, Art (Roman Griffin Davis), creeps in as the gathered group grapples with what's going on.

This film and "Leave the World Behind" have a lot in common, especially the fact that both take place on attractive properties that are away from the city as the apocalypse hits. But whereas the people in "Leave the World Behind" didn't anticipate the catastrophe that seems to have ended the world, it turns out the people in "Silent Night" are prepared for what's to come. An environmental crisis is sweeping the globe and no one can escape, yet that doesn't prepare you for the sad end that's coming.

"Knowing" focuses on John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), a professor at M.I.T. who lost his wife recently and now has to find a new normal with his son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury). When Caleb is given a page of numbers from a time capsule buried fifty years earlier at his school, John figures out that the numbers list every disaster around the globe from the last fifty years — with three left to go, including one that will be a worldwide catastrophe. John discovers that the page was written by a woman named Lucinda and seeks her out to discover more. Sadly, she's passed away, but her daughter (Rose Byrne) and granddaughter (Lara Robinson) try to help him.

The plot of "Knowing" (which is directed by Alex Proyas, the filmmaker behind movies like "The Crow," "Dark City," and "I, Robot") is driven by a father who would do anything for his son. It's reminiscent of the way Amanda and Clay try to help their son in "Leave the World Behind." In "Knowing," however, knowledge of the pending apocalypse precedes the event by a few days, and that's enough time to get Caleb, at least, to safety. The ending of "Knowing" isn't exactly revolutionary, but the film boasts some great set pieces and has some interesting ideas.

"Take Shelter," written and directed by Jeff Nichols, stars Michael Shannon as Curtis LaForche, an average man residing in a small town in Ohio who starts to have visions of a pending apocalypse. His wife (Jessica Chastain) and deaf daughter (Tova Stewart) don't understand what he's seeing, and instead of telling them, Curtis instead decides to work on the storm shelter that's been languishing in their backyard, even getting a loan to freshen it up.

"Take Shelter" is perfect for anyone who enjoyed the psychological elements of "Leave the World Behind." It makes the viewer wonder if Curtis knows something everyone else doesn't or if he might be experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia, like his mother did when she was around his age. Even Curtis himself doesn't know if what he's seeing are delusions, but he continues to build his shelter like they're premonitions. Shannon's turn as Curtis — a man whose actions speak louder than his words — is very compelling, and "Take Shelter" comes to a satisfying finale.

"Z for Zachariah" takes place well into the post-apocalypse when there aren't many people left — at least, not that we see. In fact, there's a total of three people in this movie. The story centers on Ann Burden (Margot Robbie), a survivor of a nuclear disaster that has wiped out most of humanity. Ann is deeply religious and continues to tend the fields with the animals that her family left behind in a beautiful valley that's protected from the worst of the nuclear fallout. One day, she meets John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who she nurses back to health after he bathes in a radioactive spring. Instead of leaving the farm when he's better, he stays, becoming her partner. When another survivor named Caleb (Chris Pine) shows up, the tension between the two men is palpable, with Ann in the middle.

Anyone who appreciated the exploration of trust between the characters in "Leave the World Behind" will enjoy this aspect of "Z for Zachariah." Except, in "Z for Zachariah," trust may not be enough to save everyone. This lesser-known Margot Robbie movie ticks a lot of boxes for viewers who enjoyed "Leave the World Behind."

"A Quiet Place" came out in 2018 to great critical acclaim — it currently holds a very impressive 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes — and started a franchise that is still going today. Co-written, directed, and starring John Krasinski as the patriarch of the Abbott family, the action is predicated on blind aliens that have come to Earth. These vicious creatures will tear apart anyone they can hear, so the quieter people can stay, the better. The Abbotts, like everyone else, try to confront that reality without saying a word, but it's not easy.

Like "Leave the World Behind," "A Quiet Place" deals with a family encountering the apocalypse in isolation, but in "A Quiet Place," the family at the center of the tale are deep into their experience with the new world order. Parents Lee (Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) have a steadfast commitment to their children. "A Quiet Place" revolutionized the horror genre with a dazzling meditation on the lengths these parents will go to for their family and the difficulties inherent in staying silent at all costs.

"Knock at the Cabin" and "Leave the World Behind" both deal with families in isolated places that they think will be idyllic but turn into a nightmare when others show up. While it isn't necessarily the others' fault, their coming does initiate the family's awareness that everything is not as perfect as it seems. In "Knock at the Cabin," this awareness is thanks to an odd combination of four people who force their way into Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew's (Ben Aldridge) remote cabin in the woods. They and their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) are terrified as the four take them hostage and the leader tells them that only they can prevent the coming apocalypse if they sacrifice one of the three of them.

Based on the book "The Cabin at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay, the movie deals with an impossible choice made under impossible circumstances. As Eric and Andrew try to fight the fatal decision they've been called to make, the film delves deep into the family's fear and the four strangers' murky intentions.

Dodge (Steve Carell) and his wife are in their car when it's announced that a last-ditch attempt to destroy the asteroid that's on a collision course with Earth has failed. As a result, Dodge's wife immediately gets up and leaves him. Thus begins the saga of "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," where the entire population has three weeks until the asteroid destroys all life on the planet. At first Dodge's routine doesn't change, but then Penny (Keira Knightley), his next-door neighbor, is found crying outside his apartment, and he invites her in. At first the pair have a transactional relationship: If she can get him to his lost love's house, he will take her to someone with a plane who can bring her to her family in England. But the pair form a real bond in their final days as they witness all the ways people are dealing with what's about to happen.

"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" is like if the people in "Leave the World Behind" had a heads-up about the apocalypse. Though there are more instances of comedy in this film, they both have real moments of levity that come when people start to let their guards down upon realizing the end is near. But, while there is still the potential for escape in "Leave the World Behind," there is none in "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," and Dodge and Penny try to make the best of things as their time comes to a close.