Most Rewatched Movie Moments

We all have a weak spot for that one movie we just have to watch when it pops up on TV, no matter how many times we've seen it before. For some, it's anything with Harrison Ford and a finger wag. For others, the worse the rom-com, the better. But few of us really take the time to dig into a specific scene and watch it over and over and over again. What makes a scene worthy of repeat viewing? Which movie moments have inspired the most people to go back again and again? Here are, by our estimation, a few of the most-watched scenes in movie history. Try to count how many times you've seen these—it just might surprise you.

Rosebud. With one whispered word, Orson Welles basically invented the mind-blowing twist ending, decades before M. Night Shyamalan was even a twinkle in his mother's eye. Considered by many to be the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane still holds up remarkably well more than 70 years after its initial release. But it's that twist, when we learn that no matter how much you accumulate in life—money, power, women—nothing can ever compare to those last moments of childhood innocence. Surprising, climatic, and deeply emotional, it's still such a monumental achievement of cinematic storytelling, you can't consider yourself a true film fan until you take it in. Don't believe us? Just take a look at all the many, many, many, many times it's been parodied to have a sense of its cultural imprint...even if not everyone is smart enough to truly understand it.

Teen Wolf is basically one giant puberty joke, about a boy who starts growing hair in weird places and having urges he's never had before. So you would think that, if anyone was going to whip out their naughty bits and take them for a ride, it would be the titular wolf himself—and yet, if internet rumors are to be believed, it wasn't a shaggy Michael J. Fox that exposed himself, but some random extra, who took the film's climax as an opportunity to unzip and let their freak flag fly. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, the last few frames of the movie appear to show some day player opening their jeans and showing off their own teen wolf, for lack of a better phrase. There's been much debate about what we're actually seeing, but those online arguments have surely only added to the lure of one of the most rewatched moments in film history. Hats off to you, random pervert from 1985. You really made your mark.

Jackie Chan is no stranger to death-defying stunts, some defying a little more than others. In fact, he claims to have broken nearly every bone in his body at some point, and if you take a tour through his movies, it's not so hard to believe. But of all his jumps, kicks, flips and flails, none has ever held a candle to his signature stunt in Police Story. Known as perhaps the greatest stunt in movie history, it ended with Chan electrocuting himself, dislocating his pelvis, and slashing himself bloody during a pole-sliding stunt that saw him go careening through live electric wires and plate glass in an actual mall—with minimal preparation, because the darn place had to stay open all day. If that's not worth a second (or 15th) viewing, than what the hell is?

In the history of cinema, is there any single moment that turned more boys into men than Phoebe Cates' slow-mo strut from the pool in Fast Times at Ridgemont High? You probably don't need much explanation as to why this moment is one of the most rewatched in movie history, but just imagine if director Amy Heckerling had gotten her first choice for the role: Justine Bateman. That's right, Family Ties' lovable misfit daughter could have been haunting Generation Xer's minds for the past three decades instead of the future Gremlins star.

Look, making movies is hard. Even classic films have a mistake or two. But what about movies that have passed through the realm of classic, and become virtual religions unto themselves? What about Star Wars? Well, we all know George Lucas saw mistakes, lord help us—he went back to "fix" the original trilogy, for better or for much, much worse. And yet, even he knew there was one moment that had to remain untouched...to a certain extent. Anyone who really knows Star Wars remembers that poor stormtrooper who just couldn't quite duck fast or far enough.

Fans have made jokes about this poor guy for decades, and Lucas himself even added a sound effect when he reworked the movie in the '90s. When you goof up that badly in a movie that gives a name, alien species and complete language to every random monster mask that appears in the background of a shot, you're probably not going to live it down anytime soon. May the Force be with you, pal, along with all of our sympathies.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of great characters, awesome stories, and incredible special effects, but if there's one thing that ties all the movies together, it's those wonderful Easter eggs. A pair of purple pants here leads to an Infinity Stone there, and on and on we go. When Iron Man came out in 2008, there was no franchise to tie into, just Robert Downey, Jr. and a healthy insurance policy. But, midway through the movie, for one brief moment, Captain America's shield was visible in the background in Tony Stark's lab, hinting at a world (and cinematic universe) full of possibilities. That one freeze-frame offered hope for comic book fans everywhere that the best was yet to come.

Yet another twist ending makes the list, but this time with a twist of its own. It doesn't make any sense! That's right, the coolest climax of the '90s may have been a real mind blower at the time, but when you think about it, what the hell is Spacey's "Verbal" Kint doing? He famously told Chazz Palminteri's Agent Kujan that "the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Well, then why did you spend the entire movie telling a man who's never heard of you that you do in fact exist, and were responsible for everything? Despite this slight hiccup, the ending helped make the movie a cult classic, and the definition of '90s cool. There's no telling how many Blockbuster videos were worn out rewatching this scene again and again and again.

Chock-full of just about every cartoon character you loved from your childhood, at first blush Who's Afraid of Roger Rabbit seems like a flick the whole family can enjoy. But blush you will when you realize what the animators may have snuck into a frame or two of the film. If rumors are to be believed, the cartoon car accident late in the movie is famous for a very non-family film reason. If you watch it just right, over and over again, it supposedly shows that Jessica Rabbit prefers to go commando. No wonder Roger was so in love.

One of the most original and oddly romantic movies to come out in ages, Lost in Translation leaves anyone who's seen it asking one question. What the heck did Bill Murray's morose acting legend whisper to his young paramour at the end of the film? Maybe "No one will ever believe you," if the urban legends about Mr. Murray are to be believed. Whatever it was, and there are lots of theories, those soft whispers have kept audiences coming back to this scenes for over a decade, and that's not likely to end anytime soon.

Does it fall or keep spinning? Despite evidence to the contrary, countless fans of the dreamlike hit Inception are convinced if you watch the film's ending enough times, squint just the right way, and truly believe, you'll be able to tell if "Dom" Cobb's spinning top drops or just keeps going round and round, trapping him in a dream forever. Perhaps that's the point—trapping you in an endless loop of watching, until you truly understand what it means to be imprisoned by your own desires. Or maybe it's just a cool ending.

Following the Yellow Brick Road is all fine and good, until you follow it right off a cliff. While generations have grown up watching The Wizard of Oz and dreaming of going somewhere over the rainbow, one special Easter egg remained hidden to all but the most-eagle eyed viewers. For years, rumors circulated about a dead Munchkin hanging from a noose in the background while our merry band of travelers skip past a wood cabin. The studio even had to come out and deny it, saying it was just a bird. Still, rumors persisted until a remastered version was released in 1998, making it clear once and for all that it was, indeed, really just a bird. But how depressed was that bird?

It takes a special kind of talent to turn a leg cross into a superstar career, but Hollywood heavyweight Sharon Stone just happens to be such a talent. With one leg flip in the thriller Basic Instinct (and the unvarnished view that came with it), Stone went from an up-and-coming actress to one of the biggest stars on the planet. Yes, it was later revealed that Stone felt manipulated into the shot, making it an uncomfortable viewing experience for many. But, if we're honest, that didn't stop most fans, who made this taut interrogation scene one of the most viewed in movie history—breaking the pause button on countless '90s VCRs in the process.