Northern Ireland's favourite films revealed ahead of week-long movie marathon

And they're available to watch this month at Omniplex 🎥

Author: Emma DicksonPublished 3rd Apr 2024
Last updated 3rd Apr 2024

For the second year running, Ireland’s largest cinema group, Omniplex, is to commence a week-long movie marathon from Friday 19th April to Thursday 25th April, screening seven of the most requested movies from their respective genres as chosen by the public.

Members of MyOmniPass, the cinema’s exclusive subscription membership, voted for their favourite movies to be enjoyed once again on the big screen.

Joe Hogarty, Marketing and Loyalty Manager, at Omniplex said, “It was a no brainer to run our movie-marathon again after the success of last year.

"We wanted to switch it up a bit to ensure that there was something on offer to suit every type of movie buff, and that is why we got our MyOmniPass members to vote for their favourite movies within five different genres this time. A few movies were almost neck and neck in votes, but it’s obvious that the public definitely have good taste in film!

“Almost every movie chosen is regarded as a classic within their genre, but it is interesting to notice the mix of release dates. Despite 2014’s Interstellar coming out on top for sci-fi, The Shining was the clear winner of our horror category, even after 44 years after its release!”

NI's top voted films are...

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

James Cameron's 1991 blockbuster sees Arnold Schwarzenegger return as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin from 2029, to try to protect the son of Sarah Connor, the same woman he unsuccessfully tried to murder in the original film, and who's son will grow up to be the future leader of the human resistance against Machines. Sarah's son, John, is now the target of a far more deadly terminator, T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, who comes up against Schwarzenegger who takes it upon himself to save John and the entire human race.

Shawshank Redemption

In 1947, Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, is sentenced to two life sentences at the notorious Shawshank prison having been convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover despite claiming his innocence. Inside he meets a man nicknamed 'Red', played by Morgan Freeman, and the pair form a deep friendship which ultimately shapes his experience and turns him into the most unconventional prisoner the prison has ever known.

Shrek 2

Newly-weds Shrek and Fiona, voiced by Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz, receive a summons to Fiona's family home for her parents to meet their daughter's new husband and celebrate their marriage. However, Fiona's family are unaware of the curse that was put on their daughter when she married Shrek which turned her into an ogre. While Fiona's parents expect to meet Prince Charming, the drama unfolds when they are met with a 700lb green ogre and not the dashing young man they were expecting.

The Shining

Jack Nicholson takes on the character of Jack Torrance, who moves himself and his family into the Overlook Hotel where he has recently been instated as the winter caretaker. Upon his arrival, he is informed that a previous caretaker had killed himself, as well as his wife and two daughters, in the hotel 10 years previous. The movie sees Nicholson's character slowly spiral into insanity and turn to violence, while his son is subject to a terrifying foreboding of both past and present.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The third and final story of the epic trilogy, based on the book series of the same name by J.R.R Tolkien, sees Frodo, Sam, and Gollum embark on their final journey towards Mount Doom to destroy the one ring so desperately needed by Sauron to conquer Middle-earth. However, Frodo and Sam are unaware of Gollum's real intentions. Meanwhile, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Merry, Gimli and Legolas join forces with their allies against Sauron and his legions from Mordor. This final story challenges the forces of both good and evil to see who can come out on top and control the future of Middle-earth.

Step Brothers

This hilarious 2008 comedy sees Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play Brennan and Dale, two middle-aged men still living at home, who are forced to get to know each other after their parents get married and the pair are made to share a bedroom. The film sees the two take rivalry to a new level as they refuse to get along and are in a constant petty battle against one another. When they realise that the consequences of their actions are having a detrimental impact on their parents, they are confronted with the decision to either keep going and ruin the marriage, or put their differences aside for the sake of their parents' happiness.

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan's 2014 blockbuster follows ex-NASA pilot Joseph Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, as he is tasked with leading a group of scientists and researchers through an intergalactic mission to find a new home for humanity due to an environmental disaster that means the Earth will crumble within a century. What Cooper is unprepared for is the mysteries that unfold and the questions he must answer in order to save the human race.

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