Movies Like Leave the World Behind (2023)

Leave the World Behind is a 2023 drama, mystery, thriller film from Sam Esmail with a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Marley & Me and Iron Lung.

Drama Mystery Thriller

Marley & Me

2008

A newly married couple, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.

7.2

MagicScore

Iron Lung

2026

In a post-apocalyptic future where an event known as "The Quiet Rapture" caused all known stars and habitable planets in the universe to disappear, a convict is sent to search an ocean of blood discovered on a desolate moon, using a small submarine nicknamed the "Iron Lung".

6.9

MagicScore

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

2016

An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

7.3

MagicScore

Audrey Rose

1977

A man is convinced that 11-year old girl, Ivy, is the reincarnation of his own daughter Audrey Rose, who died in a fiery car accident, along with his wife, two minutes before Ivy was born.

5.6

MagicScore

The Color Purple

1985

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.

7.7

MagicScore

A Nightmare on Elm Street

1984

Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

7.3

MagicScore

Jason's Lyric

1994

The story of a young man who must confront his own fears about love as well as his relationships with family and friends.

6.7

MagicScore

The Stepford Wives

1975

Joanna Eberhart comes to the town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.

6.7

MagicScore

The Reader

2008

The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

The Happening

2008

When a deadly airborne virus threatens to wipe out the northeastern United States, teacher Elliot Moore and his wife Alma flee from contaminated cities into the countryside in a fight to discover the truth. Is it terrorism, the accidental release of some toxic military bio weapon -- or something even more sinister?

5.4

MagicScore

#11

The Virgin Suicides

2000

A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

Precious

2009

In Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father, and at home she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret – she can't read.

7.3

MagicScore

#13

The Red and the White

1967

In 1919, Hungarian Communists aid the Bolsheviks' defeat of Czarists, the Whites. Near the Volga, a monastery and a field hospital are held by one side and then the other.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

Night of the Living Dead

1968

A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.

7.6

MagicScore

#15

Shaun of the Dead

2004

Shaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.

7.5

MagicScore

#16

Poltergeist

1982

The Freelings' suburban home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a portal to the 'other side'. With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

The Legacy

1978

A couple attempts to unravel a sinister plot within the English countryside estate of a dying man who has gathered an eclectic and notable group of house guests.

5.4

MagicScore

#18

Woman of the Hour

2024

An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in '70s LA when they're cast on an episode of "The Dating Game."

6.4

MagicScore

#19

A Quiet Place Part II

2021

Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

7.5

MagicScore

#20

The Sentinel

1977

As a young girl, Alison Parker attempted suicide after being traumatized by her father's sexual exploits. Now an elite fashion model, she moves to a Brooklyn Heights apartment building that houses a number of bizarre, eccentric tenants. After experiencing a string of disturbing occurrences, she attempts to uncover the building's sinister secret.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Leave the World Behind?

The top films similar to Leave the World Behind by MovieMagicScore are Marley & Me (7.2), Iron Lung (6.9), 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (7.3). Each shares drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Leave the World Behind worth watching?

Leave the World Behind holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10 from 2,958 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Leave the World Behind?

Leave the World Behind (2023) is a drama, mystery, thriller film directed by Sam Esmail, starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali.

Where can I find more recommendations like Leave the World Behind?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Marley & Me Movies like Iron Lung Movies like 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Movies like Audrey Rose Movies like The Color Purple Movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street

About movies like Leave the World Behind

This ranked list pairs Leave the World Behind (2023), a drama and mystery and thriller film from Sam Esmail, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Julia Roberts take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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