20 Best Stock Market Movies of All Time

Are you intrigued by the thrilling world of stock markets? The financial world has all the core concepts of making a cinematic masterpiece from catastrophe to success and adventure, the bustling stock markets have witnessed many rises and fall throughout decades but never stopped for anyone. Something new is continuously happening in the stock market, new transactions, trends, risks, ingenuity and much more! So, if you want to study Financial markets and their history with the thrilling lens of a camera and compelling cinematic narratives, we have curated a list of best stock market movies you must add to your streaming bucket list!

20 Best Stock Market Movies of All Time

We have curated a list of 20 best stock market movies of all time that should be on your weekend binge list:

1. Edison, the Man
2. Citizen Kane
3. The Pursuit of Happiness
4. Arbitrage
5. Working Girl
6. The Bank
7. Margin Call
8. Trading Places 
9. Equity 
10. Too Big To Fail 
11. Rogue Trader
12. Chasing Madoff 
13. Barbarians at the Gate
14. The Ascent of Money
15. The Big Short
16. Banking on Bitcoin 
17. The Wolf of the Wall Street
18. Inside Job
19. Margin Call
20. Boiler Room

Margin Call (2011)

“Listen, if you really wanna do this with your life you have to believe you’re necessary and you are.”

A thought-provoking movie, Margin Call explores the dynamic and fragile world of finance and how easily it can collapse. It begins when the Management Division Head of a Financial company is fired while in the and midst of working on a pivotal analysis. It’s his protege who follows up on the analysis and that’s when the actual causes of the financial crisis of 2008 are revealed. The movie vividly portrays the reckless risks taken by reputed banks and gives an insight into how large financial institutions function and what motivates the people working in them. One of the best stock market movies, it does little to hide the incautious ways in which banks function to meet their insatiable need to make money and carefully explores the actual reasons behind the financial crisis in the US. You can watch one of the amazing and best stock market movies on Amazon Prime.

Trading Places (1983)

“Looking good Billy Ray. Feeling good Lewis.”

A modern take on the Prince and the Pauper, Trading Places is a classic comedy depicting the ups and downs of trading as a street con artist is manipulated into becoming a manager of a commodities trading firm by replacing an executive. It revolves around two callous millionaires who put a bet that a street con artist has all it takes to become a successful famous investor. The final scenes of the movie pierce the heart of the audience by depicting a frenzied trading session and bringing forward a heartstopping ending. The movie unravels the socio-economic class structure of America and various stereotypes attached to it.

Equity (2016)

“Half the world is paranoid and the other half’s password is “password.”

Bringing a unique perspective to the male-oriented stock market movies, Equity brings a refreshing story of a female financial banker in Wall Street. A thriller which will push you to the edge of your seat, the film portrays a woman’s dreams of making it big in Wall Street while she is being observed by a prosecutor who believes that she is corrupt. To prove her worth, she embarks on a journey to untangle a web of corruption that exists in the system. Thwarted when betrayed by a close and trusted colleague, she gives her everything to stop the impending ruin facing her. It is one of the best stock market movies focusing on a female-oriented narrative and explores the professional setbacks faced by a woman navigating the shallow world of the stock market. Watch one of the best stock market movies on Amazon Prime videos.

Too Big To Fail (2011)

“Credit has the ability to build a modern economy, but lack of credit has the ability to destroy it, swiftly and absolutely.”

Bringing an insider’s perspective on the Financial Crisis of 2008, this movie is a realization of the supposedly stable world of finance. A blockbuster amongst our list of best stock market movies, Too Big To Fail poignantly impresses upon the mind of the audience how financial corporations and banks are interlinked and working together and their downfall can result in a disastrous crisis in an economy. The movie reveals shocking truths about how the government is supposed to regulate the financial system and is more often than not unable to do so. IMDb has rated this movie 7.5/10

Rogue Trader (1999)

“Despite rumours of secret bank accounts and hidden millions, I did not profit personally from my unlawful trading. To be absolutely honest, sometimes I wish I had.”

Following the story of Nick Leeson, a trader who rises quickly to his peak but falls drastically, Rogue Trader is amongst the must-watch stock market movies as it gives quintessential lessons on risk management and how financial oversight can be dreadful. The movie shows how Leeson hides enormous financial errors from his superiors in carefully crafted accounts. It gives an insight into the psychological functioning of a trader’s mind and his desperate attempt to hide his oversight and reckless mistakes. This movie has received 6.5/10 on IMDb

Chasing Madoff (2010)

“You don’t get straight lines in finance.”

Chasing Madoff is based on the true story of Bernie Madoff and his multimillionaire-dollar Ponzi Scheme. It is an investigative account of the 10 years spent by Harry Markopolos and his team at the US Securities and Exchange Commission to bust Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme which scammed an estimated 18 billion. It is one of the best stock market movies as it exposes the Ponzi Scheme and warns others against the negatives of the financial world. Catch this movie on Amazon prime video.

Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

“We put enough technology in this project to send a cigarette to the moon and we come up with one that tastes like it took a dump?”

A motion picture-cum-televised movie, Barbarians at the Gate is a humorous docudrama following the life of Nabisco’s CEO F. Ross Johnson and his incompetence as he attempts to buy the rest of the shareholders of his company. Amongst the top-recommended and best stock market movies based on a real story, this all-time classic marvellously portrays the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco. One of the most fantastic movies in the history of the Best stock market movies of all time is available on Amazin prime video.

The Ascent of Money (2008)

“The ascent of money has been essential to the ascent of man. there really is no such thing as ‘the future’, singular. There are only multiple, unforeseeable futures, which will never lose their capacity to take us by surprise.“

A perfect watch for those interested in exploring the financial history of the world, The Ascent of Money is a documentary on the emergence of financial markets, stock markets, credit and trading in modern society and how it massively impacted our world. It is divided into six parts and further extends towards the era of globalization and this extended version is what makes it a prominent add in our list of best stock market movies of all time!

The Big Short (2015)

“Thank banks got greedy and we can profit off of their stupidity.”

An oscar-winning feature film and an amazingly gripping tale, The Big Short is an undeniably scintillating watch to add to your binge list! Packed with action and brilliant actors like Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling, it unravels the financial crisis of 2008 and significantly highlights that it was actually triggered by the US housing bubble. The unique essence of the movie lies in exploring the conscience and inner conflict and morality of those men who foresaw the impending crisis but the director also keeps it light with goofy comedy combined with a tinge of reality!

Banking on Bitcoin (2017)

A documentary discovering the emergence of the bitcoin technology, Banking on Bitcoin is more inclined towards the blockchain technology but nevertheless is one of the must-watch non-fiction finance and stock market movies of all time! It takes the viewers through a roller-coaster ride of how bitcoin technology surfaced and how it changed the trading world and how it will be impacting the upcoming era and hi-tech world!

FAQs

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