7 Unusual Movie World Records

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May 25, 1977 is a special date for movie fans everywhere as it marks the opening of the first Star Wars movie (A New Hope) in theaters. With the next installment due for release  in the summer of 2015, the space extravaganza is one of the longest running movie franchises of all time. To celebrate this we look into some of the more unusual world records in the world of film.

Highest body count in a slasher film

Slashers are known for being bloody and brutal, but the highest body count goes to The Summer of Massacre. Directed by Joe Castro and released in May of 2011, the murder toll stands at a staggering 155 people.

Most plasticine used in a film

 Animation masters Aardman dominate this record, having previously held the record with 2,380 kg (5,247lb) of plasticine used in Chicken Run, the studio then went on to beat their own record in 2005 with Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit which used 2,844kg (6,272 lb) of the sticky modeling clay.

Most destructive chase sequence

You couldn’t move for dramatic, drawn out chase sequences in the 80’s, so it’s no surprise that a film from that era claims the top spot. H. B Halicki’s The Junkman, made in 1982, features a chase sequence which destroyed 150 vehicles including numerous boats, trucks, motorcycles and even two aeroplanes.

Most product placements 

A record with much competition as you can imagine. The most paid-for product placements in a film is 3,463 in the film POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold in April 2011. The film is actually a documentary that follows Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame in his quest to make a movie funded solely by product placements.

Largest battle sequences on film

Across Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy there are battle scenes that feature over 200,000 fighting characters. This feat was achieved by Weta Digital who combined digital animation with artificial intelligence to make the characters interact realistically.

Longest and shortest title of an Oscar-nominated film

Much to the dismay of the presenters, the longest full title of any Oscar-nominated film is, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes at 85 characters. The Shortest is simply Z, which was nominated in five categories in 1969.

Most films seen in one year 

If any film buffs out there have a year to spare, the current record for most films seen in one year is 1,132 held by Maggie Correa-Avilés. She achieved this feat from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010. She began by watching Bell, Book and Candle and finished, not so spectacularly, with The Little Fockers.