Film buff attends 777 movie screenings, sets new world record

An American film enthusiast named Zach Swope has smashed the world record for cinema attendance, watching 777 movies in just one year, as recognized by Guinness World Records.

Zach, aged 32, a self-proclaimed film lover, achieved this feat between July 2022 and July 2023, surpassing the previous record of 715 set by Vincent Krohn of France in 2018.

To achieve the feat, he was required to watch the films in their entirety, without any distractions, and without indulging in food or drinks during screenings, reported the Guinness World Records (GWR) publication.

Zach primarily frequented Regal Cinemas, capitalizing on his Regal Unlimited Membership, allowing him to watch unlimited movies for $22 per month.

He balanced this challenge with a full-time job, working weekdays from 6:45 am to 2:45 pm, watching up to three films afterwards and more on weekends. Initially aspiring to watch 800 films, Zach settled on “lucky number sevens,” per GRW.

He watched some movies repeatedly, with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish taking the lead at 47 viewings, followed by The Super Mario Bros. Movie at 35 and Thor: Love and Thunder at 33. His favourite film was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which he watched as his 716th film, breaking the previous record. On the flip side, The Devil Conspiracy was his least favourite, which he watched only once.

Zach, who has Asperger's syndrome, made the record to raise awareness about autism and support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a cause close to his heart as a suicide survivor.

“I am a suicide survivor and have lost people I care about to suicide. This was an amazing journey that I dedicated a year of my life to, and it was all for a good cause. Who knows, maybe I'll go back and try to break my own record?,” Zach told GRW.