“Cool Runnings,” a 1993 film that tells the story of a Jamaican bobsled team’s path to the Winter Olympics, was selected as the United Kingdom’s favorite sports movie of all time. “Cool Runnings” received 18 percent of the vote, which was commissioned by Showcase Cinemas and posted on The Voice Online, the only British national Black newspaper that operates in the UK. The Jamaican sports film, which reached iconic status around the world, defeated “Rocky” by Sylvester Stallone and “Chariots of Fire,” which garnered 17 percent and 16 percent of the vote, respectively. Showcase Cinemas commissioned the research to mark the release of “Next Goal Wins,” the true story of the national football team from American Samoa, on December 26, 2023.

Other survey findings

The survey also found that 19 percent of the respondents rated “Bend It Like Beckham” as the UK’s favorite football-related movie of all time. In second place was “Escape to Victory” with 11 percent, and “The Damned United” with six percent. Thirteen percent named Sir Alex Ferguson as the UK’s favorite football manager of all time, and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City as second favorite with four percent. Muhammad Ali was voted the top sporting icon of all time by 17 percent of the respondents, and Cristiano Ronaldo beat out Lionel Messi as the favorite megastar player in the UK with 15 percent of the vote.

Films Increase Viewers’ Interest in Sports

Thirty-six percent of the Brits surveyed said that watching sports-related movies prompted them to become more interested in the sport, the teams, or individual athletes. The top sporting moment in history the fans would like to see on the big screen was England’s World Cup win in 1966, followed by the 2012 London Olympics “Super Saturday” and the England Women’s Euro victory in 2022.

A Boxing Day Tradition

According to the UK marketing director of Showcase Cinemas, Jon Dixon, sports films are highly effective in portraying dramatic and historic sporting feats. He said “Next Goal Wins” is in that tradition. The film is based on a 2014 documentary with the same title. It was released on Boxing Day as some 32 percent of Britons consider football to be a Boxing Day tradition.