Can you name the movie from a handful of emoji? Evan Slead’s 2016 Entertainment Weekly list turns familiar props, characters, plot twists and scenes into playful clues. Try each one before reading the hint: these are interpretations, not official emoji translations, and some need more context than others.
The sequences below follow the numbered headings shown on Entertainment Weekly’s original list. Its numbering skips 6 and 11, and two headings pair two films, so the page presents 13 headings rather than 15 separate numbered entries.
Guess the movie from the emoji clue
1. Every Batman movie
A tuxedo and a bat point toward Bruce Wayne’s two identities. Add a snowman and the clue can shift toward a villain; the extra symbol makes this less a single-film answer than a prompt to think across Batman movies.
2. Whiplash
A drum suggests the music, while a bandaged figure hints at the physical cost of the film’s intense drumming. The article also uses dialogue to make the reference clearer—useful when two images alone could fit several stories.
#1 Best Overall
- EASY-TO-PLAY: Test your cinema knowledge and take a trip down memory lane as you reflect on favorite box office hits, Oscar winners, and classic movie quotes. Movie Trivia is an easy to learn game making it perfect to play with family and friends.
- FAMILY FAVORITE: Movie Trivia spans the Hollywood classics to modern day movies. Teens to adults will enjoy answering these trivia questions.
- TRIVIA CATEGORIES: Movie Trivia Game includes the following categories: Comedy/Animation, Action/Adventure, Drama/Musical, and Horror/Sci-Fi.
- INCLUDES: 110 Double-sided cards (880 questions), Score pad, Pencil, Instructions.
3. Meet the Parents
The water-polo clue refers to the volleyball incident involving Greg Focker and his future sister-in-law. It works through a memorable plot beat rather than the film’s title or central cast.
4. Beauty and the Beast
A wilted rose evokes the story’s enchanted rose motif. It is a compact symbol clue: recognizable if you know the film, but not a literal summary of its plot.
5. Saturday Night Fever / Airplane!
A dancing man points to John Travolta’s dance-film persona in Saturday Night Fever, but the list also connects the image to a spoof scene in Airplane!. The same emoji can therefore lead to different answers unless the scene or film context is supplied.
Rank #2
- How to Play: Compete with your friends to identify popular movies from the most convoluted movie summaries possible. Has your mom ever tried to explain a film that she just watched? Did it make one ounce of sense? Of course not–and that’s precisely the inspiration for this game. For example: A goose suddenly dies and it makes everyone really depressed. Psst, it’s 'Top Gun’.
- Package Includes: Features 125 game cards–each featuring a uniquely-terrible description of a movie. Includes instructions for two distinct ways to play (competitive & casual). Suitable for 2 to 8 players.
- Perfect for parties: Brass Monkey’s “Poorly Explained Movies Game” is the perfect party game to make sure everyone has a great time, bring it to your next college dorm game night, happy hour, or even bachelor/bachelorette party and see for yourself.
- Gift Ideas: Ideal gift for birthdays, graduation, holiday gifts, and Christmas
7. The Parent Trap
A fencer recalls the fencing scene in the 1998 remake, starring Lindsay Lohan as the twins. This clue depends on remembering a particular scene rather than simply associating an object with the title.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
8. Jaws
A shark is the immediate hint, with the beach setting and famous score adding recognition for viewers who need more than the creature itself.
9. Junior
A pregnant-woman emoji makes a deliberately unexpected clue for the film’s premise: Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a man who becomes pregnant.
Rank #3
- FUN FOR ALL AGES: Soundtrack Trivia is a perfect party game for family and friends or gift for movie lovers, offering hours of fun, excitement, and memorable moments that even kids will love!
- COMPATIBLE WITH MOST DEVICES: Play on the included Soundtrack Trivia app on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, or any PC browser. App updates are provided so you won’t need to buy a new game to stay current. The Soundtrack Trivia app is currently available for download and play in the United States only.
- FEELS FRESH PLAY AFTER PLAY: Includes a companion app with thousands of hints from a wide variety of movie titles, you'll always be challenged, ensuring endless music trivia combinations and replayability.
- CUSTOMIZABLE GAME EXPERIENCE: Select movie ratings, genres, and decades of questions according to your preference. Play with up to 8 players or use the team mode to play with up to 8 teams. You can also practice using the unique lightning mode.
- EASY TO PLAY: Simply listen to a 15-second song hint from a movie's soundtrack, use your "Cut Cards" for additional clues, and guess the movie to advance around the board.
10. The Incredible Hulk / The Exorcist
A nauseated green face can suggest the Hulk; pair it with an upside-down emoji and the reference can turn toward The Exorcist. This is another shared heading where a second clue changes the likely answer.
12. When Harry Met Sally
A salad, a smirk and a raised hand evoke the famous restaurant scene and its punchline. Here the clue points to a specific comic moment, not merely to the romantic-comedy genre.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →13. Larry Crowne
A Vespa, a mustached man and a “no way” expression point toward the film’s characters and scooter. The combination does more work than any one emoji could do by itself.
Rank #4
- CINEMA TRIVIA GAME: This game is for the movie buff, testing everyone’s knowledge of comedy, cartoon, action, adventure, drama, musicals, sci-fi, and horror movies.
- MOVIES TRIVIA CONTENTS: For 2 or more players ages 12 years and up, Movies Trivia is a fun game that includes 880 questions and answers with 4 categories on each card.
- QUIZ QUESTIONS: Besides having the benefits of improving and expanding your knowledge, trivia games are also a fun way to get everyone involved at any game night or party.
- FAMILY FUN: The rules are easy to learn and the game is difficult to stop playing, it’s that much fun! It’s the perfect game for families that allows the kids, teens, and parents to all get involved.
- TRAVEL ACTIVITIES: This compact, portable game can easily fit in a purse or backpack, making it perfect as an on the go activity for long road trips in the car and long waits at the restaurant.
14. IT
A clown suggests Pennywise. The article also alludes to the spider transformation, bringing in a second image from the story to sharpen the guess.
15. Every M. Night Shyamalan movie
A shrug and a facepalm make a joke about plot twists and audience reactions. Rather than naming one title, the final heading plays on a recurring expectation associated with the director’s movies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why some emoji clues are easier than others
The list mixes several clue styles. A distinctive symbol, such as the rose in Beauty and the Beast, can be quick to recognize; a plot premise, as in Junior, gives a more unusual shortcut. Other entries rely on a specific scene, character association, line of dialogue or second emoji. Those clues can be funny and memorable, but they are also more dependent on the viewer’s familiarity with the film.
Best Value
- 🎬 You do not need to be a movie buff to jump in. I’M Your Movie turns games for adults and family into a fast mix of trivia, acting and movie challenges that get 4+ players talking, guessing and laughing from the first round.
- 🍿 One deck moves through movie trivia, acting, spoilers, casting and soundtrack challenges instead of repeating one task. That variety gives adult card games a more active feel, with 200 cards keeping 4+ players switching gears.
- 🎭 A typical game lasts about 30 minutes, giving 4+ players enough time to move through different movie challenges without making the night drag. It fits games for adults and family that need a clear, lively session length.
- 🎁 Made for movie lovers, families and groups of friends ages 14+, I’M Your Movie works well among games for adults and family, giving 4+ players the same mix of trivia, acting, guessing and movie-based challenges
- ⏱️ Inside the box are 200 cards and 1 die, giving the group a broad mix of movie prompts and challenge types to work through. That tangible content helps adult card games feel varied across a 30-minute session for 4+ players.
That makes this better as a “name that movie” game than as a definitive emoji dictionary. An emoji can suggest a prop, mood or scene without being universally understood, and a single sequence may point to more than one film.
The 2016 context behind “now”
Slead’s article was originally published June 2, 2016, amid discussion of 72 newly approved emojis. Its account said adoption would begin in late June, with iPhone and Android users waiting for subsequent software updates. Those rollout details describe the article’s 2016 moment; they are not current guidance about emoji availability on today’s devices. The page now displays an update date of May 18, 2022, but its premise and rollout language remain rooted in that earlier context.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
