Cool Runnings has been named the UK’s favorite sports movie of all time, according to new national research released today. The 1993 favorite, depicting a Jamaican bobsleigh team’s journey to the Winter Olympics, took 18 percent of the vote, narrowly beating out competition from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky (17 percent) and 80s classic Chariots of Fire (16 percent).
The research was commissioned by Showcase Cinemas to celebrate the release of Next Goal Wins, the inspiring true story of the American Samoa national football team, which hits the big screen this Boxing Day, December 26.
Jon Dixon, UK marketing director at Showcase Cinemas said, “Undoubtedly, sports films have the power to retell momentous sporting feats on the big screen. Next Goal Wins is just the latest example of that, as Taika Waititi brings a truly heart-warming, real-life story, to the cinema.
“The film is released on Boxing Day, and our survey reveals nearly a third of Brits (32 percent) consider football a Boxing Day tradition, so it’s a perfect opportunity to extend that this year by enjoying Next Goal Wins at your nearest Showcase Cinema.”
Next Goal Wins is based on the 2014 documentary of the same name, which was well received with critics and audiences alike. 2010’s Senna, a documentary depicting the life and death of Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna, was voted the nation’s favorite sports documentary of all time.
The survey revealed Bend it Like Beckham (19 percent), starring Keira Knightly in her breakthrough role, is the nation’s favorite football related film of all time, with World War II themed Escape to Victory (11 percent) landing in second place and The Damned United (6 percent), the real-life story of Brian Clough’s 44 days in charge of Leeds United, rounding out the top three.
However, despite Brian Clough’s (five percent) turbulent time at Elland Road, the Nottingham Forest legend came runner-up as the UK’s favorite football manager of all time, with Sir Alex Ferguson (13 percent) coming out on top and current Man City boss Pep Guardiola (four percent) taking the bronze.
Elsewhere, Muhammad Ali (17 percent) was voted the UK’s number one sporting icon of all time, finishing ahead of football megastar David Beckham (16 percent). And, in the hotly debated battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it was the Portuguese star who topped the charts, taking 15 percent of the vote in comparison to Messi’s 14 percent.
Over a third of Brits (36 percent) believe sports related films cause them to become more interested in specific sports, teams, or athletes themselves. England’s 1966 World Cup victory (10 percent) was named the sporting moment respondents would most like to see recreated on the big screen, while 2012’s London Olympics ‘Super Saturday’ (six percent) and England Women’s Euro 2022 victory (five percent) also scored high.