Man Watches 1,207 Films, Finally Defeats Outside

For an entire year, Glenwood Hoskin Jr. began each day by studying cinema listings and working out how many films he could fit between early morning and midnight. By the end, the 60-year-old Pennsylvanian had attended 1,207 screenings, an average of 3.3 films a day and a decisive victory over fresh air.

Hoskin’s campaign began, as many formidable undertakings do, with a bit of looking around online. He discovered that Guinness World Records had titles for both the most cinema productions attended of the same film and the most films seen in a cinema in one year.

The first record stood at 292 screenings of a single film. Hoskin decided that was beyond reach because films now spend too little time in cinemas before heading to streaming services. Watching one title 292 times would require not only heroic commitment but also a cinema willing to keep showing it.

Instead, he chose the annual record, which allowed him to spread his attention across the full cinematic buffet.

“I really found it enjoyable being out of the house, and I always like a challenge and a goal to meet,” Hoskin said. “I am also an organized person, so the work I put into this also made it enjoyable.”

He started the attempt in April 2024. Every morning, he checked that day’s listings and constructed a schedule designed to squeeze in the greatest possible number of screenings, beginning early and continuing until midnight.

There was also a carefully considered seasonal strategy. The existing record was 777 films, set by Zachariah Swope, and Hoskin wanted to pass that total before Pennsylvania’s winter made travelling unpleasant.

“I found out everything that I would need to do beforehand, and planned to start in the spring so I would likely break the current record of 777 before winter,” he said. “I hate driving in the winter, so anything after that was just extra.”

By the time his year ended in April 2025, Hoskin had seen 1,207 films in cinemas, beating Swope’s total by 430. Guinness World Records confirmed the new mark, which was reported on Nov. 2.

Remarkably, after spending so much of the year in front of the big screen, Hoskin did not emerge with a list of films he wished had never been made.

“I was surprised by some of the movies I liked, such as The Wild Robot, which was way better than expected,” he said. “I also enjoyed Deadpool & Wolverine -- I can't say there were any really bad movies, or ones I did not like!”

The record now stands at 1,207 screenings. Anyone hoping to take it will need stamina, meticulous scheduling and, ideally, a similarly firm policy on winter driving.