Best Movies like World War Z (2013)

28 Weeks Later continues the exploration of a viral outbreak that transforms humans into aggressive, mindless beings, paralleling the global infection scenario and societal collapse at the center of World War Z, with both films focusing on the fight for survival in the aftermath of a catastrophic pandemic.

Twenty-eight weeks after the spread of a deadly rage virus, the inhabitants of the British Isles have lost their battle against the onslaught, as the virus has killed everyone there. Six months later, a group of Americans dare to set foot on the Isles, convinced the danger has passed. But it soon becomes all too clear that the scourge continues to live, waiting to pounce on its next victims. 28 Weeks Later is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 6.6 by 5,702 people. The movie made an estimated total of $72,304,846 in the box office.

28 Days Later, like World War Z, deals with the outbreak of an infection that devastates civilization by rapidly turning people into violent creatures, observing both the initial chaos and the challenges faced by survivors navigating a crumbled and dangerous world.

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain. 28 Days Later is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.2 by 8,681 people. The movie made an estimated total of $82,784,517 in the box office.

Train to Busan features a sudden, epidemic-level outbreak that transforms people into relentless attackers. Echoing World War Z, it presents characters urgently seeking safety while navigating society’s collapse, emphasizing the global spread and communal struggle of surviving a deadly infection.

When a zombie virus pushes Korea into a state of emergency, those trapped on an express train to Busan must fight for their own survival. Train to Busan is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 7.8 by 8,538 people. The movie made an estimated total of $87,547,518 in the box office.

I Am Legend centers on a lone protagonist navigating the ruins of a world ravaged by a viral infection that causes humanity’s downfall, echoing the pandemic scenario, infected antagonists, and the hunt for a cure highlighted in World War Z.

Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. I Am Legend is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.2 by 17,101 people. The movie made an estimated total of $585,410,052 in the box office.

The Girl with All the Gifts explores a world overtaken by a humanity-altering infection, utilizing post-apocalyptic settings and focusing on survival and scientific investigation, echoing the themes of disease and humanity’s adaptation reflected in World War Z.

In the future, a strange fungus has changed nearly everyone into thoughtless, flesh-eating monsters. When a scientist and a teacher find a girl who seems to be immune to the fungus, they all begin a journey to save humanity. The Girl with All the Gifts is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 51m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 6.6 by 2,198 people.

Children of Men shares with World War Z a bleak vision of society crumbling under global catastrophe, as both films follow resilient protagonists traversing hazardous environments in search of hope and answers amid the ruins of human civilization.

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind. Children of Men is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.6 by 7,987 people. The movie made an estimated total of $70,595,464 in the box office.

Contagion offers a grounded depiction of a global crisis caused by a mysterious infection. Both films focus on the rapid spread of disease, the efforts to trace its origin, and the desperate search for solutions to prevent societal collapse.

As an epidemic of a lethal airborne virus - that kills within days - rapidly grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. Contagion is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 46m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 6.7 by 6,631 people. The movie made an estimated total of $137,551,594 in the box office.

The Road follows a father and son journeying through a devastated world where survival is uncertain, resonating with World War Z’s post-apocalyptic landscape, strong familial bonds, and the struggle to endure amidst devastating global calamity.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones and, when the snow falls, it is gray. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. The Road is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 51m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.0 by 4,351 people. The movie made an estimated total of $27,635,305 in the box office.

Dawn of the Dead depicts a zombie outbreak causing societal breakdown, mirroring the infectious chaos, fight for survival, and catastrophic scale seen in World War Z, as survivors barricade against relentless, transformed humans.

A group of survivors take refuge in a shopping mall after the world is taken over by aggressive, flesh-eating zombies. Dawn of the Dead is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2004 with an average rating of 7.1 by 4,604 people. The movie made an estimated total of $102,278,712 in the box office.

Carriers focuses on characters navigating a pandemic landscape where infection is omnipresent and morality is tested. This reflects World War Z’s depiction of people grappling with survival, disease spread, and humanity’s challenges in a collapsing world.

A deadly virus has spread across the globe. Contagion is everywhere, no one is safe, and no one can be trusted. Four friends race through the back roads of the American West on their way to a secluded utopian beach in the Gulf of Mexico where they could peacefully wait out the pandemic. Their plans take a grim turn when their car breaks down on an isolated road starting a chain of events that will seal their fates. Carriers is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 24m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 6.1 by 1,512 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,805,279 in the box office.

Cargo situates its story in a world where a mysterious virus transforms people, examining familial bonds and personal sacrifice under threat of infection, reflecting familiar elements of risk, emotional stakes, and global catastrophe from World War Z.

After being infected in the wake of a violent pandemic and with only 48 hours to live, a father struggles to find a new home for his baby daughter. Cargo is a movie from Australia in English, with a total 1h 45m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 6.4 by 1,884 people. The movie made an estimated total of $56,385 in the box office.

The Crazies examines the consequences of a community succumbing to a fast-spreading infection, with ordinary people turning violent, paralleling the loss of control and societal breakdown seen during the zombie epidemic portrayed in World War Z.

Four friends find themselves trapped in their small hometown after they discover their friends and neighbors going quickly and horrifically insane. The Crazies is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.3 by 2,323 people. The movie made an estimated total of $54,956,140 in the box office.

Quarantine tracks the progression of an aggressive infection within a confined setting, with the threat of transformation and urgency to escape, echoing the themes of containment and the spread of a deadly disease present in World War Z.

A television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers. Quarantine is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 5.8 by 1,415 people. The movie made an estimated total of $40,855,419 in the box office.

Overlord delivers an infection-induced transformation narrative set within a wartime backdrop, combining elements of science fiction, action, and horror where protagonists face monstrous threats from a mysterious experiment, reminiscent of the global outbreak and dangerous adversaries in World War Z.

On the eve of D-Day, a team of American paratroopers crash behind enemy lines and come face-to-face with a Nazi threat unlike any the world has ever seen. Overlord is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.7 by 3,182 people. The movie made an estimated total of $41,657,844 in the box office.

[REC] centers on the sudden outbreak of a mysterious infection that transforms people within a confined space, echoing World War Z’s crisis driven by contagion and the intense struggle to survive infectious threats.

A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying. [REC] is a movie from Spain in Spanish, with a total 1h 18m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.2 by 4,940 people. The movie made an estimated total of $32,511,655 in the box office.

Pandemic explores an outbreak where infection turns humans into violent adversaries, featuring action-oriented escapades in a collapsing society. This mirrors the global infectious spread, fighting for survival, and collapse of order that define the narrative of World War Z.

After a virus of epic proportions overwhelms the planet—with more infected than uninfected—humanity is losing its grip on survival and its only hope is finding a cure and keeping the infected contained. Lauren, a doctor, arrives in Los Angeles with her crack team to lead the hunt for uncontaminated civilian survivors, but nothing can prepare them for the blood-soaked mayhem they witness as they head into the Californian streets where everything is considered a trap. Pandemic is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 31m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 5.1 by 383 people.

Day of the Dead depicts survivors grappling with a world overrun by zombies, emphasizing conflict in the aftermath of a global infection and societal disintegration, much like the widespread devastation and struggle against the infected in World War Z.

As the world is overrun by zombies, scientists and military personnel in an underground Florida bunker must decide on how they should deal with the undead. Day of the Dead is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 1985 with an average rating of 7.0 by 1,417 people. The movie made an estimated total of $34,000,000 in the box office.

Resident Evil follows survivors confronting a viral outbreak that transforms humans, integrating action-driven confrontations and scientific investigation into its narrative, closely aligning with the infection-based premise seen in World War Z.

When a virus leaks from a top-secret facility, turning all resident researchers into ravenous zombies and their lab animals into mutated hounds from hell, the government sends in an elite military task force to contain the outbreak. Resident Evil is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 6.7 by 7,037 people. The movie made an estimated total of $102,984,862 in the box office.

The Night Eats the World uses a lone survivor’s journey through an overrun city to explore the consequences of a sudden outbreak transforming people en masse, sharing with World War Z the themes of isolation, infection, and adaptation in a drastically altered world.

After waking up to find himself all alone in an apartment where a massive party was being held the night before, Sam is immediately forced to face a terrifying reality: the living dead have invaded the streets of Paris. The Night Eats the World is a movie from France in French, with a total 1h 34m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.0 by 819 people. The movie made an estimated total of $95,208 in the box office.

Ravenous presents a community fractured by a rapid, pandemic-like infection, exploring survivors’ attempts to cope and resist against overwhelming odds. This scenario echoes World War Z’s focus on the impact of widespread contagion on both individuals and groups.

In an isolated rural community of Quebec, Canada, some inhabitants attack other people, hungry for human flesh. A few survivors gather and go deep into the forest to escape them. Ravenous is a movie from Canada in French, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 5.9 by 489 people.

Stake Land shows a landscape devastated by a pandemic that transforms humans, following survivors as they battle monstrous beings and journey through the ruins of civilization, connecting thematically to the infected-driven post-apocalyptic world of World War Z.

Martin was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation's abandoned towns and cities, and it's up to Mister, a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent's New Eden. Stake Land is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 38m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.2 by 885 people. The movie made an estimated total of $33,245 in the box office.

Extinction features a bleak, post-apocalyptic world where infection has drastically changed humanity. The focus on survival and adaptation amid transformed humans closely mirrors World War Z’s portrayal of a society struggling against an overwhelming epidemic threat.

And suddenly, overnight, the world came to a halt. Two men, two survivors, one kid, and hatred that separates them. A place forgotten by everyone, including the creatures that inhabit the Earth... until now. Extinction is a movie from Spain in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 6.3 by 784 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,350,695 in the box office.

Maggie explores personal and familial struggles following infection, highlighting how changing loved ones adds emotional depth to the consequences of a virus. It shares with World War Z the focus on coping with personal loss amid a broader infectious crisis.

There's a deadly zombie epidemic threatening humanity, but Wade, a small-town farmer and family man, refuses to accept defeat even when his daughter Maggie becomes infected. As Maggie's condition worsens and the authorities seek to eradicate those with the virus, Wade is pushed to the limits in an effort to protect her. Joely Richardson co-stars in this post-apocalyptic thriller. Maggie is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 5.4 by 1,690 people. The movie made an estimated total of $187,112 in the box office.

Land of the Dead features survivors rebuilding in a world overtaken by zombies following a devastating infection. It parallels the large-scale outbreak, threat to human civilization, and the social dynamics among survivors found in World War Z.

The living dead have taken over the world, and the remaining humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they cope with the situation. Land of the Dead is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 6.3 by 1,836 people. The movie made an estimated total of $47,074,133 in the box office.

The Divide delves into human behavior and moral breakdown amongst survivors isolated after a world-ending event. While less focused on infection, it shares with World War Z the portrayal of crisis-induced societal collapse and the fight for survival under enormous duress.

Survivors of a nuclear attack are grouped together for days in the basement of their apartment building, where fear and dwindling supplies wear away at their dynamic. The Divide is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 2h 2m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 5.9 by 763 people. The movie made an estimated total of $156,362 in the box office.

The Last Days explores society on the brink of collapse due to a deadly threat, with individuals forging personal journeys within a transformed environment. Both it and World War Z emphasize post-apocalyptic survival in the wake of a world-changing event.

A mysterious epidemic spreads across the planet. Humanity develops an irrational fear of open spaces that causes instant death. Soon, the world population is trapped inside buildings. As Barcelona descends into chaos, Marc sets off on a quest to find Julia, his missing girlfriend, without ever going outside. The Last Days is a movie from Spain in Spanish, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.0 by 384 people.

The Battery follows two people traveling through a world depopulated by a mysterious infection turning humans into dangerous adversaries. This mirrors World War Z’s depiction of personal journeys amid global disaster and struggles for survival in a transformed landscape.

In rural Connecticut, baseball players Ben and Mickey are trying to survive a zombie plague. They are forced to form a battery: a catcher and a pitcher who work together to outwit the batter, the one who hits the ball. And the batter in this case just happens to be a zombie. Tough Ben and gentle Mickey frequently disagree on the best way to go about the situation. Then they suddenly hear a human voice through their walkie-talkies. Is salvation nearby, like Mickey thinks, or is Ben’s suspicion justified? The Battery is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 6.1 by 311 people.

The Flu portrays a viral outbreak that poses a threat to society on a mass scale. Its narrative focus on epidemiological response, devastation, and human cost parallels the pandemic setup and global stakes central to World War Z.

A case of the flu quickly morphs into a pandemic. As the death toll mounts and the living panic, the government plans extreme measures to contain it. The Flu is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 2m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 7.5 by 1,287 people. The movie made an estimated total of $19,775,853 in the box office.

Black Summer is set during the early days of society’s collapse due to a mysterious infection transforming people, depicting desperate survival and breakdown of order. This setting and conflict strongly echo World War Z’s infected-driven apocalypse and race against time.

Ji-hyeon works as a temp at a university, writing and making films. One day he finds he has confusing feelings towards Geon-woo, a younger schoolmate. The two men fall in love with each other, bringing controversy among colleagues. Black Summer is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 1h 51m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.2 by 5 people.