Film fans have voted on the weepiest movies of all time and crowned a winner – and its not The Notebook or Ghost, like many viewers might think.
Titanic was placed at the top of the lead when movie fanatics were asked to name the most tear-jerking silver screen moments of all time, beating classics like Casablanca and Gone with the Wind.
Researchers at Freeview channel Great Romance quizzed cinema goers on the movies that were most likely to make them cry, leaving Titanic head and shoulders above its rivals.
The 1997 film, that stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, tells the love story of wealthy aristocrat Rose DeWitt Bukater, and artist Jack Dawson, who meet on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.
Iconic scenes in the James Cameron directed classic see a now elderly Rose recounting the story that saw Jack tragically pass away in the wreckage.
Two-fifths of the movie goers, a mammoth 41 per cent of those taking part in the survey, said that the blockbuster made them shed a tear.
Titanic was placed at the top of the list for the weepiest movies of all time
Coming in second was The Notebook, which stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
Nearly half of women (47%) admitted they welled up during the film, while a third of men (34%) brushed their eyes as the emotional scenes played out.
Coming in second was The Notebook, which stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, which was voted as a tear-jerker by a fifth (20%) of viewers.
Women found the movie – which follows the decades-long love story of Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton – more weepy than men at 26% to 15%.
More than one in ten Brits said that hit 1990 film Ghost, which stars Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore – had them reaching for the tissues more than any other movie.
While Hollywood classics like Gone with the Wind and Casablanca scored only 10% and 9% respectively, ahead of modern classic Love Actually, also at 9%.
The remainder of the list featured the likes of Pretty Woman (8%), Notting Hill (6%), Dirty Dancing (6%) and PS I Love You (6%).
The research also found that women had double the chances of weeping at a film than men – according to the poll of 2,000 film fans.
Kate Gartland, marketing director at Great Romance, said: ‘It’s a real shame there haven’t been any great weepies in such a long time – a great love story is a wonderful thing that lasts a lifetime.
‘It is no surprise Titanic takes the top spot – and to us at Great Romance, it’s equally no surprise that movie fans clearly love classic story-telling.
‘There’s no shortage of that on our channel.’
The research also found that women had double the chances of weeping at a film than men – according to the poll of 2,000 film fans
Back in 2024, other researchers revealed what films were best to help viewers get out a good cry, releasing endorphins and the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin.
‘Crying can help us to process emotions and you can even experience an enhanced mood afterwards due to the release of endorphins and the “love hormone” oxytocin,’ said UK-based eye specialist Tina Patel.
What’s more, it promotes ‘human connection’, which is why you may feel a deeper bond with someone after watching a tearjerking movie with them.
To help you get your health-boosting cry on demand, a team of analysts have conducted a novel investigation to discover the movies that are most sob-inducing.
The team from eye health specialists Feel Good Contacts analysed over 4,000 comments posted on social media forum site Reddit related to sad movies.
They counted the combined number of upvotes (similar to a ‘like’ on other social media platforms) to rank the top 10 movies most likely to make you cry.
According to the data, the Japanese animated war drama Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is the saddest movie of all time with 1,390 upvotes and many admissions of tears.
One Redditor commented: ‘Grave of the Fireflies is a heart-wrenching truth that just happens to be in a cartoon format. I can’t think of another film that has made me cry harder than that one.’
The Japanese animation depicts the devastating impact of World War II on two siblings in Japan. It explores themes of loss, resilience, and the human spirit amidst the harsh realities of war.
Ranking second on the list with 730 upvotes is Manchester by the Sea (2016), starring Casey Affleck. The movie centers around a man named guardian to his 16-year-old nephew Patrick, played by Lucas Hedges, following his brother’s death. The tragedy pushes Lee to return to his hometown and confront his past.
‘Devastating, harrowing, crushing and ‘heart-wrenching’ were just some of the words used to describe it.
Also on the list was the 2022 movie starring Paul Mescal, AfterSun, and the old classic, The Green Mile.
While Hollywood classic Gone with the Wind made one in ten people cry
Dr Patel said: ‘Watching a sad movie can help us to initiate emotional crying, in turn, inducing the above health benefits. If you can watch a sad movie with company, then this is even better.’
Both men and women experience a sense of relief when they shed emotional tears. Crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins, which help ease both physical and emotional pain.
It also promotes self-soothing, a type of coping mechanism to help a person recognize and manage their emotional ups and downs.
Leo Newhouse, a licensed social worker at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said: ‘Popular culture, for its part, has always known the value of a good cry as a way to feel better — and maybe even to experience physical pleasure.
‘The millions of people who watched classic tearjerker films such as West Side Story or Titanic (among others) will likely attest to that fact.’
Crying also has what is known as an interpersonal benefit. From infancy, crying has been a behaviour that lets others nearby that we need support.
Typically when a loved one cries, we rally around them. Crying helps build up a strong social support system when life gets tough.
Dr Grace Tworek, a licensed psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said: ‘When we’re in a comfortable situation and we’re processing events together and talking to each other about what’s going on and sharing our emotions, that can oftentimes tie us together.
‘It can be a way that we bond to one another by creating an atmosphere of human connection.’
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