Netflix, Lightbox, Neon and others have given New Zealanders the ability to never need to see the same movie twice, thanks to catalogues comprising thousands of films, many of which we'd otherwise never come across.
Despite this digital streaming revolution, many of us still head back to the DVD drawerevery now and again to re-watch something we've seen a dozen times already.
Perhaps it's The Godfather or Alien. Maybe it's Love Actually or Something's Gotta Give. It could be Back to the Future, or even Minority Report.
A scene from The Godfather. Photo / Getty
According to University College London, though, it's most likely that the film you've re-watched the most is Raiders of the Lost Ark. Whatever your favourite film is, you've watched it an average of 29 times throughout your life.
There are several reasons for this creature-of-habit behaviour we all exhibit.
For the same reason we re-read books, re-watch Friends for the umpteenth time, and listen to the same albums again and again, there's immense comfort in knowing the level of satisfaction we'll receive by the end of it.
It could be the level of excitement we get from seeing a spectacular final showdown on screen, or the sensation of experiencing genius when a particularly-memorable one-liner is finally uttered after immense expectation.
Friends still airs at 6pm every weeknight on TV2. Photo / Getty
A study from the Journal of Consumer Research, which analysed the behaviour of movie fans from both New Zealand and the USA, acknowledges there's a science behind this: The brain seeks a reward - whether it be excitement, laughter, or relaxation - and the predictability of re-watching Independence Day, Home Alone 2 or You've Got Mail gives it to us.
We also watch the same movies over and over because of the nostalgia they bring us. They often take us back to our childhood homes, our old friends, and the people we used to be. This gives us an appreciation of time, and almost always leads to a short-lived notion that "things used to be simpler back then".
Furthermore, we use movies we've seen time and time again to subconsciously re-evaluate our lives. We remember who we were when we first saw the film, and what has changed - for better and for worse - since then.
We reflect on break-ups, job changes, family issues, and natural disasters: All poignant things in our lives that we can recall with clarity when revisiting a movie we saw when everything was going down the first time.
The formula for a film with multiple re-watch potential is quite simple: It must be set somewhere far, far away - Tuscany or a small English village; Middle Earth or Mars.
It must have certain lessons weaved throughout the characters' adventures that somehow relate to your own life. It must star actors with whom you admire or can relate to - Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock and Kate Winslet are reliable picks, as are Jack Nicholson, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro.
And, naturally, it must contain an innovative screenplay, as long as its narrative wraps up nicely.
I must confess, my most re-watched films are not classics by any measure. They don't have cult statuses like the Star Wars franchise, nor do they have multiple Academy Awards like The Lord of the Rings.
My dependable pleasures are simple, cheesy, fun: The Family Stone and The Holiday when I want to feel Christmassy; The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Thomas Crown Affair when I want to transport myself someplace opulent; Skyfall and The Bourne Identity when I want a predictable chase scene that never fails to excite me.
Despite the fact there are almost 100 films in my Netflix queue, I go to these fail-safe films a couple of times a year, even though I know most of the lines and could perform a living-room panto of any of them at the drop of a hat.
I re-watch them because of the promise of an ending I already know. I re-watch them because we live in a world that constantly disappoints us, but for two hours you can know nothing will disappoint you. I re-watch them because I revel in forgetting select scenes each time and re-experiencing their brilliance like I'd never seen them before.
Watching the same movies over and over again, however, goes deeper than plain and simple reminiscence. It's a way of picking yourself up after a bad day and getting a sort of free therapy that doesn't involve any proactivity beyond pressing play on your DVD machine.
And for some of us - those who pull out specific films on DVD for specific reasons - it's a way of re-consuming something for a sentimental, perhaps even existential outcome we can rely on. How many other items you dig out of your drawers can you say that about?
