Gambling movies have always held a special attraction for the general public. It’s a world of glitzy and glamorous high-stake games, beautiful women, and huge amounts of money. We all want to watch how the snappy, clever gambler takes on the big casinos and wins.
Throw in a smidgen of danger, and you have everything you need to create the next Hollywood blockbuster. Whether you’re watching James Bond playing baccarat in Monaco with a beautiful woman on his arm, or watching a movie about some seedy back alley game, there is always some element of thrill to it.
What is clear is that we do love this genre. Just take a look at some of the box office stats that start off the infographic below.
According to Casino Sites (the team behind the infographic), Casino Royale raked in $599 million at the box office. That’s a crazy amount of money!
Why do we go so nuts over these movies? Let’s take a closer look.
They Usually Have an Underdog
Whether it’s the team of Ocean’s Eleven going up against yet another crooked casino, or Lola trying to save her boyfriend, we’re always going to root for the underdog. Maybe they’ll win. Heck, this is Hollywood, so they’ll probably win.
The win, however, won’t come easily. It will take perseverance and a few twists and turns before our heroes make it to the end. But that’s half the fun of checking out the silver screen, isn’t it?
Glamourous Settings
The settings are usually opulent casinos, amazing views, hotel suites that most people could only dream about, and a bunch of elegant people. Who wouldn’t like a taste of that glamour in their own day to day life? These movies offer a perfect way to escape the tedium of everyday life.
Some Comedic Aspects
Of course, not all gambling movies are about the glamour. Some are downright funny. For example, the suite the boys rented in The Hangover was pretty sweet, but they did mess it up a lot. The movie itself, though based in Las Vegas, had less to do with gambling and more to do with friendship.
It was like watching a very funny train wreck – with every step the boys took to figure out where their friends were, things got worse and a lot more entertaining.
Of course, that’s the perfect example of how not to behave in Vegas. If you’d rather act like a gentleman, check out “7 Things a Man Should Know Before Visiting Las Vegas.”
It’s About Beating the Odds
Of course, the most fun part of any gambling movie is when a gambler outsmarts the house. We all know that casinos are set up so that the odds always favor the house. So, when someone wins despite this, it makes us feel good.
After all, many of us dream of walking into a casino and hitting it big. That’s not something that happens every day. For this reason, it’s so much fun to live vicariously through the actors playing the roles.
Final Notes
Gambling has it all – there’s the excitement of winning an outrageous amount of money, the possibility of losing it all on a single spin of a roulette wheel. Gambling movies allow us to have a touch of the excitement without actually risking real money.
