6 Best Librarian and Museum Heist Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 23, 2026

Libraries and museums are quiet, grand places to rob or to find magic. American Animals has four students plotting to steal rare books from their university library, National Treasure hunts for the founding fathers’ hidden treasure, and Night at the Museum brings exhibits to life after dark. Party Girl, The Thomas Crown Affair and The Mummy round out the six.

American Animals (2018)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 88% Metacritic 68

Four college students plan a real heist of rare books and badly botch it.

Directed by Bart Layton · 1h 57m · Rated R

10 wins & 22 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

National Treasure (2004)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A historian races to find a legendary treasure hidden by America's founding fathers before rival hunters can.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub · 2h 11m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Night at the Museum (2006)

IMDb ★ 6.5 RT 43% Metacritic 48

A night guard discovers every exhibit in the museum comes alive after dark.

Directed by Shawn Levy · 1h 48m · Rated PG

2 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, Hulu, FXNow · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Party Girl (1995)

TMDB ★ 6.3

A carefree party girl reluctantly takes a library job that unexpectedly sparks a genuine passion.

Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer · 1h 34m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Netflix Standard with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

IMDb ★ 6.9 RT 68% Metacritic 72

A bored billionaire steals a museum painting purely for the thrill of it, then falls for the investigator on his case.

Directed by John McTiernan · 1h 53m · Rated R

3 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Mummy (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Adventurers exploring an ancient Egyptian city accidentally wake a cursed, vengeful mummy.

Directed by Stephen Sommers · 2h 04m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Librarian and Museum Heist Movies

American Animals (2018)

National Treasure (2004)

Night at the Museum (2006)

Party Girl (1995)

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

The Mummy (1999)

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