6 Best Planetarium and Observatory Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 31, 2026

Star-filled ceilings and observatories bring wonder, romance and quiet reflection. La La Land has a famous planetarium scene, Hidden Figures follows Black mathematicians at NASA, and October Sky has a coal miner’s son dreaming of rockets. The Man Who Fell to Earth, Contact and Rebel Without a Cause round out the six.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

TMDB ★ 7.0

An alien visitor stranded on Earth looks for a way to save his dying home planet.

Directed by Nicolas Roeg · 2h 19m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

La La Land (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 91% Metacritic 94

A jazz pianist and an aspiring actress's romance is tested by the very ambitions that brought them together.

Directed by Damien Chazelle · 2h 09m · Rated PG-13

Won 6 Oscars246 wins & 313 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Hidden Figures (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 93% Metacritic 74

Three Black women mathematicians become essential to NASA's early space race successes.

Directed by Theodore Melfi · 2h 07m · Rated PG

Nominated for 3 Oscars37 wins & 94 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

October Sky (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A coal miner's son defies his father's expectations to pursue his dream of building rockets.

Directed by Joe Johnston · 1h 47m · Rated PG

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Contact (1997)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 69% Metacritic 62

A scientist's decoded alien signal leads to a single seat aboard a machine built to reach the stars.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 2h 30m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 Oscar15 wins & 32 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A troubled new kid in town clashes with his parents and a violent local gang in one restless night.

Directed by Nicholas Ray · 1h 51m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · 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 Planetarium and Observatory Movies

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

La La Land (2016)

Hidden Figures (2016)

October Sky (1999)

Contact (1997)

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

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