While movies are for entertainment, sometimes every movie can tell you something real and useful. Some movies on stock market may even give you a glimpse of real-life scenarios and events such as a stock market crash.
There are many award-winning movies on stock market that have managed to show the real-world picture of how this fascinating field works. We’ve compiled them in the following list!
1. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The Wolf of the Wall Street is a movie based on the life of the infamous stockbroker Jordan Belfort.
Directed by the legend Martin Scorsese, the movie portrays the roller-coaster life of the broker who goes from being wildly rich and successful to getting charged with crime.
The movie starred Leonardo Di Caprio in the leading role and shows how he becomes a victim of money earned through unethical practices with his over-the-counter brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont. Yet, Belfort doesn’t start off in the movie entangled in fraud.
He’s presented as a smart, well-spoken, and genuinely curious trader in the trading pit of erstwhile L.F. Rothschild, which collapsed after the crash of 1987 leading to Belfort losing his job.
It is this event that allegedly spurs the rest of the movie and Stratton Oakmont’s pump-and-dump schemes, among others. The movie is still believed to be one of the best movies on stock market.
2. Wall Street (1987)
Directed by Oliver Stone, Wall Street presents the journey of a young professional working in a brokerage firm Jackson Steinem & Co. having access to privileged information that uses it to his advantage to manipulate stock prices.
The young professional, Bud Fox, is played by none other than Charlie Sheen while Michael Douglas plays the influential character, Gordon Gekko. Gekko’s character has been immortalized for delivering the phrase “Greed is good”.
Much like any young professional, Fox is drawn to Gekko’s lavish lifestyle and mannerisms. Torn between his middle-class upbringing by his reel father who also happens to be his real father, Michael Sheen, Fox becomes entangled in insider trading and other illegal activities with Gekko.
3. The Big Short (2015)
You must have heard about the Great Financial Crisis that shook the world in 2008-09. If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of what happened, this movie is it.
Directed by Adam Mckay, the movie portrays four men who bet against the housing market and investment banks by accumulating a large number of credit default swaps.
The movie shows the real-world experience of how the too-big-to-fail banks operate and the risks they carry with them by designing complex structured finance instruments.
The Big Short movie clearly shows the failure of the people in power and how the government was forced to save banks at the expense of taxpayers’ money. It is considered to be one of the best movies on stock market not just for its realistic portrayal but also its explanation of jargon.
4. Boiler Room (2000)
Directed by filmmaker Ben Younger, the Boiler Room shows the illegal activities carried out by J.T. Marlin, a stock broking firm boosting the price of securities with fake information.
The result is an extraordinary price rise and mass selling of the securities, leaving investors helpless. Centered around Seth Davis, a college dropout who joins the brokerage firm, the movie follows the dilemmas he faces and the choices he must make – personal gain or altruism.
This movie serves as a good lesson for those who have just started their journey in the stock markets to invest in companies with sound fundamentals and don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true narratives.
5. Margin Call (2011)
Margin Call is a J.C. Chandor movie that follows the lives of employees at a prestigious investment bank coming to grips with the 2008 crisis, which unfolds over a 24-hour period.
As the movie unfolds, the bank and its employees realize that their assets are overleveraged and the collapse of the economy is imminent. Everything they’ve worked for is at stake.
Multiple human tendencies play out during these 24 hours. Think of greed, ambition, ethical dilemmas, responsibility, and much more emerging as a result of the chaos of the collapse.
6. Trading Places (1983)
Comedy meets finance in this movie directed by John Landis. Trading Places explores the contrasting fortunes of Louis Winthorpe III, a wealthy commodities broker played by Dan Aykroyd, and Billy Ray Valentine, a street hustler played by Eddie Murphy, who later swap places due to a bet between two businessmen.
The rich businessmen manipulate the central characters to cause chaos and challenges that lead to both men learning, growing, and exploring scenarios that they would otherwise never have found themselves in.
7. Rogue Trader (1999)
Deceit, financial ruin, ethics, and more – you name it and this movie has it all. Rogue Trader is based on the true story of former derivatives broker Nick Leeson (played by Ewan Mcgregor) and the collapse of the famous Barings bank.
Leeson starts off as a young professional entering the world of trading for Barings Bank out of Singapore. He quickly gains a reputation for being a shrewd trader, especially in the derivatives market.
As most stories go, Leeson develops a thirst for profits and eventually engages in unauthorized trading, overleveraging, and fudging numbers to conceal losses. The movie also explores the psychological effects of experiencing highs and lows through the lens of Leeson.
8. Inside Job (2010)
The other pieces of cinema that covered the 2008 financial crisis on this list were movies. But this one’s a documentary directed by Charles Ferguson.
Through the documentary, Ferguson sheds light on the consequences of excessive risk-taking, unchecked power, the interconnected web of interests (at times self-serving), and much more which are the central themes of the 2008 crash.
The documentary explores the collusion between financial institutions, rating agencies, and government regulators, highlighting conflicts of interest. Not to forget, it also sheds light on the dwindling ethical standards within the industry during the crash.
9. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross is a movie by David Mamet and is taken from his famous play of the same name. The movie is about the New York City real estate salesmen when they get the news that all will be fired.
Everyone latches into getting good deals along with the main character. The chaos starts when everyone starts stealing leads. The movie shows how everyone reacts to being threatened leading to unethical activities and the workings of the real estate market.
By highlighting the high-pressure environment, ethical dilemmas, and the pursuit of success, the movie offers insights and lessons that can be relevant to those in the trading and investing field.
10. Moneyball (2011)
Directed by Bennett Miller, Moneyball takes you through the journey of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, played by Brad Pitt. Oakland Athletics is faced with budget constraints.
To make matters worse, the team’s key players leave. What does Beane decide to do? Flip the table on conventional wisdom. Instead of orthodox team-building methods, Beane turns to Sabermetrics, a method that takes subjectivity out of the analysis.
By identifying undervalued players who possess specific skills or attributes, Beane aims to exploit market inefficiencies and gain a competitive edge. The lesson to be learned is how someone can play within the budget and build something significant.
Top Movies on Stock Market: Bollywood Edition!
Now it’s time to check out some of the top bollywood share market movies and webseries. The movies depict the world of scams and manipulation, some true, some inspired, some fiction, in the Indian context.
1. Baazaar
Released in 2018, Baazaar is an Indian stock market film that follows the story of a young and ambitious man played by Rohan Vinod Mehra who gets involved in the cutthroat world of Mumbai’s “share baazaar”.
What you can expect is themes like greed, power, and morals that the lead must combat, in order to follow his role model Shakun Kothari, played by Saif Ali Khan. Shakun is known to be ruthless, yet many believe he’s a fraud.
2. Gafla
Gafla was released in 2006. The plot of the movie is based on real events in the Indian stock market.
While following the journey of Subhodh Mehta, a young man drawn into the world of stock market scams, Gafla explores themes like corruption, malpractices, and overarching scams.
Vinodh Sharawat plays Subhodh Mehta while the supporting cast includes the likes of Shruti Ulfat, Brijendra Kala, and Anshul Trivedi.
3. The Big Bull
Released in 2021 and starring Abhishek Bachchan as the infamous Harshad Mehta, The Big Bull is inspired by true events that unfolded during Mehta’s stint in the Indian share market.
As you may know, Harshad Mehta was involved in one of the biggest scams in the stock market, a pivotal focus of the film that also includes the meteoric rise and eventual downfall of Mehta.
The film also includes Ileana D’Cruz, Nikita Dutta, and Sohum Shah in supporting roles.
4. Corporate
Corporate, released in 2006, is a drama film that explores the dynamics of power and corruption in the corporate world, including the stock market.
It revolves around the story of two ambitious individuals who are caught in a web of deceit, manipulation, and corporate politics.
The movie features Kay Kay Menon and Bipasha Basu in the lead roles, portraying the characters of Vinay Sehgal and Nishigandha Dasgupta, respectively. The film also includes Rajat Kapoor and Minissha Lamba.
5. Scam 1992
Released in 2020 before the top bollywood stock market movie “The Big Bull”, Scam 1992 is a critically acclaimed web series based on the real-life story of Harshad Mehta, a stockbroker who carried out one of the biggest financial scams in Indian history.
The series journeys through Mehta’s rise to prominence, his involvement in manipulating the stock market, and the subsequent investigation and troubles with the law.
Pratik Gandhi plays the role of Harshad Mehta, supported by Shreya Dhanwanthary, Anjali Barot, and Hemant Kher in other key roles.
Conclusion
In our list of movies based on stock market, each movie has its own message and lessons for managing risk, developing the right mindset, and much more for online trading and investing. These movies are the best way to find entertainment and learn something about the finance industry during your free time.
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FAQs
Q. Which movie is based on stock market?
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); Wall Street (1987); The Big Short (2015); and many such movies are based on the stock market.
Q. Which financial thriller series is in India?
Scam 1992 (2020) is a financial thriller series from India that explores the real-life fraud committed in the stock market by Harshad Mehta.
