57 Movies in 123 Hours

Last month we told you about the Netflix World Movie Watching Championships. The event began on October 2nd at 10:30am, and lasted until a new Guinness World Record, for most consecutive hours spent watching movies, was set five days later on October 7th.

Movie lovers Suresh Joachim and Claudia Wavra emerged as the winners of the Netflix Popcorn Bowl event after 123 hours and 10 minutes of continuous movie watching. Joachim is a Canadian of Sri Lankan descent, who holds 32 Guinness World Records. Mr. Joachim is an endurance champion whose records include television viewing (69 hours, 48 minutes), dancing (100 hours), radio dj-ing (120 hours), and ironing (55 hours, 5 minutes), among other disciplines. Wavra is a former three-time movie marathon record holder who lost the title to Ashish Sharma in June. The other competitors included:

  • Ashish Sharma, the last world record holder.
  • Cheryl Jones of Portland, Ore. who was a part of the team of Netflix members who broke the Guinness World Record for continuous movie watching in 2003.
  • Dallas movie buff Jeff Jones who won $250,000 on the movie edition of the popular game show series “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” in 2007.

The event was held in a plexi-glass living room in the center New York City’s Times Square. The participants began the event with Iron Man, and concluded with Thelma & Louise, which was dropped off by actress Susan Sarandon. In total, they watched 57 films which included Caddyshack, The Bourne Identity and Kill Bill.

According to the contest’s rules, “each movie had to be viewed until the last credit rolled. The participants were closely monitored by judges and medical professionals who checked their vital signs on a regular basis to ensure they could safely endure the challenge. Under Guinness World Record rules, competitors could not divert their eyes from the screen, but were allowed 10-minute breaks between movies.”

  • Matt
    Nice!
  • That's hardcore!
  • BIll
    Did they both just agree to give or did they both fall asleep?
  • Jason
    Their parents must be so proud
  • menotrouble
    how to turn your greatest passion into a trauma.
    still, I have to admire their stamina.
  • Eric B.
    I saw them in Times Square. I was so curious as to what that was!
  • PlantPage55
    I'd like to see the full list of movies. I'd also like to give this a shot some day!
  • Chee_Kno
    if it wasnt for sleeping i could def do that cuz i love watching movies
  • Jmoney
    10 minute breaks? i call bullshit

    the definition of continuous: Without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening time.


    if you have a 10 minute break after every movie than you aren't continuously watching the movies.
  • I think I'd cut them a little slack on that, because you have to use the bathroom. Just think of the mess if they didn't let them take a break.
  • Mikey M
    Do these people work?
  • Jmoney
    no you shouldn't "cut them some slack", it's not supposed to be easy, the essence of a record like this is doing it non-stop. having ten minute breaks while watching movies is just a normal hang-over weekend of most college students, they have accomplished nothing
  • Tim W.
    Not to get picky, here, but I'm curious why it was mentioned that Joachim is of Sri Lankan descent. It doesn't mention the ancestry of any of the other people mentioned in the article. I'd like to know where Cheryl Jones' family is from.
  • You know what, Jmoney, whatever. Those were the rules to the contest, and even Guiness allows breaks for such things, realizing that people are only human. And the last time I checked a weekend was only 48 hours long, not 123. So they have accomplished something, albeit a rather dubious accomplishment. The next time you're able to watch movies 100+ hours straight without a break, let me know. Until then, the conversation's done as far as I'm concerned.
  • Jmoney
    the weekend thing was a joke, my point is the record should be for however long someone can go without taking a break. I know we are only human, so the record should be however long someone can go within the limits our bodies can take. if someone can only watch movies continuously for like 24 hours without a break then that should be the record.

    What they did obviously took some effort and I would never be able to do it, but i'm not the one trying to set a record here. these people want to set a world record they should be held to a standard.the record is called continuous movie watching, either change the name or don't allow breaks.

    if someone was to run 1/2 mile and then take a break for ten minutes and then run the second 1/2 mile but the combined time of the entire mile was the fastest ever recorded we wouldn't give them the title of world's fastest mile.
  • Okay, that seems fair enough, but I think you're quibbling just a little too much with their word choice. if I'm not mistaken (and I could be, wouldn't be the first time) the Guiness book (and this seems to be the standard they were going by) allows certain breaks for "continuous" activities. I guess they call it that because it's easier than saying "the longest continuous (whatever) except for occasional ten-minute breaks."

    Anyway, your point it taken, but something tells me no one's going to change the way they do it. And your example wasn't really a good one, because if someone could run a 1/2 mile fast enough to allow them to take a break before they ran the other 1/2 mile, and they still beat the record, then they still beat the record, regardless of what they did in between. I know what you're trying to say, but that was a bad example.

    Anyway, sorry for my attitude earlier, I was in a bad mood.
  • Jmoney
    no prob, im always up for a debate. i guess i didn't explain the mile run example very well. i meant the ten minute break wouldnt have been included in the time. he'd get a chance to rest and drink a gatorade with the clock stopped and then run the second half. it's not the best example, probably a marathon runner being allowed a break would have been a better example

    and i'm not trying to pick on just these guys, i'd say it for all of guinness' records.
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