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Many baby boomer classics live on, not in theaters but online

Hollywood may have passed boomers by, but streaming platforms haven’t

Updated:

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By:
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Mark Huffman
Reporter

Mark Huffman has covered consumer issues since 2004, with a special focus on protecting and empowering older adults. A former news correspondent for the Associated Press Radio Network, Westwood One, and ConsumerAffairs, Mark brings decades of journalistic experience to RetirementLiving.com. He is passionate about giving consumers a voice and helping them make informed decisions. Mark has also created educational content, including Senior Scam Alert, a video resource designed to help seniors recognize and avoid fraud. He holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and lives with his family in Richmond, Virginia.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Key Insights

  • Hollywood once catered strongly to baby boomers, with iconic films from the 1960s to 1990s reflecting the generation’s influence on cinema; MovieMaker recently highlighted a dozen such beloved titles.
  • Most of these classics are still accessible today, with 8 out of 12 available on major streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and more.
  • Four films—Easy Rider, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Rosemary’s Baby, and Dr. No—are currently unavailable on streaming, making them the exceptions in an otherwise streamable lineup.

It’s no secret that Hollywood these days doesn’t make many movies for baby boomers. But once upon a time, it did. In fact, the baby boom generation was a major influence on films throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

MovieMaker recently took a stroll down memory lane, compiling a list of “Movies that baby boomers love.” It’s a pretty impressive list:

  • Dr. No (1962)
  • The Graduate (1967)
  • Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
  • Easy Rider (1969)
  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  • Shaft (1971)
  • The Godfather (1972)
  • Rocky (1976)
  • Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
  • The Big Chill (1983)
  • Forrest Gump (1994)
  • The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

We wondered how many of these movies are still around, available for viewing on streaming platforms. It turns out that all but four are:

Currently available on streaming platforms

  1. The Big Chill (1983)
    Available to stream for free with ads on Tubi and The Roku Channel. Also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and other platforms.
  2. The Graduate (1967)
    Available to stream with a subscription on Amazon Prime Video. Also available for free on Hoopla with a library card.
  3. The Godfather (1972)
    Available to stream on Paramount+ and Hulu. Also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
  4. Forrest Gump (1994)
    Available to stream on Paramount+ and MGM+. Also available for free on Kanopy with a library card.
  5. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
    Available to stream on Netflix. Also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
  6. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
    Available to stream on Disney+. Also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
  7. Shaft (1971)
    Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Also available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
  8. Rocky (1976) Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Also available to rent or buy on Apple TV.

Two baby boomer classics – Easy Rider and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – are among the four movies not currently available. Neither are Rosemary’s Baby and Dr. No.