iTunes Launches Sale on 'Iconic' and 'Essential' Decade-Based Movie Collections - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iTunes Launches Sale on 'Iconic' and 'Essential' Decade-Based Movie Collections

by

Apple recently opened up a limited-time sale within iTunes for a selection of movies dating back to the 1950s, which the company has grouped into "Iconic" and "Essential" collections (via Variety). The bundles include movies like Dr. Strangelove, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and many more.

The sale starts with a group of $19.99 "Iconic" movie bundles for each decade, beginning with the 1950s, each including ten movies.

itunes movie sale decades
All of the movies included in every collection are listed below:

  • 1950s: The Country Girl, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Sabrina, Sunset Boulevard, To Catch a Thief, War and Peace, Houseboat, A Place in the Sun, The Greatest Show on Earth, Funny Face
  • 1960s: The Odd Couple, Alfie, Barbarella, Hud, Barefoot in the Park, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, In Harm’s Way, True Grit, The Italian Job, The Nutty Professor
  • 1970s: Paper Moon, The Great Gatsby, Love Story, Grease, The Out-of-Towners, Harold and Maude, Heaven Can Wait, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Bad News Bears, Plaza Suite
  • 1980s: The Naked Gun, Airplane!, Footloose, Urban Cowboy, Clue, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, Terms of Endearment, Crocodile Dundee, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  • 1990s: Wayne’s World, Clueless, The Truman Show, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Galaxy Quest, Ghost, Kingpin, Superstar, Runaway Bride, Tommy Boy
  • 2000s: Zoolander, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Tropic Thunder, Almost Famous, School of Rock, I Love You, Man, She’s the Man, Mean Girls, Old School

The "Essential" films aren't bundled under one price point, and instead iTunes has accumulated popular films from each decade and marked them down to $4.99 each. The amount of movies included in each decade's Essential sale ranges from 26 to nearly 100, although the 1950s are not included.

itunes movie sales essentials
Some of the $4.99 films in each decade's sale are listed below:

  • 1960s: Dr. Strangelove, Lawrence of Arabia, The Graduate, Psycho, West Side Story
  • 1970s: Rocky, Carrie, Apocalypse Now, The French Connection, Serpico, Marathon Man
  • 1980s: Back to the Future, Die Hard, The Breakfast Club, Dirty Dancing, WarGames, The Thing
  • 1990s: The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, American Beauty, Jerry Maguire, Reservoir Dogs, The Silence of the Lambs
  • 2000s: Shaun of the Dead, Juno, (500) Days of Summer, Cloverfield, Ghost World, Legally Blonde, Bring It On

iTunes has also marked down specific categories of Essential films, including "Summer Blockbuster Essentials," "Based on a True Story Essentials," "Essential Actors + Directors," and more.

Apple regularly runs sales within the movies section of iTunes, most recently giving the storefront a LEGO-themed makeover and placing some DC movies on sale to coincide with the digital release of The LEGO Batman Movie. Last year, the movies section of iTunes turned ten years old and in celebration Apple debuted bundles of ten films for $10 each.

Tag: iTunes
Related Forum: Mac Apps

Top Rated Comments

123 months ago
It's not a bad deal but you'd buys 10 older films on dvds for less than $19.99
Who wants DVD-quality films in 2017?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
123 months ago
I sure hope the Apple Music equivalent of movies will be coming soon... Gone are the days that I, along so many others, will pay certain amounts of money just to watch a movie once.
Netflix?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bigsk8r Avatar
123 months ago
The fact it always takes someone who isn't white, for anyone to notice an unfair practice is precisely why the world is trying to fight racism in the first place.
I would submit that in this case, you are a little late. Until the 2000's, there just weren't a lot of hit movies made with non-white leads, proportionally speaking.

Direct that angst at the people who made the movies available in the first place. Given that Apple doesn't have agreements with every studio, you might be painting with a bit of a broad brush there.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Amazing Iceman Avatar
123 months ago
What happened here!? This is yesterday's news...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dilster3k Avatar
123 months ago
I sure hope the Apple Music equivalent of movies will be coming soon... Gone are the days that I, along so many others, will pay certain amounts of money just to watch a movie once.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
123 months ago

Why would you buy anything you only plan to use once?
Movie tickets, plane tickets, concert tickets, hamburgers, pizza, soda ... most things in life are things you buy that you only plan to use only once.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...
Apple Store Logo

Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month

Tuesday November 3, 2026 7:34 am PST by
Apple today announced that its Festival Place store in Basingstoke, England will be permanently closing on Saturday, November 21. Apple Festival Place Apple had already announced that the store would be closing in November, but it had not provided the public with a specific date until now. Apple's store inside the Festival Place shopping center opened in 2011, so it had a 15-year run....
Latest Stories
Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 256 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements
Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 256 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements
8 hours ago
Apps Can Now Try to Stop You From Canceling Subscriptions
Apps Can Now Try to Stop You From Canceling Subscriptions
9 hours ago
'Super Mario Odyssey' Can Now Run on Apple TV Thanks to AI
'Super Mario Odyssey' Can Now Run on Apple TV Thanks to AI
9 hours ago
How 'Resident Evil' Director Zach Cregger Uses His iPhone to Make Movies
How 'Resident Evil' Director Zach Cregger Uses His iPhone to Make Movies
11 hours ago
HomePod Mini 2's Amount of RAM Confirmed
HomePod Mini 2's Amount of RAM Confirmed
11 hours ago
Apple TV's '12 Days of Snoopy' Special Arrives November 13
Apple TV's '12 Days of Snoopy' Special Arrives November 13
11 hours ago
Apple is Putting Employees on an AI Budget
Apple is Putting Employees on an AI Budget
12 hours ago
Apple Releases Xcode 27.3 Beta With Three New Features
Apple Releases Xcode 27.3 Beta With Three New Features
13 hours ago
Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content Starting in iOS 27.3
Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content Starting in iOS 27.3
14 hours ago
macOS 27.3 Brings Live Activities to Macs Without Dynamic Island
macOS 27.3 Brings Live Activities to Macs Without Dynamic Island
15 hours ago
Apple TV Reportedly Planning 'Silo' Spinoff
Apple TV Reportedly Planning 'Silo' Spinoff
16 hours ago
Is It Worth Buying a Titanium Apple Watch?
Is It Worth Buying a Titanium Apple Watch?
16 hours ago
macOS 27.3 Includes an Important Security Fix
macOS 27.3 Includes an Important Security Fix
16 hours ago
Massive Sale Hits Apple Watch Ultra 3 With Record Low $250 Discounts
Massive Sale Hits Apple Watch Ultra 3 With Record Low $250 Discounts
18 hours ago
Does HomePod Mini 2 Have Improved Sound? Here's What Reviews Say
Does HomePod Mini 2 Have Improved Sound? Here's What Reviews Say
18 hours ago
macOS 27.3 Makes Markdown Files Easier to Read
macOS 27.3 Makes Markdown Files Easier to Read
18 hours ago
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
19 hours ago
Apple May Phase Out Non-Touch High-End MacBook Pros
Apple May Phase Out Non-Touch High-End MacBook Pros
19 hours ago
Apple's Insider Trading Policy Now Covers Prediction Markets
Apple's Insider Trading Policy Now Covers Prediction Markets
20 hours ago
'Stick' Season 2 Premieres Today on Apple TV
'Stick' Season 2 Premieres Today on Apple TV
20 hours ago
iPhone 18e Rumored to Focus on Chip Upgrade With Few Major Changes
iPhone 18e Rumored to Focus on Chip Upgrade With Few Major Changes
20 hours ago
Google Maps Updated to Fully Support iPhone Duo Displays
Google Maps Updated to Fully Support iPhone Duo Displays
20 hours ago
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
1 day ago
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
1 day ago
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
1 day ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
2 days ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
2 days ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
2 days ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
2 days ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
2 days ago