Throughout her career, Ariana Grande has deeply entwined her brand as a musician with film. From her annual Halloween costumes (the most popular ones referencing Creature from the Black Lagoon, Little Shop of Horrors, and Showgirls) to naming her pets after characters from Harry Potter and The Aristocats, it’s been no secret that Grande is a well-versed film connoisseur.
Given her taste in film, one of the things Grande does best is reference her favorite movies in her music! It’s a different approach to leaving easter eggs, but it does a more efficient job at marketing than other artists, who may only leave clues related to future releases.
A Comprehensive List of Films
With that being said, here is the first comprehensive list of all 30 films throughout Ariana Grande’s discography and music videos!
30. Batman Returns
“the boy is mine” eternal sunshine (2024)
In a surprise twist, Grande dedicates the music video for “the boy is mine” to Batman Returns (1992) by dressing up as Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. The vigilante tracks down Penn Badgley in the video, who supposedly plays Bruce Wayne (though credited as Max Starling).
29. Once Bitten
“the boy is mine” eternal sunshine (2024)
The Jim Carrey obsession is real with Grande, as she dedicates yet another song to a Carrey-starred project. To start, the song itself interpolates the lyrics “the boy is mine” from the song Hands Off by Maria Vidal, featured in the film. In a small callback, Grande wears lace on her hands in the music video as she tries to feed Penn Badgley a love potion.
28. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
“we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” eternal sunshine (2024)
“eternal sunshine” Ariana Grande (2024)
When Ariana said her childhood crush was Jim Carrey, she really meant it. Following her divorce, and subsequent online criticism, Grande found solitude in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’s concept and titled her 7th album after the movie.
Along with the release of the album, Grande dropped the music video for “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)”. Playing a parody of Kate Winslet’s character Tangerine (codenamed to Peaches), Grande references many iconic scenes from the movie with Evan Peters, who was invited to play Peaches’ ex-lover. The two even recreate the iconic poster from the movie!
27. Sixteen Candles
“we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” eternal sunshine (2024)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind isn’t the only movie referenced in the video, however. In one scene of the music video, Grande and Peters recreate the iconic ending of Sixteen Candles where Sam (Molly Ringwald) and Jake (Michael Schoeffling) finally kiss at the end of her birthday.
The shot that they ended up taking for the video is one of my absolute favorites ever. The recreation is genuinely stunning, and director Christian Breslauer does a gorgeous job at making the take individual for Ariana.
26. Don’t Look Up
“Just Look Up” (with Kid Cudi) Don’t Look Up (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) (2021)
Stepping away from her music videos, Grande has been involved in the production of quite a few films herself! Most recently, she was invited to play Riley, a mega pop star, in 2021’s Don’t Look Up, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Grande collaborated with Kid Cudi for the soundtrack, releasing their single “Just Look Up” the week before the movie. Though a satirical song, Grande and Cudi really executed their mission of creating a banger with political undertones to only be appreciated for its tune at the end of the day.
25. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
“34+35″ Positions (2020)
“Boyfriend” (with Social House) Boyfriend – Single (2019)
“Break Free” (feat. Zedd) My Everything (2014)
Austin Powers is clearly one of Grande’s favorite movies of all time, and she takes inspiration from the movie’s Fembots on three occasions. In the “Boyfriend” music video, heart lasers come out of her chest as she shimmies, referencing the Fembots’ bra pistols. The second instance is “34+35”, as the entire music video is Fembot-themed, with Grande and her crew dancing robotically throughout. Finally, Grande upgrades the Fembots’ bra pistols to missiles in the “Break Free” music video.
24. Metropolis
“34+35″ Positions (2020)
To compliment the female robot theme from Austin Powers in “34+35”, Grande cleverly references Metropolis with a nod to the iconic robot, Maria!
23. Charlie’s Angels (2019)
“Don’t Call Me Angel” (with Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Ray) Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
“Bad To You” (feat. Normani, Nicki Minaj) Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
“Nobody” (feat. Chaka Khan) Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
“How I Look On You” Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
“Got Her Own” (with Victoria Monet) Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)
For 2019’s Charlie’s Angels, Grande was tasked with creating the soundtrack for the movie, of which she’s featured in five of the eleven tracks. For the title-interpolated track “Don’t Call Me Angel,” Grande invited friends Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Ray to join her, composing one of the most bizarre collabs in history, though it strangely works. Out of the five tracks she’s on, I’d highly recommend “How I Look On You” and “Got Her Own,” two very underrated songs in Grande’s discography.
22. Dumb and Dumber
“Boyfriend” (with Social House) Boyfriend – Single (2019)
Collaborating with her Sweetener World Tour opener Social House, Grande uses the music video to reference yet another Jim Carrey movie (maybe if I name my album Wicked: Part Two, then Ariana would notice me), 1994’s Dumb and Dumber. In the video, Michael Foster (of Social House) references the scene where Carrey’s character, Lloyd, rips out a heart.
21. The Nutty Professor
“Monopoly” (feat. Victoria Monét) Monopoly – Single (2019)
In the surprise single to celebrate her Sweetener World Tour, Grande and Victoria Monét’s collab “Monopoly” jokingly mentions Eddie Murphy’s Cletus from “The Nutty Fropessor” (yes, I spelled that right. Peak pop!) in an adlib at the end.
“I don’t care where you been, ho (Been); Where you been, Cletus?; Yeah, who? (What?) Clevus?; Who the fuck is Cletus?; It’s from, um; Cletus? Girl; Nutty Fropessor; We have to wrap, five, six, seven, eight; Yeah”
20. The Sound of Music
“7 rings” thank u, next (2019)
In her number one smash hit “7 rings”, Grande combined her love for musicals and pop music by interpolating the classic song “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. Cheekily, she shares that her favorite things are her 6 best friends and, of course, her money!
19. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
“7 rings” thank u, next (2019)
Another comfort movie of Ariana’s, Grande opens “7 rings” listing Breakfast at Tiffany’s as one of her “favorite things.”
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s and bottles of bubbles…”
“7 rings” thank u, next (2019)
18. Mean Girls
“Boyfriend” (with Social House) Boyfriend – Single (2019)
“thank u, next” thank u, next (2019)
Easily the most iconic film reference of Grande’s career, Mean Girls is the central theme of her first number-one single, “thank u, next.” The music video was a home run for her career, and even invited Jonathan Bennett back to reprise his role as Aaron Samuels! The video references the “Regina did it, so I did it” scene, the Burn Book, The Plastics, and even recreated the Jingle Bell Rock scene. (With Kris Jenner playing Amy Poehler’s character recording the show.)
Grande also references Mean Girls in the “Boyfriend” music video, as she references Cady’s fantasy of pouncing on Regina by pouncing on a random extra.
17. Legally Blonde & 16. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde
“thank u, next” thank u, next (2019)
But the “thank u, next” references don’t stop there! The video references Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2 with scenes of Grande studying law with her dog, Toulouse; working out like Elle Woods; and conversing with Jennifer Coolidge, reprising her role as Paulette, in her nail salon, even referencing the bend-and-snap dance scene. Check out this deleted scene of Paulette taking back “her fucking dog.”
15. Bring It On
“thank u, next” thank u, next (2019)
But the “thank u, next” references don’t stop there!! The music video also references The Clovers and The Rancho Carne Toros from Bring It On in a celebrity cameo-fest of Grande’s friends, including Daniella Monet, Colleen Ballinger, and Victoria Monet.
14. 13 Going On 30
“thank u, next” thank u, next (2019)
But the “thank u, next” references don’t stop there!!! Ending the video with a homage to Jennifer Garner’s 13 Going On 30, Grande transforms herself into Jenna Rink to recreate the dollhouse scene.
13. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
“Beauty and the Beast” (with John Legend) Beauty and the Beast (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2017)
In 2017, Grande had the amazing opportunity to perform for the end credits of the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. In a spectacular duet with John Legend, the duo effortlessly breathed new life into the iconic title track.
12. Sing
“Faith” (Stevie Wonder feat. Ariana Grande) (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2016)
The soundtrack of Illumination’s 2016 movie Sing featured generationally iconic covers by Seth MacFarlane, Jennifer Hudson, and Tori Kelly. Stevie Wonder was invited to create an original song for the album, bringing on Ariana Grande as a feature on the track “Faith,” even creating a music video for promotion.
11. Hairspray Live!
“Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now” Hairspray Live! (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event) (2016)
“Without Love” Hairspray Live! (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event) (2016)
“Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)” Hairspray Live! (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event) (2016)
“You Can’t Stop The Beat” Hairspray Live! (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event) (2016)
Connecting with her musical roots once again, Grande joined the NBC event Hairspray Live! cast as Penny, Tracy’s best friend. Grande sings verses on four different tracks for the live recording, though her role was limited in the production.
10. Trolls
“They Don’t Know” TROLLS (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2016)
An original song for the soundtrack of the first Trolls, this Justin Timberlake-produced song (Timberlake is also featured in the background vocals) brought on Grande to sing for the trailer.
9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
“All My Love” (Major Lazer feat. Ariana Grande) The Hunger Games Mockingjay Pt 1. (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2014)
The Hunger Games soundtracks have always featured iconic artists such as Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Maroon 5, and Taylor Swift. Ariana Grande is no exception! For the third installment in the franchise, Major Lazer invited Grande to feature on the EDM track “All My Love.”
8. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
“Break Free” (feat. Zedd) My Everything (2014)
Deciding to go with a space theme for the “Break Free” music video, Grande knew she couldn’t miss the opportunity for a Star Wars-esque opening crawl. The message reads as follows:
‘WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS IS SCIENTIFICALLY AUTHENTIC. IT IS JUST ONE STEP AHEAD OF PRESENT DAY REALITY AND TWO STEPS AHEAD OF PRESENT DAY SEXINESS. PREPARE YOURSELF TO ATTEMPT TO CONCEIVE AN INCONCEIVABLE OUTER SPACE ADVENTURE. BRACE YOURSELF FOR SOMETHING SO FANTASTICALLY FANTASTICAL YOU’LL SOIL YOURSELF FROM INTERGALACTIC EXCITEMENT. GET READY TO…’ “Break Free” by Ariana Grande starts playing.
Additionally, the video shows Grande applying a lipstick lightsaber and Zedd launching the ship into hyperspace at the end. I also like to think this video predicted the future, as it was controversial at the time for a split-second gay kiss, in a scene strangely reminiscent of the split-second lesbian kiss in The Rise of Skywalker.
7. Barbarella
“Break Free” (feat. Zedd) My Everything (2014)
Though the opening crawl references Star Wars, Grande spends the video making a much more niche reference by paying homage to Barbarella. Dressing up as the 1968 scantily clad “Queen of the Galaxy” proved her cinephilic taste very early in her career. Throughout the video, Grande can be seen floating around without gravity, a nod to the opening credits sequence of the film.
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
“Break Free” (feat. Zedd) My Everything (2014)
Grande makes some smaller references throughout the “Break Free” video, and this one’s a detail that’s very easy to miss. When Grande is seen singing in the spaceship with the hexagonally shaped interior, she’s subtly referencing the hallway from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
5. Star Trek
“Break Free” (feat. Zedd) My Everything (2014)
Though she dresses as Barbarella, the visual aesthetic of Space throughout the video matches Star Trek’s. Additionally, there’s a quick scene where Grande’s seen beamed up into her dance party spaceship, pulling straight from the concept of the Holodeck.
4. Planet of the Apes
“Break Free” (feat. Zedd) My Everything (2014)
Though absolutely not as disturbing, the quick scene where Grande helps the caged humans “break free” from the story’s space villains is a nod to the caged humans in Planet of the Apes.
3. American Beauty
“The Way” (feat. Mac Miller) Yours Truly (2013)
American Beauty is mentioned during Mac Miller’s verse, as a pun, on Grande’s “The Way,” off her debut album Yours Truly.
“…Come and watch a movie with me, American Beauty…”
“The Way” (feat. Mac Miller) Yours Truly (2013)
2. Bruce Almighty
“The Way” (feat. Mac Miller) Yours Truly (2013)
In the subsequent line, Miller finished the pun with a bait and switch, choosing to reference Bruce Almighty. The film also ironically stars Jim Carrey, making it a perfect reference in regards to Grande.
“…Or Bruce Almighty, that’s groovy, just come and move closer to me”
“The Way” (feat. Mac Miller) Yours Truly (2013)
1. Wicked
“Popular Song” (with Nathan Sykes) Yours Truly (2013)
In an astonishingly full circle moment for Grande, “Popular Song,” off her first album, interpolates Popular, Kristen Chenoweth’s solo for the character Glinda, who Grande will portray in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the stage musical later this year.
Though included on her album Yours Truly, the song is actually MIKA’s, with Grande invited on as the featured artist through their common label at the time.
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