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A new study has revealed the movies that confused viewers the most in America, with Donnie Darko ranking number one.

The study, conducted by transcription services company Ditto Transcripts, analyzed the average monthly number of Google searches in the US for terms related to explanations of popular movies, such as ‘Donnie Darko plot explained’ and ‘Shutter Island ending explained,’ to determine which movies are confusing viewers the most.

The top ten most confusing movies in the US

Donnie Darko is the most confusing movie, racking up a total of 19,317 average monthly Google searches across the US. In the movie, a teenager follows the instructions of a mysterious figure in a rabbit suit who predicts the end of the world. The storyline includes time loops and alternate realities that make it unclear what is real and what is symbolic.

Terms related to Shutter Island explanations are searched an average of 16,378 times per month. In the movie, a US Marshal investigates a psychiatric facility on an isolated island. The story is told through the main character’s delusions, making viewers question what is real, as it ends with him finding out he is actually a patient at the facility.

Inception explanations are searched an average of 9,531 times per month in the US. The movie follows a thief who enters people’s dreams to steal secrets from their subconscious. He is then tasked with planting an idea in his target’s mind to return home. It shifts between different realities and leaves the audience questioning if the hero ever actually woke up at the end.

Explanations for the movie Enemy are searched an average of 9,331 times per month in the US. A professor discovers a man who is his exact double and becomes obsessed with him. The film uses imagery of giant spiders, symbolizing subconscious fears, and has an ambiguous ending, which suggests that the professor and his “double” are one person.

Interstellar has an average monthly search volume of 8,026 nationally. The film follows a NASA crew who travel through a wormhole to find a new planet for humans as Earth faces extinction. On the planet they arrive on, every hour that passes is equal to seven years on Earth, meaning many years pass on Earth before they return home.

The Shining is next, with an average monthly search volume of 7,818. A writer is isolated with his family in a haunted hotel. Influenced by spirits, he tries to kill his wife and son, mirroring past tragedies that occurred in the hotel. The ending is ambiguous, with the final photo suggesting the writer is trapped in the hotel's history.

Mulholland Drive explanations are searched an average of 6,965 times per month. In the movie, a woman is left with amnesia after a car crash. An aspiring actress takes her in, and they attempt to solve the mystery of the amnesiac woman’s identity. Many viewers interpret the story as a dream the aspiring actress is having; however, this was deliberately left unconfirmed in the movie, leaving audiences confused.

Memento has an average monthly search volume of 5,633 nationally. The movie is about a man hunting for his wife’s killer while dealing with short-term memory loss, using notes and tattoos to help him in his investigation. However, the story is told in reverse order, making the viewer experience the same lack of context as the main character.

No Country for Old Men explanations have an average monthly search volume of 5,535. A man finds drug money and is hunted by a relentless hitman. It confused viewers by not following a traditional movie timeline, with the main character dying off-screen and an abrupt ending about the investigating sheriff’s dreams.

Eyes Wide Shut has an average monthly search volume of 5,355. It follows a doctor who spirals into a secretive underworld after his wife confesses her sexual fantasy. The movie is dreamlike, with unclear boundaries between imagination and reality, leaving viewers unsure what actually happens.

Ben Walker, CEO of Ditto Transcripts, has commented:

“Looking at the list, the movies people find the most confusing tend to be in the thriller and sci-fi genres. These tend to confuse audiences more because they are full of unexplainable events that defy logic. The common theme in all of these movies is ambiguity, and details of their storylines are left open to the viewer’s interpretation. There isn’t one clear meaning for movies like this, and this is done intentionally.

"It is interesting to see The Shining, a movie released over 40 years ago, in the ranking. This highlights how movies like this can have a lasting popularity, continuing to confuse audiences long after their release. Their ambiguous endings tend to sustain search interest in a way that movies with clearer endings do not.

“Leonardo DiCaprio stars in two of the top five movies listed, Shutter Island and Inception, while Jake Gyllenhaal stars in Donnie Darko and Enemy, pointing to how certain actors can become associated with movies that have mind-bending storylines.

“A few of these movies also share the same directors. Inception, Interstellar and Memento were directed by Christopher Nolan, while The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut were directed by Stanley Kubrick. These directors have a clear style and are known for directing movies which can be interpreted in different ways."

Source: Google Keyword Planner

Methodology: A seed list of 150 movies that are commonly regarded as confusing was collated. Google Keyword Planner was used to determine the average monthly search volume for the terms ‘[movie] explained,’ ‘[movie] ending explained,’ ‘[movie] plot explained,’ and ‘[movie] timeline explained,’ both on a state and national level, to reveal the movies confusing viewers the most within the state and across the US.