Unlocking the Code: Top Movies That Substitute Numbers for Letters, Just Like ‘Expend4bles’

For this week’s quiz, let’s test your knowledge of other movies that also follow this number-letter substitution trend. Whether they are live-action or animated, featuring humans, dogs, or cats, we want to see how many you can remember.

1. True or false: “Se7en” was the seventh highest-grossing film worldwide in 1995?

2. The 2002 film “S1m0ne” showcased a unique storyline about a movie director who creates a computer-generated actress. The director derived the name of this fictional performer from which of the following phrases: “SIMultaneous ONEness,” “SIMpleminded SaxophONE,” “Smallsat Intercept Missions to Objects Near Earth,” or “SIMulation ONE”?

3. “Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood” was released straight to video in 2003. It is part of an eight-film slasher franchise with an Irish twist. Can you place it in order of release, from one to eight?

4. In the 2006 crime thriller “Lucky Number Sㄥevin,” which cleverly flips a digit to resemble the letter L, director Paul McGuigan also directed the pilot episode of PBS’ “Sherlock.” Did he also direct the pilot episode of a short-lived 2013 ABC series called “Lucky 7”?

5. The final film in the “Final Destination” horror franchise, released in 2011, is titled “Final Destination 5.” However, the original name announced for this film was graphically unfortunate. Can you guess what it was?

6. If you remember the 2004 action thriller, the directorial debut of Matthew Vaughn (“Kick-Ass,” “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), it’s likely because it inspired the producers of James Bond to cast Daniel Craig as the superspy in “Casino Royale.” Can you recall the stylized and hunger-inducing title of this London crime flick?

7. For the second installment of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, titled “2 Fast 2 Furious,” neither Vin Diesel nor Rob Cohen returned. However, this entry is unique because it is the only film in the ten-film street racing series to be helmed by an Oscar-nominated director. Who directed this film?

8. Numerous attempts have been made to create a successful franchise based on the comic book superhero team, the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, none of these adaptations have been well-received by critics, including the 2015 film “FANT4STIC.” However, the actors who portrayed Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in that film went on to star in the highest-grossing domestic movies of 2018 and 2022, respectively. Can you name them?

9. What was the surprising sci-fi horror hit of this year called?

10. Can you identify the fake sequel title among the following options: “SCRE4M,” “Step Up 2: The Streets,” “Dances with Wolves: Will the Wolf Sur5?,” “Pokemon 4ever,” or “Happy Death Day 2U”?

ANSWERS
1. True, it was the eighth highest-grossing film of that year, just below “Apollo 13.”
2. The director derived the name from “SIMulation ONE.”
3. “Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood” is the fifth film in the release order.
4. Yes, Paul McGuigan directed the pilot episode of “Lucky 7.”
5. The original name for “Final Destination 5” was “5nal Destination.”
6. The London crime flick is titled “L4yer CakƐ.” (Bonus points if you knew Daniel Craig’s character’s name was XXXX, which can be interpreted as 30X, X30, or perhaps 20/20.)
7. John Singleton directed “2 Fast 2 Furious.”
8. Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther”) portrayed Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Miles Teller (“Top Gun: Maverick”) portrayed Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic.
9. The surprise sci-fi horror hit from this year was called “M3GAN.”
10. The fake sequel title is “Dances with Wolves: Will the Wolf Sur5?”