Movie Is American; Film Is British
A movie is a motion picture. The word is a nineteenth-century American shortening, and Britain generally prefers film.
A movie is a motion picture. The word is a clipping of *moving picture*, first recorded around 1908 in American English, and the transatlantic split has held ever since: Americans go to the *movies* at a *movie theater*, the British watch a *film* at the *cinema*. Both understand the other, but each sounds foreign in the wrong place. *Film* itself came from the strip of celluloid, a material now almost entirely replaced by digital capture.
- A motion picture. *A good movie.*
- Film — the British word. *A British film.*
- Movie theater — the American cinema. *A movie theater.*
- Cinema — the British venue. *The local cinema.*
- The movies — cinema-going. *Going to the movies.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | movie | A long movie. |
| Plural | movies | Two movies. |
| UK equivalent | film | A film. |
| Full form | moving picture | Moving picture. |
| Related | cinema | The cinema. |
- We watched a movie last night.American.
- The film opens in cinemas on Friday.British.
- Movie is short for moving picture.Etymology.
Cinema words across the Atlantic
- Movie (US) — film (UK)
- Movie theater (US) — cinema (UK)
- Intermission (US) — interval (UK)
- Concession stand (US) — kiosk (UK)
- Both use trailer, screening and box office
A shortening of *moving picture*, recorded in American English from around 1908.
Is movie used in Britain?
It is understood everywhere and used informally, but film remains the standard British word, especially in writing.
Why is it called a film?
From the strip of celluloid on which images were recorded. The name survives even though most production is now digital.