Every State's Favorite Summer Blockbuster, Mapped

If you're someone who loves to see movies in the summer, you aren’t alone, especially if it's an action film or a sci-fi flick. But while new summer blockbusters are always a hit with moviegoers, there's also something special about your favorite summer flick of all time.

That's when movie watchers dig deep for something particularly nostalgic or an action flick that they go back to year after year, even though they know the ending.

But what are the newer favorite summer flicks in each state, and which ones do you need a DeLorean to go back in time to enjoy again and again? See if you agree with some of these favorites, according to a study by Preply.

Grease Is the Most Popular Summer Flick

Grease is the word that you heard, at least according to the theme song by Frankie Valli. The movie, released in 1978 about teenage love in the 1950s, is still a hit today with fans across the country. In fact, it led Preply's survey with 10 states picking Grease over all films as their favorite summer flick. It helped that the movie was popular across the country, picking up states like Arizona in the Southwest, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the Midwest, and Southern states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Another movie that had a wide reach was Gremlins, which was chosen as the best summer movie in eight states, from Nevada in the West to Pennsylvania in the East. Granted, sticking to the rules of owning a Gremlin can be tough for moviegoers. After all, you can't feed them after midnight, which can be hard if you like spending summer nights at the movie theater with a bucket of popcorn.

Regional Favorites Stand Out

You would think coastal states may try to avoid movies like Jaws, but the 1975 flick is actually a popular choice in the Northeast. The movie, about a shark terrorizing a Northeastern town, was picked by Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island as the best summer movie.

Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks as an Alabama man witnessing history from the 1950s to the 1980s. It may not be a surprise, then, that the film is popular in Alabama as well as Georgia and South Carolina.

Singular Sensations Get Special Recognition

Despite being big summer box office successes, a few films ended up as one-hit wonders when it came to where they were the most popular.

Michigan, for example, is the only state that wants to go back in time to see the 1980s hit Back to the Future, featuring a teenager and a time-traveling DeLorean. Washington is the only state that's a die-hard fan of Die Hard with Bruce Willis as John McClane trying to save a Christmas party from terrorist Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman.

Aliens get some love from summer moviegoers. Men in Black is a favorite for movie fans in Florida, while Aliens has fans in New Mexico.

Dinosaurs are also a big draw in Hawaii, which was the only state that chose Jurassic World as its favorite summer movie.

Moviegoers Play Favorites

When it comes to which genre moviegoers prefer in the summer, the overwhelming favorites are action and sci-fi. Preply's survey found that 69% of 1,000 people surveyed said they enjoy seeing action movies in theaters and 53% said they like sci-fi films.

Those favorite flicks play into the movie-going experience for many Americans, especially when those genres pack big special effects and dramatic audio perfect for a movie theater. In fact, 72% said the viewing experience makes the movies worth it.

More State-By-State Maps: