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Matthew Robbins

Matthew Robbins

Writer and director, also producer · Born July 15, 1945 (81) · New York City, New York, USA

Cannes award winner · Writers Guild Award nominee

Matthew Robbins is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is good friends with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Guillermo Del Toro and Walter Murch and has had cameo appearances in THX 1138 and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Robbins frequently worked with Hal Barwood. He wrote the screenplay for the Bollywood thriller 7 Khoon Maaf, along with Vishal Bhardwaj.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 15, 1945 (81)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Writer and director, also producer
Titles
27 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 64 days to Oct 27

What are Matthew Robbins' films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 23rd percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Self
20%
Morality
19%
Power
12%
Survival
11%
Society
10%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 22 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 6 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 6 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Dread
7
Joyful
6
Melancholic
6
Warm
3
Other
22

How their films linger

Hopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Matthew Robbins' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Matthew Robbins' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

30 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Ray Gunn(2026)

    Screenplay

  • Megalopolis(2024)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio(2022)

    Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Incredibles 2(2018)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Madame(2017)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Rangoon(2017)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Chatô - The King of Brazil(2016)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Crimson Peak(2015)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Vijay and I(2013)

    Idea · Screenplay · Script · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • 7 Khoon Maaf(2011)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Don't Be Afraid of the Dark(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Concert(2009)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Blood Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Story

  • Ratatouille(2007)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Incredibles(2004)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Mimic 2(2001)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Mimic(1997)

    Screenplay · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Bingo(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Mothers, Daughters and Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • *batteries not included(1987)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Warning Sign(1985)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Billie Jean(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Dragonslayer(1981)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Corvette Summer(1978)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977)

    Writer · as Returnee #3 Flt. 19

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • MacArthur(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings(1976)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Sugarland Express(1974)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Story

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles, 29 of them dated from 1967 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

$307M worldwide

Highest rated

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 30: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting7 of 30: 4 only directing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thWriting21 of 30: 16 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stProducing1 of 30: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew5 of 30: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score92nd

30 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew1980s6 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

1 major award from 3 major nominations, 1974–1977.

WinNomination
  1. 1977
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
  2. 1975
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
  3. 1974
    • Cannes award, won

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Matthew Robbins' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of the 25 of 26 with a score; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer

Rangoon (2017)

87th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Matthew Robbins' work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles26–75 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles9–53 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles15–61 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles13–34 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles43–75 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Matthew Robbins work with?

People who share at least 2 of Matthew Robbins' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal Barwood shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers