Why are people watching Contagion? What you need to know about the pandemic movie that predicted coronavirus

Contagion, the 2011 germaphobia thriller from Steven Soderbergh, has jumped to the top of many people’s watch lists recently.

Contagion has begun to appear eerily prescient in the face of the coronavirus. Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures

A glance at the iTunes download chart will tell you that Contagion is currently the seventh most popular movie in the UK.

This is pretty strange for a movie that landed nine years ago – for context, all of the other films in Apple's top ten came out in the last 12 months.

However, it seems that a film about a virus spreading across the planet like wildfire is striking a chord as the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen.

Contagion is remarkably effective at making the modern world feel like a germ-riddled death-trap. Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures

Here’s everything you need to know about Contagion.

What is Contagion about?

Contagion is Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 medical thriller about a virus which rapidly spreads around the world.

With an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard and Laurence Fishburne, the film follows the frantic quest to track the virus’ origins and the attempts to create a vaccine before it’s too late.

By working alongside World Health Organisation representatives and other medical experts, the film created a frighteningly plausible pandemic based on past viruses like SARS and swine flu.

When it was released, Contagion quickly developed a reputation for playing directly to our germaphobia by drawing attention to how easily germs can spread throughout our society.

Viewers reported leaving the film with a newfound terror of touching anything around them and a strong desire to wash their hands.

Why is everyone watching it now?

Nine years after its release, Contagion has proven eerily prescient in its similarity to the ongoing coronavirus.

The movie’s virus takes place much more dramatically – otherwise healthy patients collapse within days of contracting it, suffering from seizures and falling into comas.

While the death rate for the coronavirus is estimated to be around 2%, the film’s virus kills one in four who become infected.

Unlike the coronavirus, it is not just the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions who are primarily at risk.

However, beyond that it bears a remarkable similarity – a virus which originates in China and is believed to have begun in bats, which rapidly spreads across the planet once humans contract it.

However, viewers turning to Contagion with the hope of reassurance about the current situation are unlikely to come away satisfied.

In the film,countries around the world quickly begin work on a vaccine but, as is the case with coronavirus, the process is time-consuming to the point where it will likely be too late to prevent a pandemic from erupting.

Contagion also details several of the ripple effects which we have already seen with the coronavirus.

These include supply shortages caused by panic-buying, shady online personalities hawking pretend cures, and inadequate government responses as the crisis builds.

Where can I watch it?

Contagion is available now from Amazon and iTunes - to rent for £3.49 and to buy for £7.99.

Sky customers can also rent or buy it from the Sky Store for the same prices.

It is also available from YouTube - £9.99 to buy and £3.49 to rent.

Contagion is not currently available on UK Netflix.