Sometimes, a little on-screen slip-up goes a long way with audiences.
Case in point: Most recently, in December 2021, while watching the Netflix film Don't Look Up (which is currently up for four 2022 Academy Award nominations, including Best Editing), an eagle-eyed viewer spotted a few members of the masked-up on-set crew in a scene. And although the oopsie gave fans pause, director Adam McKay says he meant to do that.
"Good eye!" he wrote on Twitter, in response to the chatter. "We left that blip of the crew in on purpose to commemorate the strange filming experience. #DontLookUp."
While this one hiccup was simply explained away with a single tweet, other flubs haven't been as fortunate. Who can forget about the modern-day Starbucks coffee cup seen during the very Middle Ages-esque era of Game of Thrones?
And although HBO made sure to wipe the small standout cup away from all future versions of the show, no one can erase our round-up of all of the most unforgettable TV and movie blunders.
Keep scrolling for our standout list..
Call it a commemoration?
Although the 2021 Netflix film, directed by Adam McKay, easily caught everyone's attention the moment it premiered in late December (it rose to No. 1 worldwide on the streaming platform within just the first few days), a little chatter surrounded the movie for a completely different reason. After a viewer spotted a masked-up film crew during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, fans assumed that a small editing error had made its way in.
But, not so fast—according to McKay, that was a frame purposefully left in the final cut to capture the experience of filming during the coronavirus pandemic.
"We left that blip of the crew in on purpose to commemorate the strange filming experience," Adam tweeted in December, adding, "#Don'tLookUp."
Hey, the movie was still nominated for a Best Editing Oscar, so all's well that ends well. But we'll be sure not to look down while watching.
In January 2022, after a little more than two decades since the premiere of the installment's first film, the highly anticipated reunion, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, hit HBO Max. And since fans have been waiting forever for this magic, it's easily understandable that viewers didn't miss one second of it.
With that being said, it did only take just one second for one viewer to notice an image at the beginning of the special that although was meant to be Emma Watson (who played Hermione Granger in the saga) was actually a photo of Emma Roberts instead.
After the blunder hit social media, producers for the reunion special addressed the error in a statement to E! News: "Well spotted Harry Potter fans! You brought an editing mistake of a mislabeled photograph to our attention. New version is up now."
Yes, there was another photo error spotted in the Harry Potter reunion special after it aired—but to be completely fair, this mix-up is quite understandable since it involved identical twins.
Oliver Phelps, who played George Weasley in the beloved film franchise, confirmed that the HBO Max special mistakenly identified him as his twin brother, James Phelps.
"I guess after all those pranks over the years somebody decided to get their revenge," he wrote on Instagram next to a screenshot of the mistake. But there were no hard feelings, as he added, "It was fantastic to be part of the HP reunion. Hope you all enjoyed it."
Also getting a kick out of the error, Tom Felton, who played villain Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, commented, "It was my doing. #weaslebee #returntohogwarts."
During the fourth season of the HBO hit series, Game of Thrones, fans were extremely surprised that amongst the metal and wooden silverware they were used to seeing, they also spotted a very modern-day Starbucks cup in the mix.
In response to the now-infamous 2019 episode, HBO issued a statement acknowledging the time-defying cup, saying, "The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake." Referring to Emilia Clarke's character, the network jokingly added, "Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea."
Alas, if you're looking for it now, the cup has been edited out from the episode.
Set in the late 13th-century, the 1995 film Braveheart followed Sir William Wallace (portrayed by Mel Gibson) as he became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. And since cars weren't invented until the late 19th century, fans were shocked when they noticed a white vehicle sitting in the back of the battlefield in one scene.
Although the shot lasts less than two seconds, it was enough for us to remember what time period they were truly filming in.
Another film set in the earliest of times that became a smash when it premiered in the early aughts would be Gladiator. Since the movie is set in 180 AD, it only made sense that most actors were spotted in either attire suitable for battle or outfits fit for the time period.
That is, until fans noticed that within one quick shot of a Colosseum crowd, there stands a man wearing a plain white T-shirt and jeans—both items we're guessing even members of the Roman Empire didn't have access to.
When the 2019 musical movie, based on the 1981 stage adaptation, premiered, the cast ensemble including Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench and James Corden was enough to get people excited for some good mew-sic.
However, the movie wasn't well-received by critics, who pointed out that the film's visual effects and editing left much to be desired. One notable instance was when viewers noticed that Judi's very human hand was accidentally left sticking out of her CGI fur-filled cat body. The Hollywood Reporter noted director Tom Hooper updated future versions of the film shortly after its release.
In the 2002 movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the character of Éomer is played by Karl Urban—except as some fans noticed towards the very end, at one point, he simply is not. While Karl's character is meant to be sitting on a horse alongside his peers, it's actually the face of his stunt double that made the cut instead.
During the director's commentary for the movie, per WhatCulture, Peter Jackson admitted that they just didn't get to replace the face before the movie hit theaters.
There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it editing error in Emily in Paris season three, episode three. Specifically, after boss Madeline (Kate Walsh) tells Emily (Lily Collins) that it's time for her to return to Chicago, the young marketing maven turns to the window, where we glimpse not one, but two Eiffel Towers. The first shot of the Parisian landmark appears quickly on Emily's left, before reappearing outside the window to her right. Mon dieu, right?