References in other media

Ever since the film's release in 1978, Midnight Express has become so popular, that it has had some references in various other media.

Airplane!
Captain Oveur says "Joey, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison?".

The Lego Movie
The film is a loose rip-off of Midnight Express.

The Simpsons

 * The scene in the episode "Treehouse of Horror II" where Homer gets caught at the airport is a spoof of the scene where Billy Hayes gets caught at the airport in Midnight Express.
 * In the episode "C.E.D'oh", Mr. Burns says that Smithers is "doing 80 years on an opium bust in a Turkish prison", referencing the movie Midnight Express.
 * The title of the episode "Midnight Rx" is a reference to the film's title.

SpongeBob SquarePants

 * In the episode "King Plankton", Plankton bites Patrick's tongue the same way that Billy Hayes did to Rifki in Midnight Express, though less violent. This is the first time that a reference to Midnight Express has been made in any Nickelodeon show.