UltimateMovieRankings (UMR) has been ranking movies since 2011. Movies are ranked by using a combination of box office grosses, reviews, and awards. So far we have ranked 36,000 movies, written over 8,500 pages, been viewed over 25 million times, won three website awards, and have received over 50,000 comments on our pages.
Our vital links: Site Index, Newest Pages & Request Hotline. The Trending Now Sidebar lists our most popular pages in the last 24 hours.
Our Site Index lets you see what movie subjects we have already written about. The index lists the movie subjects alphabetically. Subjects go from classic performers like Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin to the stars of the 1960s like Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman to today’s most popular stars like Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt.
We like ranking movies…and that is what this website is all about. And we are not talking about a Top Ten list…we are talking about ranking all the movies in somebody’s career from Best to Worst. The criteria used for the rankings is box office grosses, critic reviews, audience voting, and award recognition. Every day the amount of movies ranked by Ultimate Movie Rankings increases ….our tally is now over 25,000 movies. The number one ranked movie is The Godfather ….coming in last is Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas. Thankfully our pages have been well received. Recently we crossed the 15 million view mark and are now read in over 230 different countries.
How we got here.
Sometime in 2010, for the millionth time I was looking at Joel Hirschhorn’s book Rating The Movie Stars (1983) when I wondered had he updated his ratings lately? A quick internet check provided the sad news that Mr. Hirchhorn had passed away in 2005. About a month later, I thought I could update the ratings. I then came up with an idea to create a mathematical equation that would create a numerical score for each movie. The first thing I had to come up with were factors for the equation.
So I thought….if I were producing a movie, what would I like to see my movie accomplish. The first thing I would want would be for the movie to be successful at the box office. Secondly, I would like the critics and moviegoers to enjoy my movie. And finally, I would like my movie to receive award recognition through Golden Globe® and Oscar® ceremonies.
There are all kinds of ways to determine if you want to see or skip a movie. You can depend on your favorite critic. My favorites are the late great Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin. You might go to Rotten Tomatoes to get the consensus of all the critics. You might watch the viewer ratings at Yahoo Movies and IMDB. You might depend on which movies are doing the best at the box office. You might wait for the end of the year awards.
Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score takes all of these options and creates a mathematical equation that generates a score from 1 to 100. The higher the score the better the movie. A “good ” movie score = 60 or above. So anything above 60 should be a good movie to check out. This gives a good comparison number between centuries and now my wife and I can argue over the merits of her favorite, The Sound of Music and one of my favorites, Pulp Fiction using the same scoring criteria.
So far, I’ve generated scores for 36,000+ movies. With these scores, I’ve written 1,000+ web pages with a focus on actors/actresses and similar groups (Star Trek vs Star Wars, Top 100 Sports Movies are examples).
So let’s look at the breakdown of the variables in the equation.
1. Box office results. Receives the second-highest percentage (30%) of the equation. The ceiling was 200 million in adjusted for inflation dollars. Any movie that crossed 200 million maxed out the points in the category.
2. Critics and audience reception. Receives the highest percentage (46%) of the equation. So where do I find critics/audience reception? I use many different sources: RottenTomatoes, IMDb, MetaCritic, Yahoo Movies, Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin, and Fandango. Put them all together and I get an average with 100% being the highest score possible. Sadly with the passing of my all-time favorite critic, Roger Ebert, I needed a new source….after much research…..our latest movie critic and taking Mr. Ebert’s spot is YouTube movie reviewer Chris Stuckmann.
3. Award Recognition. The final part of the equation is worth 24%. A movie gets points for Golden Globe® and Oscar® nominations and wins. The Golden Globes get 5% while the Oscars® get 13% of the equation. The last 6% goes to the amount of Oscar® nominations and the amount of Oscar® wins.
One way to see how the scores are calculated:
Top 200 Box Office Hits with Inflation + Top 100 Best Reviewed Movies + 88 Best Picture Oscar Winners = Top 100 UMR Score Movies
In January of 2011, we published our first Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score table on HubPages.com…we picked one of our favorite actors, Bruce Willis, to be the guinea pig. We have updated his page countless times over the years.
I have noticed that you do not have a link to Forums anymore. I miss being able to read others’ comments.
Hey Flora….I was toying with moving the Forums to a sub category in the heading…..it is back to where it used to be.
Wow wow wow….two months of summer vacation gone in the blink of an eye. Start the new school year tomorrow…..but I tried and jammed in as much as I could this summer. Two trips to New Jersey, two trips to Tennessee, one trip to Alabama and one trip to West Virginia. Wrote my third book, wrote 68 new UMR pages, went to the beach a few times (it is amazing…that when you live near the beach…you rarely go to the beach), put new flooring down in our television room, lots of swimming and lots of exercise. Bye Summer 2021…I will miss you.
Hello UltimateMovieRankings.com. I read in the first paragraph that you have 8,500 pages. Sadly I see that you do not have many pages on black people. I count only about 60 items on black subjects. That is less than 1%. You can do better than that! To be fair you need about 1000 more black subjects. I also see that Latinos and Asians are short changed too!
Angela Basett
Harry Belafonte
Halle Berry
Chadwick Bosman
Cocoa Brown
Jim Brown
Dave Chappelle
Don Cheadle
Morris Chestnut
Common
Bill Cosby
Scatman Cruthers
Dorothy Dandridge
Keith David
Viola Davis
Taye Diggs
Michael Clarke Duncan
Chiwetel Ejofor
Laurence Fishburne
Morgan Freeman
Danny Glover
Whoopi Goldberg
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Louis Gossett Jr.
Tiffany Hadish
Regina Hall
Kevin Hart
Taraja P. Henson
Djimon Housou
Jennifer Hudson
Samuel L.Jackson
James Earl Jones
Michael B. Jordan
Regina King
Queen Latifah
Martin Lawrence
Delroy Lindo
Anthony Mackie
Hatie McDonald
MoNique
Tracy Morgan
Eddie Murphy
Tyler Perry
Richard Pryor
Ving Rhames
Chris Rock
Richard Roundtree
RZA
Wesley Snipes
Octavia Spencer
Woody Strode
Cicely Tyson
Denzel Washington
Carl Weathers
Forest Whitaker
billy dee williams
clarence williams
Paul Winfield
oprah winfrey
Alfre Woodward
Hey Don’t Be Canceled. Thanks for the visit and the feedback. Interesting points you make. Let me break them down.
1. We here at UMR have never used race, sex or sexuality as a reason to do an UMR page on somebody or not to do a page on somebody.
2. Today we wrote a page on Mo’Nique, not because of her skin color, but on the fact that she was an Oscar winner….and we are trying to do a page on all the Best Supporting Oscar winners. We are not looking at some winners and saying…”she is not white….let’s not do a page on her”. We will eventually get an UMR page on all the winners….regardless of their skin color.
3. You said….”you have 8,500 pages”…..that is actually almost 9,000 subject pages, daily posts and movie trailer pages. I think we have about 1300 statistical breakdowns on actors and actresses.
4. We have never counted the amount of thespians by age, race, sexuality or gender…but looking at the list of 60 you mentioned…that does not include all…..as a quick look notices Jamie Foxx, Sidney Poitier and Will Smith did not make your list.
5. I know you are probably thinking these are just excuses…..so my question to you would be tell me which subjects in particular do you feel we need to get a page on? We have a request page, if you come up with a list….and I will be sure to eventually get them a page.
We are always trying to come up with a very diverse subjects….are we perfect….of course not…but we try to be diverse. Thanks again for this feedback.
HI DON’T BE CANCELLED: I support the comments that Bruce Cogerson has made in his post as I have long appreciated the fact that his site in the selection of its performers and subject matters does not discriminate one way or the other in relation to gender, sexual orientation race or politics.
As I see it the responsibility for any under-representation of coloured groups that you feel you observe lies with those at the heart of the movie industry and not with the organizers of this site. I feel that we have to bear in mind that the movie industry for years did not make films that gave coloured performers much of a look-in particularly in important roles.
Even where the occasional coloured performer was successful he/she could be insulted for his/her efforts. For example as late as 1939 Hattie McDaniel the first coloured performer to win an Oscar [as supporting Actress in Gone with the Wind] was not only banned from attending the Atlanta premier of that film but her name was banned from being mentioned on the initial release posters for the film.
With the first feature-length film historically recorded as having been made in 1906 [“The Story of the Kelly Gang”] It was not until the 6th decade of film-making that black superstars were able to start making headway as accepted bona-fide icons and household-names of film production.
Accordingly it is unfair to blame the organizers of this site if forces beyond their control and well before their time behaved in a manner that has resulted in stats that show coloured groups disadvantaged. For example Hattie McDaniel mentioned above made around 300 movies but was allowed to go on the credits of just 83 of them; and it’s worth mentioning that Hattie now enjoys her well-deserved page on THIS site.
Bottom line: if this site in any way discriminated in terms of race or gender I would not belong to it; whereas as it is I have posted comments on a number of occasions expressing my pleasure at the variety of races that get recognition on the Cogerson site and such recognition even extends to relative minor performers of ALL races and many shades of color whose artistic merits the site has observed and been only too pleased to highlight.
In short, Don’t Be Canceled, within the general spirit of your complaint I am on your side – but this site is far from being our enemy and I feel that THAT should be spelt out loud and clear. Anyway well done in speaking out yourself and for making your concerns on the subject known.
Hey Bob.
1. Thanks for the comment back.
2. You make good points, and they are greatly appreciated.
3. Hopefully Don’t Be Canceled will return and offer some specific requests.
4. I was talking to WoC about this comment….and we are not thinking it would be wise to start labeling these subjects by race, sex or sexuality.
5. As you know, and stated in your comment….we tend to avoid most aspects of a person’s life and only focus on their movies.
6. That being said, comments like the one mentioned, can only help make sure that UMR keeps being focused on being diverse.
Once again, thanks for the support…you are the man.
I don’t know why I’m putting this here. Edwin Maxwell was an Irish actor who died in 1948. Somehow he appeared with 50 Oscar winners (yes he speaks in all these films and even had a few leads).
ALICE BRADY Broadway to Hollywood (1933)
ALICE BRADY One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)
ALICE BRADY Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
ANNE BAXTER The Walls of Jericho (1948)
ANTHONY QUINN Parole Fixer (1940)
ANTHONY QUINN The Plainsman (1936)
CHARLES COBURN Heaven Can Wait (1943)
CHARLES COBURN Made for Each Other (1939)
CHARLES COBURN The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
CHARLES COBURN Wilson (1944)
CLAIRE TREVOR Street of Chance (1942)
CLAIRE TREVOR To Mary – with Love (1936)
CLARK GABLE Du Barry, Woman of Passion (1930)
CLAUDETTE COLBERT Cleopatra (1934)
CLAUDETTE COLBERT Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
CLAUDETTE COLBERT Practically Yours (1944)
CLAUDETTE COLBERT Since You Went Away (1944)
CLAUDETTE COLBERT Tonight Is Ours (1933)
DAVID NIVEN Cleopatra (1934)
DEAN JAGGER Brigham Young (1940)
DON AMECHE Heaven Can Wait (1943)
DON AMECHE Love Is News (1937)
DONALD CRISP THE LIFE OF VERGIE WINTERS (1934)
EDMUND GWENN The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
FAY BAINTER THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN (1934)
FREDRIC MARCH A Star Is Born (1937)
FREDRIC MARCH Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
FREDRIC MARCH Nothing Sacred (1937)
FREDRIC MARCH Tonight Is Ours (1933)
GALE SONDERGAARD THE BLUE BIRD (1940)
GARY COOPER Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
GARY COOPER The Plainsman (1936)
GEORGE SANDERS Love Is News (1937)
GEORGE SANDERS Slave Ship (1937)
GEORGE SANDERS The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945)
GINGER ROGERS You Said a Mouthful (1932)
GREER GARSON Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
HATTIE MCDANIEL NOTHING SACRED (1937)
HATTIE MCDANIEL SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944)
HATTIE MCDANIEL THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN (1932)
HELEN HAYES The Son-Daughter (1932)
HENRY FONDA Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
HENRY FONDA Slim (1937)
HENRY FONDA Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
JAMES CAGNEY ‘G’ Men (1935)
JAMES CAGNEY Lady Killer (1933)
JAMES CAGNEY The Mayor of Hell (1933)
JAMES STEWART The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
JAMES STEWART You Can’t Take It with You (1938)
JANE DARWELL Ann Vickers (1933)
JANE DARWELL Brigham Young (1940)
JANE DARWELL Emergency Call (1933)
JANE DARWELL Love Is News (1937)
JANE DARWELL Slave Ship (1937)
JANE WYMAN All the King’s Horses (1934)
JANE WYMAN Slim (1937)
JANET GAYNOR A Star Is Born (1937)
JANET GAYNOR Daddy Long Legs (1931)
JENNIFER JONES Since You Went Away (1944)
JOAN CRAWFORD Grand Hotel (1932)
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT CLEOPATRA (1934)
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT SLAVE SHIP (1937)
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT THE CRUSADES (1935)
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)
LAURENCE OLIVIER The Yellow Ticket (1931)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Camille (1936)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Christopher Bean (1933)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Dinner at Eight (1933)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Grand Hotel (1932)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Since You Went Away (1944)
LIONEL BARRYMORE The Yellow Ticket (1931)
LIONEL BARRYMORE This Side of Heaven (1934)
LIONEL BARRYMORE You Can’t Take It with You (1938)
LORETTA YOUNG Heroes for Sale (1933)
LORETTA YOUNG Love Is News (1937)
LORETTA YOUNG The Crusades (1935)
LUISE RAINER The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
MARIE DRESSLER Christopher Bean (1933)
MARIE DRESSLER Dinner at Eight (1933)
MARY ASTOR Brigham Young (1940)
MARY ASTOR Paradise for Three (1938)
MARY ASTOR Those We Love (1932)
MARY PICKFORD Kiki (1931)
MARY PICKFORD The Taming of the Shrew (1929)
MELVYN DOUGLAS Ninotchka (1939)
PAUL LUKAS Gift of Gab (1934)
PAUL MUNI Scarface (1932)
RAY MILLAND Ambassador Bill (1931)
SHELLEY WINTERS The Gangster (1947)
SPENCER TRACY Fury (1936)
SUSAN HAYWARD Campus Cinderella (1938)
THOMAS MITCHELL WILSON (1944)
VICTOR MCLAGLEN While Paris Sleeps (1932)
VICTOR MCLAGLEN Wicked (1931)
WALLACE BEERY Dinner at Eight (1933)
WALLACE BEERY Grand Hotel (1932)
WALLACE BEERY Slave Ship (1937)
WALTER BRENNAN Come and Get It (1936)
WALTER BRENNAN Fury (1936)
WALTER BRENNAN The Impatient Maiden (1932)
WALTER BRENNAN The Life of Vergie Winters (1934)
WALTER HUSTON American Madness (1932)
WALTER HUSTON Ann Vickers (1933)
WARNER BAXTER 6 Hours to Live (1932)
WARNER BAXTER Daddy Long Legs (1931)
WARNER BAXTER Slave Ship (1937)
WARNER BAXTER To Mary – with Love (1936)
Some updates:
1. Toying with adjusting the UMR formula. Big change is taking the Golden Globes out of the equation (5%), increasing the weight of the reviews and yet again decreasing the weight of box office. Seems the more streaming takes over the less importance of box office gold….while still important….but it is losing steam.
2. Less photos. In the last month got some contact from people about copywrite issues. Those pictures were deleted. Though I think I can still use the loophole for images as we are essentially reviewing movies here at UMR….I am not willing to fight that battle. So we made two decisions…..one photo per page…..using only public domain photos….and changing the photos we do use. This is actually adding in more time to write pages….even with less photos on each page.
3. Have started the third UMR book….it is about 25 pages completed….and will be about ranking movies by category….hoping to finish before school really gets going….but that might be too much to accomplish.
4. I am now a fully licensed teacher…..what a long trek….from substitute teacher to a real teacher. I still remember thinking that being a sub would be about passing out papers and researching stuff for UMR. Well that did not turn out to be the case at all. First forward 7 years…..now I am a real teacher…..have increased my yearly class numbers from 124 students to 236 students (that means I lost my planning bells but get paid more). I am now the STEM club, Broadcast club and SCA co-sponsor.
This concludes the UMR State of the Union address,
Thanks for the behind the scenes update on your website. Congratulations on being a full-fledged teacher.
Thanks for reading our UMR State of the Union address…and thanks for the kudos about me getting my official teaching license….it it good until….a scary 2031. How can 2031 be so close? Good stuff as always.
Good for you, Bruce!
Sounds like you’re teaching in high school?
I’ve been a Special Ed Aide and about to be 62 and I’m opting out!
Ships in the night in education…
Love what you do here,
Rick
Hey Rick. Thanks for stopping by…and thanks for sharing our Marilyn Monroe page on your Facebook movie page. As for my teaching information…I am a Technology teacher for a middle school. So I get 6th, 7th and 8th graders every year. Thanks for the kind words about UMR.