Want to know the best Boxing Movies? How about the worst Boxing Movies? Curious about Boxing Movies did at the box office or which Boxing Movies picked up the most Oscar® nominations and Oscar® wins? Need to know which Boxing Movies movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
This page represents part 5 in a series of pages that are trying to identify the Top 100 Sports Movies . This page will look at the top 63 boxing movies. Movies are ranked by using a combination of box office results, reviews from audiences and critics and award recognition. To be considered for the page the movie had to be released at movie theaters. If you see a movie not on the list, just put the title in the comment box and I will add the movie as long as it was released in theaters.
As for this boxing page, we have two Oscar® winners for Best Picture….Rocky and Million Dollar Baby and numerous Oscar winning perfromances for playing boxers……Christian Bale, Hillary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Wallace Berry and Melissa Leo(although she won for playing a boxing manager/mother of boxer). The boxing movies in this page are broken down into three tables…Table One looks at the Top Ten Boxing Box Office hits, Table Two looks at the Top Ten Boxing Critical hits and Table Three ranks all 64 boxing movies from Best to Worst.
Boxing Movies Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Boxing Movies by the star of the Boxing movie
- Sort Boxing Movies by actual domestic box office grosses
- Sort Boxing Movies by adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort by how Boxing Movies were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Boxing Movie received.
- Sort Boxing Movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | UMR Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 2 | Million Dollar Baby (2004) AA Best Picture Win |
Clint Eastwood & Morgan Freeman |
100.5 | 190.1 | 410.10 | 24 | 90 | 07 / 04 | 99.9 | |
| 1 | Rocky (1976) AA Best Picture Win |
Sylvester Stallone | 117.0 | 645.4 | 1,240.10 | 1 | 79 | 10 / 03 | 99.8 | |
| 4 | Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Montgomery & Claude Rains |
3.9 | 162.4 | 162.40 | 55 | 84 | 07 / 02 | 98.3 | |
| 3 | The Champ (1931) AA Best Picture Nom |
Wallace Beery | 4.4 | 248.3 | 248.30 | 5 | 74 | 04 / 02 | 98.3 | |
| 5 | Gentleman Jim (1942) | Erroll Flynn & Alan Hale |
5.1 | 205.5 | 444.80 | 41 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 97.7 | |
| 6 | The Fighter (2010) AA Best Picture Nom |
Christian Bale & Mark Wahlberg |
93.6 | 139.3 | 192.30 | 35 | 88 | 07 / 02 | 97.6 | |
| 6 | Raging Bull (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert DeNiro & Directed by Martin Scorsese |
23.5 | 106.3 | 106.30 | 33 | 94 | 08 / 02 | 97.0 | |
| 9 | Champion (1949) | Kirk Douglas | 5.8 | 159.4 | 159.40 | 40 | 83 | 06 / 01 | 96.4 | |
| 11 | Creed (2015) | Michael B. Jordan & Sylvester Stallone |
109.8 | 153.0 | 241.90 | 28 | 87 | 01 / 00 | 95.3 | |
| 9 | Creed III (2023) | Michael B. Jordan | 156.2 | 170.3 | 299.10 | 16 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 95.3 | |
| 11 | Rocky II (1979) | Sylvester Stallone | 85.2 | 398.8 | 937.10 | 5 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 12 | Let's Do It Again (1975) | Sidney Poitier | 35.8 | 205.0 | 205.00 | 15 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 13 | Body and Soul (1947) | John Garfield | 3.8 | 120.2 | 120.20 | 91 | 84 | 03 / 01 | 92.4 | |
| 13 | Rocky III (1982) | Sylvester Stallone | 124.1 | 496.2 | 1,075.70 | 4 | 61 | 01 / 00 | 92.2 | |
| 15 | Creed II (2018) | Michael B. Jordan & Sylvester Stallone |
115.7 | 148.4 | 274.40 | 28 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 91.9 | |
| 16 | Kid Galahad (1937) | Bette Davis & Humphrey Bogart |
4.1 | 187.5 | 274.20 | 38 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 17 | Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) | Paul Newman | 5.7 | 122.1 | 122.10 | 52 | 77 | 03 / 02 | 90.5 | |
| 18 | City for Conquest (1940) | James Cagney & Anthony Quinn |
3.3 | 138.6 | 215.10 | 45 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 90.4 | |
| 19 | The Hurricane (1999) | Denzel Washington & Rod Steiger |
50.7 | 117.7 | 171.70 | 48 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 89.6 | |
| 20 | Rocky IV (1985) | Sylvester Stallone | 127.9 | 423.2 | 994.50 | 3 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 88.1 | |
| 21 | Rocky Balboa (2006) | Sylvester Stallone | 70.3 | 125.5 | 278.10 | 38 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 87.7 | |
| 20 | The Main Event (1979) | Barbra Streisand & Ryan O'Neal |
69.5 | 325.2 | 325.20 | 11 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 86.4 | |
| 23 | Hard Times (1975) | James Coburn & Charles Bronson |
17.1 | 98.2 | 98.20 | 40 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
| 22 | The Harder They Fall (1956) | Humphrey Bogart & Rod Steiger |
3.9 | 82.4 | 82.40 | 90 | 81 | 01 / 00 | 86.0 | |
| 24 | Ali (2001) | Will Smith & Jamie Foxx |
58.2 | 121.0 | 182.40 | 41 | 69 | 02 / 00 | 85.9 | |
| 25 | Real Steel (2011) | Hugh Jackman | 85.5 | 126.6 | 443.40 | 35 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 85.7 | |
| 28 | Cain and Mabel (1936) | Clark Gable | 2.3 | 108.1 | 108.10 | 88 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 82.8 | |
| 26 | The Set-Up (1949) | Robert Ryan | 2.3 | 62.6 | 91.80 | 135 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 82.7 | |
| 27 | Requiem For a Heavyweight (1962) | Anthony Quinn & Mickey Rooney |
3.1 | 49.2 | 49.20 | 75 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 81.5 | |
| 30 | Golden Boy (1939) | Barbara Stanwyck & William Holden |
3.0 | 126.7 | 126.70 | 75 | 56 | 01 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 29 | The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) | Myrna Loy | 1.6 | 80.6 | 174.10 | 58 | 69 | 01 / 00 | 80.0 | |
| 32 | The Champ (1979) | Jon Voight & Faye Dunaway |
30.4 | 142.5 | 142.50 | 29 | 49 | 01 / 00 | 79.8 | |
| 34 | Kid Galahad (1962) | Elvis Presley & Charles Bronson |
6.1 | 95.1 | 95.10 | 44 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 76.9 | |
| 33 | Southpaw (2015) | Jake Gyllenhaal | 52.4 | 73.1 | 128.20 | 53 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 75.8 | |
| 34 | Fat City (1972) | Jeff Bridges & Directed by John Huston |
2.6 | 17.8 | 17.80 | 104 | 82 | 01 / 00 | 75.1 | |
| 36 | The Great White Hope (1970) | James Earl Jones | 8.5 | 64.3 | 64.30 | 38 | 66 | 02 / 00 | 74.7 | |
| 37 | Winner Take All (1932) | James Cagney | 1.2 | 63.3 | 88.40 | 98 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 67.9 | |
| 38 | The Boxer (1997) | Daniel Day-Lewis | 6.0 | 15.3 | 42.30 | 136 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 67.6 | |
| 39 | The Fire Inside (2024) | Brian Tyree Henry | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.70 | 139 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 66.1 | |
| 39 | Girlfight (2000) | Michelle Rodriguez | 1.6 | 3.4 | 3.40 | 172 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 65.2 | |
| 41 | Rocky V (1990) | Sylvester Stallone | 40.9 | 113.7 | 333.20 | 31 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 64.8 | |
| 42 | Monkey On My Back (1957) | Cameron Mitchell | 0.7 | 15.0 | 15.00 | 179 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 62.5 | |
| 42 | Flesh and Fury (1952) | Tony Curtis | 1.7 | 37.1 | 37.10 | 169 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 58.6 | |
| 42 | The Greatest (1977) | Muhammad Ali & Robert Duvall |
10.3 | 54.1 | 54.10 | 59 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 56.6 | |
| 44 | Chuck (2016) | Liev Schreiber | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 222 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 52.7 | |
| 46 | Before the Fall (2004) | Max Riemelt | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.30 | 269 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 51.6 | |
| 45 | Big George Foreman (2023) | Forest Whitaker | 5.4 | 5.9 | 6.20 | 114 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 50.9 | |
| 46 | Bleed For This (2016) | Miles Teller & Aaron Eckhart |
5.1 | 6.9 | 6.90 | 167 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 49.6 | |
| 47 | The Survivor (2021) HBO Movie |
Ben Foster & Danny DeVito |
0.1 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 162 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 49.2 | |
| 49 | The Hammer (2007) | Adam Carolla | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.80 | 248 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 48.0 | |
| 50 | The Ring (1952) | Rita Moreno | 1.3 | 27.1 | 27.10 | 187 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 45.7 | |
| 51 | Night and the City (1992) | Robert DeNiro | 6.2 | 17.6 | 17.60 | 112 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 44.9 | |
| 51 | Tyson (1995) HBO Movie |
George C. Scott | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 275 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 43.4 | |
| 54 | Undisputed (2002) | Peter Falk | 12.8 | 25.9 | 25.90 | 136 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 40.4 | |
| 55 | Busted Up (1986) Limited Release |
Irene Cara | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 208 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 39.6 | |
| 54 | Resurrecting the Champ (2007) | Samuel L. Jackson | 3.2 | 5.4 | 5.50 | 190 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 39.4 | |
| 56 | Diggstown (1992) | James Woods & Louis Gossett Jr. |
4.8 | 13.7 | 13.70 | 123 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 38.5 | |
| 58 | Hands of Stone (2016) | Robert DeNiro | 4.7 | 6.4 | 6.40 | 171 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 38.4 | |
| 59 | Aztec Warrior (2016) Limited Release |
Luis Guzmán | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 298 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 37.1 | |
| 58 | The Power of One (1992) | Morgan Freeman & Daniel Craig |
2.8 | 8.0 | 8.00 | 140 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 36.6 | |
| 60 | Tough Enough (1983) | Dennis Quaid & Warren Oates |
2.4 | 9.1 | 9.10 | 109 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 34.1 | |
| 62 | Fighting Tommy Riley (2004) | Eddie Jones | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 392 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 33.7 | |
| 61 | Triumph of the Spirit (1989) | Willem Dafoe | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.20 | 184 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 28.2 | |
| 62 | The All-American Boy (1973) | Jon Voight | 1.3 | 8.6 | 8.60 | 145 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 24.3 | |
| 65 | Grudge Match (2013) | Sylvester Stallone & Robert De Niro |
29.8 | 43.1 | 64.90 | 91 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 23.7 | |
| 64 | The Great White Hype (1996) | Samuel L. Jackson & Jamie Foxx |
8.0 | 21.3 | 21.30 | 137 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 20.0 | |
| 65 | Homeboy (1988) | Mickey Rourke | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 251 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 16.7 | |
| 66 | The Challenger (2015) | MIchael Clarke Duncan | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 305 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 67 | The Calcium Kid (2004) Limited Release |
Orlando Bloom | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.30 | 298 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 70 | The Joe Louis Story (1953) | John Marley | 0.5 | 8.9 | 8.90 | 230 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 14.4 | |
| 70 | Gladiator (1992) | Cuba Gooding Jr. | 9.2 | 26.1 | 26.10 | 98 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 12.5 | |
| 72 | Tiger (2017) | Mickey Rourke | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 294 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 11.1 | |
| 72 | Phantom Punch (2008) | Ving Rhames | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.30 | 264 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 10.9 | |
| 74 | Body and Soul (1981) | Peter Lawford | 1.4 | 5.9 | 5.90 | 127 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 10.0 | |
| 75 | Streets of Gold (1986) | Wesley Snipes | 2.5 | 8.1 | 8.10 | 136 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 9.7 | |
| 76 | The Brawler (2019) Limited Release |
Joe Pantoliano | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 231 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 8.1 | |
| 77 | Price of Glory (2000) | Jimmy Smits | 3.4 | 7.5 | 7.50 | 152 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 7.4 | |
| 77 | Annapolis (2006) | James Franco | 17.1 | 30.6 | 30.80 | 125 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 7.0 | |
| 79 | Knockout (2000) | Paul Winfield | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 243 | 40 | 00 / 00 | 4.2 | |
| 80 | Play It to the Bone (1999) | Woody Harrelson | 8.4 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 132 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 3.6 | |
| 79 | Split Decisions (1988) | Gene Hackman | 0.7 | 2.0 | 2.00 | 198 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 3.5 | |
| 82 | The Savant (2019) Limited Release |
Robert Loggia | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 388 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 3.3 | |
| 81 | Against the Ropes (2004) | Meg Ryan | 5.9 | 11.1 | 11.10 | 158 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 3.0 | |
| 83 | Strength and Honor (2007) | Michael Madsen | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 321 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 0.9 | |
| 84 | The Great Fight (2011) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Robert Loggia | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 325 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 0.9 | |
| 84 | Carman: The Champion (2001) | Michael Nouri | 1.8 | 3.7 | 3.70 | 178 | 29 | 00 / 00 | 0.8 | |
| 87 | Teen Wolf Too (1987) | Jason Bateman | 7.9 | 23.7 | 23.70 | 88 | 22 | 00 / 00 | 0.7 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Boxing Movies Table
- Nine Boxing Movie crossed the magical $100 million mark. That is a percentage of 14.28% of his movies listed. Rocky (1976) is the biggest box office hit when looking at adjusted domestic box office.
- An average Boxing Movie grosses $61.40 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 38 Boxing Movies are rated as good movies…or 38.63% of his movies. Highest rated Boxing movie is Raging Bull (1980). Lowest rated Boxing movie is Teen Wolf Too (1987).
- Twenty-one Boxing Movies (Hoosiers) received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 33.33% of the listed movies.
- Nine Boxing Movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 14.28% of his movies.
- An average Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 39.86. 20 Boxing Movies scored higher that average….or 31.74% of his movies. Rocky (1976) got the highest UMR Score….Teen Wolf Too (1987) got the lowest UMR Score.
My other Sports Movie Links
- Top 100 Biggest Box Office Grossing Sports Movies
- Top 100 Best Reviewed Sports Movies
- Top 400 Sports Movies
- Ranking Baseball Movies
- Ranking Basketball Movies
- Ranking Boxing Movies
- Ranking Football Movies
- Ranking Golf Movies
- Ranking Hockey Movies
- Ranking Olympics Movies
- Ranking Racing Movies
- Ranking Soccer Movies
- Ranking Other Sports Movies poker, surfing, rodeo, curling and others
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Hey Bruce,
This is a great page. I am more than surprised though that Creed didn’t do better at the boxoffice. I was sure it was a bigger hit.
Hard Times is a fantastic Bronson/Coburn vehicle which truly showcases their respective talents and stays true to the era it represents but….it isn’t really a boxing movie. If it is then you gotta consider the Every Which Way duo….right?
Marcel
Hey Marcel….and you were 100% correct. The last time I updated this page Creed was still in theaters….the correct box office number is now in there. Thanks for the catch. I guess Every Which Way could be included….but they have aged so badly….I figured I would cut Clint a break and not included them…lol. I love Hard Times to….Coburn and Bronson made a great team.
Wow….Balboa owns the top ten!
I guess Mr Eastwood deserves a pass….genius has its priveledges.
Hey Marcel….yep this could be called the “Rocky” page….lol. Not thinking Eastwood is showing off his “monkey” movies during private screenings at his house…lol. They were monster hits for sure…and until American Sniper they were his 1st and 2nd biggest hits. And proud members of my Bad Blockbuster club…lol. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/bad-blockbusters/
A little beside the point, but I remember an ex-boxer and trainer called Mushy Callahan who “coached” actors for years in boxing movies granting an interview to Ring Magazine (for you younger folks, the major American boxing mag back then) and being asked which actor was the best boxing prospect. He answered that it would probably surprise folks, but he felt Elvis Presley had the most natural boxing talent.
Hey John….good stuff on Mushy Callahan (though I admit I have know idea who he is). So Elvis was the best boxer?….I find that very fascinating…..thanks for sharing. I am going to have to remember this page when Bleed For This hits theaters in a few weekes…..thanks for the feedback.
Hi
I’ve just got home from watching Southpaw. It was a very good show. Predictably quite dark and grim but ultimately uplifting in the end. Jake Gyllenhaal was superb and hopefully gets a nomination for best actor. Whittaker is definitely in for a shout for best supporting actor. Definitely a movie worth seeing.
Hey Chris….thanks for the mini review of Southpaw. Gyllenhaal is getting some serious Oscar buzz for this movie…I think the fact that critics were so-so are the movie might hurt him some….although audiences really like the movie. Good to see Mr. Whitaker in another good role…seems since he won his Oscar things have not gone so well. I updated this page to include Southpaw….it sits in 29th place…it is going to need some award season love to move up much more that. Southpaw is now on my Top 400 Sports Movie page. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/Top-400-sports-movies/
It is currently sitting in 145th place on that page.. Thanks for stopping by.
I enjoyed this page. Personally, I like Raging Bull and Rocky 1
@lesliebyars….hard to argue as they are both classic great movies….thanks for stopping by