Want to know the best John Barrymore movies? How about the worst John Barrymore movies? Curious about John Barrymore box office grosses or which John Barrymore movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Barrymore movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
John Barrymore (1882-1942) was an American actor. He appeared in movies from 1912 to 1941. He became famous around the world for his stage work…..most notably for his performances as Hamlet and Richard III. His portrayal of Hamlet led to him being called the “greatest living American tragedian”. This page will look at his movie career.. His IMDb page shows 65 acting credits from 1912-1941. This page ranks 42 John Barrymore movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. His shorts and many of his early silent films were not included in the rankings.
Drivel part: Recently, Hurricane Matthew left us without power for an extended period of time. During this down time, I spent some quality time with my box office sources and noticed I had lots of box office grosses on many of Barrymore’s movies. Since this was a requested (Flora) UMR subject, we decided to go ahead and publish a page on Drew’s grandfather.
John Barrymore Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1932
Grand Hotel (1932)
AA Best Picture Win
1938
Marie Antoinette (1938)
1937
Maytime (1937)
1920
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
1933
Dinner at Eight (1933)
1926
Don Juan (1926)
1936
Romeo and Juliet (1936)
AA Best Picture Nom
1934
Twentieth Century (1934)
1922
Sherlock Holmes (1922)
1939
Midnight (1939)
1933
Counselor At Law (1933)
1938
Spawn of the North (1938)
1937
True Confession (1937)
1926
The Sea Beast (1926)
1929
General Crack (1929)
1932
State's Attorney (1932)
1933
Topaze (1933)
1927
When a Man Loves (1927)
1932
Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
1929
Show of Shows (1929)
1931
Svengali (1931)
1933
Night Flight (1933)
1932
Arsène Lupin (1932)
1930
Moby Dick (1930)
1939
The Great Man Votes (1939)
1929
Eternal Love (1929)
1928
Tempest (1928)
1924
Beau Brummell (1924)
1941
Playmates (1941)
1938
Hold That Co-Ed (1938)
1937
Night Club Scandal (1937)
1931
The Mad Genius (1931)
1938
Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938)
1930
The Man from Blankley's (1930)
1940
The Great Profile (1940)
1934
Long Lost Father (1934)
1933
Reunion in Vienna (1933)
1932
A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
1938
Romance In The Dark (1938)
1941
World Premire (1941)
1937
Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937)
1937
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
1940
The Invisible Woman (1940)
John Barrymore 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 John Barrymore movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort John Barrymore movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort John Barrymore movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort John Barrymore movies how they 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 John Barrymore movie received.
- Sort John Barrymore 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) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | 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 |
| 1 | Grand Hotel (1932) AA Best Picture Win |
Greta Garbo & Joan Crawford |
3.50 | 172.9 | 363.20 | 9 | 81 | 01 / 01 | 99.5 | |
| 2 | Marie Antoinette (1938) | Norma Shearer & Tyrone Power |
6.50 | 260.8 | 472.10 | 15 | 76 | 04 / 00 | 97.3 | |
| 3 | Maytime (1937) | Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy |
8.70 | 362.0 | 664.40 | 4 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 4 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) | Martha Mansfield | 5.00 | 269.6 | 269.60 | 3 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 6 | Dinner at Eight (1933) | Jean Harlow & Lionel Barrymore |
4.00 | 187.2 | 288.70 | 12 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 7 | Don Juan (1926) | Jane Winton | 5.30 | 189.5 | 246.30 | 4 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 93.9 | |
| 5 | Romeo and Juliet (1936) AA Best Picture Nom |
Norma Shearer & Leslie Howard |
3.20 | 138.3 | 304.90 | 50 | 71 | 04 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 8 | Twentieth Century (1934) | Carole Lombard & Directed by Howard Hawks |
2.60 | 120.5 | 120.50 | 30 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 91.6 | |
| 11 | Sherlock Holmes (1922) | Roland Young | 3.70 | 179.8 | 179.80 | 6 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 9 | Midnight (1939) | Claudette Colbert & Don Ameche |
2.30 | 87.0 | 87.00 | 103 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 89.0 | |
| 10 | Counselor At Law (1933) | Melvyn Douglas & Directed by William Wyler |
2.00 | 95.7 | 95.70 | 34 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 88.7 | |
| 12 | Spawn of the North (1938) | Henry Fonda | 3.40 | 134.9 | 134.90 | 55 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 86.7 | |
| 13 | True Confession (1937) | Carole Lombard & Fred MacMurray |
2.90 | 118.4 | 118.40 | 84 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 86.0 | |
| 14 | The Sea Beast (1926) | Dolores Costello | 3.00 | 106.4 | 122.60 | 15 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 84.6 | |
| 15 | General Crack (1929) | Philippe De Lacy | 2.90 | 90.4 | 129.90 | 35 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 82.6 | |
| 16 | State's Attorney (1932) | Helen Twelvetrees | 2.10 | 101.0 | 101.00 | 34 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 81.9 | |
| 18 | Topaze (1933) | Myrna Loy | 2.30 | 107.5 | 107.50 | 29 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 81.7 | |
| 17 | When a Man Loves (1927) | Dolores Costello | 2.50 | 85.6 | 121.30 | 17 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 81.4 | |
| 19 | Rasputin and the Empress (1932) | Lionel Barrymore & Ethel Barrymore |
1.90 | 94.8 | 193.10 | 40 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 81.0 | |
| 20 | Show of Shows (1929) | Myrna Loy | 4.00 | 123.9 | 157.00 | 16 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 21 | Svengali (1931) | Donald Crisp | 1.10 | 54.5 | 75.60 | 142 | 73 | 02 / 00 | 79.1 | |
| 22 | Night Flight (1933) | Clark Gable & Robert Montgomery |
1.60 | 77.1 | 144.50 | 55 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 23 | Arsène Lupin (1932) | Lionel Barrymore | 1.70 | 83.3 | 155.40 | 51 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 77.8 | |
| 24 | Moby Dick (1930) | Joan Bennett | 1.80 | 96.0 | 132.20 | 70 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 77.0 | |
| 24 | The Great Man Votes (1939) | Peter Holden | 1.30 | 51.9 | 66.50 | 154 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 75.2 | |
| 26 | Eternal Love (1929) | Camilla Horn | 1.70 | 51.7 | 51.70 | 84 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 72.7 | |
| 27 | Tempest (1928) | Camilla Horn | 1.90 | 59.8 | 59.80 | 50 | 62 | 01 / 01 | 71.1 | |
| 27 | Beau Brummell (1924) | Mary Astor | 1.80 | 78.1 | 85.40 | 14 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 70.3 | |
| 28 | Playmates (1941) | Kay Kyser | 2.30 | 90.4 | 102.10 | 102 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 69.0 | |
| 29 | Hold That Co-Ed (1938) | George Murphy | 1.80 | 73.0 | 73.00 | 126 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 65.5 | |
| 30 | Night Club Scandal (1937) | Charles Bickford | 1.00 | 42.5 | 42.50 | 167 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 63.4 | |
| 31 | The Mad Genius (1931) | Marian Marsh | 0.80 | 42.2 | 60.70 | 162 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 62.4 | |
| 33 | Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938) | John Howard | 2.00 | 79.1 | 79.10 | 119 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 59.5 | |
| 32 | The Man from Blankley's (1930) | Loretta Young | 1.00 | 51.6 | 59.70 | 125 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 58.3 | |
| 34 | The Great Profile (1940) | Mary Beth Hughes | 1.00 | 38.5 | 38.50 | 168 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 53.9 | |
| 35 | Long Lost Father (1934) | Donald Cook | 1.00 | 45.7 | 45.70 | 112 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 53.2 | |
| 36 | Reunion in Vienna (1933) | Symona Boniface | 1.10 | 50.8 | 86.10 | 89 | 54 | 01 / 00 | 53.1 | |
| 37 | A Bill of Divorcement (1932) | Katharine Hepburn & Directed by George Cukor |
1.10 | 53.6 | 74.30 | 109 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 48.3 | |
| 39 | Romance In The Dark (1938) | Gladys Swarthout | 0.70 | 29.6 | 29.60 | 181 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 44.0 | |
| 38 | World Premire (1941) | Frances Farmer | 0.70 | 26.1 | 26.10 | 200 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 43.9 | |
| 40 | Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937) | John Howard | 0.90 | 39.3 | 39.30 | 172 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 41.2 | |
| 41 | Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937) | John Howard | 1.10 | 44.8 | 57.10 | 161 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 35.8 | |
| 42 | The Invisible Woman (1940) | Virginia Bruce | 0.60 | 21.9 | 21.90 | 203 | 51 | 01 / 00 | 27.6 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About John Barrymore
1. John Sidney Blyth was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1882. Barrymore was taken from his father’s stage name
2. John Barrymore’s Hamlet (1922) was the longest-running Broadway production of the play with 101 performances until John Gielgud played the part for 132 performances in 1936.
3. One third of the Barrymore siblings that were making movies back then. John was the only one of the three Barrymore siblings (John, Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore) to never win or even be nominated for an Academy Award; he is now considered the finest actor of the three.
4. 1932’s Rasputin and the Empress was the only film in which all three Barrymore siblings – John Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore – appeared together.
5. John Barrymore is the grandfather of Drew Barrymore.
6. John Barrymore was a good friend of Errol Flynn, who subsequently played Barrymore in 1958’s Too Much,Too Soon, a film about Barrymore’s daughter Diana Barrymore. I imagine there are some stories in that friendship.
7. Speaking of which (#6) After Barrymore’s death, his friends – including Errol Flynn and Raoul Walsh – gathered at a bar to commiserate on John’s passing. Walsh, claiming he was too upset, pretended to go home. Instead, he and two friends went to the funeral home and bribed the caretaker to lend them Barrymore’s body. Transporting it to Flynn’s house, it was propped up in Errol’s favorite living room chair. Flynn arrived and described his reaction in his autobiography: “As I opened the door I pressed the button. The lights went on and – I stared into the face of Barrymore… They hadn’t embalmed him yet. I let out a delirious scream… I went back in, still shaking. I retired to my room upstairs shaken and sober. My heart pounded. I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night.”
8. Check out John Barrymore‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Not Enough Stats For You? How About Adjusted Worldwide Box Office Grosses on 23 John Barrymore Movies?
| Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
| Maytime (1937) | Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy |
664.40 | |
| Marie Antoinette (1938) | Norma Shearer & Tyrone Power |
472.10 | |
| Grand Hotel (1932) AA Best Picture Win |
Greta Garbo & Joan Crawford |
363.20 | |
| Romeo and Juliet (1936) AA Best Picture Nom |
Norma Shearer & Leslie Howard |
304.90 | |
| Dinner at Eight (1933) | Jean Harlow & Lionel Barrymore |
288.70 | |
| Don Juan (1926) | Jane Winton | 246.30 | |
| Rasputin and the Empress (1932) | Lionel Barrymore & Ethel Barrymore |
193.10 | |
| Show of Shows (1929) | Myrna Loy | 157.00 | |
| Arsène Lupin (1932) | Lionel Barrymore | 155.40 | |
| Night Flight (1933) | Clark Gable & Robert Montgomery |
144.50 | |
| Moby Dick (1930) | Joan Bennett | 132.20 | |
| General Crack (1929) | Philippe De Lacy | 129.90 | |
| The Sea Beast (1926) | Dolores Costello | 122.60 | |
| When a Man Loves (1927) | Dolores Costello | 121.30 | |
| Playmates (1941) | Kay Kyser | 102.10 | |
| Reunion in Vienna (1933) | Symona Boniface | 86.10 | |
| Beau Brummell (1924) | Mary Astor | 85.40 | |
| Svengali (1931) | Donald Crisp | 75.60 | |
| A Bill of Divorcement (1932) | Katharine Hepburn & Directed by George Cukor |
74.30 | |
| The Great Man Votes (1939) | Peter Holden | 66.50 | |
| The Mad Genius (1931) | Marian Marsh | 60.70 | |
| The Man from Blankley's (1930) | Loretta Young | 59.70 | |
| Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937) | John Howard | 57.10 |
Cirrhosis by the Sea was a beach house notoriously shared by Errol Flynn and David Niven in LA whose official purpose was to provide a good time for celebs interested in “wine, women and song” but according to historians its unspoken raison detre was a more sinister one: for the celebs to prey on naïve and impressionable young female hopefuls newly arrived in Hollywood. and desperate to “get ahead”.
One historian opined that away from the screen Flynn was in fact NO hero by any stretch of the imagination but that he was a very “interesting” off-screen personality.
Ty Power was reportedly a frequent visitor to that boisterous and debauched LA beach house and it was apparently the drunken John Barrymore’s “home away from home” where he could often be seen staggering about in his cups and making a nuisance of himself.
Hi Bob, thanks for the review, generous rating (ooh), info and quotes, much appreciated. Happy you liked the posters, stills and lobby cards.
Oddly enough despite being the most ‘legendary’ of the Barrymore siblings, John was the only one of the three not to get an Oscar nomination. Ethel and Lionel both won Oscars. John has wondered why he was excluded – “I think they were afraid I’d show up at the banquet drunk, embarrassing both myself and them. But I wouldn’t have, you know.”
Midnight had the best average ratings on my chart and Bruce’s critics chart.
Six films scored 10 out of 10 including Grand Hotel, Dinner at Eight, Twentieth Century and Midnight. Three more scored 9 out of 10.
Midnight is no.1 at both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
“The way to fight a woman is with your hat. Grab it and run.”
“You can’t drown yourself in drink. I’ve tried; you float.”
[on viewing rushes when filming] “Oh, I LOVE to see the stuff! If I can do it at the end of the day. First thing in the morning it looks like a bad dream.”
HI STEVE
Thanks for the response. Interesting stats about John’s lack of Oscar glory in contrast to that of his siblings.
It’s also worth noting that whilst regarded as one of the prestige actors of Hollywood’s heydays and enjoying a reputation for being “The Great Profile” John is never mentioned among the all- round Legends in the way that for example kindred acting spirits Brando and Tracy and his female counterparts of his times like Crawford and Garbo invariably are.
Keep safe.
Another Barrymore and another lackluster number for me. I did notice that he and Lionel were both in Grand Hotel. That’s pretty cool. Seen: 0/42 or 0%
Favorite Top 10: N/A
UMR Snub (Too High or Too Low): N/A
Guilty Pleasure: N/A
Best Performance: N/A
P.S. You mention Ronald Reagan in the intro paragraph.
Hey BryRog57….well…..back in the day John Barrymore was considered to be the best actor in the world. Rasputin and the Empress actually has his brother Lionel and his sister Ethel in the movie….the only time all three Barrymores appeared in a movie together. His movie Midnight is pretty fun to watch. Thanks for the heads up on Reagan. Good feedback.
John Barrymore did not make a color movie.
*But he did make a color screen test for RKO as Hamlet in 1933 and that screen test survives. It is on you tube under John Barrymore as Hamlet. The best copy is the excerpt featuring an introduction by Orson Welles.
“some great performances were lost”
I always thought he would have been great for the title role in The Wizard of Oz if he had been able to keep his drinking under control.
In Midnight, he is excellent, but I noticed that in some of his scenes with Claudette Colbert he looks to the side while talking to her, I assume to read cue cards.
I also thought he was excellent in Marie Antoinette as Louis XV. Barrymore could still get it together for a top performance now and then.
Hey John. Great thoughts on Mr. Barrymore. I will have to check out his color Hamlet on you tube…thanks for the heads up on that. I think you are correct he would have made a wonderful Oz. I did not notice that in Midnight…I will keep an eye open for that in the future if I watch that one again. Thanks for the comment and the visit.
Hi, Bruce.
Thanks for my requested page on John Barrymore. I have only seen about 12 of his movies. Midnight is high on my list of to-see movies.
Hey Flora….good to hear from you….hope all is well. Glad you were able to check out your requested J. Barrymore page….so that is now 3 Barrymore people with UMR pages…I guess I will have to give Ethel one too. I think you will really enjoy Midnight….of the 500 movies I have seen this year….Midnight is in my Top 10….not thinking Midnight is going to make many 2016 Top Ten Movie lists….but it will mine…as I just saw and loved it only a few months ago. John Barrymore is outstanding in the movie. Let’s see….my tally is 5 as is Steve’s….so you have our combined total beat….granted that is not much of a surprise……but…. 2 of my 5 were watched this year….so I am coming for ya…lol.
Hi
I haven’t seen many of his movies but any I seen I was always impressed. I would agree that Midnight is probably his best movie. He’s also very good in A Bill for Divorcement and Grand Hotel. Sadly by the 30’s he was reduced to more supporting roles because of his age.
Obviously the stage witnessing him at his best.
The stories about his private life are very funny. He comes across as a real character. I’m sure his granddaughter Drew, has probably seen most of his films and is very proud of all the Barrymores.
If he was alive today, I would say he would have been a massive star, probably appearing in reality T.V. Great page!
Hey Chris…glad you agree with me about Midnight….so far this year I have seen about 400 movies….and right now Midnight has a spot on my Top 10….and his performance is one of the main reasons why. By the 1930s his hard living had caught up with him….which is a shame…because it seems that some great performances were lost due to his inability to make movies. Yep a John Barrymore reality show would probably be “must watch” tv. As always…thanks for sharing your thoughts on movies.