Want to know the best John Travolta movies? How about the worst John Travolta movies? Curious about John Travolta’s box office grosses or which John Travolta movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Travolta movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
John Travolta (1954-) is a two-time Academy Award® nominated actor. His career has been one serious roller coaster ride filled some serious peaks and serious lows. A movie career can not start off any better than how Travolta’s did after the mega success of 1977’s Saturday Night Fever and 1978’s Grease. After 1983’s Staying Alive was destroyed by critics, his career took a turn for the worse. From 1983-1993 the only success he had was 1989’s Look Who’s Talking. Then came 1994’s Pulp Fiction….which turned Travolta back into a huge box office draw. From 1994 to 2009 he appeared in many box office successes with Get Shorty, The General’s Daughter, Face-Off, Wild Hogs and Michael being some of the bigger box office hits. Since 2009 things have slowed down for Travolta….can he reach the summit for the third time?….we hope so.
His IMDb page shows over 90 acting credits since 1972. This page will rank John Travolta movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings.
John Travolta 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
1994
Pulp Fiction (1994)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1997
Face/Off (1997)
1977
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
AA Best Actor Nom
1976
Carrie (1976)
2007
Hairspray (2007)
1978
Grease (1978)
1995
Get Shorty (1995)
2008
Bolt (2008)
1980
Urban Cowboy (1980)
1989
Look Who's Talking (1989)
1998
The Thin Red Line (1998)
AA Best Picture Nom
1996
Phenomenon (1996)
1996
Broken Arrow (1996)
1998
A Civil Action (1998)
1999
The General's Daughter (1999)
1996
Michael (1996)
1998
Primary Colors (1998)
1981
Blow Out (1981)
2007
Wild Hogs (2007)
2004
Ladder 49 (2004)
2009
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
1983
Staying Alive (1983)
2001
Swordfish (2001)
2012
Savages (2012)
2005
Be Cool (2005)
2016
In a Valley of Violence (2016)
1990
Look Who's Talking Too (1990)
1997
She's So Lovely (1997)
2004
The Punisher (2004)
2015
Criminal Activities (2015)
2010
From Paris with Love (2010)
2006
Lonely Hearts (2006)
2001
Domestic Disturbance (2001)
2015
Life on the Line (2015)
1997
Mad City (1997)
2003
Basic (2003)
2004
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
1985
Perfect (1985)
1990
Chains of Gold (1990)
1983
Two of a Kind (1983)
2023
Die Hart (2023)
Amazon
1991
Shout (1991)
2018
Gotti (2018)
2019
The Poison Rose (2019)
Limited Release
1978
Moment by Moment (1978)
2009
Old Dogs (2009)
2000
Lucky Numbers (2000)
2022
Paradise City (2022)
2018
Speed Kills (2018)
Limited Release
1995
White Man's Burden (1995)
1989
The Experts (1989)
1993
Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
1975
The Devil's Rain (1975)
2013
Killing Season (2013)
2000
Battlefield Earth (2000)
John Travolta 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 Travolta movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort John Travolta movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort John Travolta movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort John Travolta 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 Travolta movie received.
- Sort John Travolta 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
Pulp Fiction (1994)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor NomBruce Willis &
Samuel L. Jackson107.90
285.2
565.20
10
94
07 / 01
99.7
2
Face/Off (1997)
Nicolas Cage &
Joan Allen112.30
263.7
577.00
10
83
00 / 00
97.9
3
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
AA Best Actor NomKaren Lynn Gorney
90.20
436.1
1,126.90
5
82
01 / 00
97.9
6
Carrie (1976)
Sissy Spacek
33.80
171.1
171.10
17
87
02 / 00
97.3
7
Hairspray (2007)
Christopher Walken
118.90
186.3
317.40
23
85
00 / 00
97.2
4
Grease (1978)
Olivia Newton-John
179.90
828.7
1,778.60
1
77
01 / 00
96.8
8
Get Shorty (1995)
Gene Hackman
72.10
178.7
285.20
19
80
00 / 00
96.0
9
Bolt (2008)
Miley Cyrus
114.10
171.2
465.40
23
79
01 / 00
95.1
10
Urban Cowboy (1980)
Debra Winger
46.90
194.5
194.50
16
68
00 / 00
94.2
11
Look Who's Talking (1989)
Bruce Willis
140.10
380.4
806.50
5
56
00 / 00
91.2
12
The Thin Red Line (1998)
AA Best Picture NomNick Nolte
36.40
83.7
225.50
57
81
07 / 00
90.9
12
Phenomenon (1996)
Robert Duvall
104.60
255.2
255.20
12
54
00 / 00
89.8
13
Broken Arrow (1996)
Christian Slater
70.80
172.6
366.50
20
60
00 / 00
89.6
15
A Civil Action (1998)
Robert Duvall
56.70
130.3
130.30
37
67
02 / 00
88.0
16
The General's Daughter (1999)
Madeleine Stowe
102.70
218.8
218.80
19
45
00 / 00
86.9
14
Michael (1996)
William Hurt
95.30
232.5
292.00
16
44
00 / 00
86.9
17
Primary Colors (1998)
Emma Thompson
39.00
89.6
119.70
52
75
00 / 00
85.5
18
Blow Out (1981)
John Lithgow
12.00
46.5
46.50
67
86
00 / 00
83.9
19
Wild Hogs (2007)
Tim Allen
168.30
263.7
397.40
12
35
00 / 00
82.7
20
Ladder 49 (2004)
Joaquin Phoenix
74.50
129.4
174.60
38
53
00 / 00
80.0
21
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Denzel Washington
65.50
94.1
215.80
49
59
00 / 00
76.2
22
Staying Alive (1983)
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
64.90
222.1
436.70
9
22
00 / 00
73.2
24
Swordfish (2001)
Hugh Jackman
69.80
133.1
280.60
35
41
00 / 00
72.1
23
Savages (2012)
Directed by Oliver Stone
47.40
64.2
112.40
70
62
00 / 00
70.4
27
Be Cool (2005)
Dwayne Johnson &
Vince Vaughn56.00
94.4
160.40
49
39
00 / 00
48.2
25
In a Valley of Violence (2016)
Ethan Hawke
0.10
0.1
0.10
284
68
00 / 00
48.0
29
Look Who's Talking Too (1990)
Bruce Willis
47.80
121.8
212.20
24
28
00 / 00
42.8
26
She's So Lovely (1997)
Sean Penn
7.30
17.1
17.10
126
60
00 / 00
41.8
31
The Punisher (2004)
Thomas Jane
33.80
58.7
95.00
83
43
00 / 00
34.4
28
Criminal Activities (2015)
Dan Stevens
0.10
0.1
0.50
271
62
00 / 00
34.0
32
From Paris with Love (2010)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
24.10
32.9
32.90
107
50
00 / 00
30.3
30
Lonely Hearts (2006)
Salma Hayek
0.20
0.3
0.30
288
60
00 / 00
30.0
35
Domestic Disturbance (2001)
Vince Vaughn
45.20
86.3
103.50
54
33
00 / 00
29.5
33
Life on the Line (2015)
Sharon Stone
0.10
0.1
0.10
308
58
00 / 00
26.5
34
Mad City (1997)
Dustin Hoffman
10.50
24.8
24.80
114
50
00 / 00
25.0
36
Basic (2003)
Samuel L. Jackson
26.80
47.9
76.50
95
41
00 / 00
21.9
37
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
Scarlett Johansson
0.20
0.3
3.20
262
52
00 / 00
15.9
39
Perfect (1985)
Jamie Lee Curtis
12.90
39.2
39.20
69
36
00 / 00
11.7
38
Chains of Gold (1990)
Hector Elizondo
0.00
0.1
0.10
265
49
00 / 00
11.5
40
Two of a Kind (1983)
Olivia Newton-John
23.60
80.9
80.90
29
22
00 / 00
9.8
41
Die Hart (2023)
Amazon Kevin Hart &
Josh Hartnett0.10
0.1
0.10
222
46
00 / 00
8.8
40
Shout (1991)
Heather Graham
3.50
9.1
9.10
134
42
00 / 00
7.8
41
Gotti (2018)
Stacy Keach
4.30
5.1
7.00
163
43
00 / 00
7.1
42
The Poison Rose (2019)
Limited ReleaseMorgan Freeman &
Brendan Fraser0.10
0.1
0.40
323
44
00 / 00
6.5
44
Moment by Moment (1978)
Lily Tomlin
11.00
50.5
50.50
55
28
00 / 00
6.3
45
Old Dogs (2009)
Robin Williams
49.50
71.1
139.10
60
20
00 / 00
5.6
46
Lucky Numbers (2000)
Lisa Kudrow
10.00
20.1
20.10
125
35
00 / 00
4.9
48
Paradise City (2022)
Bruce Willis
0.10
0.1
0.20
159
41
00 / 00
4.5
48
Speed Kills (2018)
Limited Release Matthew Modine
0.10
0.1
0.20
264
41
00 / 00
4.4
50
White Man's Burden (1995)
Harry Belafonte
3.70
9.3
9.30
154
38
00 / 00
4.3
49
The Experts (1989)
Arye Gross
0.20
0.5
0.50
196
34
00 / 00
1.7
51
Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
Kirstie Alley &
Diane Keaton10.30
26.9
26.90
107
24
00 / 00
1.2
53
The Devil's Rain (1975)
Ernest Borgnine
1.50
8.0
8.00
129
30
00 / 00
1.2
52
Killing Season (2013)
Robert DeNiro
0.10
0.1
0.10
246
30
00 / 00
0.8
53
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Forest Whitaker
21.50
42.9
42.90
94
12
00 / 00
0.3
Adjusted John Travolta Adjusted Worldwide Box Office Grosses
| 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 |
| Grease (1978) | Olivia Newton-John | 1,778.60 | |
| Saturday Night Fever (1977) AA Best Actor Nom |
Karen Lynn Gorney | 1,126.90 | |
| Look Who's Talking (1989) | Bruce Willis | 806.50 | |
| Face/Off (1997) | Nicolas Cage & Joan Allen |
577.00 | |
| Pulp Fiction (1994) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Bruce Willis & Samuel L. Jackson |
565.20 | |
| Bolt (2008) | Miley Cyrus | 465.40 | |
| Staying Alive (1983) | Directed by Sylvester Stallone | 436.70 | |
| Wild Hogs (2007) | Tim Allen | 397.40 | |
| Broken Arrow (1996) | Christian Slater | 366.50 | |
| Hairspray (2007) | Christopher Walken | 317.40 | |
| Michael (1996) | William Hurt | 292.00 | |
| Get Shorty (1995) | Gene Hackman | 285.20 | |
| Swordfish (2001) | Hugh Jackman | 280.60 | |
| The Thin Red Line (1998) AA Best Picture Nom |
Nick Nolte | 225.50 | |
| The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) | Denzel Washington | 215.80 | |
| Look Who's Talking Too (1990) | Bruce Willis | 212.20 | |
| Ladder 49 (2004) | Joaquin Phoenix | 174.60 | |
| Be Cool (2005) | Dwayne Johnson & Vince Vaughn |
160.40 | |
| Old Dogs (2009) | Robin Williams | 139.10 | |
| Primary Colors (1998) | Emma Thompson | 119.70 | |
| Savages (2012) | Directed by Oliver Stone | 112.40 | |
| Domestic Disturbance (2001) | Vince Vaughn | 103.50 | |
| The Punisher (2004) | Thomas Jane | 95.00 | |
| Basic (2003) | Samuel L. Jackson | 76.50 | |
| Gotti (2018) | Stacy Keach | 7.00 | |
| A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) | Scarlett Johansson | 3.20 | |
| Criminal Activities (2015) | Dan Stevens | 0.50 | |
| The Poison Rose (2019) Limited Release |
Morgan Freeman & Brendan Fraser |
0.40 | |
| Paradise City (2022) | Bruce Willis | 0.20 | |
| Speed Kills (2018) Limited Release |
Matthew Modine | 0.20 |
Check out John Travolta’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Pulp Fiction in Chronological Order
Steve’s John Travolta You Tube Video
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
Surprised I didn’t comment on this page before, a great job of updating Bruce, well done amigo.
Okay let me see where my favourite Travolta film Battlefield Earth is on your charts… hmm not in the top 10… an oversight? Gaah it’s nearly last! That was an award winning movie!
But seriously… I was just commenting in Jools Pulp Fiction hub and its cool to see Pulp Fiction at the top of your chart, a classic movie and even more quotable than Battlefield Earth.
I’ve seen all the top 10 films, the strangest Travolta role isn’t as an alien with dreadlocks its his role in Hairspray, what was he thinking?
I’ve seen 28 of the 45 films you’ve listed. The earliest is The Devil’s Rain and the newest From Paris With Love.
Blow Out should have been in the top 10, give Hairspray the boot. 🙂
Looking forward to seeing Savages, but not at the cinema.
Hey Steve….thanks for finally commenting…..everyday for the past 17 months the first thing I did was check this hub to see if you had commented on it yet…..tomorrow morning I will have to change my wakeup routine…..lol.
I will have to go and check out Jools99’s Pulp Fiction hub….that is one of my Top 5 films ever…so I am also glad that it tops the charts here. I have seen 33 of the 45 mentioned….I have been looking for The Devil’s Rain for awhile now…but so far it has escaped me….but Shatner, Borgnine and Travolta in cheap horror movie….it has my interest.
Blow Out is a pretty underrated movie….I think it is one of his best performances….for some reason I have stayed away from Hairspray….I saw the John Waters version were Divine played the Travolta part…and like you say what was he thinking.
Thanks for the votes and the Pulp Fiction notice….they are both greatly appreciated.
Hey John,
You won me over as Vinnie Barbarino (Ba Ba Ba ,Ba baba rino)! I could definitely tell by the way you used your walk in Saturday Night Fever that you were a woman’s man, no time to talk! Your role as Tony will forever be etched in my brain! I wore out my Bee Gees albums trying to dance like you…heck I still attempt the Tony dance moves when I hear songs from those flicks! WOW I just realized (thanks to cogerson’s movie score hub which is outstanding and deserves a shout-out by you) that I’ve seen 39 of your movies!! I had no idea!!
I still haven’t seen The Takin Of Pelham 1 2 3, I have no idea why BUT I will do so asap! I did think you were a bit MEAN to Nicolas Cage in Face-Off, seriously that just wasn’t nice!! I loved your character in Michael, so sad yet so beautiful. Carrie made me NOT go to my HS Prom! Ewwww! Just joking!
Old Dogs, Be Cool, Urban Cowboy, Blow Out … Fantastic! I could go on but I’m probably holding you up from fueling up your jet and taking your family for a spin through the blue skies!
One more thing…Ocala is only a stone’s throw from Orlando so in case you ever get the desire to invite your #1 fan over for brunch…I’m there! No fear of stalking! I’m not that type of fan. At least I don’t think so 🙂
I do wish I was on that flight when you took Oprah and her #1 fans to Australia SO just in case that happens again…hook me up, please!
My best to your family! Kelly is one lucky lady!
-Sunshine
Great comment Sunshine….you can really tell you are a Travolta fan….I learned a few things just reading your letter. So where you listening to the Bee Gees on 8 track? I know during that time 8 tracks were the big cool item. I always appreciate your comments….but I really like your “Letter to the Stars” comments…very entertaining.
Faceoff was so much fun watching nick gage playing john trovolta and vesa versa.
I noticed in pulp fiction every time john went in the bathroom something happened in the other room. Uma O,D,ed, Tim Roth robbed the diner, Willis found his gun on the kitchen counter.
I agree ruffridyer….you would think Vincent Vega would have figured out that going to the bathroom was a bad idea….lol…..good eye on that…..here is one of my favorite pieces of trivia……Vincent Vega and Mr. Blonde are brothers in the Quentin Tarantino world….he is thinking about doing a movie called The Vega Brothers about their early years….thanks for the comments
i like this guy. he is acting so good. thanks for sharing.
daffidoli2000…I agree with you
Hey, he was kinda sexy when he was younger. I have never seen Saturday Night Fever, I will have to check that one out. Good job Cogerson.
KellyE…..Saturday Night Fever was a huge blockbuster back in the day….I do not think it is a movie that has aged well