Want to know the best Marlon Brando movies? How about the worst Marlon Brando movies? Curious about Marlon Brando’s box office grosses or which Marlon Brando movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Marlon Brando movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Marlon Brando (1924-2004) owned the 1950s as an actor. He received 5 Oscar® nominations for Best Actor between 1952 and 1958. He had it all…. blockbusters, critical acclaim, and an Oscar® win. His movies generated over 200 million ticket sales in the 1950s. Unfortunately the 1960s were not so kind to him. One could argue, that every movie he made in the 1960s was a box office failure. By the early 1970s he was considered box office poison. It was during this time that movie magic would happen again. That of course, was his role in The Godfather.
The Godfather was a blockbuster hit that won Oscars® for Best Picture and Best Actor. The following year he earned another Oscar® nomination for Last Tango in Paris. Then he pretty much stop making movies. Over the last 30 years of his life he only made 10 more movies and they were pretty much supporting parts.
His IMDb page shows 47 acting credits from 1949-2006. This page will rank 37 Marlon Brando movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television appearances, shorts, cameos, video game roles and direct to DVD movies were not included in the rankings.
Marlon Brando 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
1972
The Godfather (1972)
AA Best Picture Win
AA Best Actor Win
1954
On the Waterfront (1954)
AA Best Picture Win
AA Best Actor Win
1951
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1979
Apocalypse Now (1979)
AA Best Picture Nom
1957
Sayonara (1957)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1978
Superman (1978)
1962
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
AA Best Picture Nom
1972
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
AA Best Actor Nom
1955
Guys and Dolls (1955)
1958
The Young Lions (1958)
Uncredited Role
2006
Superman Returns (2006)
1956
The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
1954
Désirée (1954)
1953
Julius Caesar (1953)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1961
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
1953
The Wild One (1953)
1968
Candy (1968)
2001
The Score (2001)
1952
Viva Zapata! (1952)
AA Best Actor Nom
1963
The Ugly American (1963)
1976
The Missouri Breaks (1976)
1964
Bedtime Story (1964)
1966
The Chase (1966)
1950
The Men (1950)
1994
Don Juan DeMarco (1994)
1965
Morituri (1965)
1990
The Freshman (1990)
1960
The Fugitive Kind (1960)
1969
Burn! (1969)
1989
A Dry White Season (1989)
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1967
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
1969
The Night of the Following Day (1969)
1966
The Appaloosa (1966)
1967
A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
1997
The Brave (1997)
Film Festival Circuit Only 
1971
The Nightcomers (1971)
1996
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
1980
The Formula (1980)
1992
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)
Marlon Brando 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 by Marlon Brando’s co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Marlon Brando movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost.
- Sort Marlon Brando movies by their yearly box office rank
- Sort Marlon Brando 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 Marlon Brando movie received.
- Sort Marlon Brando 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 | The Godfather (1972) AA Best Picture Win AA Best Actor Win |
Al Pacino & James Caan |
134.10 | 850.3 | 1,548.50 | 1 | 97 | 11 / 03 | 100.0 | |
| 2 | On the Waterfront (1954) AA Best Picture Win AA Best Actor Win |
Rod Steiger & Eva Marie Saint |
12.00 | 281.2 | 281.20 | 20 | 92 | 12 / 08 | 100.0 | |
| 3 | A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Vivien Leigh & Karl Malden |
13.70 | 295.7 | 295.70 | 4 | 85 | 12 / 04 | 99.6 | |
| 4 | Apocalypse Now (1979) AA Best Picture Nom |
Martin Sheen & Robert Duvall |
99.90 | 429.0 | 903.70 | 3 | 88 | 08 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 5 | Sayonara (1957) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
James Garner & Red Buttons |
24.60 | 473.0 | 706.90 | 3 | 83 | 10 / 04 | 99.6 | |
| 7 | Superman (1978) | Christopher Reeve & Gene Hackman |
134.30 | 618.7 | 1,383.40 | 3 | 83 | 03 / 00 | 98.4 | |
| 6 | Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) AA Best Picture Nom |
Trevor Howard & Richard Harris |
28.00 | 402.5 | 402.50 | 4 | 70 | 07 / 00 | 97.8 | |
| 9 | Last Tango in Paris (1972) AA Best Actor Nom |
Maria Schneider | 36.10 | 229.2 | 229.20 | 9 | 79 | 02 / 00 | 97.5 | |
| 8 | Guys and Dolls (1955) | Frank Sinatra & Jean Simmons |
19.60 | 407.2 | 407.20 | 7 | 77 | 04 / 00 | 97.4 | |
| 10 | The Young Lions (1958) Uncredited Role |
Montgomery Clift & Dean Martin |
12.80 | 230.0 | 230.00 | 8 | 74 | 03 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 11 | Superman Returns (2006) | Brandon Routh & Kate Bosworth |
200.10 | 327.8 | 640.70 | 7 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 96.3 | |
| 12 | The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) | Glenn Ford | 16.30 | 319.9 | 319.90 | 10 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.2 | |
| 13 | Désirée (1954) | Jean Simmons | 12.90 | 301.3 | 301.30 | 15 | 67 | 02 / 00 | 94.8 | |
| 14 | Julius Caesar (1953) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
James Mason | 6.10 | 110.0 | 213.40 | 43 | 82 | 05 / 01 | 93.8 | |
| 16 | One-Eyed Jacks (1961) | Karl Malden | 12.30 | 179.0 | 179.00 | 14 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 92.5 | |
| 15 | The Wild One (1953) | Lee Marvin | 8.60 | 155.2 | 155.20 | 24 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 92.2 | |
| 18 | Candy (1968) | James Coburn & Richard Burton |
21.10 | 173.3 | 173.30 | 13 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 89.3 | |
| 17 | The Score (2001) | Robert DeNiro & Edward Norton |
71.10 | 135.7 | 216.70 | 33 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 19 | Viva Zapata! (1952) AA Best Actor Nom |
Anthony Quinn | 5.30 | 103.4 | 103.40 | 60 | 73 | 05 / 01 | 88.1 | |
| 20 | The Ugly American (1963) | Sandra Church | 9.10 | 114.6 | 114.60 | 31 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 87.0 | |
| 21 | The Missouri Breaks (1976) | Jack Nicholson | 15.40 | 77.9 | 77.90 | 43 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 80.0 | |
| 24 | Bedtime Story (1964) | David Niven | 7.90 | 90.1 | 90.10 | 36 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 22 | The Chase (1966) | Robert Redford & Jane Fonda |
5.50 | 53.9 | 53.90 | 53 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 77.7 | |
| 23 | The Men (1950) | Teresa Wright & Directed by Fred Zinnemann |
2.40 | 54.5 | 54.50 | 124 | 72 | 01 / 00 | 77.7 | |
| 25 | Don Juan DeMarco (1994) | Johnny Depp & Faye Dunaway |
22.20 | 58.5 | 181.80 | 59 | 70 | 01 / 00 | 77.1 | |
| 26 | Morituri (1965) | Yul Brynner | 5.70 | 60.0 | 60.00 | 50 | 67 | 02 / 00 | 75.3 | |
| 27 | The Freshman (1990) | Matthew Broderick | 21.50 | 54.7 | 54.70 | 56 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 74.9 | |
| 28 | The Fugitive Kind (1960) | Joanne Woodward | 5.40 | 84.8 | 84.80 | 52 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 72.6 | |
| 29 | Burn! (1969) | Renato Salvatori | 2.70 | 20.8 | 20.80 | 80 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 70.0 | |
| 30 | A Dry White Season (1989) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Donald Sutherland | 3.80 | 10.2 | 10.20 | 120 | 75 | 01 / 00 | 66.1 | |
| 31 | Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) | Elizabeth Taylor & Directed by John Huston |
4.60 | 41.2 | 41.20 | 54 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 61.6 | |
| 32 | The Night of the Following Day (1969) | Richard Boone | 2.70 | 20.6 | 20.60 | 82 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 58.2 | |
| 33 | The Appaloosa (1966) | John Saxon | 3.50 | 34.3 | 34.30 | 70 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 41.0 | |
| 34 | A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) | Sophia Loren & Directed by Charles Chaplin |
2.80 | 24.5 | 24.50 | 80 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 30.6 | |
| 35 | The Brave (1997) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Directed by Johnny Depp | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 288 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 23.2 | |
| 35 | The Nightcomers (1971) | Stephanie Beacham | 3.00 | 19.3 | 19.30 | 91 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 22.3 | |
| 36 | The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) | Val Kilmer | 27.70 | 67.5 | 67.50 | 54 | 30 | 00 / 00 | 16.0 | |
| 37 | The Formula (1980) | George C. Scott | 9.60 | 39.8 | 39.80 | 76 | 37 | 01 / 00 | 12.8 | |
| 38 | Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) | Tom Selleck | 8.30 | 21.4 | 21.40 | 104 | 23 | 00 / 00 | 0.8 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Marlon Brando Table
- Sixteen Marlon Brando movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 43.24% of his movies listed. The Godfather (1972) was his biggest box office hit.
- An average Marlon Brando movie earned $144.60 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 28 of Marlon Brando’s movies are rated as good movies…or 75.67% of his movies. The Godfather (1972) was his highest rated movie while Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) was his lowest rated movie.
- Eighteen Marlon Brando movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 48.64% of his movies.
- Seven Marlon Brando’s movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 18.91% of his movies.
- A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) is 60.00 or above. 24 Marlon Brando movies scored higher that average….or 64.86% of his movies. The Godfather (1972) got the the highest UMR Score while Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) got the lowest UMR Score.
Adjusted box office grosses are used to make it easier, to figure out how successful a movie was when it was originally released and compare that to our current box office numbers. For example: The classic On the Waterfront grossed $9,240,000 in 1954. In 2014, $9,240,000 million would have ranked 134th for the year….right behind Mom’s Night Out. However its adjusted box office gross of $163,200,000 million would have finished 19th for the year right behind 18th place Gone Girl.
And finally….just found this page from Luna B. on HubPages….a very interesting read. Marlon Brando’s Top Ten Movies….highly recommend checking it out.
Steve’s Expanded Marlon Brando You Tube Video
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Lots of favourites here. Marlon Brando was a true professional.
Thanks for the visit Yuri
You got one thing right! The Godfather is the number one movie!
Hey Corleone….well The Godfather is the #1 rated movie in my entire database….so it had to Marlon’s top movie
My dad was a huge fan of Mr. Brando. This page reminds me of some happy days with my late father.
Hey Marlon Jr….glad my page brought back some nice memories
Never have been a huge fan of Brando. But seeing all of his movies together is pretty impressive.
Hey Tyler…at times his method acting can be very difficult to watch…but I give him credit he had a pretty impressive career….thanks for the comment and the visit
Bookmarked and will be back.
Thank you Thom43