Want to know the best Martin Lawrence movies? How about the worst Martin Lawrence movies? Curious about Martin Lawrence box office grosses or which Martin Lawrence movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Martin Lawrence 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.
Martin Lawrence (1965-) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, talk show host, and writer. Lawrence came to fame during the 1990s, most notably in the television sitcom Martin and the films House Party, Boomerang, Bad Boys, Wild Hogs, Nothing to Lose, Blue Streak, Life, Big Momma’s House, and A Thin Line Between Love & Hate. His IMDb page shows over 40 acting credits since 1987. This page will rank Martin Lawrence movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos, uncredited roles and movies that were not released in North American were not included in the rankings.
Martin Lawrence 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
2020
Bad Boys For Life (2020)
2024
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
1989
Do the Right Thing (1989)
2000
Big Momma's House (2000)
2003
Bad Boys II (2003)
1999
Life (1999)
1999
Blue Streak (1999)
1992
Boomerang (1992)
1995
Bad Boys (1995)
2006
Open Season (2006)
Voice Only
1997
Nothing to Lose (1997)
2007
Wild Hogs (2007)
1990
House Party (1990)
1996
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)
2006
Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
2008
Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
1994
You So Crazy (1994)
2010
Death at a Funeral (2010)
2001
What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
2003
National Security (2003)
1991
House Party 2 (1991)
2008
College Road Trip (2008)
2002
Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat (2002)
2001
Black Knight (2001)
2019
The Beach Bum (2019)
1991
Talkin' Dirty After Dark (1991)
2005
Rebound (2005)
2022
Mindcage (2022)
Limited Release
2011
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)
Martin Lawrence 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 Martin Lawrence movies by his co-stars
- Sort Martin Lawrence movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost.
- Sort Martin Lawrence movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost.
- Sort Martin Lawrence 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 Martin Lawrence movie received.
- Sort Martin Lawrence 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.
CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CreditRank | 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 | S | UMR Score |
1 | Bad Boys For Life (2020) | Will Smith & Alexander Ludwig |
204.40 | 240.0 | 491.2 | 1 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 96.1 | |
2 | Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) | Will Smith | 193.60 | 193.6 | 400.5 | 10 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.6 | |
3 | Do the Right Thing (1989) | Danny Aiello & Directed by Spike Lee |
27.50 | 74.8 | 101.3 | 41 | 91 | 02 / 00 | 90.0 | |
4 | Big Momma's House (2000) | Paul Giamatti | 117.60 | 235.1 | 347.1 | 17 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 87.6 | |
5 | Bad Boys II (2003) | Will Smith & Michael Bay |
138.60 | 247.8 | 488.7 | 11 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
6 | Life (1999) | Eddie Murphy | 63.90 | 136.1 | 156.3 | 36 | 61 | 01 / 00 | 86.2 | |
7 | Blue Streak (1999) | Luke Wilson | 68.50 | 146.0 | 250.9 | 31 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 85.3 | |
9 | Boomerang (1992) | Eddie Murphy & Halle Berry |
70.10 | 182.0 | 340.4 | 18 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 84.9 | |
8 | Bad Boys (1995) | Will Smith & Michael Bay |
65.80 | 163.1 | 350.4 | 27 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 84.8 | |
11 | Open Season (2006) Voice Only |
Ashton Kutcher & Gary Sinise |
85.10 | 139.4 | 323.3 | 24 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 83.6 | |
10 | Nothing to Lose (1997) | Tim Robbins & Giancarlo Esposito |
44.50 | 104.5 | 151.7 | 47 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 83.6 | |
12 | Wild Hogs (2007) | John Travolta & Tim Allen |
168.30 | 263.7 | 397.4 | 12 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 82.7 | |
13 | House Party (1990) | Robin Harris | 26.40 | 67.2 | 67.2 | 45 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 81.3 | |
14 | A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) | Lynn Whitfield & Regina King |
34.80 | 84.8 | 84.8 | 43 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 71.5 | |
15 | Big Momma's House 2 (2006) | Emily Procter | 70.20 | 115.0 | 224.5 | 39 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 65.2 | |
16 | Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008) | Martin Lawrence & Louis C.K. |
42.40 | 63.7 | 65.5 | 67 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 56.4 | |
17 | You So Crazy (1994) | Martin Lawrence Stand Up Comedy | 10.20 | 26.9 | 26.9 | 111 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 53.6 | |
18 | Death at a Funeral (2010) | Chris Rock | 42.70 | 58.4 | 67.0 | 75 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 50.3 | |
19 | What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) | Danny DeVito | 32.30 | 61.6 | 73.4 | 73 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 46.4 | |
20 | National Security (2003) | Steve Zahn & Colm Feore |
36.40 | 65.0 | 97.8 | 76 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 42.5 | |
21 | House Party 2 (1991) | Christopher Reid | 19.40 | 49.8 | 49.8 | 64 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 41.0 | |
22 | College Road Trip (2008) | Raven-Symoné | 45.60 | 68.5 | 76.4 | 62 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 37.0 | |
23 | Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat (2002) | Nancy O'Dell | 19.20 | 35.7 | 35.7 | 109 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 36.2 | |
24 | Black Knight (2001) | Tom Wilkinson | 33.40 | 63.8 | 63.8 | 69 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 26.3 | |
25 | The Beach Bum (2019) | Matthew McConaughey & Zac Efron |
3.50 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 151 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 18.6 | |
26 | Talkin' Dirty After Dark (1991) | John Witherspoon | 1.00 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 170 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 12.3 | |
27 | Rebound (2005) | Megan Mullally | 16.80 | 28.3 | 29.5 | 129 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 5.5 | |
28 | Mindcage (2022) Limited Release |
John Malkovich | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 205 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 5.1 | |
29 | Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011) | Brandon T. Jackson & Jessica Lucas |
37.90 | 51.5 | 112.4 | 81 | 21 | 00 / 00 | 2.6 |
Best IMDb Trivia on Martin Lawrence
1. Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence was born on April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt, West Germany, to American parents. His mother took his first name from slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King and his middle name from the late President John F. Kennedy.
2. Martin Lawrence claims he got his start as a comedian by cheering up his mother, who was forced to support her six children by cashiering in various department stores. His teachers used to give him the last few minutes of class to make his classmates laugh.
3. Agents discovered Martin Lawrence after seeing him on an episode of Star Search (1983).
4. The two leads for Bad Boys were originally intended for Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes. Will Smith ended up with the Eddie Murphy role and Lawrence ended up with the Wesley Snipes role.
5. Martin Lawrence’s fat suit in the Big Momma’s House movies, had built-in cooling tubes to help the actor. Lawrence had actually fallen into a coma whilst preparing for the film by jogging in extreme heat in a fat suit.
Check out Martin Lawrence’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. Emmy®, Tony® and Golden Globe® are also registered trademarks.
Martin Lawrence has never been on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list; these are the actors on the list he has appeared with.
11 SAMUEL L. JACKSON Do the Right Thing (1989)
29 NED BEATTY Life (1999/I)
46 KEITH DAVID Death at a Funeral (2010)
64 TOM WILKINSON BLACK KNIGHT (2001)
81 JOHN SAVAGE Do the Right Thing (1989)
93 TIM ROBBINS Nothing to Lose (1997)
95 JAMES EARL JONES Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
99 JOHN TURTURRO Do the Right Thing (1989)
132 PETER STORMARE Bad Boys II (2003)
148 WHOOPI GOLDBERG House Party 2 (1991)
160 DANNY GLOVER Death at a Funeral (2010)
165 PETER FONDA Wild Hogs (2007)
176 STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY National Security (2003)
176 STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY Wild Hogs (2007)
202 ERIC ROBERTS National Security (2003)
213 DANNY DEVITO What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
263 DANNY AIELLO Do the Right Thing (1989)
275 PAUL GIAMATTI Big Momma’s House (2000)
301 JOE PANTOLIANO Bad Boys (1995)
301 JOE PANTOLIANO BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (2020)
301 JOE PANTOLIANO Bad Boys II (2003)
306 JOHN LEGUIZAMO What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
346 MICHAEL MCKEAN Nothing to Lose (1997)
354 WILLIAM H. MACY Wild Hogs (2007)
364 RAY LIOTTA Wild Hogs (2007)
386 TCHEKY KARYO Bad Boys (1995)
398 MICHAEL SHANNON Bad Boys II (2003)
399 JOHN TRAVOLTA Wild Hogs (2007)
411 COLM FEORE NATIONAL SECURITY (2003)
457 DAVID ALAN GRIER Boomerang (1992)
480 KEVIN CORRIGAN Bad Boys (1995)
482 JOHN C. MCGINLEY Nothing to Lose (1997)
482 JOHN C. MCGINLEY Wild Hogs (2007)
507 TOM ARNOLD Rebound (2005)
571 LUKE WILSON Blue Streak (1999)
571 LUKE WILSON Death at a Funeral (2010)
573 RICHARD SCHIFF What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
582 RICHARD EDSON Do the Right Thing (1989)
601 LARRY MILLER What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
614 WILLIAM FORSYTHE Blue Streak (1999)
617 GIANCARLO ESPOSITO Do the Right Thing (1989)
617 GIANCARLO ESPOSITO Nothing to Lose (1997)
654 MARSHALL BELL Rebound (2005)
655 R. LEE ERMEY Life (1999/I)
721 JOHN HAWKES Blue Streak (1999)
764 FRANKIE FAISON Do the Right Thing (1989)
769 SNOOP DOGG THE BEACH BUM (2019)
818 BILLY CONNOLLY OPEN SEASON (2006)
820 MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY THE BEACH BUM (2019)
837 MARISA TOMEI Wild Hogs (2007)
918 MIGUEL SANDOVAL DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)
919 ANTHONY ANDERSON BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE (2000)
919 ANTHONY ANDERSON LIFE (1999/I)
948 MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN WELCOME HOME, ROSCOE JENKINS (2008
950 EDDIE MURPHY Boomerang (1992)
950 EDDIE MURPHY Life (1999/I)
979 CHRIS ROCK Boomerang (1992)
979 CHRIS ROCK Death at a Funeral (2010)
988 OSSIE DAVIS Do the Right Thing (1989)
HM (930) WILLIAM FICHTNER What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
Martin has appeared with 7 Oscar winners.
HALLE BERRY Boomerang (1992)
MARISA TOMEI Wild Hogs (2007)
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY THE BEACH BUM (2019)
OCTAVIA SPENCER BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE (2000)
OCTAVIA SPENCER BLUE STREAK (1999)
REGINA KING A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE (1996)
TIM ROBBINS Nothing to Lose (1997)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG House Party 2 (1991)
I saw 7, including 6 of top 7. no 10s, no 9s, no 8s. I guess I am not a fan.
Hey bob cox…..thanks for the feedback…especially since you are not a fan. I like him, just do not go out of my way to watch his movies. Gotta give him some credit…..he currently has one of his biggest hits in theaters….not too bad for a semi-retired actor. Good stuff.
I’ve seen 10 of the 27 films on the chart. Favorites are – Bad Boys 1 & 2, Wild Hogs and Open Season. It’s been ages since I saw Do the Right Thing, I should watch it again as a tribute to Danny Aiello. I remember having a good laugh at Death at a Funeral, might be worth another watch too. Blue Streak was okay from what I remember.
Bad Boys III looks like fun, but will it be Lawrence’s biggest hit?
Interesting trivia about the original Bad Boys line up – Wesley Snipes and Eddie Murphy, I wonder if they regret not doing it? Murphy would have been better cast in the Lawrence role. The more tougher Snipes the lead role. nyet?
Good stuff Bruce. Vote Up!
Hey Steve….thanks for checking out our Martin Lawrence page. Tally count….me 14, you 10 and box cox 7. I imagine I will view Do The Right Thing differently the next time I see it….especially when Aiello’s pizza man shows up. Seen all of your favorites…I liked the Bad Boys movies, and thought Open Season was decent. I did not enjoy Wild Hogs at all….never could understand how that one made so much money. Good point on the different roles on Bad Boys…..they probably would have changed the script to get Murphy the better role…as Murphy was a much bigger star than Snipes. Good stuff as always.
For the first time that I can recall I have to confess to having seen not even one film in a thespian’s filmography on Cogerson. That has been intentional as unfortunately Martin’s films do not appeal to me. Nevertheless if WH, Flora and Steve give us “have seen” totals I will try to avert my eyes!
Lack of interest in a performer’s type of movie or in his/her persona does not of course stop me from taking a movie buff’s academic interest in the career itself and I see that on top of his film work Martin was involved between 1987 and 2014 with 11 television productions [though regretfully 3 of them went unsold/unaired] and that in 1993 and 1995 he released two musical albums.
IMDB credits Martin with 5 acting awards and 11 nominations, though unfortunately one of the wins was a Razzle for 2011’s Big Momma: Like Father, Like Son. That will probably not annoy him too much though because he has built up a massive net worth of $110 million according the Celeb Net Worth site. That’s not surprising when one sees from WH’s table above that the first two Bad Boys flicks and the two most successful Big Momma films grossed around $1.2 billion in inflation-adjusted worldwide receipts.
He hs had in the past however some rather unfortunate Russell Crowe type issues in his private life, which one hopes that he has now put behind him for good. This new page is certainly timely and topical in view of the Bad Boys 3 release, and because as already said I am academically interested in Martin’s career I give the page a “Vote Up!”
Hey Bob. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, especially since you have not seen any of his movies. I have seen 14 of his movies. None would be considered favorites. Good stats on his very impressive net worth. He actually married one of our local girls, so for awhile he was seen often in this area. It was hard to find trivia on him without running into some of the negative stuff in Lawrence’s life. Good stuff as always.
HI BRUCE
Thanks for the feedback.
Interesting about Martin being seen in your area for a time.
14 is around 50% of the movies in the above tables so that’s good.
Hey Bob. Yep for awhile Martin was like an adopted son in this area, but then they divorced and he stopped coming to town. As for my total, what can I say, I am a movie watching machine. Already seen 31 movies in 2020.
HI BRUCE: Yes: movie stars can move so quickly in and out of relationships that if one of the latter is in your own area it can all too soon be a case of “Now you see him, now you don’t!”
Indeed when I worked in the shipyard in my boyhood I had a workmate who hated male film stars in particular because of their reputation for womanizing – Flynn and all that decadent lot were still around then! Morbidly, when Ty Power tragically died prematurely in 1958 and the rest of us were in shock that workmate greeted the news with “Good – there’s one more bed-hopper less!”
31 is an impressive “have seen” total in just 3 weeks. As none of the all-conquering modern franchises and so-called comedies released nowadays in the cinemas are to my taste I usually only stray out for a minority-audience art house movie such as Sir Maurice’s “Youth” whereas in my own youth I haunted the picture palaces. {“Oh – where are you today Bogie; How I miss you Laddie; Come back Thin Gal, all is forgiven!”]
However I watch a lot of television so that I probably see as much ‘screen’ as you with the difference being that whilst for me it is the small screen, you are the King of the Big Screen; I am Walter Brennan to your Spencer Tracy – and that pecking order is the way it should be!!!
My father though could probably have trumped us both in multi-media attention. He would for example sit and watch television and at the same time have the radio to his ear listening to something else, – provided of course that Brando wasn’t in either presentation! Keep safe and pass on my best wishes to the rest of Team C [this site’s A team of course!].
Hey Bob…that is what happened with Martin Lawrence and Hampton Roads. Good feedback.
He makes a nice comeback in Bad Boys for Life. Funny movie. Lawrence and Will Smith work well together.
Hey Taylor, thanks for the comment, visit and mini-review of Bad Boys 3. I will be seeing that one on home entertainment.Good stuff.