Want to know the best Michael Douglas movies? How about the worst Michael Douglas movies? Curious about Michael Douglas’s box office grosses or which Michael Douglas movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Michael Douglas movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
When trying to figure which movie page to do next, I was getting numerous suggestions for one of the most famous father/son actors in Hollywood history, Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas. So I decided to do both of them. You can check out the Kirk Douglas’ page at this link Kirk Douglas Movies. Before doing this page, I was aware that Michael Douglas’ big break was on the television show, The Streets of San Francisco (1972-1976).
Before writing this page I did not know that Michael Douglas (1944-) was nominated for a Golden Globe® as best newcomer in the 1969 movie Hail, Hero! It would be 15 years before he would become a movie star. In 1984, he starred in the box office smash, Romancing the Stone, co-starring Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito.
From 1984-2000, Douglas would become one of the biggest and most bankable movie stars acting in movies. He would appear in the box office hits like….Fatal Attraction (1987), War of the Roses (1989), Basic Instinct (1992), Disclosure (1994) and A Perfect Murder (1998)….and critically acclaimed movies like Wall Street (he won an Oscar® for his role), The American President, and Traffic (won Oscar® for Best Picture).
It was announced on August 16, 2010, that Douglas was suffering from throat cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment. After losing 32 pounds due to the treatment, Douglas went back to work and has been working steadily.
His IMDb page shows 59 acting credits from 1966-2017. This page will rank 42 Michael Douglas 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.
Michael Douglas 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
2000
Traffic (2000)
AA Best Picture Nom
2019
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
1987
Fatal Attraction (1987)
AA Best Picture Nom
1979
The China Syndrome (1979)
1989
The War of the Roses (1989)
2015
Ant-Man (2015)
2018
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
1984
Romancing the Stone (1984)
1994
Disclosure (1994)
1995
The American President (1995)
1992
Basic Instinct (1992)
1978
Coma (1978)
1985
The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
1987
Wall Street (1987)
AA Best Actor Win
1997
The Game (1997)
1998
A Perfect Murder (1998)
1993
Falling Down (1993)
1989
Black Rain (1989)
2000
Wonder Boys (2000)
1996
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
2010
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
2011
Haywire (2011)
2006
You, Me and Dupree (2006)
2013
Last Vegas (2013)
1980
It's My Turn (1980)
2001
Don't Say a Word (2001)
2009
Solitary Man (2009)
1983
The Star Chamber (1983)
2013
Behind The Candelabra (2013)
HBO Movie
2006
The Sentinel (2006)
2007
King of California (2007)
1971
Summertree (1971)
2009
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
1985
A Chorus Line (1985)
1979
Running (1979)
2017
Unlocked (2017)
1992
Shining Through (1992)
1972
Napoleon and Samantha (1972)
1970
Adam At Six A.M. (1970)
2003
The In-Laws (2003)
2001
One Night at McCool's (2001)
2003
It Runs in the Family (2003)
2014
And So It Goes (2014)
2014
Beyond The Reach (2014)
1969
Hail, Hero! (1969)
2009
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
Michael Douglas 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 Michael Douglas movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Michael Douglas movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Michael Douglas movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Michael Douglas 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 Michael Douglas movie received.
- Sort Michael Douglas 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.
- Use the sort and search buttons to make this a very interactive table.
| 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 | Traffic (2000) AA Best Picture Nom |
Dennis Quaid & Catherine Zeta-Jones |
124.10 | 248.2 | 415.0 | 15 | 81 | 05 / 04 | 99.2 | |
| 3 | Avengers: Endgame (2019) | Robert Downey Jr. & Chris Evans |
858.40 | 1,010.2 | 3,290.8 | 1 | 89 | 01 / 00 | 98.8 | |
| 2 | Fatal Attraction (1987) AA Best Picture Nom |
Glenn Close | 154.60 | 426.4 | 877.1 | 2 | 74 | 06 / 00 | 98.3 | |
| 5 | The China Syndrome (1979) | Jack Lemmon & Jane Fonda |
51.70 | 222.1 | 222.1 | 15 | 77 | 04 / 00 | 97.5 | |
| 4 | The War of the Roses (1989) | Kathleen Turner & Danny DeVito |
86.90 | 235.9 | 435.0 | 13 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 97.3 | |
| 8 | Ant-Man (2015) | Michael Douglas | 180.20 | 230.4 | 664.0 | 14 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 96.8 | |
| 6 | Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) | Paul Rudd & Evangeline Lilly |
216.60 | 256.4 | 736.6 | 9 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 6 | Romancing the Stone (1984) | Kathleen Turner & Danny DeVito |
76.60 | 245.7 | 374.0 | 8 | 75 | 01 / 00 | 96.3 | |
| 10 | Disclosure (1994) | Demi Moore | 83.00 | 219.3 | 565.5 | 14 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 93.1 | |
| 11 | The American President (1995) | Annette Bening & Michael J. Fox |
60.10 | 148.9 | 267.3 | 29 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 92.8 | |
| 9 | Basic Instinct (1992) | Sharon Stone | 117.70 | 305.8 | 916.8 | 9 | 59 | 02 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 13 | Coma (1978) | Richard Widmark & Genevieve Bujold |
32.40 | 149.5 | 149.5 | 18 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 90.5 | |
| 12 | The Jewel of the Nile (1985) | Kathleen Turner & Danny DeVito |
76.00 | 230.7 | 293.9 | 7 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 89.9 | |
| 14 | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) | Paul Rudd & Michelle Pfeiffer |
214.50 | 214.5 | 463.6 | 8 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 89.6 | |
| 14 | Wall Street (1987) AA Best Actor Win |
Charlie Sheen | 43.80 | 120.9 | 120.9 | 26 | 71 | 01 / 01 | 88.2 | |
| 15 | The Game (1997) | Sean Penn | 48.30 | 113.5 | 257.0 | 40 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 87.4 | |
| 17 | A Perfect Murder (1998) | Gwyneth Paltrow | 67.60 | 155.5 | 294.3 | 30 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 86.8 | |
| 16 | Falling Down (1993) | Robert Duvall | 40.90 | 106.5 | 106.5 | 36 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 86.4 | |
| 18 | Black Rain (1989) | Andy Garcia | 46.20 | 125.5 | 364.4 | 28 | 62 | 02 / 00 | 85.4 | |
| 19 | Wonder Boys (2000) | Robert Downey Jr. | 19.40 | 38.8 | 66.9 | 97 | 79 | 03 / 01 | 81.1 | |
| 20 | The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) | Val Kilmer | 38.60 | 94.2 | 183.0 | 38 | 59 | 01 / 01 | 78.8 | |
| 21 | Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) | Shia LaBeouf | 52.50 | 71.7 | 184.1 | 65 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 73.1 | |
| 22 | Haywire (2011) | Ewan McGregor | 18.90 | 25.8 | 45.4 | 120 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 69.3 | |
| 24 | You, Me and Dupree (2006) | Owen Wilson & Matt Dillon |
75.60 | 123.9 | 213.7 | 31 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 69.0 | |
| 24 | Last Vegas (2013) | Robert DeNiro & Morgan Freeman |
63.90 | 84.7 | 178.2 | 56 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 68.0 | |
| 26 | It's My Turn (1980) | Jill Clayburgh | 13.60 | 56.4 | 56.4 | 58 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 63.3 | |
| 29 | Don't Say a Word (2001) | Sean Bean | 55.00 | 104.9 | 190.8 | 46 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 62.4 | |
| 28 | Solitary Man (2009) | Susan Sarandon | 4.40 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 168 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 62.3 | |
| 28 | The Star Chamber (1983) | Hal Holbrook | 5.60 | 19.0 | 19.0 | 88 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 55.3 | |
| 29 | Behind The Candelabra (2013) HBO Movie |
Matt Damon & Rob Lowe |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 282 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 54.4 | |
| 31 | The Sentinel (2006) | Keifer Sutherland | 36.30 | 59.4 | 127.9 | 85 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 47.7 | |
| 32 | King of California (2007) | Evan Rachel Wood | 0.30 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 264 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 45.2 | |
| 32 | Summertree (1971) | Jack Warden | 2.10 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 117 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 43.9 | |
| 36 | Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) | Matthew McConaughey | 55.30 | 79.4 | 146.9 | 56 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 43.0 | |
| 35 | A Chorus Line (1985) | Terrence Mann | 14.20 | 43.1 | 43.1 | 62 | 50 | 03 / 00 | 42.0 | |
| 36 | Running (1979) | Susan Anspach | 6.00 | 25.8 | 25.8 | 77 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 41.7 | |
| 35 | Unlocked (2017) | Orlando Bloom & John Malkovich |
0.10 | 0.1 | 8.0 | 402 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 37.6 | |
| 39 | Shining Through (1992) | Liam Neeson | 21.60 | 56.2 | 113.9 | 59 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 36.2 | |
| 38 | Napoleon and Samantha (1972) | Jodie Foster & Johnny Whitaker |
5.20 | 32.7 | 32.7 | 62 | 52 | 01 / 00 | 35.9 | |
| 40 | Adam At Six A.M. (1970) | Lee Purcell | 1.30 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 135 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 34.7 | |
| 40 | The In-Laws (2003) | Albert Brooks | 20.50 | 36.6 | 48.1 | 107 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 27.9 | |
| 42 | One Night at McCool's (2001) | Matt Dillon | 6.30 | 12.0 | 25.7 | 142 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 16.2 | |
| 42 | It Runs in the Family (2003) | Kirk Douglas | 7.50 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 134 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 10.9 | |
| 43 | And So It Goes (2014) | Diane Keaton | 15.20 | 20.0 | 33.4 | 125 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 7.6 | |
| 44 | Beyond The Reach (2014) | Jeremy Irvine | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 229 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 5.5 | |
| 44 | Hail, Hero! (1969) | Arthur Kennedy | 1.10 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 130 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 4.6 | |
| 46 | Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) | Jesse Metcalfe | 0.10 | 0.1 | 6.4 | 301 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 1.7 |
10 Possibly Interesting Facts on Michael Douglas
1. Michael Douglas has won two Academy Awards, his first Oscar® came as the producer of the 1975’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which won the Oscar® for Best Picture. Twelve years later he won the Best Actor Oscar for 1987’s Wall Street.
2. Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones both share the same birthday…September 25th……just 25 years apart.
3. Douglas has co-starred with Kathleen Turner in three box office hits…..Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile and The War of the Roses…..Danny Devito costars in all three movies and directed their third and final pairing.
4. He has been a major supporter of gun control since John Lennon was murdered in 1980.
5. Douglas got the part of Jack T. Colton in Romancing the Stone only after Sylvester Stallone and Christopher Reeve passed on the part.
6. His character from Wall Street, Gordon Gekko, is on the list of 50 greatest villians in movie history.
7. Douglas originally declined the role of Robert Wakefield in Traffic, and it was offered to Harrison Ford, who accepted. Ford worked with director to improve the character, but then decided not to do the movie. Douglas liked the change in the character so much, he accepted the revamped part.
8. Robert Redford was originally cast in the lead role in The American President, but was replaced with Douglas after falling out with director Rob Reiner.
9. Michael Douglas turned downed the following roles….Ocean’s Eleven (Clooney part), Sin City (Willis part), Misery (Caan part), Love Story, Yentl, and Starman (Bridges part).
10. Check out Michael Douglas’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Steve Lensman’s Michael Douglas 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.
Good actor. Not in the same league as his legendary father, but he’s very good. I remember him from when I was a kid. My parents used to watch “the Streets of San Fransico” every week. Some people have told me that I looked a little like him (the way he looked in “the Ghost & the Darkness” specifically) but I never noticed it myself.
I’m more a fan of his father than him, but he’s a talented performer.
Rob
I agree with Rob , I like the father better, I know the answer to the qoute I just verified the answer, do I still get points?
Yep hintoon1966, you get points and a prize….SteveLensman has the prize…he lives right around the corner in London….just send him an email when you get there.
Thanks for stopping by Robwrite….I have the same exact memories of my mom watching The Streets of San Francisco….I do not think having people comparing you to how Michael Douglas looks is a bad thing…lol….I sometimes get….”You look like a young Robin Williams”…I will trade you Robin for Michael. Thanks as always for stopping by and reading the page.
Ah, it wasn’t The hEroes of Telemark. I cuoldn’t be sure. Cast a Giant Shadow. I remember that film. I haven’t seen it in ages.
Yep Flora, Cast A Giant Shadow with John Wayne and his dad….I am sure he learned lots from his role as Jeep Driver….I wonder what he did in that movie?…..lol.
Michael Douglas is a great actor. He is also pretty easy on the eyes, too, so thanks for posting all the pictures!
Thanks for the visit and the comment…I will take your word that he is easy on the eyes
YankeesRule got the quote, Hinton googled. I suppose the quote could have come from Fatal Attraction too Cogerson.:)
I forgot about Ghost and the Darkness, good film. A true story about two lions in Africa that killed and ate over 100 people before they were shot dead. Val Kilmer co-starred with Douglas. Worth seeking out.
Hey Steve…Thanks for the answer to the quote. I was just guessing about Fatal Attraction…as it would seem to fit the storyline….about a stalker/psycho messing with the hero.
Ghost and the Darkness is a great film…..remember when Val Kilmer was a star? He made some good movies.
Val Kilmer was excellent as Doc Holliday in Tombstone. He could have been a huge star, it just didn’t happen.
I remember when I first saw the announcement that Michael Douglas was making the War of the Roses and thinking he was off his rocker making a historical film about the English Civil War. 🙂
Hey Steve, I agree Kilmer was excellent as Doc Holiday in Tombstone….I even liked Kilmer in Willow…..I guess he is still making movies but they are all low budget direct to DVD movies….so sad. I imagine War of the Roses could cause some confusion
Michael Douglas is one of my favorites, I did not know that he had made so many movies before Romancing the Stone. I had heard about him winning an Oscar for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Great hub, I would say Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct are my favorites of us. Voted up and useful, and speaking of Basic Instinct, I do believe the quote “She knows where I live and breathe” is from Basic Instinct.
Hey Yankees Rule…I am right there with you about not knowing about his four movies before The Streets of San Francisco…on Box Office Mojo…they do not mention them….but when I was on IMDB….they showed up….and he was the lead actor in all the movies….hard to believe he passed on Love Story way back then. As for your two favorites…they finished one and two on box office hits for him…and they both captured the attention of movie goers for months…did you notice that Fatal Attraction was in the Top 10 for 21 weeks…that is incredible…..thanks for the comments and for stopping by.