Want to know the best Paul Newman movies? How about the worst Paul Newman movies? Curious about Paul Newman’s box office grosses or which Paul Newman movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Paul Newman 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.
One of the few things I remember from my college days was this little lesson……one of my professors was explaining Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid and how self-actualization is the highest level a person can reach. The example he gave off a person that had reached the top of the pyramid was Paul Newman (1925-2008). During Newman’s very successful 52 year movie career, he received nine Oscar® nominations for acting……winning for The Color of Money. He also received two honorary Oscars® in 1986 and 1994. His 56 movies averaged almost 100 million in adjusted for inflation dollars at the box office per movie, while earning 98 Oscar® nominations.
I however believe he will ultimately be remembered for what he gave back to society. He started Newman’s Own in 1982 with all profits being donated, after taxes, to various charitable organizations. To date they have donated nearly 300 million dollars. Newman also started the Hole in the Wall summer camp program. The camp serves nearly 15,000 seriously ill children every year, free of charge. Newman arranged for the continuation of the distribution of Newman’s Own profits to charity after Newman’s death through the establishment of the Newman’s Own Foundation.
Ok….so let’s starting talking about movies. Paul Newman is one of my favorite actors. My favorite movie of all-time is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Other Newman movies that I think are classics would include: The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict, Nobody’s Fool, Slap Shot and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Paul Newman passed away in September 2008. He is missed by movie fans all around the world.
His IMDb page shows 82 acting and 6 directing credits from 1949-2006. This page will rank Paul Newman 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.
Paul Newman 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
1973
The Sting (1973)
AA Best Picture Win
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
AA Best Picture Nom
1958
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1982
The Verdict (1982)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1961
The Hustler (1961)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1967
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
AA Best Actor Nom
1974
The Towering Inferno (1974)
AA Best Picture Nom
2002
Road to Perdition (2002)
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1963
Hud (1963)
AA Best Actor Nom
2006
Cars (2006)
Voice Only
1981
Absence of Malice (1981)
AA Best Actor Nom
1958
The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
1976
Silent Movie (1976)
1986
The Color of Money (1986)
AA Best Actor Win
1960
Exodus (1960)
1977
Slap Shot (1977)
1967
Hombre (1967)
1972
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
1966
Harper (1966)
1994
Nobody's Fool (1994)
AA Best Actor Nom
1966
Torn Curtain (1966)
1956
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
1981
Fort Apache The Bronx (1981)
1964
What a Way To Go! (1964)
1959
The Young Philadelphians (1959)
1960
From the Terrace (1960)
1962
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
1968
Rachel, Rachel (1968)
AA Best Picture Nom
1971
Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)
1963
The Prize (1963)
1969
Winning (1969)
1958
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
1958
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
1954
The Silver Chalice (1954)
1989
Blaze (1989)
1990
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
1999
Message in a Bottle (1999)
1961
Paris Blues (1961)
1968
The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
1972
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
1957
Until They Sail (1957)
1963
A New Kind of Love (1963)
1957
The Helen Morgan Story (1957)
1972
Pocket Money (1972)
1975
The Drowning Pool (1975)
1976
Buffalo Bill and The Indians (1976)
1998
Twilight (1998)
1964
The Outrage (1964)
1973
The Mackintosh Man (1973)
1987
The Glass Menagerie (1987)
1962
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
1994
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
1956
The Rack (1956)
1989
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
2000
Where the Money Is (2000)
1965
Lady L (1965)
1970
WUSA (1970)
1984
Harry & Son (1984)
1980
When Time Ran Out... (1980)
1979
Quintet (1979)
Paul Newman 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 Paul Newman movies by titles and trailers
- Sort Paul Newman movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Paul Newman movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Paul Newman movies by yearly box office rank
- Sort Paul Newman 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 Paul Newman movie received.
- Sort Paul Newman 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 Sting (1973) AA Best Picture Win |
Robert Redford & Robert Shaw |
157.60 | 959.9 | 1,698.10 | 2 | 88 | 10 / 03 | 99.9 | |
2 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Redford & Directed by George Roy Hill |
100.10 | 760.0 | 931.40 | 1 | 79 | 07 / 04 | 99.3 | |
3 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Elizabeth Taylor | 25.10 | 451.0 | 637.10 | 2 | 85 | 06 / 00 | 99.2 | |
4 | The Verdict (1982) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
James Mason | 68.30 | 250.6 | 250.60 | 10 | 86 | 05 / 00 | 99.2 | |
6 | The Hustler (1961) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Jackie Gleason & George C. Scott |
10.90 | 158.2 | 158.20 | 21 | 88 | 09 / 02 | 99.0 | |
6 | Cool Hand Luke (1967) AA Best Actor Nom |
George Kennedy | 18.20 | 162.6 | 162.60 | 15 | 93 | 04 / 01 | 98.4 | |
5 | The Towering Inferno (1974) AA Best Picture Nom |
Steve McQueen & William Holden |
114.80 | 662.1 | 662.10 | 2 | 69 | 08 / 03 | 98.3 | |
10 | Road to Perdition (2002) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Tom Hanks | 104.50 | 194.1 | 336.40 | 24 | 81 | 06 / 01 | 98.2 | |
8 | Hud (1963) AA Best Actor Nom |
Patricia Neal & Melvyn Douglas |
14.30 | 179.1 | 179.10 | 18 | 79 | 07 / 03 | 97.8 | |
10 | Cars (2006) Voice Only |
Owen Wilson | 244.10 | 399.9 | 756.90 | 3 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 96.9 | |
12 | Absence of Malice (1981) AA Best Actor Nom |
Sally Field | 50.50 | 195.8 | 195.80 | 9 | 76 | 03 / 00 | 96.8 | |
13 | The Long, Hot Summer (1958) | Joanne Woodward | 10.00 | 179.7 | 179.70 | 14 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 95.9 | |
15 | Silent Movie (1976) | Mel Brooks & James Caan |
36.10 | 182.9 | 182.90 | 14 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 95.5 | |
14 | The Color of Money (1986) AA Best Actor Win |
Tom Cruise & Directed by Martin Scorsese |
52.30 | 151.9 | 151.90 | 13 | 82 | 04 / 01 | 95.4 | |
15 | Exodus (1960) | Eva Marie Saint | 23.80 | 371.9 | 371.90 | 4 | 67 | 03 / 01 | 95.4 | |
16 | Slap Shot (1977) | Directed by George Roy Hill | 36.80 | 177.7 | 177.70 | 22 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 95.2 | |
18 | Hombre (1967) | Fredric March | 14.00 | 124.9 | 124.90 | 20 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 92.1 | |
18 | The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) | Ava Gardner & Directed by John Huston |
24.50 | 155.6 | 155.60 | 14 | 70 | 01 / 00 | 91.2 | |
19 | Harper (1966) | Lauren Bacall | 13.30 | 130.7 | 191.90 | 24 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 90.6 | |
20 | Nobody's Fool (1994) AA Best Actor Nom |
Bruce Willis & Jessica Tandy |
39.50 | 104.3 | 174.30 | 35 | 84 | 02 / 00 | 90.6 | |
21 | Torn Curtain (1966) | Julie Andrews & Directed by Alfred Hitchcock |
16.40 | 160.5 | 160.50 | 18 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 90.5 | |
23 | Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) | Pier Angeli | 5.70 | 112.0 | 112.00 | 52 | 77 | 03 / 02 | 90.3 | |
25 | Fort Apache The Bronx (1981) | Ed Asner | 35.00 | 135.6 | 135.60 | 20 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 90.0 | |
24 | What a Way To Go! (1964) | Shirley MacLaine & Robert Mitchum |
17.40 | 199.9 | 324.80 | 6 | 51 | 02 / 00 | 89.8 | |
26 | The Young Philadelphians (1959) | Barbara Rush | 7.70 | 138.6 | 138.60 | 31 | 69 | 03 / 00 | 89.8 | |
25 | From the Terrace (1960) | Myrna Loy | 14.90 | 232.1 | 232.10 | 12 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 89.4 | |
27 | Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) | Geraldine Page | 7.70 | 110.9 | 110.90 | 31 | 74 | 03 / 01 | 88.9 | |
28 | Rachel, Rachel (1968) AA Best Picture Nom |
Joanne Woodward & Estelle Parson |
8.60 | 70.5 | 70.50 | 43 | 81 | 04 / 00 | 88.7 | |
29 | Sometimes a Great Notion (1971) | Henry Fonda | 13.20 | 86.5 | 86.50 | 24 | 78 | 02 / 00 | 86.9 | |
30 | The Prize (1963) | Edward G. Robinson | 9.90 | 123.6 | 123.60 | 29 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
31 | Winning (1969) | Joanne Woodward & Robert Wagner |
19.20 | 145.4 | 145.40 | 15 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 83.8 | |
33 | Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) | Joanne Woodward & Joan Collins |
9.70 | 174.5 | 174.50 | 16 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
32 | The Left Handed Gun (1958) | Directed by Arthur Penn | 4.40 | 79.1 | 79.10 | 54 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 81.4 | |
34 | The Silver Chalice (1954) | Virginia Mayo & Jack Palance |
9.10 | 214.3 | 298.20 | 29 | 30 | 02 / 00 | 80.7 | |
35 | Blaze (1989) | Lolita Davidovich | 19.10 | 51.9 | 51.90 | 53 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 75.9 | |
36 | Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) | Joanne Woodward | 7.70 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 105 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 68.1 | |
39 | Message in a Bottle (1999) | Kevin Costner | 52.90 | 112.7 | 253.30 | 46 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 67.6 | |
37 | Paris Blues (1961) | Joanne Woodward & Sidney Poitier |
3.10 | 45.8 | 45.80 | 70 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 66.4 | |
40 | The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968) | Sylva Koscina | 10.00 | 82.3 | 82.30 | 36 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 65.6 | |
38 | The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972) | Paul Newman & Nell Potts |
1.60 | 10.4 | 10.40 | 127 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
41 | Until They Sail (1957) | Joan Fontaine & Jean Simmons |
2.10 | 41.0 | 78.10 | 111 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 61.2 | |
42 | A New Kind of Love (1963) | Joanne Woodward & Thelma Ritter |
6.10 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 48 | 49 | 02 / 00 | 60.5 | |
42 | The Helen Morgan Story (1957) | Ann Blyth | 2.30 | 44.0 | 44.00 | 107 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 59.4 | |
45 | Pocket Money (1972) | Lee Marvin | 8.80 | 55.7 | 55.70 | 45 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 58.8 | |
44 | The Drowning Pool (1975) | Joanne Woodward & Melanie Griffith |
7.90 | 41.4 | 41.40 | 52 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 57.9 | |
46 | Buffalo Bill and The Indians (1976) | Joel Grey & Directed by Robert Altman |
3.90 | 19.7 | 19.70 | 91 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 56.4 | |
47 | Twilight (1998) | James Garner & Gene Hackman |
15.10 | 34.6 | 34.60 | 97 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 53.5 | |
48 | The Outrage (1964) | Edward G. Robinson | 4.60 | 52.4 | 52.40 | 64 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 47.4 | |
49 | The Mackintosh Man (1973) | James Mason & Directed by John Huston |
4.50 | 27.7 | 27.70 | 68 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 47.0 | |
48 | The Glass Menagerie (1987) | Joanne Woodward & John Malkovich |
0.90 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 182 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 47.0 | |
51 | Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) | Diane Baker | 2.70 | 39.0 | 39.00 | 88 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 46.8 | |
52 | The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) | Tim Robbins & Directed by Coen Brothers |
2.80 | 7.4 | 39.40 | 163 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 43.0 | |
54 | The Rack (1956) | Lee Marvin | 1.00 | 20.4 | 42.80 | 177 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 32.6 | |
53 | Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) | John Cusack | 3.60 | 9.7 | 9.70 | 123 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 32.3 | |
55 | Where the Money Is (2000) | Linda Fiorentino | 5.70 | 11.3 | 11.30 | 139 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 26.0 | |
56 | Lady L (1965) | Sophia Loren & David Niven |
6.90 | 72.4 | 72.40 | 45 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
57 | WUSA (1970) | Joanne Woodward & Anthony Perkins |
4.70 | 32.7 | 32.70 | 57 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 20.2 | |
58 | Harry & Son (1984) | Robbie Benson | 4.90 | 15.6 | 15.60 | 111 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 7.1 | |
59 | When Time Ran Out... (1980) | William Holden | 4.00 | 16.4 | 16.40 | 115 | 32 | 01 / 00 | 4.0 | |
60 | Quintet (1979) | Fernando Rey & Directed by Robert Altman |
2.40 | 10.2 | 10.20 | 110 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 1.5 |
Adjusted Paul Newman 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 |
The Sting (1973) AA Best Picture Win |
Robert Redford & Robert Shaw |
1,698.10 | |
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Redford & Directed by George Roy Hill |
931.40 | |
Cars (2006) Voice Only |
Owen Wilson | 756.90 | |
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Elizabeth Taylor | 637.10 | |
Road to Perdition (2002) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Tom Hanks | 336.40 | |
What a Way To Go! (1964) | Shirley MacLaine & Robert Mitchum |
324.80 | |
The Silver Chalice (1954) | Virginia Mayo & Jack Palance |
298.20 | |
Message in a Bottle (1999) | Kevin Costner | 253.30 | |
Harper (1966) | Lauren Bacall | 191.90 | |
Nobody's Fool (1994) AA Best Actor Nom |
Bruce Willis & Jessica Tandy |
174.30 | |
Until They Sail (1957) | Joan Fontaine & Jean Simmons |
78.10 | |
The Rack (1956) | Lee Marvin | 42.80 | |
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) | Tim Robbins & Directed by Coen Brothers |
39.40 |
Check out Paul Newman’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
Starting tomorrow on May 1st, TCM is honouring Paul Newman for the first time as TCM Star of the Month. Every Wednesday night in May, Newman films as actor mostly and some as director will be featured. So far, I have seen 35 Newman movies. Most of the movies they are airing I have seen already, but there are a few that will be new to me.
Hey Flora…thanks for the information on Newman and TCM. Kind of shocked that he has not been the Star of the Month. I have seen 41 of his movies….so I still have almost 20 Newman movies to watch. Great feedback.
1 BRUCE It’s hard to believe that Paul Newman would be 93 if he were about today because as if it were yesterday I remember Paul as the “new kid on the block” whom many unfairly initially labelled as a Brando clone.
2 As the 1950s wore on Paul, Mumbles and [while he lasted] Dean were seen as the forerunners of the new Method style of acting and as they were very successful many of the up and coming “young Turks” in US acting sought to emulate the Big Three.
3 Several of the newcomers seemed to feel that being labelled Method entitled them to the big money that Brando and Newman were attracting and the young Ben Gazzara for example nearly priced himself out of the market and may indeed have denied himself stronger roles than he ultimately got. I always thought it a pity that he hadn’t a higher profile because Ben is an actor whom I very much enjoyed watching.
4 Paul of course although an open admirer of the Great Mumbler was no clone and once he found his feet forged one of the very greatest individualistic movie careers that straddled both the classic and the modern eras.
5 Indeed an oblique Dan-like link arises in that you and I were earlier this week discussing another very nice person like Paul, Tom Hanks, and of course one of Paul’s last great acting roles if not THE last was as Tom’s co-star in 2002’s Road to Perdition. For me it was good to see appearing together two acting giants who although their careers overlapped were in terms of stardom among the very greatest representatives of two distinctly different eras in movie history. My personal favourite Newman films were Hombre, The Verdict and Absence of malice.
Hey Bob
1. Whenever I do not have fresh material…..one of the fall back places to go is to see who’s birthday it is……so Paul got some love yesterday.
2. Yep 93…..if he was still around….Kirk Douglas would think Newman was a baby….lol. WoC’s late grandmother passed away at 95…..one of our last conversations with her she was her talking about my mom’s 78th birthday….and referred to her as a baby…..lol.
3. I remember when I thought I had seen every Newman movie…..turned out I had seen every famous Newman movie…..even now I am about 15 Newman movies away from being a Newman completist.
4. That “young turk” group was heavily influenced by Brando….I am sure they studied Brando in On the Waterfront and Streetcar Named Desire.
5. Ben Gazzarra had a nice career…..but far far away from a great career.
6. I love the piano scene with Hanks and Newman in Road to Perdition…….but that movie is stolen by Daniel Craig….the future Bond was stellar as the crazed son of Newman.
Glad you liked our Newman birthday tribute.
HI BRUCE
1 Nice story about your grandmother/mom. Yep we probably never cease
to see our children as our “babies”. To me such ongoing affection represents the good in parents. It can however be taken to extremes as for example it used to be that every time I left my mother’s house she told me to be careful crossing the road even though I was a grown man with 2 children!
2 Also I had an uncle of the Old School who even in the house on a warm day wore collar and tie and beautifully pressed trousers whereas I tend to wear shorts and a T shirt in the summer. One hot day when he was nearing 90 I visited him and he said to me “Bobby, what age are you?” to which I replied 67 and he said “Then why are you wearing young man’s clothes?”
3 Actually if Steve had visited him Steve would probably have worn a toga and fallen at his feet because his Christian name was Moses, his father having given all his offspring Biblical names!
4 Anyway have a good rest of weekend.
I’ve never come across anyone whose favorite movie is also Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid until you! I’m so glad! Hi. 🙂