Want to know the best Ryan O’Neal movies? How about the worst Ryan O’Neal movies? Curious about Ryan O’Neal box office grosses or which Ryan O’Neal movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Ryan O’Neal 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 and much more.
Ryan O’Neal (1941-2023) was an American actor and former boxer. O’Neal trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. After finding success on the television show, Peyton Place, O’Neal turned his attention to movies. This page ranks Ryan O’Neal movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, bit parts and his movies not released in North America theaters are not included in the rankings. 
Ryan O’Neal 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 | Paper Moon (1973) |  |
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| 1975 | Barry Lyndon (1975) AA Best Picture Nom |
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| 1972 | What's Up, Doc? (1972) |  |
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| 1970 | Love Story (1970) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
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| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far (1977) | |
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| 1979 | The Main Event (1979) |  |
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| 1978 | The Driver (1978) |  |
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| 1989 | Chances Are (1989) | |
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| 1970 | The Games (1970) | |
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| 1998 | Zero Effect (1998) | |
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| 2003 | Malibu's Most Wanted (2003) |  |
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| 1973 | The Thief Who Came To Dinner (1973) | |
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| 1984 | Irreconcilable Differences (1984) | |
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| 1976 | Nickelodeon (1976) | |
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| 1978 | Oliver's Story (1978) | |
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| 1971 | Wild Rovers (1971) |  |
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| 1996 | Faithful (1996) | |
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| 1981 | So Fine (1981) |  |
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| 2012 | Slumber Party Massacre (2012) Film Festival Circuit Only |
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| 1982 | Partners (1982) | |
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| 2015 | Knight of Cups (2015) | |
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| 1969 | The Big Bounce (1969) |  |
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| 2002 | People I Know (2002) | |
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| 1985 | Fever Pitch (1985) |  |
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| 1999 | Coming Soon (1999) | |
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| 1987 | Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987) | |
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| 1997 | An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) | |
Ryan O’Neal 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 Ryan O’Neal movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Ryan O’Neal movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Ryan O’Neal movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Ryan O’Neal movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Ryan O’Neal movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Ryan O’Neal movie won.
- Sort Ryan O’Neal 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 | Paper Moon (1973) | Madeline Kahn & Tatum O'Neal |
50.10 | 305.1 | 305.10 | 7 | 85 | 04 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 3 | Barry Lyndon (1975) AA Best Picture Nom |
Directed by Stanley Kubrick | 27.90 | 146.6 | 146.60 | 21 | 87 | 07 / 04 | 98.6 | |
| 2 | What's Up, Doc? (1972) | Barbra Streisand | 72.70 | 461.2 | 461.20 | 3 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 98.0 | |
| 4 | Love Story (1970) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Ali MacGraw & Ray Milland |
108.50 | 754.5 | 754.50 | 1 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 97.5 | |
| 5 | A Bridge Too Far (1977) | Michael Caine & Sean Connery |
56.80 | 274.4 | 274.40 | 9 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 6 | The Main Event (1979) | Barbra Streisand | 69.50 | 298.4 | 298.40 | 11 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 87.5 | |
| 7 | The Driver (1978) | Bruce Dern | 5.00 | 23.0 | 23.00 | 84 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 69.8 | |
| 8 | Chances Are (1989) | Cybill Shepherd & Robert Downey Jr. |
16.30 | 44.2 | 44.20 | 60 | 61 | 01 / 00 | 60.9 | |
| 9 | The Games (1970) | Sam Elliott | 2.70 | 19.0 | 19.00 | 89 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 54.1 | |
| 10 | Zero Effect (1998) | Ben Stiller & Bill Pullman |
2.10 | 4.8 | 4.80 | 170 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 50.6 | |
| 12 | Malibu's Most Wanted (2003) | Jamie Kennedy & Taye Diggs |
34.40 | 61.6 | 61.90 | 82 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 49.4 | |
| 11 | The Thief Who Came To Dinner (1973) | Warren Oates & Jacqueline Bisset |
5.30 | 32.3 | 32.30 | 62 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 47.9 | |
| 13 | Irreconcilable Differences (1984) | Drew Barrymore & Shelley Long |
12.40 | 39.8 | 39.80 | 67 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 46.0 | |
| 14 | Nickelodeon (1976) | Burt Reynolds & Brian Keith |
18.20 | 92.0 | 92.00 | 37 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 44.5 | |
| 15 | Oliver's Story (1978) | Ray Milland & Candice Bergen |
18.80 | 86.6 | 86.60 | 38 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 43.0 | |
| 17 | Wild Rovers (1971) | William Holden | 5.50 | 35.6 | 35.60 | 58 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 32.2 | |
| 16 | Faithful (1996) | Cher | 2.10 | 5.1 | 5.10 | 178 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 30.1 | |
| 19 | So Fine (1981) | Jack Warden | 9.40 | 36.4 | 36.40 | 78 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 29.1 | |
| 18 | Slumber Party Massacre (2012) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Tom Sizemore | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 286 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 26.3 | |
| 20 | Partners (1982) | John Hurt | 6.10 | 22.2 | 22.20 | 83 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 25.6 | |
| 21 | Knight of Cups (2015) | Christain Bale & Natalie Portman |
0.60 | 0.7 | 1.30 | 188 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 21.6 | |
| 23 | The Big Bounce (1969) | Van Heflin | 2.10 | 16.2 | 16.20 | 97 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 16.3 | |
| 22 | People I Know (2002) | Al Pacino | 0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 269 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 16.1 | |
| 24 | Fever Pitch (1985) | Catherine Hicks | 0.60 | 1.9 | 1.90 | 162 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 5.5 | |
| 25 | Coming Soon (1999) | Ryan Reynolds & Ashton Kutcher |
0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 291 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 4.9 | |
| 26 | Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987) | Isabella Rossellini | 0.90 | 2.4 | 2.40 | 184 | 40 | 00 / 00 | 4.6 | |
| 27 | An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) | Coolio | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 291 | 21 | 00 / 00 | 0.1 |
Ryan O’Neal Adjusted World Wide 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
Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)
Jamie Kennedy &
Taye Diggs
61.90
Knight of Cups (2015)
Christain Bale &
Natalie Portman
1.30
| 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 |
| Malibu's Most Wanted (2003) | Jamie Kennedy & Taye Diggs |
61.90 | |
| Knight of Cups (2015) | Christain Bale & Natalie Portman |
1.30 |
Check out Ryan ONeal’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time
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Check Out Steve Lensman’s Ryan O’Neal You Tube Video
(Visited 1 times)
HI BRUCE
I most welcome your efforts in quickly knocking up the Ryan stats table above. In my comments on Steve’s video I was unable to give him an overview of Ryan’s box office because my knowledge of it was patchy [and you know the anticipation with which Steve awaits my box office round-ups!]
You have though vindicated my suggestion to him that Ryan’s days as a top box office star ended with the 1970s The only 6 Cogerson 100 mil crashers that he had were all in the 1970s. What’s it like to be on the side of the good guys for once instead of the shady company you sometimes associate with on this site?
A most welcome new page though and I propose to take the liberty of copying to it the relevant exchanges on Steve’s video page. You and Steve agree on 5 or Ryan’s Top 6 best reviewed with him going for Holden’s Wild Rovers instead of Love Story that you included in your 6. He has Wild Rovers in at 6th whereas you have it 16th with just a 50% rating I like Golden but I agree with you as Love Story was the better movie – and after all you are as I have said on the side of the good guys this time round!
COPIED FROM STEVE’s U TUBE PAGE
BOB ROY to STEVE
September 3, 2018 at 11:42 am
Ryan O’Neal became very popular with the 60s TV series Peyton Place, and on the big screen the mega hit Love Story followed by other 70s box office successes A Bridge Too Far, Paper Moon and his two with Streisand [What’s up Doc and The Main Event] made him a 1970s star. He was apparently bitter that unlike co-star Ali McGraw he didn’t receive a share of Love Story’s enormous profits but in 1973 he was voted the 2nd most popular star in the US after Eastwood.
Bruce hasn’t given us a O’Neal page and I couldn’t find comprehensive box office data on Ryan from any other source but my own impression has long been that the 70s were about it for him as a bankable box office star as from the 80s onward he seems to have settled more into supporting roles in many inconsequential movies.
Best POSTERS for me are Burn Hollywood Burn, Tough Guys Don’t Dance, People I know [with Little Al iconically showcased] Faithful, Knight of Cups, Green Ice, 1st one for Thief who came to Dinner [fascinating] Zero Effect, both one sfor Wild Rovers, the entire set for The Driver, the 2nd one for What’s up Doc and the poster and still for Love Story.
The tagline on the latter poster is “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. If that adage hold true you and Bruce must be crazy about ME!
Other excellent STILLS for my money – pride of place must go to the exceptionally saucy one for So Fine, Babs and Ryan with the gloves on [Ryan was apparently a boxer at one stage in real life] Ryan and Golden Holden looking like two guys at a fancy dress ball in cowboy costume, with Babs in What’s up Doc, and is that the young Sir Maurice Ryan in Bridge Too Far or my other idol Sir Dirk? and the two of Ryan with daughter Tatum, who in later life allegedly ruined John McEnroe’s tennis career by allegedly getting him involved with hard drug abuse and booze.
“So I moved to the rear
And looked at at the dame
Who watered the sportsman’s beer
And turned the sportsman drear.”
Ryan is an actor in whom frankly I never have had much interest but of course I cannot penalize the artistry and entertainment value in your video for that and the posters and stills overall are easily worth a solid 97% to me. No Big Boy to give me further guidance about ratings this time and not being personally familiar with too many of Ryan’s flicks I am in your hands alone as to the quality of quite a few of them.
1
Reply
COPIED FROM STEVE’s U TUBE PAGE
Steve Lensman
September 3, 2018 at 2:06 pm
Hi Bob, thanks for the review, rating, info, trivia, and song lyrics? It is appreciated.
Happy you liked the posters and stills.
I was almost sure Bruce had a Ryan O’Neal page, maybe he forgot to link it to the index page? I’ve noticed subjects missing from the index before and let Bruce know.
That was Sir Michael Caine with Ryan in the still from A Bridge Too Far. How big is your computer screen again? [Bob growls]
Have to confess I’ve never seen Ryan’s most famous movie – Love Story – which was a massive hit in 1970, the theme music winning an Oscar for Francis Lai.
Ryan’s daughter Tatum aged 10 was the youngest person to win an Oscar in a competitive category, for Paper Moon. (Shirley Temple was only 6 when she was presented with a special Oscar in 1935.)
I did read that he was into boxing when he was young, in 1976 he was tipped to play Rocky Balboa but Stallone was adamant that only he can play the role, it was Sly’s screenplay after all. I wonder how differently things might have turned out if Ryan was cast as Rocky and was still a huge hit? No Stallone action man, no Rambo? [Bob grins] Hey, I like Stallone and his iconic role.
Three Ryan O’Neal films scored 10 out of 10 from my sources – What’s Up Doc?, Paper Moon and Barry Lyndon.
One more scored 9 – Wild Rovers. Six films scored 8.
Barry Lyndon ties with Paper Moon at IMDB for the no.1 spot and Paper Moon is tops at Rotten Tomatoes. I wonder which would have been no.1 here at the UMR, Barry Lyndon?
Ryan was quite the ladies man, according to IMDB his girlfriends included Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Carrera, Lauren Hutton, Joan Collins, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Britt Ekland, Ursula Andress, Melanie Griffith, Anjelica Huston, Bianca Jagger and Farrah Fawcett.
Reply
Hey Bob…thanks for moving these comments to this page…your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Hey Bob…..on Monday night…..I think I was experiencing first day of school thoughts….as I could not sleep….so I got up and was checking out the internet when I saw Steve’s O’Neal video. So…I figured I could knock out an UMR page quickly. I think I finished it around 2:30 in the morning….and got to sleep around 3:00 am. Then got up at 5:45……so TODAY….I feel tired….lol.
Ryan O’Neal was ranked 10th on our Top Stars of the 1970s page with a little over $2.00 billion in adjusted gross. Once the 1980s arrived….it went downhill quickly for Mr. O’Neal. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/top-movie-stars-1970s/
Glad our UMR page was able you to get a better picture of the film career of Ryan O’Neal. Glad you are on the good side….for once….lol. Good stuff.
I was never a fan. he seems to make every movie worse. no tens(I downgraded a bridge too far after revisiting it last week, largely due to oneal’s performance) , no favorites. I am shocked he had 6 movies UMR rated 61 or above. amazed he had 6 movies over the magical 77 million mark(2 with Streisand so those are explicable). confused by how he had 3 movies with higher than a 75 review. saw 6, the top 6. how did they manage to kill off the only remotely likeable character half way through the unlikeable and tedious barry Lyndon? where is the duke when you need him? I like a bridge too far, paper moon, main event and whats up doc, not favorites. thank you flora for pulling me out of my pit of negativity with your favorites with assists from steve and cogerson.
Hey bob cox. Downgraded a Bridge Too Far?….say it ain’t so Joe….lol. O’Neal was one of the top stars of the 1970s….so his movies over 60 does not really surprise me. What surprised we was so many movies under 60% on the critic/audience rating. He does not even have a Top 10 that could be considered “fresh” (Rotten Tomatoes’ threshold). You are in the same boat as Flora with regards to Paper Moon. I was not too impressed with that one. Thanks for sharing your movie thoughts on Ryan O’Neal….and for getting out of the “pit of negativity”….lol.
I have seen 6 Ryan O’Neal movies.
The highest rated film I have seen is Paper Moon.
The highest rated film I have NOT seen is Barry Lyndon.
The LOWEST rated film I have seen is Wild Rovers at 17.
I have yet to see Love Story.
My Favourite O’Neal Movies:
Paper Moon
A Bridge Too Far
What’s Up, Doc?
Hey Flora…..as always….thanks for checking out our latest page. Tally count…me 13, you and bob cox 6 and Steve 4. Barry Lyndon is an ok movie….very long….and with a pace that makes a long movie seem even longer. But it does look amazing. Surprised you have not seen Love Story…..I thought it was required viewing for film buffs. Granted I have seen it once….but “Love means never having to say your sorry” is a very famous movie line. Of your three favorites….I am right there with you on Bridge 2 and Doc. Paper Moon is fine…just did not love that one. Good feedback.
RE: Love Story
I have this film on my to-see list. It’s never been available to me. I will see it someday, I hope.
Hey Flora….it is an ok movie…..but memorable. Good luck finding it.
Where did this come from? You mean there was a Ryan O’Neal page? Bob and I were only joking. Where was it hidden all this time? 😉
Looking at the chart, I count just 4 films seen, pathetic I know. Favorites are The Driver and A Bridge Too Far. I’ve also seen What’s Up Doc? (about a week ago) and Barry Lyndon.
Wahay! We have the same top 3 on our charts though I was a bit kinder to A Bridge Too Far which is in 4th place on my video chart. I think The Driver was at no.5.
Whoa! The box office for Love Story was thru the roof, never saw the film though I have heard the Oscar winning theme music.
Good stuff Bruce and thanks for the link. Vote Up.
Hey Steve….I did a quick check on my database and saw almost every O’Neal movie was already there….so I put this together really fast. Plus I needed somewhere to put your O’Neal video….lol.. Love Story is one of the biggest hits of all-time. Tommy Lee Jones plays Ryan’s college roommate in that blockbuster. Glad our Top 3 match. Thanks for the comment, tally, feedback and vote up.
Added Steve’s O’Neal video to the page. My comment on his video.
“So a former boxer gets a Lensman video….good choice. Seen: #21 People I Know….not too bad…Pacino is good….as is O’Neal in a supporting role. #20 Partners could not be made today… p.c. it is not. #17 So Fine…seen it..barely remember it #16 Knight of Cups…horrible movie #13 The Main Event…the Babs reunion was not very good #11 Irreconcilable Differences…..ok drama…based on real filmmakers and actresses #10 Chances Are….good movie with Downey being the lead #8 Zero Effect….has a cult following #7 Love Story his blockbuster #4 A Bridge Too Far…one of my all-time favorites #3 What’s Up Doc….fun movie #2 Paper Moon…not a fun movie to watch #1 Barry Lyndon…the forgotten Kubrick movie. So that is 13 seen or 52%. Voted up and shared”
My video page comment –
“Hi Bruce, your tally 13 is a lot better mine, a paltry 4, Flora managed 6. It’s just that Ryan wasn’t making films I wanted to see, except The Driver which I remember seeing at the cinema 40 years ago and enjoying. And A Bridge Too Far of course. Thanks for the comment, vote and share, mucho apreciado.”