Want to know the best Stephen King movies? How about the worst Stephen King movies? Curious about Stephen King ’s box office grosses or which Stephen King movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Stephen King movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Stephen King (1947-) has sold over 350 million copies of his books. It all got started in 1973 when Carrie was first published. Hollywood has been making movies based on his books since 1976…when Carrie starring John Travolta hit theaters. King has written over 50 more books and Hollywood has been producing almost two King theatrical movies or television movies every year since!
This page will rank Stephen King theatrical movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Normally we are snobs when it comes to movies made for television. However for this page we have included a second table of King television adaptations. They are ranked by how critics and audiences rated them. We have to admit that some of the King mini-series are actually very entertaining and worth watching. Storm of the Century, The Stand and 1979’s Salem’s Lot….being our favorites.
…the highest rated movie on IMDb.com
Stephen King 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
1999
The Green Mile (1999)
AA Best Picture Nom
2017
It (2017)
1976
Carrie (1976)
1980
The Shining (1980)
1990
Misery (1990)
1986
Stand By Me (1986)
2019
It Chapter Two (2019)
1994
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
AA Best Picture Nom
2007
1408 (2007)
1989
Pet Sematary (1989)
1983
The Dead Zone (1983)
1987
The Running Man (1987)
1995
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
1982
Creepshow (1982)
2019
Doctor Sleep (2019)
1983
Christine (1983)
1983
Cujo (1983)
2007
The Mist (2007)
2004
Secret Window (2004)
2019
Pet Sematary (2019)
1985
Cat's Eye (1985)
1992
The Lawnmower Man (1992)
2001
Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
2013
Carrie (2013)
1984
Firestarter (1984)
1993
The Dark Half (1993)
1998
Apt Pupil (1998)
1992
Sleepwalkers (1992)
2017
The Dark Tower (2017)
1984
Children of the Corn (1984)
1990
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
1993
Needful Things (1993)
1987
Creepshow 2 (1987)
1985
Silver Bullet (1985)
2003
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Writer
1996
Thinner (1996)
1992
Pet Sematary II (1992)
2022
Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022)
Netflix
2024
Salems Lot (2024)
HBO Max
1999
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
1997
The Night Flier (1997)
1990
Graveyard Shift (1990)
2004
Stephen King's Riding the Bullet (2004)
1993
Children of the Corn II (1993)
1986
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
2023
Children of the Corn (2023)
1996
Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)
1995
The Mangler (1995)
Stephen King Movies Can Be Ranked 7 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Stephen King movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Stephen King movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort Stephen King by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Stephen King 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 Stephen King movie received.
- Sort Stephen King 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.
- Lawnmower 2 was titled after a Stephen King short story of the same title, but the stories are unrelated and was NOT written by King.
| 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 Green Mile (1999) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Sam Rockwell |
136.80 | 291.4 | 611.00 | 12 | 81 | 04 / 00 | 98.9 | |
| 2 | It (2017) | Bill Skarsgård | 327.50 | 393.6 | 836.90 | 7 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 97.5 | |
| 4 | Carrie (1976) | John Travolta & Sissy Spacek |
33.80 | 171.1 | 171.10 | 17 | 87 | 02 / 00 | 97.3 | |
| 6 | The Shining (1980) | Jack Nicholson & Directed by Stanley Kubrick |
44.00 | 182.5 | 182.50 | 18 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 7 | Misery (1990) | James Caan & Kathy Bates |
61.30 | 156.2 | 156.20 | 19 | 84 | 01 / 01 | 95.6 | |
| 8 | Stand By Me (1986) | John Cusack & River Phoenix |
52.30 | 151.9 | 151.90 | 14 | 85 | 01 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 5 | It Chapter Two (2019) | James McAvoy & Bill Hader |
211.60 | 249.0 | 555.60 | 11 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 8 | The Shawshank Redemption (1994) AA Best Picture Nom |
Morgan Freeman & Tim Robbins |
28.30 | 74.9 | 74.90 | 51 | 90 | 07 / 00 | 92.9 | |
| 9 | 1408 (2007) | John Cusack & Samuel L. Jackson |
72.00 | 112.8 | 206.80 | 38 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 87.4 | |
| 11 | Pet Sematary (1989) | Fred Gwynne | 57.50 | 156.1 | 156.10 | 23 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 85.4 | |
| 10 | The Dead Zone (1983) | Christopher Walken & Martin Sheen |
20.80 | 71.1 | 71.10 | 36 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 84.9 | |
| 12 | The Running Man (1987) | Arnold Schwarzenegger | 38.10 | 105.1 | 105.10 | 30 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 80.0 | |
| 12 | Dolores Claiborne (1995) | Kathy Bates & Jennifer Jason Leigh |
24.40 | 60.4 | 60.40 | 69 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 79.6 | |
| 14 | Creepshow (1982) | Ted Danson & Leslie Nielsen |
21.00 | 77.1 | 77.10 | 33 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 79.3 | |
| 13 | Doctor Sleep (2019) | Ewan McGregor | 31.60 | 37.2 | 84.60 | 79 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 78.5 | |
| 16 | Christine (1983) | Keith Gordon & John Stockwell |
21.00 | 71.9 | 71.90 | 35 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 76.4 | |
| 17 | Cujo (1983) | Dee Wallace | 21.20 | 72.4 | 72.40 | 34 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 72.3 | |
| 18 | The Mist (2007) | Thomas Jane | 25.60 | 40.1 | 40.10 | 93 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 70.5 | |
| 19 | Secret Window (2004) | Johnny Depp | 48.00 | 83.4 | 161.30 | 67 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 67.9 | |
| 20 | Pet Sematary (2019) | John Lithgow & Horror |
54.70 | 64.4 | 132.10 | 51 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 65.9 | |
| 21 | Cat's Eye (1985) | James Woods & Drew Barrymore |
13.10 | 39.7 | 39.70 | 66 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 61.4 | |
| 23 | The Lawnmower Man (1992) | Pierce Brosnan & Jeff Fahey |
32.10 | 83.4 | 83.40 | 42 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 60.8 | |
| 22 | Hearts in Atlantis (2001) | Anthony Hopkins & Anton Yelchin |
24.20 | 46.1 | 59.00 | 91 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 59.2 | |
| 24 | Carrie (2013) | Chloë Grace Moretz & Julianne Moore |
35.30 | 46.8 | 112.40 | 82 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 57.8 | |
| 27 | Firestarter (1984) | Martin Sheen & Drew Barrymore |
17.10 | 54.8 | 54.80 | 59 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 49.1 | |
| 26 | The Dark Half (1993) | Timothy Hutton | 10.60 | 27.6 | 27.60 | 106 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 46.9 | |
| 25 | Apt Pupil (1998) | Ian McKellen & Brad Renfro |
8.90 | 20.4 | 20.40 | 125 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 46.5 | |
| 29 | Sleepwalkers (1992) | Ron Perlman | 30.50 | 79.3 | 79.30 | 43 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 45.7 | |
| 28 | The Dark Tower (2017) | Matthew McConaughey | 50.70 | 60.9 | 134.30 | 55 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 44.7 | |
| 31 | Children of the Corn (1984) | Linda Hamilton | 14.60 | 46.7 | 46.70 | 62 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 42.4 | |
| 30 | Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990) | Christian Slater & Julianne Moore |
16.30 | 41.6 | 41.60 | 72 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 41.8 | |
| 32 | Needful Things (1993) | Max von Sydow & Ed Harris |
15.20 | 39.5 | 39.50 | 86 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 37.0 | |
| 33 | Creepshow 2 (1987) | Dorothy Lamour & George Kennedy |
14.00 | 38.6 | 38.60 | 71 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 32.7 | |
| 34 | Silver Bullet (1985) | Gary Busey & Corey Haim |
12.40 | 37.5 | 37.50 | 71 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 32.5 | |
| 35 | Dreamcatcher (2003) Writer |
Morgan Freeman & Thomas Jane |
33.70 | 60.3 | 135.40 | 85 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 29.9 | |
| 36 | Thinner (1996) | Joe Mantegna | 15.30 | 37.4 | 37.40 | 97 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 26.8 | |
| 37 | Pet Sematary II (1992) | Edward Furlong & Anthony Edwards |
17.10 | 44.4 | 44.40 | 73 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 20.9 | |
| 37 | Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022) Netflix |
Donald Sutherland | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 220 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.7 | |
| 37 | Salems Lot (2024) HBO Max |
Lewis Pullman | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 194 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.6 | |
| 38 | The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) | Amy Irving & Jason London |
17.80 | 37.8 | 37.80 | 91 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 19.0 | |
| 39 | The Night Flier (1997) | Miguel Ferrer | 0.10 | 0.3 | 0.30 | 245 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 11.6 | |
| 40 | Graveyard Shift (1990) | Brad Dourif | 11.60 | 29.5 | 29.50 | 90 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 11.1 | |
| 41 | Stephen King's Riding the Bullet (2004) | David Arquette & Barbara Hershey |
0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 271 | 40 | 00 / 00 | 3.9 | |
| 42 | Children of the Corn II (1993) | Terence Knox | 7.00 | 18.2 | 18.20 | 124 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 3.3 | |
| 43 | Maximum Overdrive (1986) | Emilio Estevez & Directed by Stephen King |
7.40 | 21.6 | 21.60 | 81 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 3.1 | |
| 44 | Children of the Corn (2023) | Horror | 0.30 | 0.3 | 0.50 | 174 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 1.6 | |
| 47 | Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996) | Patrick Bergin & Matt Frewer |
2.40 | 5.9 | 5.90 | 176 | 26 | 00 / 00 | 0.5 | |
| 48 | The Mangler (1995) | Robert Englund | 1.80 | 4.4 | 4.40 | 179 | 26 | 00 / 00 | 0.4 |
Stephen King Made For Television Movies
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Stephen King television movies by year it was made
- Sort Stephen King television movies by the stars of the movie
- Sort Stephen King television movies by trivia for the movie
- Sort Stephen King television movies how they were received by audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie
| Rank | Movie (Year) | Year | Stars | Trivia | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm of the Century | 1999 | Tim Daly | Won 1 Emmy | 74.0% | |
| The Stand | 1994 | Gary Sinise & Rob Lowe | Won Two Emmys | 73.0% | |
| Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | 2006 | Robert Mammone | Won 2 Emmys | 71.0% | |
| It | 1990 | John Ritter & Tim Curry | Won 1 Emmy | 69.0% | |
| Salem's Lot | 1979 | James Mason | 3 Emmy nominations | 68.0% | |
| Rose Red | 2002 | Nancy Travis | Nominated for 1 Emmy | 67.0% | |
| Salem's Lot | 2004 | Rob Lowe | Nominate for 1 Emmy | 62.0% | |
| The Langoliers | 1995 | Dean Stockwell | Nominated for 1 Emmy | 61.0% | |
| The Shining | 1997 | Steven Weber & Rebecca De Mornay | Won 2 Emmys | 61.0% | |
| Bag of Bones | 2011 | Pierce Brosnan | 2nd King project for Brosnan | 58.0% | |
| Big Driver | 2014 | Maria Bello | 2nd King project for Bello | 57.0% | |
| Sometimes They Come Back | 1991 | Tim Matheson | Filmed in 30 days | 57.0% | |
| Carrie | 2002 | Patricia Clarkson | 2nd of 3 Carrie adaptations | 55.0% | |
| The Tommyknockers | 1993 | Jimmy Smiths & Marg Helgenberger | Nominated for 1 Emmy | 54.0% | |
| Desperation | 2006 | Tom Skerrit & Steven Weber | Nominated for 2 Emmys | 53.0% | |
| Childred of the Corn | 2009 | David Anders | One of 9 Children of the Corn adapatations | 39.0% | |
| Trucks | 1997 | Timothy Busfield | TV version of Maximum Overdrive | 38.0% |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Stephen King Movies
1. Two Stephen King movies have been nominated for Best Picture Oscars®….1994’s The Shawshank Redemption and 1999’s The Green Mile.
2. Five actors have been nominated for an acting Oscar® while performing in a Stephen King movie: Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie in 1976’s Carrie, Kathy Bates in 1990’s Misery, Morgan Freeman in 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption and Michael Clarke Duncan in 1999’s The Green Mile.
3. Kathy Bates won the Best Actress Oscar® for her role as Annie Wilkes in King’s Misery (1990).
4. Stephen King starred in 1982’s Creepshow and directed 1986’s Maximum Overdrive.
5. Stephen King was very disappointed in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). He has described the film as “A fancy car without an engine.”
6. Jeffrey DeMunn has appeared in four Stephen King screen adaptions: 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption, 1999’s The Green Mile, 1999’s Storm of the Century and 2007’s The Mist. DeMunn played Dale Horvath on The Walking Dead from 2010 to 2012.
7. In our database we have 25,314 movies ranked. King’s The Green Mile is the 154th highest rated movie….on the other of the spectrum….King’s Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace is the 25,301st highest rated movie….or 13th worst.
8. Check out Stephen King ‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Steve Lensman’s Stephen King You Tube Video
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
There sure is alot of info in this. I am pretty sure Lawnmower man 2 is not King tho…..I thought there was some stink about that one and King sued to have his name removed?
Thanks for the headsup. I put a disclaimer on the page about Lawnmower Man 2. I did a quick internet search on that but did not see anything about King suing to have his name removed.
He’s accomplished so much. To write over 50 books is insane. I Prolly only seen a handful of his books turned to movies I’m gonna start doing my research
I believe this page is a great place to start that research. Thanks for the feedback.
No idea so many King movies even existed. A stellar top five.
Hey Paul S. I think over the last 40 King novels and short stories are the most popular ones that get turned into movies….right up there with Shakespeare….I wonder how many times Shakespeare and Stephen King have been in the same sentence…lol.
The Stand is still one of my favorites….stuck as close to the book as possible, and fantastic cast. We still watch is a few times a year in this household, no matter how dated it becomes.
Hey Wendy Onstott…..I agree with you 100%….The Stand is one of the best King adaptions ever. Right up there with Misery, The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption….thanks for stopping by.
Hi, Bruce.
As you know I am not a horror fan. I do not read King books. However, because of who has starred in the movies,actually seen enough to make a comment on this page.
I see King did not like The Shining. Because that movie as well as Misery were about writers and I love books and have been writing all my life and am related to writers, those movies I wanted to see and have seen. Misery seems to me like something that actually could happen to a writer of a series if he or she had bad security. Agatha Christie really got tired of Hercule Poirot.
I see by the table that Marin Sheen made another King movie called Firestarter. I do not know that one at all.
The only movie I have not yet seen which I really see myself seeking out besides the second Sheen title is Stand By Me. I’ve had the opportunity to watch it several times. But because of what happened to River Phoenix, I haven’t been able to watch it.
I saw Maximum Overdrive at a birthday party. I’m not sure I would have seen it otherwise.
I saw The Dead Zone for Martin Sheen.
I saw The Shawshank Redemption for Morgan Freeman. That is my favourite.
Hey Flora.
1. Thanks as always for stopping by.
2. I fixed your errors…and deleted the other messages….sorry your morning was not smooth.
3. I agree with you about Misery. Pretty sure Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had issues like that (fans going crazy) when he killed off Sherlock Holmes…for a little while at least. Maybe some fan talked Doyle into bringing Sherlock back.
4. Firestarter starred Drew Barrymore right after she hit it big with E.T. Pretty sure Sheen is the bad guy in that one….but it has been many years since I saw that one. Sheen is for sure the bad guy in The Dead Zone.
5. Stand by Me is awesome….a great movie that is getting better with time…highly recommend that one.
6. Shawshank is another great movie…..the Citizen Kane of our time….as both movies did almost nothing when released….but as time has passed …their greatness got noticed.
Thanks for your thoughts on Stephen King movies.
Reply