Want to know the best Best True Story Movies? Curious which True Story Movie earned the most at the box office? Want to know which True Story Movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which True Story Movies got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place …. because we have all of that information.
A few months ago, Wife of Cogerson (that’s what she likes to be called) was talking about Ultimate Movie Rankings with one of her co-workers, Anne C. Anne’s favorite type of movie are ones that are based on a true story. Since I did not have a “True Story Movies” page they requested that I do one. Normally when I get a request, I go straight to IMDb, find out how many movies that performer made, and start researching the stats of each individual movie. In this case, I quickly realized that there were thousands of movies based on true stories. So after a few months of research, I had nothing to show for my work. About two weeks ago, I stumbled across a book….Based On A True Story by Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen. So using that book as a jumping spot…I finally figured out a way to write this movie page.
With the massive amount of movies to research…I decided to try and find the Top True Story Movies based on my Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score equation. So using Vankin and Whalen’s book, the Internet, personal favorites, Wife of Cogerson’s suggestion, Anne’s suggestions, and the Ultimate Movie Rankings database, I scored over 300 movies. This page looks at the Top 50 True Story Movies.
Top 50 True Story Movies Can Be Ranked 5 Ways In The Table Below
The really cool thing about ther table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort True Story Movies by subject matter
- Sort True Story Movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort True Story Movies by critic reviews and audiences voting. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each True Story Movie received.
- Sort True Story 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. The ceiling to earn points for box office is $200 million…once a movie passes that mark it stops earning points in that category.
| 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 | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) AA Best Picture Win |
Peter O'Toole & Anthony Quinn |
41.50 | 595.9 | 595.90 | 1 | 94 | 10 / 07 | 100.0 | |
| 2 | Schindler's List (1993) AA Best Picture Win |
Liam Neeson & Ralph Fiennes |
96.10 | 250.1 | 836.60 | 9 | 94 | 12 / 07 | 100.0 | |
| 3 | Patton (1970) AA Best Picture Win |
George C. Scott | 61.70 | 429.5 | 429.50 | 4 | 90 | 10 / 07 | 100.0 | |
| 4 | The King's Speech (2010) AA Best Picture Win |
Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush |
138.80 | 189.6 | 565.90 | 18 | 93 | 12 / 04 | 99.9 | |
| 5 | The French Connection (1971) AA Best Picture Win |
Gene Hackman & Roy Scheider |
51.70 | 337.8 | 337.80 | 4 | 84 | 08 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 5 | The Sound of Music (1965) AA Best Picture Win |
Julie Andrews & Christopher Plummer |
145.50 | 1,537.8 | 2,837.70 | 1 | 82 | 10 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 7 | Gandhi (1982) AA Best Picture Win |
Ben Kingsley & Martin Sheen |
52.80 | 193.5 | 468.50 | 11 | 85 | 11 / 08 | 99.9 | |
| 8 | Argo (2012) AA Best Picture Win |
Ben Affleck & John Goodman |
136.00 | 184.2 | 314.60 | 22 | 90 | 07 / 03 | 99.8 | |
| 9 | Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) AA Best Picture Win |
Clark Gable & Charles Laughton |
8.20 | 366.3 | 649.90 | 1 | 86 | 08 / 01 | 99.8 | |
| 10 | Titanic (1997) AA Best Picture Win |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet |
621.80 | 1,460.3 | 4,763.40 | 1 | 78 | 14 / 11 | 99.8 | |
| 9 | A Beautiful Mind (2001) AA Best Picture Win |
Russell Crowe & Jennifer Connelly |
170.70 | 325.8 | 598.20 | 11 | 82 | 08 / 04 | 99.8 | |
| 13 | Braveheart (1995) AA Best Picture Win |
Mel Gibson & Patrick McGoohan |
75.60 | 187.4 | 521.40 | 18 | 81 | 10 / 05 | 99.8 | |
| 11 | Saving Private Ryan (1998) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Matt Damon |
214.50 | 493.1 | 1,102.90 | 1 | 93 | 11 / 05 | 99.8 | |
| 14 | Out of Africa (1985) AA Best Picture Win |
Meryl Streep & Robert Redford |
87.10 | 264.4 | 808.30 | 5 | 66 | 11 / 07 | 99.7 | |
| 15 | Lincoln (2012) AA Best Picture Nom |
Daniel Day-Lewis & Sally Field |
182.20 | 246.8 | 372.80 | 13 | 89 | 12 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 16 | Bonnie and Clyde (1967) AA Best Picture Nom |
Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway |
57.00 | 507.8 | 507.80 | 3 | 87 | 10 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 17 | The Exorcist (1973) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ellen Burstyn & Linda Blair |
195.80 | 1,192.5 | 2,459.30 | 1 | 86 | 10 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 18 | Apollo 13 (1995) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Bill Paxton |
173.10 | 428.9 | 878.40 | 3 | 86 | 09 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 19 | Dog Day Afternoon (1975) AA Best Picture Nom |
Al Pacino & John Cazale |
68.20 | 358.5 | 358.50 | 4 | 89 | 06 / 01 | 99.5 | |
| 20 | All the President's Men (1976) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman |
90.90 | 460.1 | 460.10 | 4 | 83 | 08 / 04 | 99.5 | |
| 21 | Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
James Cagney & Walter Huston |
13.50 | 501.3 | 702.20 | 3 | 84 | 08 / 03 | 99.5 | |
| 23 | The Last Emperor (1987) AA Best Picture Win |
Peter O'Toole & John Lone |
44.00 | 121.3 | 121.30 | 25 | 85 | 09 / 09 | 99.5 | |
| 22 | The Pride of the Yankees (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
Gary Cooper & Teresa Wright |
10.50 | 389.9 | 389.90 | 9 | 84 | 11 / 01 | 99.5 | |
| 23 | Boys Town (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Spencer Tracy & Mickey Rooney |
11.30 | 451.6 | 648.10 | 2 | 86 | 05 / 02 | 99.4 | |
| 24 | Sergeant York (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
Gary Cooper & Walter Brennan |
13.50 | 521.1 | 521.10 | 1 | 81 | 11 / 02 | 99.4 | |
| 25 | Funny Girl (1968) AA Best Picture Nom |
Barbra Streisand | 52.40 | 430.8 | 430.80 | 3 | 82 | 08 / 01 | 99.3 | |
| 26 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) AA Best Picture Nom |
Paul Newman & Robert Redford |
100.10 | 760.0 | 931.40 | 1 | 79 | 07 / 04 | 99.3 | |
| 30 | Born on the Fourth of July (1989) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Cruise | 70.00 | 190.1 | 437.20 | 17 | 82 | 08 / 02 | 99.1 | |
| 28 | Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sissy Spacek & Tommy Lee Jones |
81.50 | 337.8 | 337.80 | 6 | 80 | 07 / 01 | 99.1 | |
| 32 | Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) AA Best Picture Nom |
Spencer Tracy & Marlene Dietrich |
11.30 | 164.4 | 164.40 | 19 | 86 | 11 / 02 | 99.0 | |
| 31 | Erin Brockovich (2000) AA Best Picture Nom |
Julia Roberts & Albert Finney |
125.60 | 251.2 | 512.50 | 13 | 79 | 05 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 34 | The Great Escape (1963) | Steve McQueen | 15.80 | 197.7 | 197.70 | 13 | 89 | 01 / 00 | 98.8 | |
| 35 | American Hustle (2013) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jennifer Lawrence & Christian Bale |
150.10 | 199.0 | 333.00 | 17 | 76 | 10 / 00 | 98.8 | |
| 32 | 12 Years a Slave (2013) AA Best Picture Win |
Chiwetel Ejiofor & Michael Fassbender |
56.70 | 75.1 | 248.90 | 62 | 91 | 09 / 03 | 98.7 | |
| 34 | Seabiscuit (2003) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tobey Maguire & Jeff Bridges |
120.30 | 215.0 | 265.20 | 17 | 77 | 07 / 00 | 98.6 | |
| 36 | Catch Me if You Can (2002) | Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Hanks |
164.60 | 306.0 | 654.40 | 11 | 86 | 02 / 00 | 98.5 | |
| 36 | The Social Network (2010) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jesse Eisenberg & Justin Timberlake |
96.70 | 132.1 | 306.90 | 32 | 91 | 08 / 03 | 98.5 | |
| 39 | Black Hawk Down (2001) | Orlando Bloom & Directed by Ridley Scott |
108.60 | 207.3 | 330.10 | 18 | 79 | 04 / 02 | 98.3 | |
| 39 | The Help (2011) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jessica Chastain & Octavia Spencer |
169.70 | 230.7 | 294.40 | 13 | 74 | 04 / 01 | 98.1 | |
| 40 | Escape from Alcatraz (1979) | Clint Eastwood | 47.30 | 203.1 | 203.10 | 17 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 98.0 | |
| 43 | Captain Phillips (2013) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Barkhad Abdi |
107.10 | 142.0 | 290.10 | 32 | 90 | 06 / 00 | 97.8 | |
| 41 | Goodfellas (1990) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert DeNiro & Joe Pesci |
46.80 | 119.4 | 119.40 | 26 | 95 | 06 / 01 | 97.7 | |
| 43 | Zero Dark Thirty (2012) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jessica Chastain & Chris Pratt |
95.70 | 129.6 | 179.90 | 32 | 90 | 05 / 01 | 97.4 | |
| 44 | The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) AA Best Picture Nom |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Matthew McConaughey |
116.90 | 155.0 | 519.80 | 28 | 83 | 05 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 45 | Raging Bull (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert DeNiro & Joe Pesci |
23.50 | 97.5 | 97.50 | 33 | 94 | 08 / 02 | 96.7 | |
| 45 | The Alamo (1960) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Wayne & Richard Widmark |
22.60 | 353.1 | 708.40 | 5 | 63 | 07 / 01 | 96.7 | |
| 47 | A League of Their Own (1992) | Tom Hanks & Madonna |
107.50 | 279.3 | 344.00 | 10 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 48 | The Blind Side (2009) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sandra Bullock & Tim McGraw |
256.00 | 367.9 | 444.40 | 8 | 67 | 02 / 01 | 96.5 | |
| 51 | The Elephant Man (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Hurt & Anthony Hopkins |
27.90 | 115.8 | 115.80 | 28 | 88 | 08 / 00 | 96.1 | |
| 50 | The Longest Day (1962) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Wayne & Robert Mitchum |
31.30 | 449.7 | 449.70 | 3 | 60 | 05 / 02 | 95.8 | |
| 52 | Gangs of New York (2002) AA Best Picture Nom |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Daniel Day-Lewis |
77.80 | 144.6 | 360.10 | 34 | 77 | 10 / 00 | 95.7 | |
| 50 | A Bridge Too Far (1977) | Michael Caine & Sean Connery |
56.80 | 274.4 | 274.40 | 9 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 55 | Norma Rae (1979) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sally Field | 30.00 | 129.0 | 129.00 | 30 | 76 | 04 / 02 | 94.1 | |
| 53 | The Right Stuff (1983) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sam Shepard & Dennis Quaid |
21.20 | 72.5 | 72.50 | 33 | 88 | 08 / 04 | 93.7 | |
| 56 | The Perfect Storm (2000) | George Clooney & Mark Wahlberg |
182.60 | 365.2 | 657.40 | 6 | 58 | 02 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 55 | Quiz Show (1994) AA Best Picture Nom |
Paul Scofield | 24.80 | 65.6 | 65.60 | 56 | 90 | 04 / 00 | 91.3 | |
| 58 | Miracle (2004) | Kurt Russell & Patricia Clarkson |
64.40 | 111.8 | 111.90 | 47 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 88.5 | |
| 59 | Saving Mr. Banks (2013) | Tom Hanks & Emma Thompso |
83.30 | 110.5 | 156.30 | 43 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 88.3 | |
| 57 | 127 Hours (2010) AA Best Picture Nom |
James Franco | 18.30 | 25.1 | 83.00 | 119 | 87 | 06 / 00 | 86.6 | |
| 60 | Zulu (1964) | Michael Caine & Richard Burton |
4.00 | 46.2 | 46.20 | 71 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 84.2 | |
| 62 | Rudy (1993) | Vince Vaughn | 22.80 | 59.2 | 59.20 | 68 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 81.4 | |
| 63 | Secretariat (2010) | Diane Lane | 59.70 | 81.6 | 81.60 | 58 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 80.1 | |
| 61 | Ed Wood (1994) | Johnny Depp & Martin Landau |
5.90 | 15.6 | 15.60 | 139 | 84 | 02 / 02 | 79.6 | |
| 65 | Men of Honor (2000) | Charlize Theron & Robert DeNiro |
48.80 | 97.6 | 164.70 | 51 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 76.2 | |
| 64 | Brian's Song (1971) | James Caan | 1.00 | 6.4 | 6.40 | 158 | 84 | 00 / 00 | 74.3 | |
| 67 | Glory Road (2006) | Jon Voight | 42.60 | 69.9 | 69.90 | 69 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 74.0 | |
| 66 | Eight Men Out (1988) | Charlie Sheen & John Cusack |
5.70 | 14.9 | 14.90 | 120 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 68 | We Are Marshall (2006) | Matthew McConaughey | 43.50 | 71.3 | 71.30 | 68 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 69.1 | |
| 69 | The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) | Shia LaBeouf & Bill Paxton |
15.30 | 25.8 | 26.50 | 135 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 57.5 | |
| 70 | Chaplin (1992) | Robert Downey Jr. & Milla Jovovich |
9.50 | 24.7 | 24.70 | 97 | 62 | 03 / 00 | 55.3 | |
| 71 | The Bear (1984) | Football Movies & Gary Busey |
2.70 | 8.6 | 8.60 | 128 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 31.5 |
I am pretty sure that I have not included many films that could crack the Top 50…I will continue to research Based on a True Story movies and update when I find one.
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Absolutely love it!!! Thank you so much. Can’t believe that I think I forgot Sound of Music on my list – I guess I have it filed under musicals at home. You came up with a lot that I have seen and enjoyed, others that I have heard of and would like to see, and others that I would like to see just because of your recommendation. Keep up the good work!!
Hey Anne C. Glad you like your movie page. Sorry it took so long to write it. Wife of Cogerson kept asking me how it was progressing…and the news was not good…but sometimes good things take awhile to develop…lol. Hope you find some good Based on a True Story movies on this list to watch.
My, I had no idea there were that many movies done on real people and their stories or lives. I found this very informative and so interesting to see the stats on them. VERY INTERESTING COGERSON. THIS WAS A GOOD WEB SITE, I HAVE SEEN SO MANY OF THESE MOVIES – NOT ALL BUT A VERY LARGE PORTION OF THEM. THANK YOU!
Hey BERN1960…..thanks for stopping by. Yep there are a ton of these movies out there….but I think I got most of the best. I am surprised you did not ask where the Jolson Story was…lol.
Like Steve’s says if Exorcist is on the table where is Star Wars?
Hey Mr. Solo…sorry Star Wars might come true but I think we have a few years before it becomes a Based on True Story movie….but it is a great movie!
An excellent idea for a moviescore topic Bruce old chum. I might use this for a future poster page.
There are 12 films here I haven’t seen nearly all of them sports movies.
The odd one is The Exorcist, which was very loosely based on an incident involving a little boy, and only deserves inclusion if you believe in devils and demons otherwise you may as well include The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Story Ever Told. [wink]
It’s good to see Lawrence at no.1, one of my top 5 favorite movies.
Top Marks Bruce, now how about that Biblical top 50? 🙂
Hey Steve. I have seen 68 of the 71 listed. I am thinking somebody is going to mention a movie that will crack the Top 50.
As for The Exorcist…well it least there was a 1949 case that it is based on…numerous websites list Jaws as a based on a true story movie….just could not include that one though…..thanks as always for the visit and the comment.
Interesting list. Although I see two of my recent favorite true movies did not make the list and probably should. Dallas Buyers Club and Philomena. That being said an impressive Top 10.
Hey Madeline….thanks for the visit. Dallas Buyers Club and Philomena are both excellent movies….but they did not get enough points to crack the Top 50…both needed more love at the box office to rank higher.