The 1990s

Best Movies of the 1990s: Top Films Year by Year

18,485 films on the site were released from 1990 to 1999, and 1,461 are ranked. Three Colors: Red (1994) leads the decade, ahead of Schindler's List (1993). The biggest hit was Titanic (1997) with $2.3B worldwide, and 10 Best Picture winners were released in the decade.

films released 1990–1999: 18,485
ranked by rating: 1,461
worldwide box office: $91.8B
award wins: 727

#1 of 1,461

Best-rated film of the 1990s

Three Colors: Red

1994 Drama Mystery Romance 1h 39m French

100 Metascore $3.6M worldwide

Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

About Three Colors: Red

Ranked

What Are the Best Movies of the 1990s?

Schindler's List and Pulp Fiction follow Three Colors: Red. Drama is the most common genre in the top 20 (16 films). Krzysztof Kieslowski, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg each have 2 films on the list. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

1. Three Colors: Red 100 Metascore (Metascore 100 out of 100)

1994 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 39m

Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski No Echo Score: ranked 94/100 on critics & audiences
2. Schindler's List 95 Metascore (Metascore 95 out of 100)

1993 · Biography, Drama · 3h 15m

Dir. Steven Spielberg No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
3. Pulp Fiction 95 Metascore (Metascore 95 out of 100)

1994 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 34m

Dir. Quentin Tarantino No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
4. Beauty and the Beast 95 Metascore (Metascore 95 out of 100 (22 critic reviews))

1991 · Fantasy, Romance · 1h 24m

Dir. Gary Trousdale No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
4. Goodfellas 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))

1990 · Biography, Drama · 2h 26m

Dir. Martin Scorsese No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
4. Close-Up 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))

1999 · Biography, Drama · 1h 38m

Dir. Abbas Kiarostami No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
7. Saving Private Ryan 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100)

1998 · Action, Drama · 2h 49m

Dir. Steven Spielberg No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences
8. Crumb 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))

1995 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 59m

Dir. Terry Zwigoff No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences
9. Secrets & Lies 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)

1996 · Drama, Comedy · 2h 16m

Dir. Mike Leigh No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences
10. Toy Story 96 Metascore (Metascore 96 out of 100)

1995 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 21m

Dir. John Lasseter No Echo Score: ranked 89/100 on critics & audiences
11. Hoop Dreams 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

1994 · Drama, Sport · 2h 50m

Dir. Steve James No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences
12. The Lion King 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100)

1994 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 29m

Dir. Rob Minkoff No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences
12. Reversal of Fortune 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100)

1990 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 51m

Dir. Barbet Schroeder No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences
14. Three Colors: White 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100)

1994 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 31m

Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences
14. 42: Forty Two Up 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (22 critic reviews))

1999 · Biography, Documentary · 2h 19m

Dir. Michael Apted No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences
16. The Sweet Hereafter 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100)

1997 · Drama · 1h 52m

Dir. Atom Egoyan No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences
17. The Fugitive 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100)

1993 · Action, Drama · 2h 10m

Dir. Andrew Davis No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
18. L.A. Confidential 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (28 critic reviews))

1997 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 18m

Dir. Curtis Hanson No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
18. The Truman Show 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)

1998 · Drama · 1h 43m

Dir. Peter Weir No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
20. The Age of Innocence 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)

1993 · Drama, Romance · 2h 19m

Dir. Martin Scorsese No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

Year by year

The 1990s Year by Year: Biggest Hit and Best Picture

1999 has the most releases on the site (2,076). The decade's biggest single hit, Titanic, came out in 1997. Titanic was both its year's biggest hit and the Best Picture winner. Each year links to its own ranking.

Every year of the 1990s: releases on the site, biggest hit and the Oscar Best Picture winner released that year
Year	Releases	Biggest hit	Best Picture winner
1990	Releases: 1,711	Biggest hit Ghost $505.7M worldwide	Best Picture winner Dances with Wolves Oscars 1991
1991	Releases: 1,875	Biggest hit Terminator 2: Judgment Day $517.8M worldwide	Best Picture winner The Silence of the Lambs Oscars 1992
1992	Releases: 1,720	Biggest hit The Bodyguard $411M worldwide	Best Picture winner Unforgiven Oscars 1993
1993	Releases: 1,774	Biggest hit Mrs. Doubtfire $441.3M worldwide	Best Picture winner Schindler's List Oscars 1994
1994	Releases: 1,796	Biggest hit The Lion King $979.2M worldwide	Best Picture winner Forrest Gump Oscars 1995
1995	Releases: 1,852	Biggest hit Toy Story $394.4M worldwide	Best Picture winner Braveheart Oscars 1996
1996	Releases: 1,808	Biggest hit Independence Day $817.4M worldwide	Best Picture winner The English Patient Oscars 1997
1997	Releases: 1,913	Biggest hit Titanic $2.3B worldwide	Best Picture winner Titanic Oscars 1998
1998	Releases: 1,960	Biggest hit Armageddon $553.7M worldwide	Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love Oscars 1999
1999	Releases: 2,076	Biggest hit Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace $1B worldwide	Best Picture winner American Beauty Oscars 2000

#1 of each year

The Best-Rated Movie of Every Year, 1990–1999

Goodfellas (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Unforgiven (1992) and 7 more years: the best-rated film of each year of the 1990s. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Box office

Which 1990s Movies Earned the Most?

Titanic (1997) earned $2.3B worldwide, the most of any 1990s film; Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace follows with $1B. The top 10 took $8.7B; all 2,689 films of the decade with a box office record took $91.8B.

Titanic $2.3B
1997 · Drama, Romance
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace $1B
1999 · Action, Adventure
The Lion King $979.2M
1994 · Adventure, Drama
Independence Day $817.4M
1996 · Action, Adventure
Forrest Gump $678.2M
1994 · Drama, Romance
The Sixth Sense $672.8M
1999 · Drama, Mystery
The Lost World: Jurassic Park $618.6M
1997 · Action, Adventure
Men in Black $589.4M
1997 · Action, Sci-Fi
Armageddon $553.7M
1998 · Action, Adventure
Terminator 2: Judgment Day $517.8M
1991 · Action, Sci-Fi

Awards

The Most-Awarded Movies of the 1990s

American Beauty (1999) leads the 1990s with 22 wins from 37 nominations, ahead of The English Patient (20 wins). Films of the decade won 727 awards in all.

American Beauty 22 / 37
1999 · Drama · 22 wins from 37 nominations Won at BAFTA, Critics' Choice, DGA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars, Actor Awards (SAG), TIFF
The English Patient 20 / 39
1996 · Drama, Romance · 20 wins from 39 nominations Won at BAFTA, Critics' Choice, DGA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars
Titanic 18 / 40
1997 · Drama, Romance · 18 wins from 40 nominations Won at Critics' Choice, DGA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars, Actor Awards (SAG)
Schindler's List 18 / 31
1993 · Biography, Drama · 18 wins from 31 nominations Won at BAFTA, DGA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars
Shakespeare in Love 16 / 40
1998 · Drama, Comedy · 16 wins from 40 nominations Won at BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globes, Oscars, Actor Awards (SAG)
Saving Private Ryan 15 / 32
1998 · Action, Drama · 15 wins from 32 nominations Won at BAFTA, Critics' Choice, DGA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars
Forrest Gump 14 / 37
1994 · Drama, Romance · 14 wins from 37 nominations Won at BAFTA, DGA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscars, Actor Awards (SAG), Saturn Awards
Fargo 12 / 30
1996 · Drama, Thriller · 12 wins from 30 nominations Won at BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Oscars, Actor Awards (SAG), Spirit Awards

Genres

What Genres Defined the 1990s?

Drama is the biggest genre of the 1990s with 7,459 films (40% of the decade's films), then Comedy (28%) and Action (15%). A film can have several genres, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

Directors

Who Directed the Most Films of the 1990s?

Spike Lee made 10 notable films in the 1990s, the best-rated being 4 Little Girls; Joel Schumacher follows with 9. Counted over feature films with ratings, box office or awards.

Spike Lee 10 films
Best: 4 Little Girls (1997)
Joel Schumacher 9 films
Best: Falling Down (1993)
Barry Levinson 8 films
Best: Bugsy (1991)
Robert Altman 8 films
Best: The Player (1992)
Michael Apted 8 films
Best: 42: Forty Two Up (1999)
Simon Wincer 8 films
Best: Free Willy (1993)
Oliver Stone 7 films
Best: JFK (1991)
Tony Scott 7 films
Best: True Romance (1993)

Every decade

Best Movies by Decade

10 decades ranked, from the 1930s to the 2020s. Each has its year-by-year table and its own top films.

FAQ

Best Movies of the 1990s: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about the 1990s' best-rated films, biggest hits and Best Picture winners, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of the 1990s?

Three Colors: Red (1994) is the best-rated film of the 1990s on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 94/100 from critics and audiences. Schindler's List (1993) is second and Pulp Fiction (1994) third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About Three Colors: Red

What was the highest-grossing movie of the 1990s?

Titanic (1997) earned $2.3B worldwide, the most of any 1990s release on the site.

1997 box office

Which 1990s movies won Best Picture?

Dances with Wolves (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Unforgiven (1992), Schindler's List (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995), The English Patient (1996), Titanic (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998) and American Beauty (1999).

Which 1990s film won the most awards?

American Beauty (1999), with 22 wins from 37 nominations recorded on the site.

How many movies from the 1990s are on the site?

18,485 films released from 1990 to 1999, the most in 1999 (2,076). 1,461 of them are ranked.

How are the best movies of the 1990s ranked?

Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases). Only feature films count (60 minutes or longer, no concert recordings), and a film needs enough ratings, box office or award attention to be ranked.