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Best of 1994

Best Movies of 1994, Ranked

1,796 films on the site were released in 1994, and 116 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. Three Colors: Red tops the list, ahead of Pulp Fiction and Hoop Dreams. The biggest hit was The Lion King with $979.2M worldwide, and Forrest Gump won Best Picture at the 1995 Oscars.

films released in 1994
1,796
ranked by rating
116
worldwide, top 10 hits
$4B
award wins
62
  1. Three Colors: Red (1994) movie poster #1 Three Colors: Red 100 Metascore
  2. Pulp Fiction (1994) movie poster #2 Pulp Fiction 95 Metascore
  3. Hoop Dreams (1994) movie poster #3 Hoop Dreams 98 Metascore
#1 of 1994

What Is the Best Movie of 1994?

Three Colors: Red is the best-rated film of 1994, with a rank value of 94/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Pulp Fiction (92/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 1994, Ranked

Pulp Fiction and Hoop Dreams follow Three Colors: Red. Drama is the most common genre in the top 25 (20 films). John Dahl and Krzysztof Kieslowski each have 2 films on the list. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Best of the 1990s
  1. Pulp Fiction (1994) movie poster
    2. 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

  2. Hoop Dreams (1994) movie poster
    3. 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

  3. The Lion King (1994) movie poster
    4. 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

  4. Three Colors: White (1994) movie poster
    5. 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

  5. Forrest Gump (1994) movie poster
    6. Forrest Gump 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))

    1994 · Drama, Romance · 2h 22m

    Dir. Robert Zemeckis No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  6. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) movie poster
    7. The Shawshank Redemption 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, Crime · 2h 22m

    No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  7. The Madness of King George (1994) movie poster
    8. The Madness of King George 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100)

    1994 · Biography, Drama · 1h 44m

    Dir. Nicholas Hytner No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  8. Little Women (1994) movie poster
    9. Little Women 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (23 critic reviews))

    1994 · Drama, Romance · 1h 55m

    Dir. Gillian Armstrong No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  9. The Last Seduction (1994) movie poster
    10. The Last Seduction 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 50m

    Dir. John Dahl No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  10. Quiz Show (1994) movie poster
    11. Quiz Show 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, History · 2h 13m

    No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  11. Heavenly Creatures (1994) movie poster
    12. Heavenly Creatures 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (31 critic reviews))

    1994 · Biography, Drama · 1h 39m

    Dir. Peter Jackson No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  12. Red Rock West (1994) movie poster
    13. Red Rock West 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 38m

    Dir. John Dahl No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences

  13. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) movie poster
    14. Eat Drink Man Woman 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100 (29 critic reviews))

    1994 · Drama, Comedy · 2h 4m

    Dir. Ang Lee No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences

  14. That's Entertainment! III (1994) movie poster
    15. That's Entertainment! III 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100)

    1994 · Family, Musical · 1h 53m

    Dir. Bud Friedgen No Echo Score: ranked 78/100 on critics & audiences

  15. Fresh (1994) movie poster
    16. Fresh 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (28 critic reviews))

    1994 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 54m

    Dir. Boaz Yakin No Echo Score: ranked 77/100 on critics & audiences

  16. The Scent of Green Papaya (1994) movie poster
    16. The Scent of Green Papaya 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, Romance · 1h 44m

    Dir. Tran Anh Hung No Echo Score: ranked 77/100 on critics & audiences

  17. Speed (1994) movie poster
    18. Speed 78 Metascore (Metascore 78 out of 100)

    1994 · Action, Thriller · 1h 56m

    Dir. Jan de Bont No Echo Score: ranked 76/100 on critics & audiences

  18. Ed Wood (1994) movie poster
    19. Ed Wood 71 Metascore (Metascore 71 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

    1994 · Biography, Drama · 2h 7m

    Dir. Tim Burton No Echo Score: ranked 76/100 on critics & audiences

  19. The War Room (1994) movie poster
    19. The War Room 78 Metascore (Metascore 78 out of 100)

    1994 · History, Documentary · 1h 36m

    Dir. Chris Hegedus No Echo Score: ranked 76/100 on critics & audiences

  20. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1994) movie poster
    21. What's Eating Gilbert Grape 73 Metascore (Metascore 73 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama · 1h 58m

    Dir. Lasse Hallstrom No Echo Score: ranked 75/100 on critics & audiences

  21. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) movie poster
    22. Four Weddings and a Funeral 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

    1994 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 57m

    Dir. Mike Newell No Echo Score: ranked 75/100 on critics & audiences

  22. The Crow (1994) movie poster
    23. The Crow 72 Metascore (Metascore 72 out of 100)

    1994 · Action, Fantasy · 1h 42m

    Dir. Alex Proyas No Echo Score: ranked 75/100 on critics & audiences

  23. Clerks (1994) movie poster
    24. Clerks 70 Metascore (Metascore 70 out of 100 (17 critic reviews))

    1994 · Comedy · 1h 32m

    Dir. Kevin Smith No Echo Score: ranked 75/100 on critics & audiences

  24. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) movie poster
    25. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 70 Metascore (Metascore 70 out of 100)

    1994 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 44m

    Dir. Stephan Elliott No Echo Score: ranked 73/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 1994?

The Lion King earned $979.2M worldwide, ahead of Forrest Gump ($678.2M). The top 10 took $4B together; 243 films released in 1994 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 1994 box office
  1. The Lion King (1994) movie poster #1 $979.2M worldwide The Lion King $425M domestic · Adventure
  2. Forrest Gump (1994) movie poster #2 $678.2M worldwide Forrest Gump $330.5M domestic · Drama
  3. True Lies (1994) movie poster #3 $378.9M worldwide True Lies $146.3M domestic · Action
  4. The Mask (1994) movie poster #4 $351.6M worldwide The Mask $119.9M domestic · Action
  5. Speed (1994) movie poster #5 $350.4M worldwide Speed $121.2M domestic · Action
  6. The Flintstones (1994) movie poster #6 $341.6M worldwide The Flintstones $130.5M domestic · Comedy
  7. Dumb and Dumber (1994) movie poster #7 $247.3M worldwide Dumb and Dumber $127.2M domestic · Comedy
  8. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) movie poster #8 $245.7M worldwide Four Weddings and a Funeral $52.7M domestic · Drama
  9. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) movie poster #9 $223.7M worldwide Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles $105.3M domestic · Drama
  10. Clear and Present Danger (1994) movie poster #10 $215.9M worldwide Clear and Present Danger $122.2M domestic · Action
Awards

Which 1994 Movies Won the Most Awards?

Forrest Gump leads with 14 wins from 37 nominations, then Pulp Fiction and The Lion King with 8 wins each. Forrest Gump won Best Picture at the 1995 Oscars. In all, 48 films released in 1994 have award nominations on the site, with 62 wins between them.

1995 awards season
  1. Forrest Gump (1994) movie poster
    Forrest Gump 14 / 37
    1994 · Drama, Romance · 14 wins from 37 nominations
  2. Pulp Fiction (1994) movie poster
    Pulp Fiction 8 / 31
    1994 · Drama, Thriller · 8 wins from 31 nominations
  3. The Lion King (1994) movie poster
    The Lion King 8 / 12
    1994 · Adventure, Drama · 8 wins from 12 nominations
  4. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) movie poster
    Four Weddings and a Funeral 5 / 18
    1994 · Drama, Comedy · 5 wins from 18 nominations
  5. Ed Wood (1994) movie poster
    Ed Wood 5 / 8
    1994 · Biography, Drama · 5 wins from 8 nominations
  6. The Madness of King George (1994) movie poster
    The Madness of King George 3 / 15
    1994 · Biography, Drama · 3 wins from 15 nominations
  7. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) movie poster
    Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles 3 / 11
    1994 · Drama, Horror · 3 wins from 11 nominations
  8. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) movie poster
    The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 3 / 10
    1994 · Drama, Comedy · 3 wins from 10 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 1994 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 1994 film of 12 genres, from Drama (Three Colors: Red) to Music (The Scent of Green Papaya). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 1994's Movies Released?

September was the busiest month of 1994 with 180 releases; its best-rated film is The Shawshank Redemption. January shows 367 because films whose exact release day is unknown are stored on January 1.

  • January Best: The Scent of Green Papaya
    367
  • February Best: Reality Bites
    110
  • March Best: What's Eating Gilbert Grape
    126
  • April Best: Red Rock West
    142
  • May Best: The Crow
    130
  • June Best: The Lion King
    124
  • July Best: Forrest Gump
    88
  • August Best: Eat Drink Man Woman
    124
  • September Best: The Shawshank Redemption
    180
  • October Best: Pulp Fiction
    169
  • November Best: Three Colors: Red
    127
  • December Best: The Madness of King George
    109
Languages

Which Languages Were 1994's Movies In?

57% of 1994's films with a known language are in English (1,026). Japanese comes next with 103 films, out of 56 languages in all.

Every year

Best Movies by Year

A best-of page for each of 55 years, from 1900 to 2026 (so far). Before 1980 there is one page per decade, for its first year (1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970); from 1980 every year has its own.

2020s
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1900–1970
FAQ

Best Movies of 1994: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 1994's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 1994?

Three Colors: Red is the best-rated film of 1994 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 94/100 from critics and audiences. Pulp Fiction is second and Hoop Dreams 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 1994?

The Lion King earned $979.2M worldwide, the most of any 1994 release on the site. Forrest Gump follows with $678.2M.

1994 box office

Which 1994 movie won the Oscar for Best Picture?

Forrest Gump (1994) won Best Picture at the 1995 Academy Awards.

Forrest Gump

Which 1994 film won the most awards?

Forrest Gump has the best award record of the 1994 releases on the site: 14 wins from 37 nominations.

1995 awards season

How many movies were released in 1994?

The site lists 1,796 films released in 1994. 116 of them are ranked, and September had the most releases with a known day (180).

How are the best movies of 1994 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.