Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
Best of 2013

Best Movies of 2013, Ranked

5,584 films on the site were released in 2013, and 736 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. The Act of Killing tops the list, ahead of Stories We Tell and 12 Years a Slave. The biggest hit was Frozen with $1.3B worldwide, and 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture at the 2014 Oscars.

films released in 2013
5,584
ranked by rating
736
worldwide, top 10 hits
$8.9B
award wins
145
  1. The Act of Killing (2013) movie poster #1 The Act of Killing 92 Metascore
  2. Stories We Tell (2013) movie poster #2 Stories We Tell 91 Metascore
  3. 12 Years a Slave (2013) movie poster #3 12 Years a Slave 96 Metascore
#1 of 2013

What Is the Best Movie of 2013?

The Act of Killing is the best-rated film of 2013, with a rank value of 89/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Stories We Tell (87/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Ranked

Top 25 Movies of 2013, Ranked

Stories We Tell and 12 Years a Slave follow The Act of Killing. Drama is the most common genre in the top 25 (17 films). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Best of the 2010s
  1. Stories We Tell (2013) movie poster
    2. Stories We Tell 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (36 critic reviews))

    2013 · Documentary · 1h 48m

    No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences

  2. 12 Years a Slave (2013) movie poster
    3. 12 Years a Slave 96 Metascore (Metascore 96 out of 100 (57 critic reviews))

    2013 · Biography, Drama · 2h 14m

    No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences

  3. Before Midnight (2013) movie poster
    4. Before Midnight 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, Romance · 1h 49m

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

  4. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) movie poster
    5. Blue Is the Warmest Color 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100 (58 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, Romance · 2h 59m

    Dir. Abdel Kechiche No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences

  5. Gravity (2013) movie poster
    6. Gravity 96 Metascore (Metascore 96 out of 100 (49 critic reviews))

    2013 · Sci-Fi, Drama · 1h 31m

    Dir. Alfonso Cuarón No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  6. A.K.A. Doc Pomus (2013) movie poster
    7. A.K.A. Doc Pomus 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))

    2013 · Biography, Music · 1h 38m

    Dir. Peter Miller No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences

  7. The Past (2013) movie poster
    8. The Past 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 10m

    Dir. Asghar Farhadi No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  8. 56 Up (2013) movie poster
    8. 56 Up 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

    2013 · Documentary · 2h 24m

    Dir. Michael Apted No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  9. The Great Beauty (2013) movie poster
    10. The Great Beauty 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (34 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, Comedy · 2h 22m

    Dir. Paolo Sorrentino No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  10. The Girls in the Band (2013) movie poster
    10. The Girls in the Band 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100 (6 critic reviews))

    2013 · Biography, History · 1h 21m

    Dir. Judy Chaikin No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  11. Her (2013) movie poster
    12. Her 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (47 critic reviews))

    2013 · Sci-Fi, Drama · 2h 6m

    Dir. Spike Jonze No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

  12. Bridegroom (2013) movie poster
    13. Bridegroom 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))

    2013 · Documentary

    Dir. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  13. Best Kept Secret (2013) movie poster
    14. Best Kept Secret 100 Metascore (Metascore 100 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))

    2013 · Documentary, Drama · 1h 25m

    No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences

  14. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) movie poster
    15. Inside Llewyn Davis 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (53 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, Music · 1h 44m

    Dir. Ethan Coen No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  15. Let the Fire Burn (2013) movie poster
    15. Let the Fire Burn 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, History · 1h 28m

    Dir. Jason Osder No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  16. Gideon's Army (2013) movie poster
    17. Gideon's Army 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))

    2013 · Documentary

    Dir. Dawn Porter No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  17. Blackfish (2013) movie poster
    18. Blackfish 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (33 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, Documentary · 1h 23m

    Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  18. The Square (2013) movie poster
    19. The Square 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, History · 1h 35m

    Dir. Jehane Noujaim No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  19. The Crash Reel (2013) movie poster
    19. The Crash Reel 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))

    2013 · Biography, Sport · 1h 48m

    Dir. Lucy Walker No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences

  20. Nebraska (2013) movie poster
    21. Nebraska 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (46 critic reviews))

    2013 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 55m

    Dir. Alexander Payne No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  21. Short Term 12 (2013) movie poster
    21. Short Term 12 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100 (36 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama · 1h 36m

    Dir. Destin Cretton No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  22. The Wind Rises (2013) movie poster
    23. The Wind Rises 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (41 critic reviews))

    2013 · Biography, Drama · 2h 6m

    Dir. Hayao Miyazaki No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  23. Drug War (2013) movie poster
    23. Drug War 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))

    2013 · Action, Drama · 1h 47m

    Dir. Johnnie To No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

  24. War Witch (2013) movie poster
    23. War Witch 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))

    2013 · Drama, War · 1h 30m

    Dir. Kim Nguyen No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences

Box office

What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 2013?

Frozen earned $1.3B worldwide, ahead of Iron Man 3 ($1.2B). The top 10 took $8.9B together; 1,401 films released in 2013 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.

Full 2013 box office
  1. Frozen (2013) movie poster #1 $1.3B worldwide Frozen $401M domestic · Action
  2. Iron Man 3 (2013) movie poster #2 $1.2B worldwide Iron Man 3 $409M domestic · Action
  3. Despicable Me 2 (2013) movie poster #3 $970.8M worldwide Despicable Me 2 $368.1M domestic · Adventure
  4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) movie poster #4 $959.1M worldwide The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug $258.4M domestic · Adventure
  5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) movie poster #5 $865M worldwide The Hunger Games: Catching Fire $424.7M domestic · Action
  6. Fast & Furious 6 (2013) movie poster #6 $788.7M worldwide Fast & Furious 6 $238.7M domestic · Action
  7. Monsters University (2013) movie poster #7 $743.6M worldwide Monsters University $268.5M domestic · Adventure
  8. Gravity (2013) movie poster #8 $723.8M worldwide Gravity $274.1M domestic · Sci-Fi
  9. Man of Steel (2013) movie poster #9 $670.1M worldwide Man of Steel $291M domestic · Action
  10. Thor: The Dark World (2013) movie poster #10 $644.8M worldwide Thor: The Dark World $206.4M domestic · Action
Awards

Which 2013 Movies Won the Most Awards?

Gravity leads with 23 wins from 40 nominations, then 12 Years a Slave and The Great Gatsby with 18 wins each. 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture at the 2014 Oscars. In all, 128 films released in 2013 have award nominations on the site, with 145 wins between them.

2014 awards season
  1. Gravity (2013) movie poster
    Gravity 23 / 40
    2013 · Sci-Fi, Drama · 23 wins from 40 nominations
  2. 12 Years a Slave (2013) movie poster
    12 Years a Slave 18 / 55
    2013 · Biography, Drama · 18 wins from 55 nominations
  3. The Great Gatsby (2013) movie poster
    The Great Gatsby 18 / 22
    2013 · Drama, Romance · 18 wins from 22 nominations
  4. American Hustle (2013) movie poster
    American Hustle 11 / 44
    2013 · Drama, History · 11 wins from 44 nominations
  5. Dallas Buyers Club (2013) movie poster
    Dallas Buyers Club 11 / 16
    2013 · Biography, Drama · 11 wins from 16 nominations
  6. The Sapphires (2013) movie poster
    The Sapphires 11 / 11
    2013 · Biography, Drama · 11 wins from 11 nominations
  7. Frozen (2013) movie poster
    Frozen 8 / 9
    2013 · Action, Adventure · 8 wins from 9 nominations
  8. Blue Jasmine (2013) movie poster
    Blue Jasmine 6 / 14
    2013 · Drama, Comedy · 6 wins from 14 nominations
By genre

What Is the Best 2013 Movie in Each Genre?

The highest-ranked 2013 film of 12 genres, from History (The Act of Killing) to Adventure (Nebraska). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.

Release months

When Were 2013's Movies Released?

October was the busiest month of 2013 with 650 releases; its best-rated film is 12 Years a Slave.

  • January Best: 56 Up
    519
  • February Best: No
    361
  • March Best: War Witch
    458
  • April Best: Stranger Things
    418
  • May Best: Stories We Tell
    419
  • June Best: Gideon's Army
    403
  • July Best: The Act of Killing
    345
  • August Best: Short Term 12
    438
  • September Best: Best Kept Secret
    596
  • October Best: 12 Years a Slave
    650
  • November Best: The Great Beauty
    560
  • December Best: The Past
    417
Languages

Which Languages Were 2013's Movies In?

52% of 2013's films with a known language are in English (2,854). Spanish comes next with 319 films, out of 85 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 2013: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about 2013's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of 2013?

The Act of Killing is the best-rated film of 2013 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 89/100 from critics and audiences. Stories We Tell is second and 12 Years a Slave third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About The Act of Killing

What was the highest-grossing movie of 2013?

Frozen earned $1.3B worldwide, the most of any 2013 release on the site. Iron Man 3 follows with $1.2B.

2013 box office

Which 2013 movie won the Oscar for Best Picture?

12 Years a Slave (2013) won Best Picture at the 2014 Academy Awards.

12 Years a Slave

Which 2013 film won the most awards?

Gravity has the best award record of the 2013 releases on the site: 23 wins from 40 nominations.

2014 awards season

How many movies were released in 2013?

The site lists 5,584 films released in 2013. 736 of them are ranked, and October had the most releases with a known day (650).

How are the best movies of 2013 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.