The Best Ava Gardner Movies, Ranked
72 credits from 1941 to 2023, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is Earthquake (1974) with $79.7M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Ava Gardner Box Office Hits
Ava Gardner's films have made $98.9M worldwide in total. Earthquake (1974) is the biggest hit at $79.7M, ahead of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) ($18.2M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
Earthquake 1974 · Action $79.7M $79.7M dom. - 2
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1982 · Mystery $18.2M $18.2M dom. - 3
City on Fire 1979 · Action $792K $784K dom. - 4
The Killers 1946 · Mystery $58.2K - 5
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman 1951 · Drama $31.8K $17.4K dom. - 6
The Barefoot Contessa 1954 · Drama $18.4K - 7
The Snows of Kilimanjaro 1952 · Adventure $16.6K - 8
Knights of the Round Table 1954 · Action $14K - 9
On the Beach 1959 · Sci-Fi $11.3K - 10
The Night of the Iguana 1964 · Romance $4.36K
The Best Ava Gardner Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Ava Gardner has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 21 films, and Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) is the pick of them.
- Drama 21 films Pandora and the Flying Dutchman 1951
- Romance 8 films The Night of the Iguana 1964 · as Maxine Faulk
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Comedy 7 films The Hucksters 1947 · as Jean Ogilvie - Mystery 4 films Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1982
- Action 3 films Earthquake 1974
- Sci-Fi 1 film On the Beach 1959
- Adventure 1 film The Snows of Kilimanjaro 1952
The Best Ava Gardner Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Ava Gardner's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1940s to 1980s.
Most Awarded Ava Gardner Movies
Ava Gardner's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. The Barefoot Contessa (1954) leads with 2 wins from 3 nominations.
The Latest Ava Gardner Movies
The most recent films Ava Gardner is credited on, newest first — starting with Harem (1986). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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Harem 1986 · Kadin -
The Long Hot Summer 1985 · Minnie Littlejohn -
A.D. 1985 · Agrippina - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1982 · Mystery
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Regina Roma 1982 · Mama -
Priest of Love 1981 · Mabel Dodge Luhan -
The Kidnapping of the President 1980 · Beth Richards - City on Fire 1979 · Maggie Grayson
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The Sentinel 1977 · Horror -
The Cassandra Crossing 1977 · Drama -
The Blue Bird 1976 · Luxury -
Permission to Kill 1975 · Katina Petersen
The Best Ava Gardner Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Ava Gardner films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing Ava Gardner movie?
Earthquake (1974) made the most at the box office, with $79.7M worldwide, followed by Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) with $18.2M. Together, Ava Gardner's films with box office figures have made $98.9M.
Which Ava Gardner movie won the most awards?
The Barefoot Contessa (1954) is the most decorated Ava Gardner film, with 2 wins from 3 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Ava Gardner drama movie?
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) is the best-rated of Ava Gardner's drama films. In other genres: The Night of the Iguana (romance), The Hucksters (comedy) and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (mystery).
What is the newest Ava Gardner movie?
The newest film on Ava Gardner's filmography is Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia (2023), with Ava Gardner as Self (Archive Footage).
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