The Best Billy Wilder Movies, Ranked
46 credits from 1934 to 2019, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is The Apartment (1960) with $18.8M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Billy Wilder Box Office Hits
Billy Wilder's films have made $29.4M worldwide in total. The Apartment (1960) is the biggest hit at $18.8M, ahead of Buddy Buddy (1981) ($7.26M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
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The Apartment 1960 · Drama $18.8M $18.6M dom. - 2
Buddy Buddy 1981 · Comedy $7.26M $7.26M dom. - 3
Ace in the Hole 1951 · Drama $2.3M - 4
Kiss Me, Stupid (re-release) 2002 · Comedy $457K - 5
Sunset Boulevard 1950 · Drama $310K $300K dom. - 6
Some Like It Hot 1959 · Comedy $209K - 7
Avanti! 1972 · Romance $22.8K - 8
The Seven Year Itch 1955 · Comedy $22.3K - 9
Double Indemnity 1944 · Drama $21K - 10
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970 · Comedy $19.9K
The Best Billy Wilder Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Billy Wilder has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 11 films, and The Apartment (1960) is the pick of them.
The Best Billy Wilder Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Billy Wilder's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1940s to 2000s.
Most Awarded Billy Wilder Movies
Billy Wilder's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. The Apartment (1960) leads with 11 wins from 17 nominations.
- Awards: 11 wins The Apartment 1960 · 17 nominations
- Awards: 5 wins Some Like It Hot 1959 · 12 nominations
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Awards: 2 wins Sabrina 1954 · 9 nominations -
Awards: 2 wins Irma la Douce 1963 · 7 nominations -
Awards: 1 win Witness for the Prosecution 1958 · 13 nominations -
Awards: 1 win The Fortune Cookie 1966 · 5 nominations -
Awards: 1 win Stalag 17 1953 · 4 nominations
The Latest Billy Wilder Movies
The most recent films Billy Wilder is credited on, newest first — starting with The Big Carnival (2002). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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The Big Carnival 2002 · Director - Kiss Me, Stupid (re-release) 2002 · Director
- Buddy Buddy 1981 · Director
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Fedora 1978 · Director -
The Front Page 1974 · Director - Avanti! 1972 · Director
- The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970 · Director
- The Fortune Cookie 1966 · Director
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Kiss Me, Stupid 1964 · Director - Irma la Douce 1963 · Director
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One, Two, Three 1961 · Director - The Apartment 1960 · Director
The Best Billy Wilder Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Billy Wilder films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing Billy Wilder movie?
The Apartment (1960) made the most at the box office, with $18.8M worldwide, followed by Buddy Buddy (1981) with $7.26M. Together, Billy Wilder's films with box office figures have made $29.4M.
Which Billy Wilder movie won the most awards?
The Apartment (1960) is the most decorated Billy Wilder film, with 11 wins from 17 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Billy Wilder drama movie?
The Apartment (1960) is the best-rated of Billy Wilder's drama films. In other genres: Buddy Buddy (comedy), Avanti! (romance) and Five Graves to Cairo (thriller).
What is the newest Billy Wilder movie?
The newest film on Billy Wilder's filmography is Hollywood’s Second World War (2019), with Billy Wilder as Self (archive footage).
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