The Best Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked
42 credits from 1989 to 2026, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Dunkirk (2017) comes out on top with a score of 88. The biggest box office hit is The Odyssey (2026) with $1.72B worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Christopher Nolan Box Office Hits
Christopher Nolan's films have made $6.62B worldwide in total. The Odyssey (2026) is the biggest hit at $1.72B, ahead of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) ($1.11B). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
The Odyssey 2026 · Adventure $1.72B $611M dom. - 2
The Dark Knight Rises 2012 · Action $1.11B $448M dom. - 3
The Dark Knight 2008 · Action $1.01B $535M dom. - 4
Inception 2010 · Action $839M $293M dom. - 5
Interstellar 2014 · Action $759M $203M dom. - 6
Dunkirk 2017 · Action $534M $190M dom. - 7
Batman Begins 2005 · Action $375M $207M dom. - 8
Insomnia 2002 · Drama $114M $67.4M dom. - 9
The Prestige 2006 · Drama $110M $53.1M dom. - 10
Memento 2001 · Mystery $40M $25.5M dom.
The Best Christopher Nolan Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Christopher Nolan has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Action leads with 6 films, and Dunkirk (2017) is the pick of them.
The Best Christopher Nolan Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Christopher Nolan's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1990s to 2020s.
Most Awarded Christopher Nolan Movies
Christopher Nolan's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. Inception (2010) leads with 17 wins from 41 nominations.
- Awards: 17 wins Inception 2010 · 41 nominations
- Awards: 9 wins The Dark Knight 2008 · 32 nominations
- Awards: 7 wins Dunkirk 2017 · 31 nominations
- Awards: 5 wins Interstellar 2014 · 21 nominations
- Awards: 5 wins Memento 2001 · 11 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Batman Begins 2005 · 7 nominations
- Awards: 1 win The Dark Knight Rises 2012 · 9 nominations
The Latest Christopher Nolan Movies
The most recent films Christopher Nolan is credited on, newest first — starting with The Odyssey (2026). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
- The Odyssey 2026 · Director
- Dunkirk 2017 · Director
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Quay 2015 · Director - Interstellar 2014 · Director
- The Dark Knight Rises 2012 · Director
- Inception 2010 · Director
- The Dark Knight 2008 · Director
- The Prestige 2006 · Director
- Batman Begins 2005 · Director
- Insomnia 2002 · Director
- Memento 2001 · Director
-
Following 1999 · Director
The Best Christopher Nolan Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Christopher Nolan films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best Christopher Nolan movie?
Dunkirk (2017) is the best-rated Christopher Nolan film, with a Movie Echo Score of 88, ahead of The Odyssey (2026) (70). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
Dunkirk: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing Christopher Nolan movie?
The Odyssey (2026) made the most at the box office, with $1.72B worldwide, followed by The Dark Knight Rises (2012) with $1.11B. Together, Christopher Nolan's films with box office figures have made $6.62B.
Which Christopher Nolan movie won the most awards?
Inception (2010) is the most decorated Christopher Nolan film, with 17 wins from 41 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Christopher Nolan action movie?
Dunkirk (2017) is the best-rated of Christopher Nolan's action films, with a score of 88. In other genres: Insomnia (drama), The Odyssey (adventure) and Quay (documentary).
What is the newest Christopher Nolan movie?
The newest film on Christopher Nolan's filmography is The Odyssey (2026), directed by Christopher Nolan.
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