The Best David Lynch Movies, Ranked
127 credits from 1956 to 2022, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. WHAT DID JACK DO? (2017) comes out on top with a score of 66. The biggest box office hit is Dune (1984) with $31.5M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest David Lynch Box Office Hits
David Lynch's films have made $291M worldwide in total. Dune (1984) is the biggest hit at $31.5M, ahead of The Elephant Man (1980) ($26M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
Dune 1984 · Action $31.5M $31.4M dom. - 2
The Elephant Man 1980 · Biography $26M $26M dom. - 3
Mulholland Dr. 2001 · Drama $20.4M $7.22M dom. - 4
Wild at Heart 1990 · Drama $14.6M $14.6M dom. - 5
Blue Velvet 1986 · Drama $8.67M $8.55M dom. - 6
The Straight Story 1999 · Adventure $6.45M $6.2M dom. - 7
Inland Empire 2006 · Drama $4.31M $1.11M dom. - 8
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992 · Drama $4.26M $4.16M dom. - 9
Lost Highway 1997 · Drama $3.85M $3.73M dom. - 10
Heart Beat 1980 · Drama $954K $954K dom.
The Best David Lynch Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre David Lynch has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 15 films, and Mulholland Dr. (2001) is the pick of them.
- Drama 15 films Mulholland Dr. 2001 · Director
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Mystery 6 films WHAT DID JACK DO? 2017 · as Detective Movie Echo Score: 66 -
Horror 6 films Eraserhead 1978 · Director -
Music 2 films Duran Duran: Unstaged 2011 · Director - Adventure 1 film The Straight Story 1999 · Director
- Action 1 film Dune 1984 · Director
- Biography 1 film The Elephant Man 1980 · Director
The Best David Lynch Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of David Lynch's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1970s to 2010s.
Most Awarded David Lynch Movies
David Lynch's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. The Elephant Man (1980) leads with 3 wins from 20 nominations.
- Awards: 3 wins The Elephant Man 1980 · 20 nominations
- Awards: 1 win The Straight Story 1999 · 8 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992 · 3 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Wild at Heart 1990 · 5 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Dune 1984 · 4 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Blue Velvet 1986 · 10 nominations
The Latest David Lynch Movies
The most recent films David Lynch is credited on, newest first — starting with WHAT DID JACK DO? (2017). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
- WHAT DID JACK DO? 2017 · Detective
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The Black Ghiandola 2017 · Man In Black -
Twin Peaks: The Return 2017 · FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole -
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces 2014 · Gordon Cole -
Idem Paris 2013 · Director -
Memory Film 2012 · Animation -
Blue Velvet: The Lost Footage 2011 · Director -
Coffee with Barbie 2011 · David / Barbie - Duran Duran: Unstaged 2011 · Director
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The 3 Rs 2011 · Director -
Lady Blue Shanghai 2010 · Director -
When Lynch Met Lucas 2010 · Animation
The Best David Lynch Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest David Lynch films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best David Lynch movie?
WHAT DID JACK DO? (2017) is the best-rated David Lynch film, with a Movie Echo Score of 66. The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
WHAT DID JACK DO?: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing David Lynch movie?
Dune (1984) made the most at the box office, with $31.5M worldwide, followed by The Elephant Man (1980) with $26M. Together, David Lynch's films with box office figures have made $291M.
Which David Lynch movie won the most awards?
The Elephant Man (1980) is the most decorated David Lynch film, with 3 wins from 20 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best David Lynch drama movie?
Mulholland Dr. (2001) is the best-rated of David Lynch's drama films. In other genres: WHAT DID JACK DO? (mystery), Eraserhead (horror) and Duran Duran: Unstaged (music).
What is the newest David Lynch movie?
The newest film on David Lynch's filmography is This Is Sparklehorse (2022), with David Lynch as Self.
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