The Best Howard Hawks Movies, Ranked
45 credits from 1925 to 2014, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is The Big Sleep (1946) with $51.1K worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Howard Hawks Box Office Hits
Howard Hawks's films have made $205K worldwide in total. The Big Sleep (1946) is the biggest hit at $51.1K, ahead of The Air Circus (1928) ($36.1K). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
The Big Sleep 1946 · Mystery $51.1K $25.6K dom. - 2
The Air Circus 1928 · Drama $36.1K - 3
Rio Bravo 1959 · Action $27.8K - 4
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 1953 · Comedy $25K - 5
Hatari! 1962 · Action $19.4K - 6
Bringing Up Baby 1938 · Comedy $13.1K - 7
To Have and Have Not 1945 · Adventure $12.5K - 8
Twentieth Century 1934 · Romance $10.1K - 9
Only Angels Have Wings 1939 · Adventure $8.55K - 10
His Girl Friday 1940 · Romance $330
The Best Howard Hawks Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Howard Hawks has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Comedy leads with 10 films, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) is the pick of them.
- Comedy 10 films Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 1953 · Director
- Romance 7 films Twentieth Century 1934 · Director
- Drama 5 films The Air Circus 1928 · Director
- Adventure 4 films To Have and Have Not 1945 · Director
- Action 4 films Rio Bravo 1959 · Director
-
Sci-Fi 1 film Monkey Business 1952 · as Man in Opening (voice) (uncredited) - Mystery 1 film The Big Sleep 1946 · Director
The Best Howard Hawks Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Howard Hawks's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1920s to 1960s.
The Latest Howard Hawks Movies
The most recent films Howard Hawks is credited on, newest first — starting with Rio Lobo (1970). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
-
Rio Lobo 1970 · Director -
El Dorado 1967 · Director -
Red Line 7000 1965 · Driver (uncredited) -
Man’s Favorite Sport? 1964 · Director - Hatari! 1962 · Director
- Rio Bravo 1959 · Director
-
Land of the Pharaohs 1955 · Director - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 1953 · Director
- Monkey Business 1952 · Man in Opening (voice) (uncredited)
-
O. Henry’s Full House 1952 · Director -
I Was a Male War Bride 1949 · Director -
A Song Is Born 1948 · Director
The Best Howard Hawks Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Howard Hawks films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing Howard Hawks movie?
The Big Sleep (1946) made the most at the box office, with $51.1K worldwide, followed by The Air Circus (1928) with $36.1K. Together, Howard Hawks's films with box office figures have made $205K.
What is the best Howard Hawks comedy movie?
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) is the best-rated of Howard Hawks's comedy films. In other genres: Twentieth Century (romance), The Air Circus (drama) and To Have and Have Not (adventure).
What is the newest Howard Hawks movie?
The newest film on Howard Hawks's filmography is And the Oscar Goes To… (2014), with Howard Hawks as Self (archive footage).
More Movie Rankings & Collections
Best-of lists by year, decade and genre, all-time box office records and the films on the trending list.
Best-Rated Movie Rankings
Best-rated, biggest and most-awarded
New Movies & Top Genres
New releases, popular films and the best of every genre