The Best J. Lee Thompson Movies, Ranked
48 credits from 1950 to 1998, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is King Solomon's Mines (1985) with $15.1M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest J. Lee Thompson Box Office Hits
J. Lee Thompson's films have made $104M worldwide in total. King Solomon's Mines (1985) is the biggest hit at $15.1M, ahead of The Greek Tycoon (1978) ($14.7M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
King Solomon's Mines 1985 · Action $15.1M $15.1M dom. - 2
The Greek Tycoon 1978 · Drama $14.7M $14.7M dom. - 3
The Evil That Men Do 1984 · Action $13.1M $13.1M dom. - 4
Firewalker 1986 · Action $11.9M $11.9M dom. - 5
Murphy’s Law 1986 · Thriller $9.95M $9.95M dom. - 6
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes 1972 · Action $9.04M $9.04M dom. - 7
Battle for the Planet of the Apes 1973 · Action $8.84M $8.84M dom. - 8
10 to Midnight 1983 · Drama $7.18M $7.18M dom. - 9
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown 1987 · Action $6.88M $6.88M dom. - 10
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects 1989 · Action $3.42M $3.42M dom.
The Best J. Lee Thompson Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre J. Lee Thompson has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Action leads with 11 films, and King Solomon's Mines (1985) is the pick of them.
The Best J. Lee Thompson Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of J. Lee Thompson's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1950s to 1980s.
The Latest J. Lee Thompson Movies
The most recent films J. Lee Thompson is credited on, newest first — starting with Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
- Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects 1989 · Director
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Messenger of Death 1988 · Director - Death Wish 4: The Crackdown 1987 · Director
- Firewalker 1986 · Director
- Murphy’s Law 1986 · Director
- King Solomon's Mines 1985 · Director
- The Evil That Men Do 1984 · Director
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The Ambassador 1984 · Director - 10 to Midnight 1983 · Director
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Happy Birthday to Me 1981 · Director -
Caboblanco 1980 · Director -
The Passage 1979 · Director
The Best J. Lee Thompson Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest J. Lee Thompson films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing J. Lee Thompson movie?
King Solomon's Mines (1985) made the most at the box office, with $15.1M worldwide, followed by The Greek Tycoon (1978) with $14.7M. Together, J. Lee Thompson's films with box office figures have made $104M.
Which J. Lee Thompson movie won the most awards?
The Guns of Navarone (1961) is the most decorated J. Lee Thompson film, with 3 wins from 13 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best J. Lee Thompson action movie?
King Solomon's Mines (1985) is the best-rated of J. Lee Thompson's action films. In other genres: The Greek Tycoon (drama), Messenger of Death (crime) and Murphy’s Law (thriller).
What is the newest J. Lee Thompson movie?
The newest film on J. Lee Thompson's filmography is Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998), with J. Lee Thompson as Self.
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