The Best John Wayne Movies, Ranked
185 credits from 1926 to 2024, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is The Shootist (1976) with $8.09M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest John Wayne Box Office Hits
John Wayne's films have made $8.55M worldwide in total. The Shootist (1976) is the biggest hit at $8.09M, ahead of True Grit (1969) ($276K). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
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The Shootist 1976 · Drama $8.09M $8.09M dom. - 2
True Grit 1969 · Adventure $276K $276K dom. - 3
How the West Was Won 1963 · Western $76.7K $76.7K dom. - 4
Rio Bravo 1959 · Action $27.8K - 5
Hatari! 1962 · Action $19.4K - 6
The Conqueror 1956 · Romance $15.4K - 7
Red River 1948 · Drama $14.5K - 8
Fort Apache 1948 · Western $11.9K - 9
The Alamo 1960 · Adventure $6.33K - 10
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1949 · Western $5.92K
The Best John Wayne Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre John Wayne has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Western leads with 45 films, and How the West Was Won (1963) is the pick of them.
The Best John Wayne Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of John Wayne's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1940s to 1970s.
Most Awarded John Wayne Movies
John Wayne's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. The Quiet Man (1952) leads with 3 wins from 10 nominations.
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Awards: 3 wins The Quiet Man 1952 · 10 nominations - Awards: 3 wins How the West Was Won 1963 · 8 nominations
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Awards: 2 wins Stagecoach 1939 · 7 nominations - Awards: 2 wins True Grit 1969 · 5 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Red River 1948 · 10 nominations
- Awards: 1 win She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1949 · 1 nominations
The Latest John Wayne Movies
The most recent films John Wayne is credited on, newest first — starting with La Classe américaine (1993). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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La Classe américaine 1993 · George Abitbol (archive footage) -
Showbiz Goes to War 1982 · (archive footage) - The Shootist 1976 · Drama
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Rooster Cogburn 1975 · Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn -
Brannigan 1975 · Action -
McQ 1974 · McQ -
Cahill U.S. Marshal 1973 · Drama -
Cahill: United States Marshal 1973 · J.D. Cahill -
The Train Robbers 1973 · Action -
The Cowboys 1972 · Adventure -
Big Jake 1971 · Western -
Rio Lobo 1970 · Adventure
The Best John Wayne Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest John Wayne films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing John Wayne movie?
The Shootist (1976) made the most at the box office, with $8.09M worldwide, followed by True Grit (1969) with $276K. Together, John Wayne's films with box office figures have made $8.55M.
Which John Wayne movie won the most awards?
The Quiet Man (1952) is the most decorated John Wayne film, with 3 wins from 10 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best John Wayne western movie?
How the West Was Won (1963) is the best-rated of John Wayne's western films. In other genres: The Shootist (drama), Rio Bravo (action) and The Conqueror (romance).
What is the newest John Wayne movie?
The newest film on John Wayne's filmography is My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (2024), with John Wayne as Self.
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