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Kathy Bates, actor
Actor · Best movies

The Best Kathy Bates Movies, Ranked

76 credits from 1971 to 2024, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023) comes out on top with a score of 88. The biggest box office hit is The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) with $233M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.

Full Kathy Bates profile & filmography

Ranked by Movie Echo Score

Top Rated Kathy Bates Movies

The 11 highest-rated films Kathy Bates is credited on. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023) leads with 88, followed by The Great Lillian Hall (2024) at 77. The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings, cultural impact and how well a film holds up.

Worldwide gross

Biggest Kathy Bates Box Office Hits

Kathy Bates's films have made $1.27B worldwide in total. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) is the biggest hit at $233M, ahead of The Waterboy (1998) ($186M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.

All-time box office
  1. 1 The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) movie poster The Day the Earth Stood Still 2008 · Sci-Fi $233M $79.4M dom.
  2. 2 The Waterboy (1998) movie poster The Waterboy 1998 · Sport $186M $161M dom.
  3. 3 Failure to Launch (2006) movie poster Failure to Launch 2006 · Comedy $130M $88.7M dom.
  4. 4 Fried Green Tomatoes (1992) movie poster Fried Green Tomatoes 1992 · Drama $119M $82.4M dom.
  5. 5 Tammy (2014) movie poster Tammy 2014 · Comedy $100M $84.5M dom.
  6. 6 Misery (1990) movie poster Misery 1990 · Drama $61.3M $61.3M dom.
  7. 7 Primary Colors (1998) movie poster Primary Colors 1998 · Drama $52.1M $39M dom.
  8. 8 Richard Jewell (2019) movie poster Richard Jewell 2019 · Biography $44.6M $22.3M dom.
  9. 9 On the Basis of Sex (2018) movie poster On the Basis of Sex 2018 · Biography $38.8M $24.7M dom.
  10. 10 The Family That Preys (2008) movie poster The Family That Preys 2008 · Drama $37.1M $37.1M dom.
One pick per genre

The Best Kathy Bates Movie in Every Genre

The best-rated film in each genre Kathy Bates has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 36 films, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023) is the pick of them.

One pick per decade

The Best Kathy Bates Movie of Each Decade

One pick per decade of Kathy Bates's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1970s to 2020s.

Wins & nominations

Most Awarded Kathy Bates Movies

Kathy Bates's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. Primary Colors (1998) leads with 3 wins from 8 nominations.

All movie awards
Newest first

The Latest Kathy Bates Movies

The most recent films Kathy Bates is credited on, newest first — starting with A Family Affair (2024). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.

New movie releases
FAQ

The Best Kathy Bates Movies: Questions & Answers

The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Kathy Bates films, answered from the rankings on this page.

What is the best Kathy Bates movie?

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023) is the best-rated Kathy Bates film, with a Movie Echo Score of 88, ahead of The Great Lillian Hall (2024) (77) and Richard Jewell (2019) (75). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret: cast, ratings & box office

What is the highest-grossing Kathy Bates movie?

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) made the most at the box office, with $233M worldwide, followed by The Waterboy (1998) with $186M. Together, Kathy Bates's films with box office figures have made $1.27B.

Which Kathy Bates movie won the most awards?

Primary Colors (1998) is the most decorated Kathy Bates film, with 3 wins from 8 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.

What is the best Kathy Bates drama movie?

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023) is the best-rated of Kathy Bates's drama films, with a score of 88. In other genres: The Miracle Club (comedy), Richard Jewell (biography) and At Play in the Fields of the Lord (romance).

What is the newest Kathy Bates movie?

The newest film on Kathy Bates's filmography is A Family Affair (2024), with Kathy Bates as Leila Ford.

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