The Best Lee Daniels Movies, Ranked
9 credits from 1986 to 2024, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) comes out on top with a score of 47. The biggest box office hit is The Butler (2013) with $177M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Lee Daniels Box Office Hits
Lee Daniels's films have made $247M worldwide in total. The Butler (2013) is the biggest hit at $177M, ahead of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) ($63.6M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
The Best Lee Daniels Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Lee Daniels has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 3 films, and The Butler (2013) is the pick of them.
The Best Lee Daniels Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Lee Daniels's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 2000s to 2020s.
The Latest Lee Daniels Movies
The most recent films Lee Daniels is credited on, newest first — starting with The Deliverance (2024). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
The Best Lee Daniels Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Lee Daniels films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best Lee Daniels movie?
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) is the best-rated Lee Daniels film, with a Movie Echo Score of 47, ahead of The Deliverance (2024) (45). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing Lee Daniels movie?
The Butler (2013) made the most at the box office, with $177M worldwide, followed by Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) with $63.6M. Together, Lee Daniels's films with box office figures have made $247M.
Which Lee Daniels movie won the most awards?
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) is the most decorated Lee Daniels film, with 12 wins from 28 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Lee Daniels drama movie?
The Butler (2013) is the best-rated of Lee Daniels's drama films. In other genres: The United States vs. Billie Holiday (biography), The Deliverance (horror) and The Paperboy (thriller).
What is the newest Lee Daniels movie?
The newest film on Lee Daniels's filmography is The Deliverance (2024), directed by Lee Daniels.
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