The Best Michael Shannon Movies, Ranked
74 credits from 1976 to 2026, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The Shape of Water (2017) comes out on top with a score of 85. The biggest box office hit is Man of Steel (2013) with $670M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Top Rated Michael Shannon Movies
The 12 highest-rated films Michael Shannon is credited on. The Shape of Water (2017) leads with 85, followed by Nuremberg (2025) at 78. The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings, cultural impact and how well a film holds up.
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#1 Movie Echo Score: Score 85 The Shape of Water 2017 · Adventure -
#2 Movie Echo Score: Score 78 Nuremberg 2025 · Biography -
#3 Movie Echo Score: Score 73 Bullet Train 2022 · Action -
#4 Movie Echo Score: Score 70 The Bikeriders 2024 · Crime -
#5 Movie Echo Score: Score 70 What They Had 2018 · Drama -
#6 Movie Echo Score: Score 68 A Little White Lie 2023 · Comedy -
#7 Movie Echo Score: Score 65 Pottersville 2017 · Comedy -
#8 Movie Echo Score: Score 64 Heart of Champions 2021 · Drama -
#9 Movie Echo Score: Score 64 The Current War: Director's Cut 2019 · Biography -
#10 Movie Echo Score: Score 62 The End 2024 · Drama -
#11 Movie Echo Score: Score 60 12 Strong 2018 · Action -
#12 Movie Echo Score: Score 55 The Flash 2023 · Action
Biggest Michael Shannon Box Office Hits
Michael Shannon's films have made $1.81B worldwide in total. Man of Steel (2013) is the biggest hit at $670M, ahead of The Flash (2023) ($271M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
Man of Steel 2013 · Action $670M $291M dom. - 2 The Flash 2023 · Action $271M $108M dom.
- 3 Bullet Train 2022 · Action $239M $103M dom.
- 4 The Shape of Water 2017 · Adventure $195M $63.9M dom.
- 5 Nuremberg 2025 · Biography $71.1M $14.5M dom.
- 6 12 Strong 2018 · Action $67.4M $45.8M dom.
- 7
The Broken Tower 2011 · Biography $36.5M - 8 The Bikeriders 2024 · Crime $36.2M $21.7M dom.
- 9
Mud 2013 · Drama $32.6M $21.6M dom. - 10
Amsterdam 2022 · Drama $31.2M $14.9M dom.
The Best Michael Shannon Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Michael Shannon has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 31 films, and What They Had (2018) is the pick of them.
- Drama 31 films What They Had 2018 · as Nick Movie Echo Score: 70
- Action 9 films Bullet Train 2022 · as White Death Movie Echo Score: 73
- Biography 5 films Nuremberg 2025 · as Robert H. Jackson Movie Echo Score: 78
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Horror 4 films Night's End 2022 · as Isaac Dees Movie Echo Score: 47 - Comedy 4 films A Little White Lie 2023 · as Shriver Movie Echo Score: 68
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Mystery 2 films The Quarry 2020 · as Chief John Moore Movie Echo Score: 52 - Adventure 2 films The Shape of Water 2017 · as Richard Strickland Movie Echo Score: 85
- Crime 1 film The Bikeriders 2024 · as Zipco Movie Echo Score: 70
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History 1 film Elvis & Nixon 2016
The Best Michael Shannon Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Michael Shannon's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1980s to 2020s.
Most Awarded Michael Shannon Movies
Michael Shannon's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. The Shape of Water (2017) leads with 14 wins from 52 nominations.
The Latest Michael Shannon Movies
The most recent films Michael Shannon is credited on, newest first — starting with Buddy (2026). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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Buddy 2026 · Willie - Nuremberg 2025 · Robert H. Jackson
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Death by Lightning 2025 · James Garfield - The End 2024 · Father
- The Bikeriders 2024 · Zipco
- The Flash 2023 · General Zod
- A Little White Lie 2023 · Shriver
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Waco: The Aftermath 2023 · Gary Noesner - Amsterdam 2022 · Henry Norcross
- Bullet Train 2022 · White Death
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Abandoned 2022 · Renner - Night's End 2022 · Isaac Dees
The Best Michael Shannon Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Michael Shannon films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best Michael Shannon movie?
The Shape of Water (2017) is the best-rated Michael Shannon film, with a Movie Echo Score of 85, ahead of Nuremberg (2025) (78) and Bullet Train (2022) (73). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
The Shape of Water: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing Michael Shannon movie?
Man of Steel (2013) made the most at the box office, with $670M worldwide, followed by The Flash (2023) with $271M. Together, Michael Shannon's films with box office figures have made $1.81B.
Which Michael Shannon movie won the most awards?
The Shape of Water (2017) is the most decorated Michael Shannon film, with 14 wins from 52 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Michael Shannon drama movie?
What They Had (2018) is the best-rated of Michael Shannon's drama films, with a score of 70. In other genres: Bullet Train (action), Nuremberg (biography) and Night's End (horror).
What is the newest Michael Shannon movie?
The newest film on Michael Shannon's filmography is Buddy (2026), with Michael Shannon as Willie.
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