The Best Orson Welles Movies, Ranked
175 credits from 1933 to 2025, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is Touch of Evil (1958) with $2.29M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Orson Welles Box Office Hits
Orson Welles's films have made $26.1M worldwide in total. Touch of Evil (1958) is the biggest hit at $2.29M, ahead of Citizen Kane (1941) ($1.71M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
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Touch of Evil 1958 · Drama $2.29M $2.25M dom. - 2
Citizen Kane 1941 · Drama $1.71M $1.63M dom. - 3
The Third Man 1949 · Mystery $1.42M $1.07M dom. - 4
The Trial 1962 · Mystery $94.2K $93.5K dom. - 5
Othello 1951 · Drama $29K $29K dom. - 6
The Lady from Shanghai 1947 · Crime $3.35K - 7
Casino Royale 1967 · Comedy $2.78K - 8
A Man for All Seasons 1966 · Biography $756 - 9
Moby Dick 1956 · Drama $353
The Best Orson Welles Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Orson Welles has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 28 films, and Touch of Evil (1958) is the pick of them.
The Best Orson Welles Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Orson Welles's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1940s to 1960s.
The Latest Orson Welles Movies
The most recent films Orson Welles is credited on, newest first — starting with The Battle of Grovers Mill (2024). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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The Battle of Grovers Mill 2024 · Radio Host (voice) (archival footage) -
Embers & Dust 2016 · Professor Richard Pierson / Self (voice) (archive sound) -
Too Much Johnson 2013 · Keystone Kop -
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen 2012 · (archive footage) -
Moby Dick 2000 · Captain Ahab / Starbuck / Ishmael (archive footage) -
Hi-Fi 1999 -
Someone to Love 1987 · Danny's Friend -
Where Is Parsifal? 1984 · Klingsor -
The Witching 1983 · Mr. Cato -
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? 1983 · Orson Welles (uncredited) -
Slapstick of Another Kind 1982 · Aliens' Father (voice) -
Enchanted Journey 1981 · Pippo
The Best Orson Welles Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Orson Welles films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing Orson Welles movie?
Touch of Evil (1958) made the most at the box office, with $2.29M worldwide, followed by Citizen Kane (1941) with $1.71M. Together, Orson Welles's films with box office figures have made $26.1M.
Which Orson Welles movie won the most awards?
A Man for All Seasons (1966) is the most decorated Orson Welles film, with 18 wins from 21 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Orson Welles drama movie?
Touch of Evil (1958) is the best-rated of Orson Welles's drama films. In other genres: Casino Royale (comedy), The Third Man (mystery) and The Lady from Shanghai (crime).
What is the newest Orson Welles movie?
The newest film on Orson Welles's filmography is The Scorpion and the Frog (2025), with Orson Welles as Narrator (archive footage).
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