The Best River Phoenix Movies, Ranked
25 credits from 1984 to 2024, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. The biggest box office hit is Sneakers (1992) with $105M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest River Phoenix Box Office Hits
River Phoenix's films have made $187M worldwide in total. Sneakers (1992) is the biggest hit at $105M, ahead of Stand by Me (1986) ($53.5M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1
Sneakers 1992 · Drama $105M $51.4M dom. - 2
Stand by Me 1986 · Adventure $53.5M $52.3M dom. - 3
Explorers 1985 · Adventure $9.87M $9.87M dom. - 4
My Own Private Idaho 1991 · Drama $6.41M $6.4M dom. - 5
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon 1988 · Drama $6.26M $6.26M dom. - 6
Running on Empty 1988 · Drama $2.85M $2.84M dom. - 7
Little Nikita 1988 · Drama $1.73M $1.73M dom. - 8
The Thing Called Love 1993 · Drama $1.03M $1.03M dom. - 9
Dogfight 1991 · Drama $395K $395K dom. - 10
Silent Tongue 1993 · Western $61.3K $61.3K dom.
The Best River Phoenix Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre River Phoenix has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 11 films, and Sneakers (1992) is the pick of them.
The Latest River Phoenix Movies
The most recent films River Phoenix is credited on, newest first — starting with The Thing Called Love (1993). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
- The Thing Called Love 1993 · Drama
- Silent Tongue 1993 · Talbot Roe
- Sneakers 1992 · Drama
- My Own Private Idaho 1991 · Drama
- Dogfight 1991 · Drama
- Running on Empty 1988 · Drama
- A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon 1988 · Jimmy Reardon
- Little Nikita 1988 · Drama
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Circle of Violence: A Family Drama 1986 · Chris Benfield - Stand by Me 1986 · Adventure
- Explorers 1985 · Adventure
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Surviving 1985 · Philip Brogan
The Best River Phoenix Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest River Phoenix films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the highest-grossing River Phoenix movie?
Sneakers (1992) made the most at the box office, with $105M worldwide, followed by Stand by Me (1986) with $53.5M. Together, River Phoenix's films with box office figures have made $187M.
Which River Phoenix movie won the most awards?
My Own Private Idaho (1991) is the most decorated River Phoenix film, with 4 wins from 7 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best River Phoenix drama movie?
Sneakers (1992) is the best-rated of River Phoenix's drama films. In other genres: Stand by Me (adventure) and Silent Tongue (western).
What is the newest River Phoenix movie?
The newest film on River Phoenix's filmography is Joaquin Phoenix: An Actor of Extremes (2024), with River Phoenix as Self - Actor (archive footage).
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