The Best Sean Penn Movies, Ranked
77 credits from 1981 to 2025, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Licorice Pizza (2021) comes out on top with a score of 83. The biggest box office hit is One Battle After Another (2025) with $213M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Top Rated Sean Penn Movies
The 7 highest-rated films Sean Penn is credited on. Licorice Pizza (2021) leads with 83, followed by One Battle After Another (2025) at 80. 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 83 Licorice Pizza 2021 · Drama -
#2 Movie Echo Score: Score 80 One Battle After Another 2025 · Action -
#3 Movie Echo Score: Score 65 Gonzo Girl 2023 · Drama -
#4 Movie Echo Score: Score 59 The Professor and the Madman 2019 · Biography -
#5 Movie Echo Score: Score 59 Daddio 2024 · Drama -
#6 Movie Echo Score: Score 49 Asphalt City 2024 · Drama -
#7 Movie Echo Score: Score 48 Flag Day 2021 · Drama
Biggest Sean Penn Box Office Hits
Sean Penn's films have made $1.51B worldwide in total. One Battle After Another (2025) is the biggest hit at $213M, ahead of The Interpreter (2005) ($163M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
- 1 One Battle After Another 2025 · Action $213M $72.9M dom.
- 2
The Interpreter 2005 · Drama $163M $72.7M dom. - 3
Mystic River 2003 · Drama $157M $90.1M dom. - 4
The Game 1997 · Action $109M $48.3M dom. - 5
Gangster Squad 2013 · Action $105M $46M dom. - 6
The Thin Red Line 1999 · Action $98.1M $36.4M dom. - 7
I Am Sam 2001 · Drama $97.8M $40.3M dom. - 8
Carlito's Way 1993 · Drama $63.8M $36.9M dom. - 9
21 Grams 2003 · Drama $60.5M $16.3M dom. - 10
The Tree of Life 2011 · Drama $58.4M $13.3M dom.
The Best Sean Penn Movie in Every Genre
The best-rated film in each genre Sean Penn has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 28 films, and Licorice Pizza (2021) is the pick of them.
- Drama 28 films Licorice Pizza 2021 · as Jack Holden Movie Echo Score: 83
- Action 8 films One Battle After Another 2025 · as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw Movie Echo Score: 80
- Biography 4 films The Professor and the Madman 2019 · as Dr. William Chester Minor Movie Echo Score: 59
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Comedy 4 films We're No Angels 1989 -
Sci-Fi 1 film It's All About Love 2004 -
Sport 1 film Dogtown and Z-Boys 2002 -
Romance 1 film Hugo Pool 1997 · as Strange Hitchhiker -
Adventure 1 film Shanghai Surprise 1986
The Best Sean Penn Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Sean Penn's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1980s to 2020s.
Most Awarded Sean Penn Movies
Sean Penn's films with wins at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database, the most decorated first. One Battle After Another (2025) leads with 27 wins from 63 nominations.
- Awards: 27 wins One Battle After Another 2025 · 63 nominations
- Awards: 7 wins Mystic River 2003 · 27 nominations
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Awards: 6 wins Milk 2008 · 29 nominations -
Awards: 3 wins Dead Man Walking 1995 · 15 nominations - Awards: 2 wins Licorice Pizza 2021 · 22 nominations
- Awards: 1 win The Tree of Life 2011 · 8 nominations
- Awards: 1 win Dogtown and Z-Boys 2002 · 1 nominations
- Awards: 1 win I Am Sam 2001 · 4 nominations
The Latest Sean Penn Movies
The most recent films Sean Penn is credited on, newest first — starting with One Battle After Another (2025). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
- One Battle After Another 2025 · Col. Steven J. Lockjaw
- Daddio 2024 · Clark
- Asphalt City 2024 · Gene Rutkovsky
- Gonzo Girl 2023 · Drama
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Gaslit 2022 · John Mitchell - Licorice Pizza 2021 · Jack Holden
- Flag Day 2021 · John Vogel
- The Professor and the Madman 2019 · Dr. William Chester Minor
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Sound of Sun 2017 · Man -
The Gunman 2015 · Action - Gangster Squad 2013 · Action
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This Must Be the Place 2012 · Drama
The Best Sean Penn Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Sean Penn films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best Sean Penn movie?
Licorice Pizza (2021) is the best-rated Sean Penn film, with a Movie Echo Score of 83, ahead of One Battle After Another (2025) (80) and Gonzo Girl (2023) (65). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
Licorice Pizza: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing Sean Penn movie?
One Battle After Another (2025) made the most at the box office, with $213M worldwide, followed by The Interpreter (2005) with $163M. Together, Sean Penn's films with box office figures have made $1.51B.
Which Sean Penn movie won the most awards?
One Battle After Another (2025) is the most decorated Sean Penn film, with 27 wins from 63 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.
What is the best Sean Penn drama movie?
Licorice Pizza (2021) is the best-rated of Sean Penn's drama films, with a score of 83. In other genres: One Battle After Another (action), The Professor and the Madman (biography) and We're No Angels (comedy).
What is the newest Sean Penn movie?
The newest film on Sean Penn's filmography is One Battle After Another (2025), with Sean Penn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw.
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