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Steve James, actor & director
Actor & Director · Best movies

The Best Steve James Movies, Ranked

40 credits from 1978 to 2023, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) comes out on top with a score of 75. The biggest box office hit is Mask (1985) with $48.2M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.

Full Steve James profile & filmography

Worldwide gross

Biggest Steve James Box Office Hits

Steve James's films have made $124M worldwide in total. Mask (1985) is the biggest hit at $48.2M, ahead of Weird Science (1985) ($38.9M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.

All-time box office
  1. 1 Mask (1985) movie poster Mask 1985 · Drama $48.2M $48.2M dom.
  2. 2 Weird Science (1985) movie poster Weird Science 1985 · Fantasy $38.9M $23.8M dom.
  3. 3 Hoop Dreams (1994) movie poster Hoop Dreams 1994 · Drama $11.8M $7.83M dom.
  4. 4 Hero and the Terror (1988) movie poster Hero and the Terror 1988 · Action $5.3M $5.3M dom.
  5. 5 Vigilante (1982) movie poster Vigilante 1982 · Crime $5.09M $5.09M dom.
  6. 6 He Knows You’re Alone (1980) movie poster He Knows You’re Alone 1980 · Horror $4.88M $4.88M dom.
  7. 7 Avenging Force (1986) movie poster Avenging Force 1986 · Drama $4.68M $4.68M dom.
  8. 8 P.O.W. The Escape (1986) movie poster P.O.W. The Escape 1986 · War $2.5M $2.5M dom.
  9. 9 Mister Johnson (1990) movie poster Mister Johnson 1990 · Drama $1.46M $1.46M dom.
  10. 10 Prefontaine (1997) movie poster Prefontaine 1997 · Biography $589K $589K dom.
One pick per genre

The Best Steve James Movie in Every Genre

The best-rated film in each genre Steve James has worked in, the genres with the most films first. Drama leads with 11 films, and Mask (1985) is the pick of them.

One pick per decade

The Best Steve James Movie of Each Decade

One pick per decade of Steve James's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1980s to 2020s.

Newest first

The Latest Steve James Movies

The most recent films Steve James is credited on, newest first — starting with A Compassionate Spy (2023). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.

New movie releases
FAQ

The Best Steve James Movies: Questions & Answers

The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Steve James films, answered from the rankings on this page.

What is the best Steve James movie?

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) is the best-rated Steve James film, with a Movie Echo Score of 75, ahead of A Compassionate Spy (2023) (70). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail: cast, ratings & box office

What is the highest-grossing Steve James movie?

Mask (1985) made the most at the box office, with $48.2M worldwide, followed by Weird Science (1985) with $38.9M. Together, Steve James's films with box office figures have made $124M.

Which Steve James movie won the most awards?

The Interrupters (2011) is the most decorated Steve James film, with 1 win from 2 nominations across the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the other ceremonies in the awards database.

What is the best Steve James drama movie?

Mask (1985) is the best-rated of Steve James's drama films. In other genres: Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (documentary), Hero and the Terror (action) and Vigilante (crime).

What is the newest Steve James movie?

The newest film on Steve James's filmography is A Compassionate Spy (2023), directed by Steve James.

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