The Best Yimou Zhang Movies, Ranked
16 credits from 1991 to 2026, ranked by the Movie Echo Score — a blend of critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Shadow (2019) comes out on top with a score of 78. The biggest box office hit is Full River Red (2023) with $670M worldwide. Below: the best films by genre and by decade, the most awarded and the newest releases.
Biggest Yimou Zhang Box Office Hits
Yimou Zhang's films have made $1.4B worldwide in total. Full River Red (2023) is the biggest hit at $670M, ahead of The Great Wall (2017) ($335M). Lifetime grosses, with each film's domestic share.
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Full River Red 2023 · Drama $670M - 2
The Great Wall 2017 · Action $335M $45.5M dom. - 3
House of Flying Daggers 2004 · Action $92.9M $11.1M dom. - 4
Shadow 2019 · Action $91.7M $521K dom. - 5
Curse of the Golden Flower 2006 · Action $78.6M $6.57M dom. - 6
The Road Home 2001 · Drama $76.4M $50.9M dom. - 7
Coming Home 2015 · Drama $47.6M $378K dom. - 8
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles 2006 · Drama $3.75M $252K dom. - 9
The Flowers of War 2011 · Drama $2.86M $311K dom. - 10
Shanghai Triad 1995 · Drama $2.09M $2.09M dom.
The Best Yimou Zhang Movie of Each Decade
One pick per decade of Yimou Zhang's career, newest decade first: the best-rated film of each ten years, from 1990s to 2020s.
The Latest Yimou Zhang Movies
The most recent films Yimou Zhang is credited on, newest first — starting with Scare Out (2026). Open any of them for the cast, ratings, box office and where to watch.
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Scare Out 2026 · Director - Full River Red 2023 · Director
- Shadow 2019 · Director
- The Great Wall 2017 · Director
- Coming Home 2015 · Director
- The Flowers of War 2011 · Director
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A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop 2010 · Director - Curse of the Golden Flower 2006 · Director
- Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles 2006 · Director
- House of Flying Daggers 2004 · Director
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Hero 2004 · Director -
Happy Times 2002 · Director
The Best Yimou Zhang Movies: Questions & Answers
The best-rated, highest-grossing, most awarded and newest Yimou Zhang films, answered from the rankings on this page.
What is the best Yimou Zhang movie?
Shadow (2019) is the best-rated Yimou Zhang film, with a Movie Echo Score of 78, ahead of Full River Red (2023) (68). The Movie Echo Score blends critic reviews, audience ratings and how well a film has lasted.
Shadow: cast, ratings & box office What is the highest-grossing Yimou Zhang movie?
Full River Red (2023) made the most at the box office, with $670M worldwide, followed by The Great Wall (2017) with $335M. Together, Yimou Zhang's films with box office figures have made $1.4B.
What is the best Yimou Zhang drama movie?
Full River Red (2023) is the best-rated of Yimou Zhang's drama films, with a score of 68. In other genres: Shadow (action).
What is the newest Yimou Zhang movie?
The newest film on Yimou Zhang's filmography is Scare Out (2026), directed by Yimou Zhang.
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