Want to know the best John Candy movies? How about the worst John Candy movies? Curious about John Candy’s box office grosses or which John Candy movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Candy movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well, you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information.
John Candy (1950-1994) was one of Canada’s greatest and funniest character actors. While most of his roles fall in the supporting category…he did manage to be the lead actor in some quality movies too…can you say Only the Lonely and Planes, Trains & Automobiles? His IMDb page shows 69 acting credits from 1971 to 1995. This page will rank John Candy movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Drivel Part: (That is what my wife calls this part of the page). It has been a shocking 31 years since John Candy passed away. I am old enough that I saw 9 of the movies in the following table in movie theaters. In my house, John Candy has become synonymous with Thanksgiving. Every year without exception, we watch Candy’s best movie, Planes, Trains & Automobiles. So, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I felt it was the perfect time (actually the wife said do it now or wait until next Thanksgiving) to take a good look at the movie career of John Candy. He might be gone…. but he lives on with the many excellent movies he left behind.
John Candy Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
John Candy Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Column is the name of the John Candy movie and a link to that movie’s trailer
- Sort by John Candy movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort John Candy movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort John Candy movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort John Candy movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each John Candy movie received.
- Sort John Candy movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | JFK (1991) AA Best Picture Nom |
Kevin Costner | 70.40 | 209.0 | 609.90 | 17 | 81 | 08 / 02 | 99.2 | |
| 2 | Splash (1984) | Tom Hanks | 69.80 | 259.8 | 259.80 | 10 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 3 | National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) | Chevy Chase & Directed by Harold Ramis |
61.40 | 243.6 | 243.60 | 12 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 4 | Stripes (1981) | Bill Murray & Harold Ramis |
85.30 | 383.5 | 383.50 | 5 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 5 | The Blues Brothers (1980) | John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd |
57.20 | 275.1 | 275.10 | 11 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 6 | Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) | Steve Martin | 49.50 | 158.3 | 158.30 | 22 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 94.9 | |
| 7 | Cool Runnings (1993) | Doug E. Doug | 68.90 | 207.9 | 467.60 | 15 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 94.3 | |
| 8 | Home Alone (1990) | Macaulay Culkin | 285.80 | 844.4 | 1,577.30 | 1 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 93.5 | |
| 9 | Uncle Buck (1989) | Macaulay Culkin | 66.80 | 210.2 | 210.20 | 18 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 10 | Little Shop of Horrors (1986) | Bill Murray & Steve Martin |
38.70 | 130.6 | 130.60 | 26 | 83 | 02 / 00 | 91.9 | |
| 11 | Spaceballs (1987) | Mel Brooks & Bill Pullman |
38.10 | 121.9 | 121.90 | 31 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 85.8 | |
| 12 | Heavy Metal (1981) Voice Only |
Harold Ramis | 26.50 | 119.0 | 119.00 | 29 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 81.9 | |
| 13 | Rookie of the Year (1993) | Gary Busey | 53.60 | 161.9 | 161.90 | 22 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 80.7 | |
| 14 | Brewster's Millions (1985) | Richard Pryor | 40.80 | 143.8 | 143.80 | 20 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 80.1 | |
| 16 | 1941 (1979) | Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi |
31.80 | 158.1 | 460.40 | 27 | 43 | 03 / 00 | 78.9 | |
| 15 | Follow That Bird (1985) | Chevy Chase | 14.00 | 49.2 | 49.20 | 64 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
| 18 | The Great Outdoors (1988) | Dan Aykroyd & Annette Bening |
41.50 | 126.1 | 126.10 | 25 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 77.5 | |
| 17 | The Rescuers Down Under (1990) Voice Only |
Bob Newhart & George C. Scott |
27.90 | 82.5 | 82.50 | 41 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 77.2 | |
| 19 | Only the Lonely (1991) | Maureen O'Hara | 21.80 | 64.8 | 64.80 | 60 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 67.4 | |
| 20 | The Silent Partner (1978) | Elliott Gould & Christopher Plummer |
0.90 | 5.0 | 5.00 | 131 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 65.5 | |
| 21 | John Candy: I Like Me (2025) Amazon |
Directed by Colin Hanks | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 200 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 63.8 | |
| 22 | Volunteers (1985) | Tom Hanks | 19.90 | 70.0 | 70.00 | 45 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 54.3 | |
| 23 | Tunnel Vision (1976) | Chevy Chase | 13.20 | 77.4 | 77.40 | 51 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 53.5 | |
| 24 | Summer Rental (1985) | Joey Lawrence | 24.70 | 86.9 | 86.90 | 35 | 40 | 00 / 00 | 44.8 | |
| 25 | Career Opportunities (1991) Cameo |
Frank Whaley & Jennifer Connelly |
11.30 | 33.7 | 33.70 | 89 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 38.0 | |
| 26 | It Came From Hollywood (1982) | Dan Aykroyd | 2.60 | 10.9 | 10.90 | 111 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 30.4 | |
| 27 | Lost and Found (1979) | George Segal & Glenda Jackson |
3.20 | 16.1 | 16.10 | 92 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
| 28 | Who's Harry Crumb? (1989) | Annie Potts | 11.00 | 34.6 | 34.60 | 77 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 22.9 | |
| 29 | Delirious (1991) | Mariel Hemingway | 5.50 | 16.5 | 16.50 | 119 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 21.0 | |
| 31 | Armed and Dangerous (1986) | Meg Ryan & Eugene Levy |
20.00 | 67.3 | 67.30 | 44 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 19.0 | |
| 30 | Going Berserk (1983) | Eugene Levy | 0.40 | 1.4 | 1.40 | 145 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 17.3 | |
| 32 | Cannonball Fever (1989) | Peter Boyle | 3.10 | 9.7 | 9.70 | 130 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 11.0 | |
| 33 | Once Upon a Crime (1992) | James Belushi | 8.70 | 26.1 | 26.10 | 100 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 10.3 | |
| 34 | Double Negative (1980) | Anthony Perkins | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 202 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 6.6 | |
| 35 | Find The Lady (1976) | Mickey Rooney | 0.50 | 2.7 | 2.70 | 155 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 6.0 | |
| 36 | Hot to Trot (1988) Voice Only |
Bobcat Goldthwait | 6.40 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 113 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 6.0 | |
| 37 | Wagons East (1994) | Richard Lewis | 4.40 | 13.5 | 13.50 | 143 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 4.6 | |
| 38 | The Clown Murders (1976) | Stephen Young | 0.30 | 1.8 | 1.80 | 159 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 2.6 | |
| 39 | Canadian Bacon (1995) | Directed by Michael Moore | 0.20 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 233 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 2.3 | |
| 40 | Nothing But Trouble (1991) | Chevy Chase & Dan Aykroyd |
8.50 | 25.2 | 25.20 | 105 | 28 | 00 / 00 | 2.2 | |
| 41 | It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time (1975) | Yvonne De Carlo | 0.20 | 0.9 | 0.90 | 155 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 1.6 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About John Candy
1. John Candy was born in 1950 in Newmarket, Ontario.
2. John Candy first gained notoriety as a cast member of Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television (SCTV).
3. John Candy appeared in more John Hughes movies than any other actor, starring or doing cameos in seven of them: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Home Alone (1990) and appears in a cameos in She’s Having a Baby (1988) and Career Opportunities (1991).
4. John Candy was married one time. He was married to Rosemary Margaret Hobor from 1979 to his death in 1994. They had two children…..actress Jennifer Candy and actor Chris Candy.
5. John Candy was a co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
6. John Candy sat in the front row for Super Bowl XXIII. According to legend, right before the 49ers game-winning drive, quarterback Joe Montana pointed toward the stands and said to tackle Harris Barton, “Hey look over there. Isn’t that John Candy?”.
7. John Candy was entombed in the mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. His crypt lies just above fellow actor Fred MacMurray.
8. John Candy, my older boys and Nothing But Trouble (1991). Although Nothing But Trouble might be John Candy’s worst movie (he got a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor)…my sons loved Nothing But Trouble. They literally wore out the VHS tape that we owned and we had to replace it with a new VHS tape. Even today when I mention Nothing But Trouble…..the movie generates a smile from my boys.
9. John Candy turned down the Rick Moranis’ role in Ghostbusters (1984). Candy on that….”I should have been in Ghostbusters”.
10. Check out John Candy‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.
Very nice Scott.
Hey Scott….you gotta love The Blues Brothers. Thanks for checking out our John Candy page.
It’s been ages since I last saw Planes, Trains and Automobiles, used to watch it all the time back in the 80s. Hilarious movie but the ending threw me off guard. Should watch it again.
The closest thing to an ‘extra large’ comedian like John Candy we have in movies now is Melissa McCarthy and she’s not nearly as beloved as Candy was (loved her in Spy though).
Hey Steve….I did not watch it last year due to some technical difficulties….but we watched it last night….still holds up well. Samantha made a great point/question. In the famous scene where Steve Martin’s rental car is gone…and he loses it with the rental car clerk….maybe Del (John Candy) is the reason the car is gone. In the movie…there is no explanation is to why the car is gone. There is a 3 hour version of the movie….seems that Sam might have a point. It is amazing how many times I have seen that movie….I had not thought of that point…and yet Sam in her first viewing comes up with that theory.
Melissa McCarthy is close to Candy as anybody that I can think off….but her screen persona is usually on the opposite end of Candy’s persona…..though her role in Spy is pretty close to how Candy played his roles.
Well….enjoy your Turkey in a few weeks….I have 11 minutes before I start preparing our feast. Good feedback…as always.
I watched it too. It’s my tradition to myself. I tear up at the end every time I watch.
Hey Cind…right there with you….we just finished P,T & A about 90 minutes ago…..and I was trying to discreetly wipe my eyes…trying to hide my tears from my daughter….it is always good to see Del Griffith every November. Thanks for the feedback.
Armed and Dangerous. I have the original movie poster and press kit.
Hey Ken….very cool. I imagine it is fun to look back and see what was in that press kit. Hard to believe Armed and Dangerous was over 30 years ago!
Yes the bios on all of the stars in that movie are in depth. Plus some slides and other pics included. I think scripts also. It’s been about 20 years since I packed it away with a ton of other collectible stuff that I’m going to finally list on ebay. I also related to John Candy’s character because I had been a police officer, then got into corporate security! LOL I used some clips in training classes I did too.
Hey Ken. I wonder how much that will get on E-bay. Too bad it is not from one of his more successful films. I imagine the same information from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Stripes or JFK would get 5 to 10 times more than Armed and Dangerous will. Good luck with that. Very cool that you were able to use clips from the movie in training class. I did the same think in a training class I taught….but it was a clip from another movie and for the grocery business. Thanks for the responses. Happy Thanksgiving.
Just finished watching PT&A. Great day to watch that great movie. I miss Dell and John being around.
Hey Munnerlin…..wow…..a year since your comment….sorry about that….I just did the same thing with my 11 year old daughter…who was watching it for the first time. Hope you watch it again this year. Rest in Peace John Candy.