Want to know the best Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies? How about the worst Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies? Curious about Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s box office grosses or which Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
I think one of the hardest things to accomplish in show business is for a child star to remain successful as they move from being the cute child actor to the adult actor. Off the top of my head….Ron Howard, Natalie Portman, Kurt Russell and Jodie Foster are some of the lucky ones that have been able to achieve this very rare accomplishment. Seems early fame for child actors is more likely to lead to a life filled with problems with finances, controlled substances and police incidents…not to mention finding successful acting roles as an adult. That being said….I think it is time to add Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the list of child star actors that have moved on to acting success as an adult actor.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was born in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 10 he was already appearing in very small roles in major motion pictures like The River Runs Through It with Brad Pitt. In 1994 he got his first leading role in a movie….Disney’s Angels in the Outfield which turned out to be a successful box office movie. In 1996 he landed a role in the television show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, which stayed on television for 6 seasons. When 3rd Rock ended he left acting to attend Columbia University.
After his time at Columbia he returned to acting. He starred in many critically acclaimed (but not successful at the box office) independent movies like Brick, The Lookout and Stop-Loss. In 2009 he starred in (500) Days of Summer. (500) Days of Summer gave him a movie that was a success at the box office as well as critical hit as well. He received his first Golden Globe® nomination for Best Actor for the role. Since that movie his projects have become more high profile. Over the last 3 years he has picked up another Golden Globe® nomination for 50/50, appeared in Christopher Nolan blockbusters like Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, and moved into action star roles in movies like Premium Rush and Looper. And now to the rankings of Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies.
His IMDb page shows 72 acting credits from 1988-2017. This page will rank 34 Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
2012
Lincoln (2012)
AA Best Picture Nom
2010
Inception (2010)
AA Best Picture Nom
2012
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
2012
Looper (2012)
1992
A River Runs Through It (1992)
2009
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
2011
50/50 (2011)
1998
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
2009
500 Days of Summer (2009)
1999
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
2020
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
AA Best Picture Nom
2002
Treasure Planet (2002)
1994
Angels in the Outfield (1994)
2013
The Wind Rises (2013)
2013
Don Jon (2013)
2015
The Night Before (2015)
2015
The Walk (2015)
2025
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
Netflix
Cameo
2007
The Lookout (2007)
2012
Premium Rush (2012)
2004
Mysterious Skin (2004)
2005
Brick (2005)
2016
Snowden (2016)
2023
Flora and Son (2023)
Apple TV
2008
Stop-Loss (2008)
2019
7500 (2019)
Amazon
2024
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
2020
Project Power (2020)
Netflix
2014
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (2014)
2024
Greedy People (2024)
2001
Manic (2001)
2010
Hesher (2010)
2003
Latter Days (2003)
2008
Uncertainty (2008)
1996
The Juror (1996)
2008
Killshot (2008)
2008
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
2010
Elektra Luxx (2010)
2009
Women in Trouble (2009)
2022
Pinocchio (2022)
Disney Plus
Voice Only
2024
Killer Heat (2024)
Amazon
1994
Holy Matrimony (1994)
2005
Shadowboxer (2005)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt 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.
- Sort Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Joseph Gordon-Levitt movies by adjusted worldwide domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Joseph Gordon-Levitt 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 Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie received.
- Sort Joseph Gordon-Levitt 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 | Lincoln (2012) AA Best Picture Nom |
Daniel Day-Lewis & Sally Field |
182.20 | 286.1 | 432.30 | 13 | 89 | 12 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 2 | Inception (2010) AA Best Picture Nom |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Hardy |
292.60 | 463.5 | 1,307.90 | 6 | 86 | 08 / 04 | 99.6 | |
| 3 | The Dark Knight Rises (2012) | Christian Bale & Michael Caine |
458.10 | 719.4 | 1,718.70 | 2 | 88 | 00 / 00 | 98.6 | |
| 4 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) | Daisy Ridley & Mark Hamill |
620.20 | 864.2 | 1,857.20 | 1 | 57 | 04 / 00 | 91.2 | |
| 5 | Looper (2012) | Bruce Willis & Emily Blunt |
66.50 | 104.4 | 277.20 | 45 | 89 | 00 / 00 | 90.8 | |
| 6 | A River Runs Through It (1992) | Brad Pitt & Directed by Robert Redford |
43.40 | 130.8 | 130.80 | 37 | 76 | 03 / 01 | 90.4 | |
| 8 | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | Channing Tatum | 150.20 | 250.3 | 504.10 | 18 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 84.5 | |
| 9 | 50/50 (2011) | Seth Rogen & Anna Kendrick |
35.00 | 55.2 | 61.80 | 94 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 83.0 | |
| 12 | Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) | Jamie Lee Curtis | 55.00 | 146.7 | 200.00 | 40 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 82.3 | |
| 10 | 500 Days of Summer (2009) | Zooey Deschanel | 32.40 | 54.0 | 101.20 | 85 | 84 | 00 / 00 | 82.3 | |
| 11 | 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) | Heath Ledger | 38.20 | 94.3 | 132.10 | 53 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 81.9 | |
| 10 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) AA Best Picture Nom |
Eddie Redmayne | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.20 | 268 | 82 | 06 / 01 | 80.0 | |
| 13 | Treasure Planet (2002) | Emma Thompson | 38.20 | 82.3 | 236.20 | 70 | 67 | 01 / 00 | 78.7 | |
| 17 | Angels in the Outfield (1994) | Danny Glover & Matthew McConaughey |
50.20 | 153.9 | 153.90 | 26 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 77.6 | |
| 13 | The Wind Rises (2013) | Emily Blunt & Martin Short |
5.20 | 8.0 | 181.30 | 150 | 87 | 01 / 00 | 76.3 | |
| 15 | Don Jon (2013) | Scarlett Johannson & Julianne Moore |
24.50 | 37.6 | 46.80 | 102 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 74.8 | |
| 18 | The Night Before (2015) | Seth Rogen & Anthony Mackie |
43.00 | 63.8 | 77.70 | 63 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 72.9 | |
| 16 | The Walk (2015) | Ben Kingsley | 10.10 | 15.0 | 90.70 | 119 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 19 | Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) Netflix Cameo |
Daniel Craig & Glenn Close |
2.50 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 136 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 69.3 | |
| 19 | The Lookout (2007) | Jeff Daniels & Matthew Goode |
4.60 | 8.4 | 9.80 | 173 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 69.2 | |
| 21 | Premium Rush (2012) | Michael Shannon | 20.30 | 31.8 | 48.80 | 105 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 68.1 | |
| 21 | Mysterious Skin (2004) | Elisabeth Shue | 0.70 | 1.4 | 4.30 | 213 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 67.9 | |
| 21 | Brick (2005) | Emilie de Ravin & Directed by Rian Johnson |
2.10 | 4.1 | 7.70 | 184 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 65.5 | |
| 23 | Snowden (2016) | Nicolas Cage & Directed by Oliver Stone |
21.60 | 31.2 | 53.90 | 107 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 62.4 | |
| 24 | Flora and Son (2023) Apple TV |
Eve Hewson | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.20 | 226 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 54.4 | |
| 24 | Stop-Loss (2008) | Channing Tatum | 10.90 | 19.0 | 19.50 | 144 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 53.4 | |
| 25 | 7500 (2019) Amazon |
Aylin Tezel | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 300 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 41.0 | |
| 27 | Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) | Eddie Murphy | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 237 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 36.8 | |
| 29 | Project Power (2020) Netflix |
Jamie Foxx | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 325 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 33.6 | |
| 31 | Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (2014) | Bruce Willis | 13.80 | 21.0 | 60.30 | 132 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 31.4 | |
| 30 | Greedy People (2024) | Lily James | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 205 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 31.1 | |
| 30 | Manic (2001) | Zooey Deschanel | 0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 286 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 31.0 | |
| 32 | Hesher (2010) | Natalie Portman | 0.40 | 0.6 | 0.60 | 213 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 28.1 | |
| 32 | Latter Days (2003) | Jacqueline Bisset | 0.80 | 1.7 | 1.70 | 192 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 21.2 | |
| 33 | Uncertainty (2008) | Lynn Collins | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 444 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.9 | |
| 36 | The Juror (1996) | Demi Moore & Alec Baldwin |
22.80 | 64.4 | 64.40 | 69 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 19.3 | |
| 37 | Killshot (2008) | Mickey Rourke & Diane Lane |
0.00 | 0.1 | 5.20 | 359 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 15.4 | |
| 36 | Miracle at St. Anna (2008) | Derek Luke & Directed by Spike Lee |
7.90 | 13.8 | 16.20 | 151 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 12.4 | |
| 38 | Elektra Luxx (2010) | Carla Gugino & Timothy Olyphant |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 293 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 7.8 | |
| 39 | Women in Trouble (2009) | Carla Gugino & Josh Brolin |
0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 381 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 6.8 | |
| 40 | Pinocchio (2022) Disney Plus Voice Only |
Tom Hanks | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 285 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 5.8 | |
| 41 | Killer Heat (2024) Amazon |
Shailene Woodley | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 233 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 4.9 | |
| 43 | Holy Matrimony (1994) | Patricia Arquette | 0.70 | 2.2 | 2.20 | 200 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 3.6 | |
| 44 | Shadowboxer (2005) | Cuba Gooding Jr. & Helen Mirren |
0.40 | 0.7 | 1.00 | 249 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 2.7 |
Check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
He is such an amazing actor. I love his varied choice of roles. 3rd Rock From The Sun is where I really started to notice him as an actor. Glad he was able to get into Nolan’s films.
Hey Geekdom…..I agree with your comment 100%….I thought he was becoming a Nolan regular….but he did not have a part in Interstellar. Thanks for checking out my JGL movie page.
Hi Cogerson, fellow Rogers! Thanks for your email welcoming me into the fold. I’m literally only days into this hub thing and am a bit overwhelmed by all the options, data. I read the ‘for beginners’ stuff but feel overwhelmed nonetheless. Step by step, I guess.
After seeing Looper I have a crush on Joseph GL. I loved that movie! (esp as I used to deliver messages as a job too). I did see Inception, but don’t remember it that well. I’m not that much a movie goer however.
Thx again for writing!
We Rogers have to stick together…..lol. Glad you liked Looper as much as I did. JGL is pretty awesome in that movie. Glad to see you here.
Awesome read! I’ve always enjoyed Joseph Gordon-Levitt growing up from Angels in the Outfield, to Inception. (500) Days of Summer is probably one of my all-time favorite movies too. Lots of interesting stats to read about him though, thanks for the post!
Hey Beyond GS….I know most people look at JGL and say it is the kid from 3rd Rock….to me he will always be the kid from Angels in the Outfield. I agree he is outstanding 500 Days of Summer…thanks for stopping by
Hey Jentu….glad to see somebody that is aware of JGL and his impressive movie career. After a pretty slow 2014….I am thinking his 2015 and 2016 will be better.
Great article! I have been following JGL since his days on 3rd Rock. He has always been a joy to watch and it’s awesome to see him thriving and at the top of his game. I’m very curious about Looper and hope to see more of him in the future, lol! Hopefully in the horror genre as well!