Science Fiction Movies

sci fir collageWant to know the best Science Fiction movies?  How about the worst Science Fiction movies?  Curious about Science Fiction box office grosses or which Science Fiction movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Science Fiction movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information and lots more.

The following massive table has 625 Science Fiction movies ranked Best to Worst in 6 different categories.  Why so many movies you wonder?  Well…”A very long time ago in a galaxy far far away”…Steve Lensman requested we do an UMR (Ultimate Movie Rankings) page on Science Fiction movies.  In order to figure out which science fiction movies were the best statistically we had to research as many science fiction movies as possible.

Before starting this massive research project we came up with three rules.  (1) Superhero, King Kong and Godzilla movies would not be included in the study…..why?  To us they fall into the fantasy category versus the science fiction category. (2) To be included in the page the movie’s box office grosses needed to be known.  (3) The movie needed to have played in North American theaters.  To help find all of these movies two books were a big help: Chris Barsanti’s The Sci-Fi Movie Guide and Tom DeMichael’s Modern Sci-Fi Films FAQ.    After completing this research…we were able to finally write our science fiction page.  Click on Top 200 Science Fiction Movies to see the sister site to this page..

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Star Wars is well represented on our Science Fiction Movies page

Alphabetical Science Fiction 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 movies by stars of the movie
  • Sort movies by adjusted domestic box office using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort science fiction movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort movies by how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort movies by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each movie received.
  • Sort movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score.  UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
  • Blue link in Co-star column takes you to that star’s UMR movie page
  • Highly recommend using the search and sort buttons to help navigate this massive table.

 

 

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52 thoughts on “Science Fiction Movies”

  1. GOOD MORNING BRUCE

    1 Thanks for your response. The task you’ve set yourself here is so massive that you most obviously need to draw the line somewhere in defining what comes within your interpretation of the genre.

    2 The dividing line can be very difficult at times.as for example IMDB defines as both horror and sci fi Tarantula that Steve brought up but regards Creature films as simply horror. Also Chuck Heston’s The Naked Jungle (1953) – WHICH SOME MEMBERS OF YOU FAMILY AND I GREATLY ADMIRED BUT WHICH YOU HAD NEVER SEEN WHEN WE DISCUSSED IT !!! – and which is about an army of ordinary ants attacking the human race is classed as simply an action/thriller film by IMDB; but the film was adapted from one of a collection of short stories that claimed to be science fiction and where it was called Laningen [ie Chuck} Verses the Ants.

    3 Anyway I wouldn’t like to be given the mammoth task you are currently undertaking so I will humbly and sincerely gratefully defer to your selection process. Anyway it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good as Steve and I were given the opportunity to discuss Clint’s early career .
    4 Incidentally when you think of the success that Clint has had in producing, directing and acting in classics down the years it is difficult to envisage him sitting at ANYONE’s feet to take lessons. Indeed a poll that I saw about two years ago of the greatest actors of all time listed Clint as No 1 and No 2 was an actor whom I don’t wish to name as he has possibly cropped up too often in my recent posts; and I’m patiently waiting for you do do certain other updates as there are a few Duke related anecdotes that I’m itching to release.

    5 Needless to say the Duke too was high up in that list and in fact around the same time I read a historical survey of the cinema that cited those of all disciplines who it was thought were most influential in the development of movies and the five stars mentioned were Duke, Clint, Chaplin, the woman whom Charlie called Bank of America’s sweetheart (Mary Pickford) and the actor whom I don’t wish to name for now..

    Reply

    1. Hey Bob.
      1. About to start on the “I s” today. When I find a movie that I am not sure about….I send an -mail to Steve…and let him give the thumbs up or down.
      2. The Naked Jungle did not make the first book I am using….my thought is to go through the two sci-fi books I have….and then check out all the lists of great sci-fi movies on the internet…..and pick up the ones I did not list…..then I will be close to being done…all the while finish up my Philip Seymour Hoffman page I am working on, finish up our 19th Fantasy Football draft that is halfway done, go to cheerleading practice….getting ready for school to start….so you can see I have so little to do…lol.
      3. Clint had to start someone where….I imagine any time Brando spoke in the 1950s….lots of people would be listening.
      4. Not thinking the Duke is going to have a movie on this page.
      5. Good stuff.
      🙂

      Reply

      1. 1 Appreciate the explanations.

        2 When you produce the next instalment be sure to flag it up. When you referred to the existing page as a work in progress I did not immediately realise that you were actually releasing figures and thought you were just giving us notice of ‘coming attractions’. Silly old me!

        3 Some of those Star Wars and Spielberg figures are awesome and to think they are just the DOMESTIC grosses! No wonder George Lucas once boasted “We have out-grossed old Hollywood!”

        BOB

        Reply

        1. Hey Bob…you are welcome. I will make sure I do that when I finish…today was not a good day for progress on that page…some days there is just not enough time…lol. The Star Wars movies were the first ones to make the page…they are pretty much the Royal Family of sci-fi movies.

          Reply

  2. STEVE

    1 I didn’t know about Tarantula. Thanks for the info. John Agar who played the hero in Tarantula was of course married to Shirley Temple from 1945 – 1950 and became known in Hollywood circles as Mr Shirley Temple.

    2 War of the Worlds (1953) was one of those films to which a decent budget for those days was allocated but that budget was still only the equivalent of 16 million dollars in 2016 money according to Wikipedia. You probably know that an aged Gene Barry and an elderly Ann Robinson who played the hero and heroine in the 1953 War of the Worlds had guest cameos as grandparents in Tom Cruise’s 2005 remake of the film – ah the sands of time !!

    3 I’m sure this one will please you. When Clint went to Universal as an extra they sent him along to special acting classes on the lot to which they would recruit established actors as guest speakers. There is a photo somewhere on the internet of the young Clint and his fellow acting students sitting in a circle on the floor of the classroom and standing in the centre of that circle is the guest actor-speaker of the day mumbling words of encouragement and advice to the students. I’m sure you can guess who it is !!

    4 Nice to hear from you again and I think Bruce said we have you to thank for his tremendous sci-fi page and the further one (s) to come. Seen YOUR correction – I’m in good company today !!

    Reply

  3. Bruce, this is going to be a long page. 🙂 Looking forward to it’s completion.

    A quick scan of the 161 films you’ve listed so far – there are two I haven’t seen Atlas Shrugged p.1 and p.2, where they released theatrically?

    Checking my movie files – I have nearly 800 sci-fi films here. More than any other genre.

    Reply

    2. Hey Steve….my projected total is now around 600 movies….when it is finished. Some of the 1950s movies are only getting quick looks when it comes to finding box office….if it was a smaller page I would be taking more time to research the box office gross.

      Yep both Atlas Shrugged movies were released in theaters..I think they made less than $10 million in combined gross…..part 3 is rumored to be coming soon. 800 in your collection? That is impressive.

      Thanks for checking out this in progress page.

      Reply

    3. There is a part 3 also of Atlas Shrugged and every one has a completely different cast playing the same parts. Part 3 came out in fall 2014. It was in a couple of theaters in New York where I live but I saw it on demand on TV. I liked parts 1 and 2 but the climax was just so-so.

      Reply

      1. Hey Dan…..thanks for he heads on Atlas Shrugged….I like you thought the first two parts were ok. I did not know that part 3 was out already. That has to be the worst performing trilogy of all-time.

        I have two main books I am using to find these movies….they have movies up until 2013-14…when I finish those books…I am going to search 2014, 2015 and 2016 for the most recent science fiction movies….I will pick up Atlas Shrugged Part 3 then. Once again…thanks for the headsup

        Reply

  4. CORRECTION

    Please not that in my immediately previous post about science fiction films in paragraph one line 3 “and one of” should read “and none of”

    Sorry for any confusion

    BOB

    Reply

  5. 1 Boy! it must have taken some effort to pull together this very comprehensive page and it’s still only a work in progress. An initial examination of the data provided immediately suggests that very few movies from earlier decades are in the table; and one of the vertiginous grossers go back beyond the 70s. The reasons for that could be:

    (1) The strides in the development of modern technology which permit the stunning special effects that one sees in the likes of the Star Wars movies.

    (2) In the 50s for example there simply wasn’t the money available for the budgets of individual sci fi films that might appeal to mass audiences. Most of the films in the genre were low budget films that whilst profitable didn’t attract exceptional grosses. For example according to Wikipedia Abbott & Costello Go to Mars (1953) and Attack of the 50 FT Woman (1958) had budgets equivalent in 2016 dollars to a paltry 7 million and 0.8 million respectively whereas The new Star Wars movie (2015) has an estimated budget of around 300 million.

    (3) Cogerson quotes the inflation adjusted domestic grosses of Go to Mars and 50 FT Woman as around 54 million and 20 million respectively but it is easy to see from the meagre budgetary figures that Wikipedia gives for those two films how they could gross so little and still be very profitable especially in accumulation as enough of them were made

    2 In 1953 I watched a film Called it Came from Outer space and you were given only one clear glimpse of the Monster which to me look like a dustbin that somebody had stuck tiny arms and legs on and enabled to talk. Adults used to find such films creepy but today kids would laugh at that Monster.

    3 Usually regarded as one of Universal Studios’ classic monsters is ‘The Creature’ who appeared in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) and cast in the 1955 film in an uncredited debut was the young Clint Eastwood.

    “I’m the one who felt sorry for the Creature” – Marilyn Monroe.

    Reply

    1. Robert, Clint Eastwood can also be spotted at the finale of Tarantula (1955) he’s the pilot who drops the napalm on the giant spider.

      I saw It Came From Outer Space in 3D on a double bill with George Pal’s The War of the Worlds at the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road in the late 70s.

      Reply

      1. Hey Steve….so Clint was saving the day all the way back in the 1950s…..I like that. Thanks for the information.

        Reply

    2. Hey Bob…this might take awhile to finish. I am now through the Hs….and the movie total is now 233. And that is just one book I am using as a reference. You have made some solid points of why there seem to be more sci-fi films today than yesteryear. Currently the table has 17 movies from the 1950s and 1960s.

      Monster movies are generally not going to make the table….so Godzilla, Frankenstein and Creature From a The Black Lagoon will not be included. A&C go to Mars is the new gross…..their page represents the old gross….that one needs an update soon.

      Brando teaching Clint…very good trivia….thanks for sharing it.

      Reply

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