Want to know the best Best True Story Movies? Curious which True Story Movie earned the most at the box office? Want to know which True Story Movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which True Story Movies got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place …. because we have all of that information.
A few months ago, Wife of Cogerson (that’s what she likes to be called) was talking about Ultimate Movie Rankings with one of her co-workers, Anne C. Anne’s favorite type of movie are ones that are based on a true story. Since I did not have a “True Story Movies” page they requested that I do one. Normally when I get a request, I go straight to IMDb, find out how many movies that performer made, and start researching the stats of each individual movie. In this case, I quickly realized that there were thousands of movies based on true stories. So after a few months of research, I had nothing to show for my work. About two weeks ago, I stumbled across a book….Based On A True Story by Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen. So using that book as a jumping spot…I finally figured out a way to write this movie page.
With the massive amount of movies to research…I decided to try and find the Top True Story Movies based on my Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score equation. So using Vankin and Whalen’s book, the Internet, personal favorites, Wife of Cogerson’s suggestion, Anne’s suggestions, and the Ultimate Movie Rankings database, I scored over 300 movies. This page looks at the Top 50 True Story Movies.
Top 50 True Story Movies Can Be Ranked 5 Ways In The Table Below
The really cool thing about ther table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort True Story Movies by subject matter
- Sort True Story Movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort True Story Movies by critic reviews and audiences voting. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each True Story Movie received.
- Sort True Story 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. The ceiling to earn points for box office is $200 million…once a movie passes that mark it stops earning points in that category.
| 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 | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) AA Best Picture Win |
Peter O'Toole & Anthony Quinn |
41.50 | 649.5 | 649.50 | 1 | 94 | 10 / 07 | 100.0 | |
| 2 | Schindler's List (1993) AA Best Picture Win |
Liam Neeson & Ralph Fiennes |
96.10 | 272.7 | 911.90 | 9 | 94 | 12 / 07 | 100.0 | |
| 4 | The King's Speech (2010) AA Best Picture Win |
Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush |
138.80 | 206.7 | 616.90 | 18 | 93 | 12 / 04 | 100.0 | |
| 3 | Patton (1970) AA Best Picture Win |
George C. Scott | 61.70 | 468.1 | 468.10 | 4 | 90 | 10 / 07 | 100.0 | |
| 5 | Argo (2012) AA Best Picture Win |
Ben Affleck & John Goodman |
136.00 | 200.8 | 342.90 | 22 | 90 | 07 / 03 | 99.9 | |
| 7 | Gandhi (1982) AA Best Picture Win |
Ben Kingsley & Martin Sheen |
52.80 | 210.9 | 510.60 | 11 | 85 | 11 / 08 | 99.9 | |
| 5 | The French Connection (1971) AA Best Picture Win |
Gene Hackman & Roy Scheider |
51.70 | 368.2 | 368.20 | 4 | 84 | 08 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 8 | The Sound of Music (1965) AA Best Picture Win |
Julie Andrews & Christopher Plummer |
145.50 | 1,676.2 | 3,093.10 | 1 | 82 | 10 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 9 | Braveheart (1995) AA Best Picture Win |
Mel Gibson & Patrick McGoohan |
75.60 | 204.2 | 568.30 | 18 | 81 | 10 / 05 | 99.8 | |
| 9 | Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) AA Best Picture Win |
Clark Gable & Charles Laughton |
8.20 | 399.3 | 708.40 | 1 | 86 | 08 / 01 | 99.8 | |
| 10 | Titanic (1997) AA Best Picture Win |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet |
621.80 | 1,591.7 | 5,192.10 | 1 | 78 | 14 / 11 | 99.8 | |
| 12 | A Beautiful Mind (2001) AA Best Picture Win |
Russell Crowe & Jennifer Connelly |
170.70 | 355.1 | 652.10 | 11 | 82 | 08 / 04 | 99.8 | |
| 11 | Saving Private Ryan (1998) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Matt Damon |
214.50 | 537.5 | 1,202.20 | 1 | 93 | 11 / 05 | 99.8 | |
| 14 | Out of Africa (1985) AA Best Picture Win |
Meryl Streep & Robert Redford |
87.10 | 288.2 | 881.00 | 5 | 66 | 11 / 07 | 99.7 | |
| 15 | Lincoln (2012) AA Best Picture Nom |
Daniel Day-Lewis & Sally Field |
182.20 | 269.0 | 406.40 | 13 | 89 | 12 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 16 | Bonnie and Clyde (1967) AA Best Picture Nom |
Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway |
57.00 | 553.5 | 553.50 | 3 | 87 | 10 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 17 | The Last Emperor (1987) AA Best Picture Win |
Peter O'Toole & John Lone |
44.00 | 132.2 | 132.20 | 25 | 85 | 09 / 09 | 99.6 | |
| 17 | The Exorcist (1973) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ellen Burstyn & Linda Blair |
195.80 | 1,299.8 | 2,680.60 | 1 | 86 | 10 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 18 | Apollo 13 (1995) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Bill Paxton |
173.10 | 467.5 | 957.50 | 3 | 86 | 09 / 02 | 99.5 | |
| 19 | Dog Day Afternoon (1975) AA Best Picture Nom |
Al Pacino & John Cazale |
68.20 | 390.8 | 390.80 | 4 | 89 | 06 / 01 | 99.5 | |
| 20 | All the President's Men (1976) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman |
90.90 | 501.5 | 501.50 | 4 | 83 | 08 / 04 | 99.5 | |
| 21 | Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
James Cagney & Walter Huston |
13.50 | 546.4 | 765.40 | 3 | 84 | 08 / 03 | 99.5 | |
| 22 | The Pride of the Yankees (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
Gary Cooper & Teresa Wright |
10.50 | 425.0 | 425.00 | 9 | 84 | 11 / 01 | 99.4 | |
| 23 | Boys Town (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Spencer Tracy & Mickey Rooney |
11.30 | 492.3 | 706.40 | 2 | 86 | 05 / 02 | 99.4 | |
| 24 | Sergeant York (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
Gary Cooper & Walter Brennan |
13.50 | 568.0 | 568.00 | 1 | 81 | 11 / 02 | 99.4 | |
| 26 | Born on the Fourth of July (1989) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Cruise | 70.00 | 207.2 | 476.50 | 17 | 82 | 08 / 02 | 99.3 | |
| 28 | Funny Girl (1968) AA Best Picture Nom |
Barbra Streisand | 52.40 | 469.6 | 469.60 | 3 | 82 | 08 / 01 | 99.2 | |
| 26 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) AA Best Picture Nom |
Paul Newman & Robert Redford |
100.10 | 828.4 | 1,015.20 | 1 | 79 | 07 / 04 | 99.2 | |
| 29 | Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) AA Best Picture Nom |
Spencer Tracy & Marlene Dietrich |
11.30 | 179.2 | 179.20 | 19 | 86 | 11 / 02 | 99.2 | |
| 28 | Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sissy Spacek & Tommy Lee Jones |
81.50 | 368.2 | 368.20 | 6 | 80 | 07 / 01 | 99.0 | |
| 31 | Erin Brockovich (2000) AA Best Picture Nom |
Julia Roberts & Albert Finney |
125.60 | 273.8 | 558.70 | 13 | 79 | 05 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 33 | The Social Network (2010) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jesse Eisenberg & Justin Timberlake |
96.70 | 144.0 | 334.50 | 32 | 91 | 08 / 03 | 98.8 | |
| 34 | The Great Escape (1963) | Steve McQueen | 15.80 | 215.5 | 215.50 | 13 | 89 | 01 / 00 | 98.7 | |
| 35 | American Hustle (2013) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jennifer Lawrence & Christian Bale |
150.10 | 217.0 | 363.00 | 17 | 76 | 10 / 00 | 98.7 | |
| 34 | Seabiscuit (2003) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tobey Maguire & Jeff Bridges |
120.30 | 234.4 | 289.00 | 17 | 77 | 07 / 00 | 98.5 | |
| 36 | Catch Me if You Can (2002) | Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Hanks |
164.60 | 333.5 | 713.30 | 11 | 86 | 02 / 00 | 98.5 | |
| 38 | Captain Phillips (2013) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Hanks & Barkhad Abdi |
107.10 | 154.8 | 316.20 | 32 | 90 | 06 / 00 | 98.3 | |
| 38 | Goodfellas (1990) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert DeNiro & Joe Pesci |
46.80 | 130.1 | 130.10 | 26 | 95 | 06 / 01 | 98.2 | |
| 39 | Black Hawk Down (2001) | Orlando Bloom & Directed by Ridley Scott |
108.60 | 225.9 | 359.80 | 18 | 79 | 04 / 02 | 98.1 | |
| 40 | 12 Years a Slave (2013) AA Best Picture Win |
Chiwetel Ejiofor & Michael Fassbender |
56.70 | 81.9 | 271.30 | 62 | 85 | 09 / 03 | 98.1 | |
| 39 | The Help (2011) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jessica Chastain & Octavia Spencer |
169.70 | 251.4 | 320.90 | 13 | 74 | 04 / 01 | 97.9 | |
| 43 | Zero Dark Thirty (2012) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jessica Chastain & Chris Pratt |
95.70 | 141.3 | 196.10 | 32 | 90 | 05 / 01 | 97.9 | |
| 43 | Escape from Alcatraz (1979) | Clint Eastwood | 47.30 | 221.4 | 221.40 | 17 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 97.9 | |
| 44 | The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) AA Best Picture Nom |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Matthew McConaughey |
116.90 | 169.0 | 566.50 | 28 | 83 | 05 / 00 | 97.6 | |
| 45 | Raging Bull (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert De Niro & Directed by Martin Scorsese |
23.50 | 106.3 | 106.30 | 33 | 94 | 08 / 02 | 97.1 | |
| 46 | The Elephant Man (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Hurt & Anthony Hopkins |
27.90 | 126.2 | 126.20 | 28 | 88 | 08 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 48 | Gangs of New York (2002) AA Best Picture Nom |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Daniel Day-Lewis |
77.80 | 157.6 | 392.60 | 34 | 77 | 10 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 45 | The Alamo (1960) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Wayne & Richard Widmark |
22.60 | 384.9 | 772.10 | 5 | 63 | 07 / 01 | 96.5 | |
| 47 | A League of Their Own (1992) | Tom Hanks & Madonna |
107.50 | 304.5 | 375.00 | 10 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.4 | |
| 48 | The Blind Side (2009) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sandra Bullock & Tim McGraw |
256.00 | 401.0 | 484.40 | 8 | 67 | 02 / 01 | 96.2 | |
| 50 | The Longest Day (1962) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Wayne & Robert Mitchum |
31.30 | 490.1 | 490.10 | 3 | 60 | 05 / 02 | 95.6 | |
| 50 | A Bridge Too Far (1977) | Michael Caine & Sean Connery |
56.80 | 299.1 | 299.10 | 9 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.8 | |
| 55 | Norma Rae (1979) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sally Field | 30.00 | 140.6 | 140.60 | 30 | 76 | 04 / 02 | 94.7 | |
| 53 | The Right Stuff (1983) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sam Shepard & Dennis Quaid |
21.20 | 79.0 | 79.00 | 33 | 88 | 08 / 04 | 93.8 | |
| 56 | The Perfect Storm (2000) | George Clooney & Mark Wahlberg |
182.60 | 398.1 | 716.60 | 6 | 58 | 02 / 00 | 91.8 | |
| 55 | Quiz Show (1994) AA Best Picture Nom |
Paul Scofield | 24.80 | 71.5 | 71.50 | 56 | 90 | 04 / 00 | 91.2 | |
| 58 | Miracle (2004) | Kurt Russell & Patricia Clarkson |
64.40 | 121.8 | 121.90 | 47 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 88.8 | |
| 59 | Saving Mr. Banks (2013) | Tom Hanks & Emma Thompso |
83.30 | 120.4 | 170.40 | 43 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 88.6 | |
| 57 | 127 Hours (2010) AA Best Picture Nom |
James Franco | 18.30 | 27.3 | 90.50 | 119 | 87 | 06 / 00 | 86.0 | |
| 60 | Zulu (1964) | Michael Caine & Richard Burton |
4.00 | 50.4 | 50.40 | 71 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 84.1 | |
| 62 | Rudy (1993) | Vince Vaughn | 22.80 | 64.6 | 64.60 | 68 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 81.6 | |
| 63 | Secretariat (2010) | Diane Lane | 59.70 | 88.9 | 88.90 | 58 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 80.6 | |
| 61 | Ed Wood (1994) | Johnny Depp & Martin Landau |
5.90 | 17.0 | 17.00 | 139 | 84 | 02 / 02 | 79.2 | |
| 65 | Men of Honor (2000) | Charlize Theron & Robert DeNiro |
48.80 | 106.4 | 179.50 | 51 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 77.7 | |
| 67 | Glory Road (2006) | Jon Voight | 42.60 | 76.2 | 76.20 | 69 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 75.1 | |
| 64 | Brian's Song (1971) | James Caan | 1.00 | 7.0 | 7.00 | 158 | 84 | 00 / 00 | 73.7 | |
| 66 | Eight Men Out (1988) | Charlie Sheen & John Cusack |
5.70 | 16.2 | 16.20 | 120 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 71.9 | |
| 68 | We Are Marshall (2006) | Matthew McConaughey | 43.50 | 77.8 | 77.80 | 68 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 70.8 | |
| 69 | The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) | Shia LaBeouf & Bill Paxton |
15.30 | 28.2 | 28.90 | 135 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 58.7 | |
| 70 | Chaplin (1992) | Robert Downey Jr. & Milla Jovovich |
9.50 | 26.9 | 26.90 | 97 | 62 | 03 / 00 | 56.4 | |
| 71 | The Bear (1984) | Football Movies & Gary Busey |
2.70 | 9.4 | 9.40 | 128 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 32.2 |
I am pretty sure that I have not included many films that could crack the Top 50…I will continue to research Based on a True Story movies and update when I find one.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.(Visited 12,069 times)
love to see all 300 sortable. thanks
hacksaw ridge, norma rae, killing fields, longest day, best years of our lives.
true story
a nomination–To Hell and Back
Hey John….To Hell and Back would have been a good one for sure for this page…I will have to include that one on part 2 of this page….but looking at the low view numbers …not thinking Part 2 is coming out anytime soon. Appreciate the comment.