Box Office Theory Forum's Top 100 Warner Bros. Movies

[Eric Quinn]

 

Well...I did it. In what is perhaps my most ambitious list yet...at least until the Disney countdown a few months from now, I have finally completed and prepared up BOT’s official Top 100 for the greatest Warner Bros. movies of all time. It took a lot of work to compile everything up, and every single list changed the placements of each movie dramatically. If one list didn’t come in, the entire list would look completely different. But of note...

 

• 40 lists were submitted and approved. This is a high for one of my lists, the previous being 34 for the Spielberg countdown. Y’all clearly love some Warner Bros. and wanted to show your support. Hoping we will match that or go even higher for the Disney countdown later this year.
• Within these 40 lists, a grand total of 607 different movies were submitted. That’s a lot to look over. So do know that if your fave missed, it had a lot of competition to deal with.
• The most represented decade of movies was the 2010s with a whopping 22 films. Meanwhile, the least represented was the 1930s with a whopping 1. So yeah. If we ever do this again (not saying we are), you kids need to learn some good culture and enjoy the classics. 
  

 

• 9 DC Comics adaptations are part of the top 100. You can probably guess what the most popular hero is, but what ranked #1 of them all? Well, that answer may surprise you...or maybe not.
• All the Potters had a significant presence in many of the submitted lists. Even the Fantastic Beasts films got at least one vote. However, only six of the original eight Potters made the top 100. Which ones missed? Which is the highest? Just wait and see.
• Papa Nolan and Stanley Kubrick were the big winners in terms of directors, which...yeah, that’s a very BOT thing to happen. In fact, all but one of Nolan's WB movies made the top 100, because you guys are CRAZY
• Only 3 movies got over 2,000 points. That meant these films appeared in almost every single list submitted, whether it be 10 entries or 100. So these were really, really popular.
• Ties (3 in the top 100) were broken up by which one had the least number of submissions and/or which had the better average ranking. This was done to represent the higher-ranked movies having more passionate voters compared to the other film. The honorable mentions have a few films that tied and had the same number of entries/same average ranking, so those are just complete ties. But those are the lower tier stuff you don't care about.
• “This movie I hate ranked higher than a movie I like? I lost all my respect for this list!” Yes, believe it or not, the general consensus of the forums will not automatically fit your tastes and sensibilities. All I ask is to please try to be respectful and courteous during the duration of this countdown, both to myself and to fellow BOT members. You don't have to agree with this, but you can act like a gentleman.
• If you are going to complain about something, and you didn't submit a list, just know that it's on you. Much like with government elections, you can't complain about something if you didn't vote in the first place.

 

I’ll be alternating between revealing honorable mentions and the actual top 100. All rankings were determined by points, # of lists, and average placement. There’s even going to be a poem attached to each film in the top 100, because I think that’s a neat thing to do. I’m going to do something fancier for the Disney countdown however, so just wait for that one

 

Expect the first few entries later today.

 

[4815162342]

Y'all really let Tenet, 6 Harry Potter movies, and who knows what else slink into this.

[Human]

33 minutes ago, Eric Stickell said:

So yeah. If we ever do this again (not saying we are), you kids need to learn some good culture and enjoy the classics. 

"I'm Twelve."

 

Thanks for doing this.

[Human]

2 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

Y'all really let Tenet, 6 Harry Potter movies, and who knows what else slink into this.

don't blame me.  I did not put a single Nolan film in mine, and I only put one Wizarding World in my list.

[WorkingonaName]

No mention of Monsterverse must mean all 4 made it in.  

[Rorschach]

5 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

Y'all really let Tenet slink into this.

[SchumacherFTW]

1 hour ago, 4815162342 said:

Y'all really let Tenet, 6 Harry Potter movies, and who knows what else slink into this.

[Cap]

Okay, cool, so you still have time to run the list with just @Fancyarcher @TalismanRing @4815162342  @Jake Gittes @Ipickthiswhiterose And my lists. 
 

💀

[Reddroast]

2 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

Y'all really let Tenet, 6 Harry Potter movies, and who knows what else slink into this.

Swordfish? 

[Eric Quinn]

2 minutes ago, Cap said:

Okay, cool, so you still have time to run the list with just @Fancyarcher @TalismanRing @4815162342  @Jake Gittes @Ipickthiswhiterose And my lists. 
 

💀

My list was good too 😕

[Reddroast]

2 hours ago, WorkingonaName said:

No mention of Monsterverse must mean all 4 made it in.  

I had 2 of them on my list

[Fancyarcher]

I can already tell the result of this list is going to make me regret not putting certain movies higher. 

[Ethan Hunt]

Ocean's 12 top 5 or bust

[DAR]

4 hours ago, Eric Stickell said:

9 DC Comics adaptations are part of the top 100. You can probably guess what the most popular hero is, but what ranked #1 of them all? Well, that answer may surprise you...or maybe not.

Come on people we have to do better.  

 

Checks own list.

 

 

 

[ListenHunnyUrOver]

4 minutes ago, DAR said:

Come on people we have to do better.  

 

Checks own list.

 

 

 

Watch them all be Batman movies 

[Eric Quinn]

#100

East of Eden

453 points, 8 lists

"If you want to give me a present, give me a good life. That's something I can value."

 

Box Office: 5M

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Metacritic: 72

Awards: 1 Academy Award and 3 nominations, 3 BAFTA nominations, Palme D'Or nomination at Cannes, 2 Golden Globe Awards, 2nd place at the National Board of Review Awards

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: James Dean's first movie and the only one released in his lifetime. Influenced Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese. Captured angst and rebellion among adolescents in the 1950s. Gave the famed Steinbeck novel an iconic adaptation to call its own. First film to give a Best Actor nomination posthumously. Joined the National Film Registry in 2016. Gave Burl Ives a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Kicking things off is a man whose entire filmography consists of all-time classics of the WB library. Although sadly, I wish it was more than three.

 

James Dean’s short life is one we all look back on with tragedy. Here was a man, a symbol for many young folk disillusioned with the world, scorned by those pesky adults. Here was an actor whose career was only just getting started, somebody set to do incredible things for decades to come, only for his life to be tragically cut short, only having one of his three movies released in his lifetime. But what a first impression.

 

Based on the John Steinbeck novel, this modernized Cain and Abel drama hit every teenager in 1955 hard. It’s the story of a young man who just wants to feel accepted. To no longer feel like the ignored, rejected, disgraced son of his father. To find a connection with his estranged mother, to feel like he has some sort of worth in his family and in his life.

 

Elia Kazan is my favorite director of all time. His understanding of what makes a quality melodrama, while also including tons of engaging political and sociological intrigue, is incredible. And the ideas he brings into his movies, capturing the contemporary feelings and emotions of the time period, while still making them effortlessly timeless, is second to none. And this one is no different. Not just because of the great screenplay, combining themes of piousness, independence, and identity, but also the incredible acting across the board.

 

This was my introduction to James Dean as an actor, and, man, was he somebody special. Every gesture, expression, and nuance is so well-crafted and layered, making Cal this conflicting, tragic figure that is easy to empathize and understand. This is the kind of debut that even the best actors could only dream of.

 

Poem
Daddy, dear Daddy,
Please notice me.
Daddy, dear Daddy,
What exactly do you need?

 

I give you everything,
Yet you throw me away.
Is it really my fault
that I’m not what you pray?

 

Daddy, dear Daddy,
Just give me some love.
For you see, dear Daddy
You will soon be above.

 

Daddy, dear Daddy,
Life doesn’t last.
Daddy, dear Daddy,
Don’t let your moment past.
 

[Eric Quinn]

#99

White Heat

454 points, 9 lists

"Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

 

Box Office: 1.9-3.483M

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Metacritic: 72

Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: One of the best movies of all time. One of James Cagney's most famous performances. Sampled in movies, shows, and music. Inspired a Madonna song. Joined the National Film Registry in 2003. Listed in Time's Top 100 movies of all time in 2005. Gave Virginia Mayo a paycheck. 

 

Commentary: And you thought your mommy issues were bad? (sitcom laughter)

 

James Cagney had two sides to him as an actor. One side was a song and dance man, a showman who loved to entertain and tap his little feet. That’s where you have movies like Footlight Parade and Yankee Doodle Dandy. But to the average person down the street, if they know who James Cagney is, they know him for his gangster movies. Him and Edward G. Robinson were the first of their kinds in fact, as WB originated the gangster movie that is so prolific in a post-Goodfellas/Sopranos world. The Public Enemy, Angels with Dirty Faces, and of course, White Heat.

 

Cagney portrays a cold-hearted psychopathic criminal with a disturbingly strong attachment to his Ma, herself also deranged and cruel. What follows is a fascinating character study of a criminal and a story full of deception, treachery, and shocking twists. All of this is thanks to the sharp direction of Raoul Walsh and James Cagney in arguably his most exemplary performance, portraying a character who is evil and nefarious, yet oddly endearing and “love to hate” all at the same time.

 

This all of course comes to head in a phenomenal climax that ends with the iconic phrase, “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” Quoted in countless movies, sampled in a 50 Cent tune, it’s one of those lines that’s just as, if not more famous than the movie itself. And if you’ve seen the film, you know why something so strong and so tragic left an impact on viewers. And why this is, in many ways, James Cagney’s masterpiece.

 

Poem

Can we see through his eyes?

His crazy, cold-hearted eyes?

Is a man with no heart

Someone we can empathize?

 

Can we see through his soul?

Does he even have a soul?

If somebody is so cruel

Do they even have a soul?

 

Top of the world, as they say,

What did it take to be?

Why even be at the top,

If there isn’t anyone with thee?

[Eric Quinn]

#98

John Wick

457 points, 11 lists

"John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will, something you know very little about."

 

Box Office: 86M

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Metacritic: 68

Awards: N/A

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: Redefined action movies. Kickstarted a long-running media franchise. Revitalized Keanu Reeves' movie career. Emphasized long takes, practical effects, and intense stunts within action movies. Made Chad Stahelski and David Leitch director superstars. Gave Lance Reddick a paycheck. May he rest in peace.

 

Commentary: It was released by Warner Bros. in the UK. That means it’s a Warner Bros. movie. Even if just barely. My countdown, my rules.

 

Anyways...isn’t it weird the first John Wick is almost 10 years old? It’s also weird to think that the very first movie was such a humble little creation. One that everybody thought little of. A low-budget action movie made by two first-time directors? Starring total has-been Keanu Reeves? Only a couple months before release, the movie didn’t even have a distributor. Who would watch something that was so disposable? It will easily get lost within the crowded movie season and be a boring, forgotten action movie that would just stay on Tubi or something.

 

Well, history is written by the winners. And for everybody involved, they were winners. Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch went against type for action movies. No rapid cuts, no closeups to hide the wires. These two, being stuntmen and action choreographers, made sure that they used long takes, emphasized crazy stunts and action choreo, and used Reeves’ charms to his advantage.

 

And sure enough, John Wick became a solid hit at the box office and on home video. And um...now it’s the biggest thing ever? The two directors who made it keep getting calls left and right, Keanu Reeves is the Internet’s favorite person ever, and we now have a gigantic media franchise consisting of three sequels, a spin-off movie, a streaming series, a Fortnite skin, and so, so, so much more. Chapter 4 came out earlier this year and it’s outgrossing sure bets like Indiana Jones, Transformers, and The Flash. There was no way people would have predicted that in 2014.

 

And it’s so obvious why. With its slick, stylized action, practical effects, and “one man takes down everybody” concept, it was a breath of fresh air for a genre that was full of shaky cam and overused CGI, and we are only just now feeling its impacts, even if the films that are ripping it off aren’t really the best. But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And while only tangentially, WB played a part in this franchise’s now iconic legacy. And they had no idea what was coming.

 

Poem

Pow! Wham! Bam Bam Boom!

Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga

He’s coming for you.

 

Boom! Whack! Hit Hit Blam!

Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga

He’s coming for you.

[ListenHunnyUrOver]

7 minutes ago, Eric Stickell said:

#99

John Wick

457 points, 11 lists

"John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will, something you know very little about."

 

Box Office: 86M

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Metacritic: 68

Awards: N/A

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: Redefined action movies. Kickstarted a long-running media franchise. Revitalized Keanu Reeves' movie career. Emphasized long takes, practical effects, and intense stunts within action movies. Made Chad Stahelski and David Leitch director superstars. Gave Lance Reddick a paycheck. May he rest in peace.

 

Commentary: It was released by Warner Bros. in the UK. That means it’s a Warner Bros. movie. Even if just barely. My countdown, my rules.

 

Anyways...isn’t it weird the first John Wick is almost 10 years old? It’s also weird to think that the very first movie was such a humble little creation. One that everybody thought little of. A low-budget action movie made by two first-time directors? Starring total has-been Keanu Reeves? Only a couple months before release, the movie didn’t even have a distributor. Who would watch something that was so disposable? It will easily get lost within the crowded movie season and be a boring, forgotten action movie that would just stay on Tubi or something.

 

Well, history is written by the winners. And for everybody involved, they were winners. Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch went against type for action movies. No rapid cuts, no closeups to hide the wires. These two, being stuntmen and action choreographers, made sure that they used long takes, emphasized crazy stunts and action choreo, and used Reeves’ charms to his advantage.

 

And sure enough, John Wick became a solid hit at the box office and on home video. And um...now it’s the biggest thing ever? The two directors who made it keep getting calls left and right, Keanu Reeves is the Internet’s favorite person ever, and we now have a gigantic media franchise consisting of three sequels, a spin-off movie, a streaming series, a Fortnite skin, and so, so, so much more. Chapter 4 came out earlier this year and it’s outgrossing sure bets like Indiana Jones, Transformers, and The Flash. There was no way people would have predicted that in 2014.

 

And it’s so obvious why. With its slick, stylized action, practical effects, and “one man takes down everybody” concept, it was a breath of fresh air for a genre that was full of shaky cam and overused CGI, and we are only just now feeling its impacts, even if the films that are ripping it off aren’t really the best. But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And while only tangentially, WB played a part in this franchise’s now iconic legacy. And they had no idea what was coming.

 

Poem

Pow! Wham! Bam Bam Boom!

Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga

He’s coming for you.

 

Boom! Whack! Hit Hit Blam!

Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga

He’s coming for you.

How is this a tie with White Heat?

[Eric Quinn]

2 minutes ago, ListenHunnyUrOver said:

How is this a tie with White Heat?

Because I'm stupid and didn't notice that typo until you mentioned it.