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

[Eric S'ennui]

#5

Goodfellas

1907 points, 25 lists

"As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster."

Box Office: 47.1M

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Metacritic: 92

Awards: 1 Academy Award and 6 nominations, 5 Golden Globe Award nominations, 4 BAFTA Awards and 2 nominations

 

Its Legacy: The arguable high point of Scorsese's career. The most famous film of his 1990s tenure. Redefined the mob/gangster movie. Hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Joined the National Film Registry in 2000. Influenced The Sopranos. Ranked #94 on AFI's Top 100 Films, #92 in the 2007 edition. #6 on Empire Magazine's Top 500 Films of All Time. Saw a scrapped television series in development. Namedropped in Bee Movie. Gave Ray Liotta (RIP) a paycheck.

 

Commentary: The messier, nastier successor to The Godfather, one of, if not the most beloved work of Martin Scorsese just gets better and better every passing year. It’s both an expertly crafted feature, with fantastic story beats and well-written characters, yet is also oddly loosey and goosey when necessary. Improv was a heavy part of the film’s dialogue, allowing the actors to breathe and figure out how their characters work. There’s fun comedy bits thrown in, there’s some detours with other characters, there’s even a whole moment where our “heroes” hang out with Martin Scorsese’s mom and eat some dinner. You don’t get that from The Godfather, let me tell you that.

 

Honestly, it’s one of those movies where I just don’t know what else I can add. Everybody here has seen it, everybody here loves it, it influenced every future gangster and mob story ever, from The Sopranos to Scorsese’s other works. It’s clever, it’s classic, it’s modern, it’s familiar, it’s wholly original. It’s just the best. And that’s all I can really add here.

[Eric S'ennui]

#4

Casablanca

1933 points, 25 lists

"Play it once, Sam. For old time's sake."

Box Office: 3.7-6.9M

Rotten Tomatoes: 99%

Metacritic: 100

Awards: 3 Academy Awards and 5 nominations

 

Its Legacy: Oft-considered the greatest WB movie ever made. Gave Claud Rains a paycheck. Features some of the greatest characters, lines, and songs in film history. The most iconic work of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Michael Curtiz. Adapted into radio, television and a novel. #2 on AFI's Top 100 Movies and #3 on their 2007 edition. Six entries in AFI's Top 100 Movie Quotes. One of the first films placed in the National Film Registry in 1989. Gave Claud Rains a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Do you recall the most famous romance of all? When it first released in 1942, nobody expected that much out of it. Everybody involved knew this was going to be good, but did they think this would be hailed as the greatest film ever made, boast the most phenomenal romance story ever told, have the best dialogue ever crafted, and feature an all-star ensemble all at the top of their game? Did they think that? Of course not. And in fact, it was just considered a solid feature at the time. Yet more and more over time, this became the best of the best. The movie WB had as their gold standard. The film they came close to topping but never actually could.

 

There’s a lot of good reasons why Casablanca is the best. I mean, it’s a movie with the message of “Fuck Nazis”. That’s a message we have plenty of, but still need every second of every day. But man...it’s just such a great fucking cast. And they all play such lovable and iconic characters. Humphrey Bogart is the ultimate sad sack Rick Blaine, torn between the woman and country he loves. Ingrid Bergman is the long lost love Ilsa, a gorgeous woman with the most soulful eyes ever seen in cinema. Paul Henreid is the dashing Austrian Victor Laszlo, the leader of the Rebellion. Peter Lorre is the cowardly Signor, who gets killed off in the beginning, making us aware of the dangers ahead. Conrad Veidt as the evil Nazi we have to take down. Dooley Wilson as the old time friend Sam, with the voice of an angel. And my personal favorite, Claude Rains as Captain Renault, who is just happy to be here and will be friends with whoever asks.

 

It’s just such a memorable, incredibly-written ensemble. Everybody has their place, everybody does phenomenal work, and everybody complements a screenplay that has an incredibly tragic, yet uplifting storyline and a phenomenal ending that offers chills. All the while, peppered with some of the best dialogue in movie history. Every line from Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch is just a bop and have transcended into iconic quotes within even casual conversation.

 

These BOT lists will always be plagued by the evils of recency bias. So to have an amazing classic like this just barely miss the top 3..I think that says quite a bit about this special little masterpiece.

[Cap]

So proud of y’all for getting Casablanca into the Top 4. 
 

[ChipDerby]

Surprised Casablanca and Goodfellas are both #5

[WorkingonaName]

I just watched Amadeus and I would have put it in the top 5 if the list was a a month later.  

[baumer]

Yes Goodfellas is definitely one of the greatest films ever made. An interesting little tidbit about that movie is I live in Toronto and in 1992, obviously 2 years after the movie came out, me and a buddy drove down to Los angeles. As we are walking along sunset strip two women with clipboards and walkie talkies came up to us and asked if we wanted to be audience members for The Montel Williams show. We were 20 years old at the time and said yes, I mean Montel Williams was a big name. We had no idea who the guests were but we went anyway. On the show that day was the real Henry hill. I don't know how Montel Williams got him on but he came in with full disguise, a voice box to alter his voice and 4or 5 security guards that we could see. For the entire hour that we were there he discussed the movie, the book and some of the things that happened to him in real life that didn't make the movie. It was a fascinating hour and one of the highlights of our trip to Los angeles.

[TalismanRing]

9 hours ago, WorkingonaName said:

I just watched Amadeus and I would have put it in the top 5 if the list was a a month later.  

 

 No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I forgot Amadeus.  I forgot WB was part of Orion. 

 

 

 

 

[Tower]

Did Amadeus count? It wasn't on the list of eligible films. If I thought I could include it, it would definitely have made my list.

[Jake Gittes]

1 hour ago, Tower said:

Did Amadeus count? It wasn't on the list of eligible films. If I thought I could include it, it would definitely have made my list.

 

It wasn't produced by WB and, per IMDb, was only originally theatrically distributed by it in a single country (Italy). The connection is pretty tenuous.

[TalismanRing]

26 minutes ago, Jake Gittes said:

 

It wasn't produced by WB and, per IMDb, was only originally theatrically distributed by it in a single country (Italy). The connection is pretty tenuous.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Pictures

 

Looking at it Orion split with WB in 1982 and the deal was WB released films already made.  Amadeus released in 1984 looks to be solely an Orion film.

 

Whew.  We no longer have to cancel this list.

 

 

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

Amadeus would have been an easy top 10 and likely top 5 for me too, but sounds like it was ineligible. No harm.

[Eric S'ennui]

Yeah I checked everything I could, and Amadeus would not fit in this countdown. So we are gold like Rapunzel's hair. But if you want to know about some films that were eligible...

[Eric S'ennui]

#3

The Matrix

2000 points, 30 lists

"Woah."

Box Office: 467.2M

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

Metacritic: 73

Awards: 4 Academy Awards, 2 BAFTA Awards and 3 nominations, 2 Saturn Awards and 7 nominations

 

Its Legacy: Made Lily and Lana Wachowski household names. Boasts innovative special effects, most notably bullet time, that are still utilized in movies today. Popularized wire fu and Hong Kong action cinema in the West. Gave Carrie-Anne Moss a career. Keanu Reeves' most iconic role. Influenced the visuals and style for modern superhero movies. #66 in AFI's Top 100 Thrills. Sadly linked to conspiracy theory and alt-rightism. Kickstarted a massive multimedia franchise. Joined the National Film Registry in 2012. Gave Laurence Fishburne a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Have you ever had one of those movies where you wished you were there for it when it came out? Either you were too young to see it or it came out before you were born? Movies where you wanted to be there when it was first coming out, see something incredible without any preconceived notions, and talk it up with others about what was soon set to be a future classic?

 

The Matrix is just one of those movies for me. Not only was Lily and Lana’s classic revolutionary for its visual effects and philosophical messaging, there’s arguably nothing else like it since. Even compared to its sequels. The film’s usage of bullet time, slo-motion effects, and multi-camera tech created action setpieces that people could only dream of, and would of course be parodied in every 2000s comedy known to man. And through all the wire-fu magic and martial arts brilliance is a movie about society and the world around us.

 

Can we control our own destiny? Are we even in control? Can we break free from the boring simulations our lives are in and be part of something greater? Are we the machines or are the machines controlling us? It’s one of those special films where its ideas and philosophies are so dense and varied that anybody and everybody can take something out of it and feel as if they have been enlightened in some way. No matter who you are, you at least respect The Matrix and what it hopes to achieve. And that’s why y’all voted hard on this.

[Eric S'ennui]

#2

The Dark Knight

2261 points, 30 lists

"Let's put a smile on that face!"

Box Office: 1.006B

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Metacritic: 84

Awards: 2 Academy Awards and 6 nominations, 1 BAFTA Award and 8 nominations, 2 Critics Choice Awards and 4 nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award, 1 Grammy Award

 

Its Legacy: Forced AMPAS to expand their Best Picture category from 5 to 10 nominees. Redefined what a superhero movie could and should be. The blueprint for many future superhero movie productions. Gave the late Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar. The first feature film filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. The highest-grossing movie of 2008, the highest-grossing superhero movie, and the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time on its release. Considered one of the best films of the 2000s and of all time. Submitted into the National Film Registry in 2020. Gave Aaron Eckhart a paycheck.

 

Commentary: So to all of y’all who were like, “Oh, this is easily #1. This is so obviously #1. This list is so predictable because The Dark Knight is #1”...you’re wrong. You lose. In your face.

 

But anyways, while I was too young for Matrix, I was both at the right age and also too young for The Dark Knight at the same time. I was 10 years old when it first came out in 2008. I know, I know, I’m making some of you feel old. But my mom took me and my brother to this on the back of its good reviews and word of mouth, likely expecting a fun Batman adventure.

 

That was not what I got. It was dark, it was brutal, it was intense, it was scary, it was also full of boring adult conversations that 10 year old me wasn’t into. It was a kids movie that was not designed for sensitive ol’ autistic Eric who only liked watching animated movies and comedies. It was a nightmare for me, but Mom and my brother had a good time. I was also pissed there was no Robin in the movie, and...yeah, I guess I still am lol.

 

Yet as time goes by, I’ve realized more and more that this viewing kind of reshaped my life. It was a film that actually had a lot of daring concepts and ideas that I was too young to grasp, which oddly made it a bit more intriguing and interesting the more I thought about it over the years. It was my first true gateway to “adult cinema”, despite this being a nostalgic toy commercial for children that was nominated for a Kids Choice Award. It was the first time I dealt with intense thrills and action. It was that sudden realization that movies could be more than kiddie fare.

 

Now this didn’t happen overnight. I didn’t become a cinephile after this viewing. But I think it stuck with me. But in the same way that box office reports helped give me a segue into learning more and more about movies, as well as watching Nostalgia Critic religiously through my teen years (not proud of that lol), this was a reminder to me about what movies could be.

 

And I think that impact happened for a lot of people. This was the film that forced the Academy to expand their Best Picture roster. This film showed that comic book movies could be smartly-layered and sophisticated, while also a fun popcorn experience. This movie converted millions into Batman and superhero fans. And this film made us realize what we lost when Heath Ledger passed away months before release.

 

That’s the power of media and storytelling. Something seemingly insignificant as a Batman movie that likely only existed to sell toys could reshape people’s entire brains and lifestyles. It’s pretty cool if you ask me.

[Eric S'ennui]

#1

Mad Max: Fury Road

2427 points, 36 lists

"What a lovely day!"

Box Office: 380M

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Metacritic: 90

Awards: 6 Academy Awards and 4 nominations, 4 BAFTA Awards and 3 nominations, 9 Critics Choice Awards and 4 nominations, 2 Golden Globe Award nominations

 

Its Legacy: Brought Mad Max to the mainstream. Solidify Tom Hardy as a leading man. The defining performance of Charlize Theron. A prequel and sequel are in development. The highest grossing Mad Max film. Considered the Best Film of 2015 by the National Board of Review. Considered one of the greatest action movies of all time. Considered a masterclass of feminist blockbusters. Praised for its disabled characters. Gave Zoe Kravitz a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Remember when I said I wished I was old enough to see The Matrix when it first came out? And that I was too young to appreciate The Dark Knight fully? Well, I was old enough to see Mad Max: Fury Road when it first came out and approached it pretty close to its actual level...at least as much as a 17 year old who didn’t know a thing about feminism could approach it. And I will never forget such an experience. It was just a couple weeks after I got my driver’s license, and I was ready to see a movie all by myself. This new Mad Max looked sick and Rotten Tomatoes said it was awesome. I had never seen the other movies (still haven’t, since Mel Gibson makes me want to barf), but I was willing to give it a try.

 

And man, what an introduction to big boy cinema. An abrasive, wild, exciting cacophony of wacky cars, gorgeous desert locales, crazed cultists, and a rogue of badass women who fight off against the patriarchy. This film had it all. From the action to the visuals to the themes to the storylines. I loved Charlize Theron’s Furiosa. A fierce, determined fighter who wasn’t letting her nor her girls be defined by some gross cult leader. I loved Nicolas Hoult’s Nux, the reformed cultist who realizes the error of his ways. I loved Tom Hardy’s Max, the guy trapped in all the chaos who must become the reluctant hero. And man oh man, I loved that guy shredding on the electric guitar. Where was his Oscar?

 

This supposed flop sequel to a niche cult franchise quickly became a phenomenon. An all-time classic in feminist pop culture almost immediately, the feature that made Tom Hardy a household name to normies like my Mom who haven’t seen his Nolan movies, and an awards powerhouse that finally showed genre films can be just as good, if not better, than the typical stodgy and idiosyncratic fare populating Best Picture lineups. And we’re still not done, with that Furiosa prequel next year, which is sure to be one of the biggest box office hits of 2024, and another Mad Max sequel with Mr. Hardy...eventually...maybe.

 

In a way, this is the perfect #1 by all accounts. From all objective standards, this one movie shows what WB is all about and why it has lasted an entire century. A studio tha has crafted films that are awe-inspiring, with visuals and stories that make us enthralled, mystified, engaged, and end with us becoming different people at the end. Stories that fought against the status quo, broke barriers, defied stereotypes and conventions, revolutionized the world, all from a deeply personal story from unique artists who are unlike anybody else. And while we all have our favorites, this really is the quintessential Warner Bros. picture. A studio that has given us stories with bite, films with style and flair, and performances that move us. It seems pretty obvious this is our #1, and all we can hope is that all those future Mad Max films can match such awesomeness.

[excel1]

Great list and well done Eric. Aside from that everyone knows #2 is really #1. 

So, so bizarre that WB didn't get some sort of follow up out for Mad Max. 

 

 

[Eric S'ennui]

And with that, I, at long last, am finally done. And...man, it feels weird to say that. I remember back in 2020, on a Wikipedia binge, noting that WB (and also Disney) was going to be a hundred years old soon, and just how crazy that is. A movie studio that had done so much for art and film and box office was about to be a century old and was still alive and kicking.

 

And in preparation for this list, as I trudged through about 200 or so movies for the first time, I’ve garnered so much more appreciation for the house Jack, Harry, Sam, and Albert made. This really was the risktaker when it came to the major studios. Them bringing sound into movies with Don Juan and The Jazz Singer, them going anti-Nazi with Confessions of a Nazi Spy and Casablanca, them revolutionizing the superhero movie with Superman and The Dark Knight, them birthing the gangster picture with Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, them redefining musicals with Footlight Parade, The Music Man, and My Fair Lady, crafting epic dramas like The Color Purple, giving chances to the likes of Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese and The Wachowskis and Papa Nolan. Any one of these could have tanked the studio, but instead those risks paid off and then some, and we are all better for it.

 

I know it’s a little dirty to shower love on a big conglomerate like WB, but I think we all have a strong appreciation for the films and memories they gave us. We wouldn’t be so negative on Zaslav rancid ass if that wasn’t the case in my opinion. This is a studio that has value, importance, and legacy. And we all recognize and adore that. And no matter what happens, this is a studio that will always be interesting, with peaks and valleys that will always be fun to dissect and analyze. Watching all these movies, tallying up all these votes, and talking about so many movies took a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun at the same time and I loved every single second of this job. Here’s to 100 more towards one of the greatest movie studios of all time.

 

Also of note, as always, a tremendous thank you to all the wonderful people who sent in a list. This includes... @Flip@TheDude391@abracadabra1998@MCKillswitch123@That One Girl@DetectiveAl@Potiki@Reddroast@cookie@ListenHunnyUrOver@WrathOfHan@Jandrew@YM!@Ethan Hunt@lorddemaxus@grey ghost@Human@MrPink@Ipickthiswhiterose@lilmac@Kalo@TalismanRing@JWR@The Panda@ZeeSoh@DAR@katnisscinnaplex@Tower@Lucas@4815162342@SchumacherFTW@Fancyarcher@Kvikk Lunsj@Jake Gittes@Rorschach@WorkingonaName@Blankments@kayumanggi and @Cap

 

Literally, this would not have been possible without your contributions, so thank you.

 

Also, I apologize for ditching the poems early on. Things got a bit too busy for me to really spend time writing one for each and every movie. But I promise to at least add to them whenever I can and fulfill what I said at the very beginning.

 

And of course, once again, a reminder to everybody that we are still having our Top 100 Disney Movies countdown. The first day for submissions will be on the studio’s official 100th anniversary date of October 16, and the due date will be January 16, 2024. That is three months exactly to the date of the anniversary date. And this time, we are not giving any expansions. So if you forget to catch up on movies, it’s your fault. Still, I hope all 40 people who submitted a list to me for WB also do the same for Disney. This is also an iconic studio with so many endearing, groundbreaking classics, and I would love to see you all share the same appreciation for them as you do with Warner. Maybe even go higher, with users who forgot to do WB submit their own list. Either way, get ready and get excited. I’m already marathoning through as many as I can as we speak.

 

Hope you all had just as much fun as I did, and keep on pushing for that stuff where dreams are made of.

[TalismanRing]

14 minutes ago, Eric Reyes said:

#3

The Matrix

2000 points, 30 lists

"Woah."

Box Office: 467.2M

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

Metacritic: 73

Awards: 4 Academy Awards, 2 BAFTA Awards and 3 nominations, 2 Saturn Awards and 7 nominations

 

Its Legacy: Made Lily and Lana Wachowski household names. Boasts innovative special effects, most notably bullet time, that are still utilized in movies today. Popularized wire fu and Hong Kong action cinema in the West. Gave Carrie-Anne Moss a career. Keanu Reeves' most iconic role. Influenced the visuals and style for modern superhero movies. #66 in AFI's Top 100 Thrills. Sadly linked to conspiracy theory and alt-rightism. Kickstarted a massive multimedia franchise. Joined the National Film Registry in 2012. Gave Laurence Fishburne a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Have you ever had one of those movies where you wished you were there for it when it came out? Either you were too young to see it or it came out before you were born? Movies where you wanted to be there when it was first coming out, see something incredible without any preconceived notions, and talk it up with others about what was soon set to be a future classic?
 

 

I saw it the w/e it came out - before the hype.  Really liked the action and thought the framing of Alice In Wonderland pills was fun but actually LOL when it was reveal they were all batteries.  

[Eric S'ennui]

On 8/17/2023 at 9:57 PM, excel1 said:

WB was the "serious" studio (for the most part) for many years, so they have true classics. But God Nolan no doubt is peak WB.

You need to see Michael Curtiz mah boi. Dude was out there making a movie a year, sometimes 2 or 3 plus a year, and so many of them have become some of the most defining classics of their era. Man made Errol Flynn and Doris Day movie stars, he made the GOAT that is Casablanca. Dude was a legend.

[DAR]

4 minutes ago, excel1 said:

Great list and well done Eric. Aside from that everyone knows #2 is really #1. 

So, so bizarre that WB didn't get some sort of follow up out for Mad Max. 

 

 

You mean Furiousa