There is no one quite like Christopher Nolan in the film business today. Able to convert any type of prestige production into a bona fide box office hit, Nolan commands both the respect of fellow filmmakers and millions of dedicated fans around the globe. To celebrate this unique man, let’s dive into his 7 best films and see how he became the king of the box office.
Christopher Nolan movie ranked lists continue to dominate search rankings, thanks to his unmatched ability to blend blockbuster spectacle with complex storytelling.
Christopher Nolan’s Best Movies Ranked
7. Memento (2000)
One of Christopher Nolan’s earliest films was also arguably his best. 2000’s Memento is the tale of a man (Guy Pearce with anterograde amnesia who must solve his wife’s murder before the killer closes in on him. Nolan masterfully utilizes non-linear storytelling to accurately mimic the mind of an amnesia patient as the film takes the audience on a wild ride. The film was so good that it not only received two Academy Award nominations but is also considered by medical experts worldwide to show the most accurate depiction of amnesia ever put to film. Also, it made more than four times its budget and put the young Nolan on the path to greatness.
6. The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan best movies ranked
The first Nolan film that grossed a billion dollars, this fiery sequel to Batman Begins took over the cultural zeitgeist upon release and continues to be the gold standard for superhero films twenty years later. As Batman’s war on crime brings out the Joker from the shadows, Bruce Wayne must deal with issues in both his personal and professional life before the psychotic clown burns down everything he holds most dear. The Dark Knight was so well received and made so much money that it gave Nolan a de facto carte blanche to do anything he wanted, no questions asked. Utilizing this to full effect, Nolan would later say farewell to the superhero genre and begin to dabble in risky, expensive stories that no other filmmaker could successfully make. Many still rank it among the greatest superhero movies ever made.
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5. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan best movies ranked
Between his final two Batman movies, Nolan decided to make a mindbending sci-fi caper that would further cement his rise as the GOAT. Partly inspired by Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, Inception is one of the most complex blockbusters ever made, and the fact that it made more than 800 million at the box office is a testament to Nolan’s prowess as one of the few filmmakers who consistently deliver both critical and commercial success. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, a thief who specialises in stealing and placing ideas from and into the minds of unsuspecting people for corporate espionage. When he bites more than he can chew at a hatched job, Cobb and friends must strive to escape from the hell of their own making to salvage their lives. Inception is masterful, intricate, and surprisingly emotional; a perfect microcosm of Nolan as a filmmaker, daring, masterful, and unabashed.
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4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
While The Dark Knight Rises is not the best film Nolan has ever made, it is the highest-grossing film of his career. When Batman comes out of retirement to deal with a threat from his past, a wide-ranging conspiracy seeks to dismantle him from the inside out. It was always going to be tough following the Joker, but Tom Hardy’s Bane does his best to fill the shoes of the final Batman bad guy. The insane public interest in the final leg of Nolan’s Batman trilogy meant that the film was always going to be a massive hit, no matter how good or unfulfilling it would turn out to be. Thus, despite some misses in both plot and acting, The Dark Knight Rises further cemented Nolan as the king of the box office who could do no wrong.
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3. Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan best movies ranked
A space survival thriller with time dilation and black hole travel, Interstellar would not really sound like a box office hit on paper, but with Nolan at the helm, this complex film made more than 800 million at the box office. Focusing on a group of astronauts who are sent to discover a habitable planet in the face of extinction at home, Interstellar is an intellectual and emotional triumph. From its stunning space set sequences to its highly accurate depiction of black holes, the film once again shows how Nolan can bring complex ideas to the masses (and make tonnes of money for the studio in the process). Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, and Wes Bentley star in this tale of love and loss, which, by some accounts, is considered to be one of the best science fiction films of this century.
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2. Dunkirk (2017)
A World War II war film that focuses on the famous Allied defeat on the shores of France, Dunkirk is another Christopher Nolan box office win that showed he could do anything and print money. Introducing a non-linear timeline into a WW2 film was always going to have its detractors, but where Dunkirk shines is in its ability to ratchet up tension throughout its entire two-hour runtime. The film drops us straight into the action, following a group of Allied soldiers as they fight to survive against a relentless German assault. Shot mostly at the real-life locations of the actual event, the star-studded film earned Nolan his first Best Director nod.
1. Oppenheimer (2023)
The latest Nolan film, a semi-biographical account of the man who built the atomic bomb and the effects it had on his life, is a triumph by all accounts. From the stunning acting masterclass by everyone involved to the sheer horror of the consequences of humanity attaining a weapon that can wipe out its own existence, the film swings big and hits a home run. Nowhere is Nolan’s status as the box office king more apparent than here; an R-rated atomic bomb drama grossing close to a billion dollars is unheard of in history.
With his retelling of the Greek classic ‘The Odyssey’ due for release in a few months, Christopher Nolan is perhaps the only guy in Hollywood who can tackle any genre, any setting, and still make a boatload of money.
What is Christopher Nolan’s best movie?
Many consider The Dark Knight or Oppenheimer to be his best film.
What is Christopher Nolan’s highest-grossing movie?
The Dark Knight Rises remains his highest-grossing film worldwide.
How many movies has Christopher Nolan directed?
Christopher Nolan has directed over 10 feature films across multiple genres.
