Ranking Every Tom Cruise Movie por Box Office Success 

 › Ranking Every Tom Cruise Movie by Box Office Success

We ranked every Tom Cruise movie, from flops like "Losin\' It" to hits like "Jerry Maguire," by box office success. We also aggregated review scores for context.

An action movie sequel is often a box office guarantee. But “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” — sequel to 2012’s “Jack Reacher” — is a bit riskier. Yes, the film features leading man Tom Cruise, one of the industry’s most bankable actors. However, the original movie received mixed reviews and grossed only $80 million domestically: peanuts for the Hollywood star.

By comparison, Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” films tend to make at least $150 million, and closer to $200 million on average. Is America ready for Cruise to carry a major action saga with a character other than Ethan Hunt?

To add some context to these questions, PrettyFamous — an entertainment research site from Graphiq — set out to rank all 38 Cruise movie by commercial success. The list will focus on domestic receipts and is adjusted for inflation.*

Nearly two-thirds of Cruise’s films are bonafide hits, movies that made more than $100 million domestically. The "Mission: Impossible” flicks do particularly well, filling five of the top 15 slots. No doubt Paramount Pictures hopes it can spin a few similar successes out of the emerging Jack Reacher franchise.

Outside of that franchise, Cruise has made a career out of standalone films, from “Rain Man” to “The Firm” to “Jerry Maguire.” Other highlights include the late ‘80s (“Top Gun”) and most of the ‘90s (“A Few Good Men”) — probably Cruise’s career prime.

Cruise fares worst at the beginning and end of his career: namely, the early ‘80s and post-2010s. That said, even Cruise’s so-called flops still perform decently at the box office compared to most actors.

Cruise’s “Reacher” films are based on the action book series by bestselling author Lee Child. So far, the series has yet to succeed on the silver screen the same way it’s triumphed on the page. “Never Go Back” gives Hollywood a second chance.

Let’s start with Cruise’s lowest-grossing movies, then count up to his most successful film of all.

*While worldwide gross can provide a more complete picture, that figure tends to heavily favor modern films, as global distribution has become increasingly popular in recent years.

Tom Cruise attends the World Premiere of "Jack Reacher" at Odeon Leicester Square on December 10, 2012 in London, England.

Credit: Tiberius Film Productions / Embassy Pictures

*For context, each movie will also list a Smart Rating. The Smart Rating is a single score out of 100 that combines ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Gracenote and Metacritic.

Credit: Lucille Ball Productions / Twentieth Century Fox Productions

Credit: PolyGram Film Entertainment / Universal Pictures

Credit: Imagine Films Entertainment / Universal Pictures

Credit: Touchstone Pictures / Buena Vista Pictures

Credit: TriStar Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment

Find Your Favorite Tom Cruise Movie on PrettyFamous

Ben is the Senior Managing Editor at Graphiq. Classically trained in tech/finance journalism, he also loves movies. His stories use Graphiq’s semantic technology to deliver insights via data-driven articles, visualizations and research tools.

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