Every Quentin Tarantino Movie, Ranked by Box Office

Few filmmakers have shaped the trajectory of the industry itself as much as Quentin Tarantino. Ever since his directorial debut in 1992, Tarantino has popularized the importance of independent cinema by showing its broad commercial appeal. The snappy dialogue, frequently disturbing violence, terrific needle drops, and recurring faces within Tarantino’s films distinguish his work from its many imitators; while there have been many films that have attempted to replicate his style, Tarantino’s voice as an artist is entirely singular.

While some of his early work has unfortunately been lost, Tarantino has become one of the rare filmmakers who can sell a film based on his name alone. There’s an expectation of quality that comes with Tarantino’s name, and for the most part his filmography has continued to earn both strong reviews and enthusiasm from audiences. Here is every Quentin Tarantino film, ranked by its global box office sum.

10 ‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)

Worldwide gross: $2,990,680

Despite being the lowest grossing film of Tarantino’s career thus far, Reservoir Dogschanged the industry forever by showing the potential of independent cinema. After its acclaimed initial screening at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, Reservoir Dogs turned Tarantino into a superstar director, and succeeded in gaining him more resources for his future projects. The film’s constraints came to its advantage; by not showing the heist itself, Reservoir Dogs became even more exciting. The film was also essential in kicking off his ongoing collaboration with actors like Michael Madsen and Harvey Keitel.

Reservoir Dogs’ box office total is not reflective of its influence, as it had a lingering effect on Tarantino’s career and was discovered by fans of his subsequent work. Many of the hallmarks of Tarantino’s career, such as his use of popular culture references and nonlinear narrative structures, can be traced back to Reservoir Dogs.

Reservoir Dogs

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9 ‘Death Proof’ (2007)

Worldwide gross: $31,126,421

Tarantino has made it no secret that he’s a massive fan of classic cinema, and Death Proofis a love letter to the film industry and its stunt performers. Released as part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez’s science fiction thriller Planet Terror, Death Proof paid tribute to a wealth of cinematic influences through Tarantino’s unique perspective. While it was not originally written for him, Kurt Russell’s performance as “Stuntman Mike” became one of the most acclaimed roles of his career.

While it may have appealed to the niche audience it was targeted at, Death Proof is one of Tarantino’s rare box office flops. The film grossed just over $31 million with a budget of $30 million, signifying less enthusiasm from general audiences. While it remains a cult classic among Tarantino obsessives, Death Proof was a rare misstep for a filmmaker that chooses his projects very carefully.

Death Proof

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8 ‘Jackie Brown’ (1997)

Worldwide gross: $74,727,492

Although he had initiated his career with low budget neo-noir crime thrillers, Tarantino showed his versatility as a filmmaker with Jackie Brown. Easily his most romantic film, Jackie Brown drew from Elmore Leonard’s acclaimed novel Rum Punch and featured a career best role from Pam Grier. While it was an unexpectedly poignant story coming from Tarantino, Jackie Brown was a financial success that earned almost $75 million at the global box office.

While it’s certainly an outlier within his filmography, Jackie Brown deserves to be ranked among Tarantino’s best films. It’s a film that’s just as slick and exciting as anything he’s ever directed, and features clever callbacks to the blacksploitation films that inspired it. While it may have been forgotten in recent years, Jackie Brown was a hit at the time of its release, earning Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for the late great Robert Forster.

Jackie Brown

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7 ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Worldwide gross: $151,813,358

While there’s always been an element of sensationalism within his work, The Hateful Eighthad the strangest release of Tarantino’s films. Rather than a traditional wide release during its initial rollout, The Hateful Eight was screened as part of a traveling road show complete with classical film projection, an orchestral score, and intermission. It’s a film that Tarantino has continued to tinker with, as he’s released an extended edition and recut the footage into a Netflix miniseries.

While its unusual construction appealed to less mainstream sensibilities, The Hateful Eight proved that Tarantino’s name alone was enough to attract an audience. The film managed to gross over $151 million at the global box office, an impressive total considering that it was released during the packed Christmas season of 2015 that also included Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Revenant.

The Hateful Eight

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6 ‘Kill Bill Vol. 2’ (2004)

Worldwide gross: $153,535,982

Although the responses were no less enthusiastic, Kill Bill Vol. 2grossed slightly less than its predecessor, earning just over $153 million at the global box office. When comparing the two films, it’s not hard to see why; Kill Bill Vol. 2 lacks the propulsive first act that the previous film had, and ends with a sword fight that might feel underwhelming in comparison. While it certainly brought the story of Uma Thurman’s “The Bride” to an exciting finish, Kill Bill Vol. 2 lacked the rewatchability of its predecessor.

Despite being released as two separate entries, Tarantino considered both Kill Bill installments to be one film. The edit of both films together, titled Kill Bill: The Long Bloody Affair, has only been released in select markets. Although a third entry in the series has been teased, it seems unlikely that Tarantino will return to the Kill Bill franchise.

Kill Bill Vol. 2

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5 ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ (2003)

Worldwide gross: $176,469,428

While there was never any doubt that Tarantino was a master of crime cinema, Kill Bill Vol. 1helped reignite enthusiasm in the action genre, and has thus been named one of the greatest action films of all-time. Drawing inspiration from classic Asian cinema and infusing it with modern sensibilities, Tarantino crafted a masterful revenge epic with some of the most pulse-pumping sword fights ever committed to the silver screen. Its worldwide sum of over $176 million suggests that audiences were keen to see the film multiple times.

Although Tarantino is responsible for much of the film’s success, Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a hit because of Uma Thurman’s charismatic performance. As “The Bride,” Thurman created a new iconic action hero that was worthy of standing alongside silver screen icons like Bruce Willis’ John McClane or Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry.

Kill Bill Vol. 1

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4 ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)

Worldwide gross: $212,891,760

While Reservoir Dogs has been a modest success considering its relatively small budget, the release ofPulp Fictionwas an unprecedented success that changed Tarantino’s career forever. After earning the highly prestigious Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Pulp Fiction earned rapturous reviews and instantly had a significant impact on popular culture. In addition to giving Samuel L. Jackson the role of his career, Pulp Fiction revitalized John Travolta as a leading man after his career had declined after a series of successive commercial failures.

Although it earned an astounding $212 million at the global box office during its initial run, Pulp Fiction has only become more popular in the years since its debut. The film is responsible for inspiring countless imitators in the 1990s, as it had reinvented the crime anthology subgenre thanks to Tarantino’s stylistic idiosyncrasies.

Pulp Fiction

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3 ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

Worldwide gross: $316,802,281

While his future prospects were in doubt following the failure of Death Proof, Inglourious Basterdsrevitalized Tarantino’s career and became the biggest hit of his career thus far. Although it had originally been intended to be a miniseries, Inglourious Basterds made use of its extensive cast to create a thrilling throwback to classic World War II adventure films. Much of the acclaim was centered on Christoph Waltz’s breakout performance as the wicked Colonel Hans Lauda, who instantly ranked among the greatest film villains of all-time.

Earning over $316 million at the global box office, Inglourious Basterds proved that an extended running time was not a determinant financially. Despite an epic length of over 153 minutes, Inglourious Basterds managed to keep viewers on the edge of their seat for the entire story. It also marked Tarantino’s first historical film, a genre he would return to several times in the subsequent years.

Inglourious Basterds

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2 ‘Once Upon a Time In Hollywood’ (2019)

Worldwide gross: $377,426,903

While it lacks the shocking violence and propulsive action of his earlier films, Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodwas a great “hangout” movie that inspired audience enthusiasm based on Tarantino’s great dialogue. Another love letter to classical filmmaking, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood inverted history by reframing the pivotal events in the summer of 1969. The film’s acclaimed debut at the Cannes Film Festival was followed by a largely successful summer release that earned over $377 million at the global box office.

While Tarantino’s name was certainly a major drawing point, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood proved that audiences were interested in seeing original films. Considering that the film was released in 2019, a year that saw several sequels and franchise films topping the box office, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s success is even more impressive.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

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1 ‘Django Unchained’ (2012)

Worldwide gross: $449,841,566

Although the genre itself has been popular ever since the 1940s, Django Unchainedbecame the highest grossing western of all-time. The film’s incredible gross of nearly $450 million at the global box office is particularly impressive given how few R-Rated movies reach that level of financial success. While perhaps audiences were in search of a revitalization of a western story, Django Unchained’s success must be attributed to the strong word-of-mouth surrounding Tarantino’s unique slant on the genre.

Django Unchained is a fitting film to top Tarantino’s filmography, as it showcases his ability to reflect upon the past from a mature perspective. Although it contained frequent exciting action sequences, Django Unchained also includes some of Tarantino’s most memorable characters, played brilliantly by Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Christoph Waltz in a role that won him a second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Django Unchained

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