There are few emotions that film watchers find more irresistible on the silver screen than love. Each year, hundreds of films are released that are either about or feature a love story.
Classic love stories such as “The Notebook” and “Pretty Woman” have charmed audiences the world over. Others, such as “50 Shades of Grey” and “Love Actually,” have drawn groans from some audiences, as well as devoted followers.
Demonstrating the near-universal appeal of romance in film, love stories often act as plot devices in films that don’t fall neatly into the pure romance genre. With popular romance films ranging from the comedic, as in “Groundhog Day,” to the frightening, as in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” it seems no movie character is safe from the perils of falling in love.
But which romance films get the most attention from American moviegoers? 24/7 Wall St. has determined the most popular hollywood romance films of all time by creating an index measuring audience ratings from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. These films span generations, yet all have one thing in common – a story of love at the heart.
Click here to see the most popular romance movies of all time.
At its most pure, a romance film is a movie that focuses on the emotional journey of two main characters as they become romantically involved. A number of the most popular romance films fit this definition quite well.
Director Nick Cassavetes’ 2004 film “The Notebook” details the evolution of a young couple’s relationship as they fall in love. While it adds a bit more comedy to the mix, Rob Reiner’s “When Harry Met Sally…” is similar at its core. The film portrays the developing relationship of its titular characters, culminating in a ending designed to satisfy an audience that has gotten to know the two so well.
Romantic storylines also work as effective foundations for movies that are not solely about the protagonists’ passions toward one another. “Forrest Gump,” for instance, is largely a biographical film about the fictional life of its protagonist, Forrest. Yet at the heart of the film is Forrest’s undying love for Jenny, a love that drives both Forrest and the movie’s plot. “Groundhog Day” is similar in that while one may not categorize it as a romance movie above all else, its plot is driven by Bill Murray’s character’s pursuit of his love interest, played by Andie MacDowell.
The list of most popular romance movies includes films from across the cinematic map, reflecting the varying tastes of movie watchers. Yet it also illustrates the one common thread that unites nearly all audiences – appreciation for a good love story.
To determine the 50 most popular romance movies of all time, 24/7 Wall St. indexed for each movie in the romance category on Internet Movie Database the number of votes on Rotten Tomatoes and number of votes on IMDb. To be considered, movies needed at least 10,000 user ratings on IMDb. Box office data comes from IMDb and is not adjusted for inflation. Movies that did not fall primarily into the genre of “romance” were handpicked and removed. “Shrek 2” was removed, for example. Because older films are considerably less likely to have been rated by IMDb users, we assigned greater weighting to older movies by scaling the number of ratings a given movie received to the total number of user ratings received by all films released the same year.
Click here to see the most popular romance movies of all time.
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
50. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
> Director: Joe Wright
> Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland
> Domestic box office: $38.41M
> Favorable reviews: 89% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Freestyle Releasing
49. The Illusionist (2006)
> Director: Neil Burger
> Starring: Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell
> Domestic box office: $39.87M
> Favorable reviews: 83% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
48. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
> Director: Glenn Ficarra
> Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone
> Domestic box office: $84.35M
> Favorable reviews: 78% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment
47. Remember Me (2010)
> Director: Allen Coulter
> Starring: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Caitlyn Rund, Moisés Acevedo
> Domestic box office: $19.07M
> Favorable reviews: 68% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
46. The King and I (1956)
> Director: Walter Lang
> Starring: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson
> Domestic box office: $21.30M
> Favorable reviews: 83% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
45. Her (2013)
> Director: Spike Jonze
> Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara
> Domestic box office: $25.57M
> Favorable reviews: 82% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
44. Les Misérables (2012)
> Director: Tom Hooper
> Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
> Domestic box office: $148.81M
> Favorable reviews: 79% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
43. The Shape of Water (2017)
> Director: Guillermo del Toro
> Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones
> Domestic box office: $61.89M
> Favorable reviews: 75% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
42. Sixteen Candles (1984)
> Director: John Hughes
> Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling
> Domestic box office: $23.69M
> Favorable reviews: 85% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
41. The Great Gatsby (2013)
> Director: Baz Luhrmann
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire
> Domestic box office: $144.84M
> Favorable reviews: 67% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
40. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
> Director: Nicholas Stoller
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Mila Kunis
> Domestic box office: $63.17M
> Favorable reviews: 76% of audience
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39. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
> Director: Michel Gondry
> Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Gerry Robert Byrne
> Domestic box office: $34.40M
> Favorable reviews: 94% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
38. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
> Director: Marc Webb
> Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz
> Domestic box office: $32.39M
> Favorable reviews: 84% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate
37. La La Land (2016)
> Director: Damien Chazelle
> Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons
> Domestic box office: $151.10M
> Favorable reviews: 81% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
36. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
> Director: David O. Russell
> Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
> Domestic box office: $132.09M
> Favorable reviews: 86% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
35. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
> Director: Rob Reiner
> Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
> Domestic box office: $92.82M
> Favorable reviews: 89% of audience
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34. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
> Director: Bill Condon
> Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad
> Domestic box office: $504.01M
> Favorable reviews: 81% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
33. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
> Director: Judd Apatow
> Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco
> Domestic box office: $109.45M
> Favorable reviews: 84% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
32. Groundhog Day (1993)
> Director: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky
> Domestic box office: $70.91M
> Favorable reviews: 88% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
31. My Fair Lady (1964)
> Director: George Cukor
> Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White
> Domestic box office: $72.00M
> Favorable reviews: 90% of audience
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
30. The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
> Director: Robert Schwentke
> Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Michelle Nolden
> Domestic box office: $63.41M
> Favorable reviews: 59% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Distribution Company
29. The Parent Trap (1961)
> Director: David Swift
> Starring: Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara, Brian Keith, Charles Ruggles
> Domestic box office: N/A
> Favorable reviews: 74% of audience
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
28. Some Like It Hot (1959)
> Director: Billy Wilder
> Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft
> Domestic box office: $25.00M
> Favorable reviews: 94% of audience
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
27. Annie Hall (1977)
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
> Domestic box office: $39.20M
> Favorable reviews: 92% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
26. West Side Story (1961)
> Director: Jerome Robbins
> Starring: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
> Domestic box office: $43.66M
> Favorable reviews: 84% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
25. The Princess Bride (1987)
> Director: Rob Reiner
> Starring: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
> Domestic box office: $30.86M
> Favorable reviews: 94% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
24. The Birds (1963)
> Director: Alfred Hitchcock
> Starring: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette
> Domestic box office: $11.40M
> Favorable reviews: 83% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
23. Aladdin (1992)
> Director: Ron Clements
> Starring: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman
> Domestic box office: $217.35M
> Favorable reviews: 92% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
22. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
> Director: Gary Trousdale
> Starring: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti, Rex Everhart
> Domestic box office: $218.97M
> Favorable reviews: 92% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
21. The Little Mermaid (1989)
> Director: Ron Clements
> Starring: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes
> Domestic box office: $111.54M
> Favorable reviews: 88% of audience
20. Forrest Gump (1994)
> Director: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
> Domestic box office: $330.25M
> Favorable reviews: 95% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Film Distribution Company
19. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
> Director: Clyde Geronimi
> Starring: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton
> Domestic box office: $51.60M
> Favorable reviews: 80% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
18. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
> Director: Stanley Donen
> Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
> Domestic box office: $8.82M
> Favorable reviews: 95% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
17. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
> Director: Blake Edwards
> Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen
> Domestic box office: N/A
> Favorable reviews: 91% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
16. Gone with the Wind (1939)
> Director: Victor Fleming
> Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O’Neil
> Domestic box office: $198.68M
> Favorable reviews: 93% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
15. Vertigo (1958)
> Director: Alfred Hitchcock
> Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
> Domestic box office: $3.20M
> Favorable reviews: 93% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
14. Casablanca (1942)
> Director: Michael Curtiz
> Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
> Domestic box office: $1.02M
> Favorable reviews: 95% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
13. The Sound of Music (1965)
> Director: Robert Wise
> Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
> Domestic box office: $163.21M
> Favorable reviews: 91% of audience
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
12. Cinderella (1950)
> Director: Clyde Geronimi
> Starring: Ilene Woods, James MacDonald, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton
> Domestic box office: $85.00M
> Favorable reviews: 80% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Film Distribution Company
11. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
> Director: Clyde Geronimi
> Starring: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee, Bill Thompson
> Domestic box office: $93.60M
> Favorable reviews: 80% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
10. Grease (1978)
> Director: Randal Kleiser
> Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
> Domestic box office: $188.76M
> Favorable reviews: 87% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
> Director: William Cottrell
> Starring: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne, Roy Atwell
> Domestic box office: $184.93M
> Favorable reviews: 78% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
8. The Notebook (2004)
> Director: Nick Cassavetes
> Starring: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
> Domestic box office: $81.00M
> Favorable reviews: 85% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
7. About a Boy (2002)
> Director: Chris Weitz
> Starring: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Sharon Small
> Domestic box office: $41.39M
> Favorable reviews: 55% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
6. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
> Director: Gil Junger
> Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik
> Domestic box office: $38.18M
> Favorable reviews: 69% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
5. A Walk to Remember (2002)
> Director: Adam Shankman
> Starring: Mandy Moore, Shane West, Peter Coyote, Daryl Hannah
> Domestic box office: $41.23M
> Favorable reviews: 78% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
4. Love Actually (2003)
> Director: Richard Curtis
> Starring: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney
> Domestic box office: $59.70M
> Favorable reviews: 72% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
3. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
> Director: Bobby Farrelly
> Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans
> Domestic box office: $176.48M
> Favorable reviews: 61% of audience
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
2. Titanic (1997)
> Director: James Cameron
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
> Domestic box office: $659.33M
> Favorable reviews: 69% of audience
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Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
1. Pretty Woman (1990)
> Director: Garry Marshall
> Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo
> Domestic box office: $178.41M
> Favorable reviews: 68% of audience
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