Peter Weir - All His Films Rank

Peter Weir - All His Films Ranked

Short Biography:

Peter Weir (born August 21, 1944) is a retired Australian film director.

Early in his career as a director, Weir was a leading figure in the Australian New Wave cinema movement (1970–1990), with films such as the mystery drama Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), the supernatural thriller The Last Wave (1977) and the historical drama Gallipoli (1981). The climax of Weir’s early career was the $6 million multinational production The Year of Living Dangerously (1982).

After the success of The Year of Living Dangerously, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films covering most genres–many of them major box office hits–including Academy Award-nominated films such as the thriller Witness (1985), the drama Dead Poets Society (1989), the romantic comedy Green Card (1990), the social science fiction comedy-drama The Truman Show (1998) and the epic historical drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). For his work on these five films, Weir personally accrued six Academy Award nominations as either a director, writer or producer.

Since 2003, Weir has made only one feature, the well-received The Way Back (2010), which failed at the box office. In 2022, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it would give Weir an honorary Oscar in November of the same year at the Governors Awards.

Here is a rundown of his movies, with the score based on the average from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes (public votes only) and Letterboxd, from lowest ranked to highest:

Number of Qualifying Films:

Career Average Rating:

7.38

Total Career Box Office:

$ 875,758,861

Total Combined Budgets:

$ 320,150,000

Total Career Profit or [Loss]:

$ 555,608,861

Average Career Return on Every $1 Spent:

$ 2.74

14 – The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)

IMDb:

5.6

RT Users:

3.4

Letterboxd:

6.06

5.02

Comedy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Top Billed Cast:

John Meillon, Terry Camilleri, Kevin Miles, Max Gillies, Rick Scully

SYNOPSIS:

After his brother dies in a car crash, Arthur Waldo (Terry Camilleri) is adopted by the mayor (John Meillon) of Paris, a small Australian town with a steep downhill road. The residents earn a living by causing accidents, then stripping the cars for parts to sell and using the few survivors as medical test subjects. Unable to escape, Arthur becomes a reluctant resident. Meanwhile, violent teens threaten to destroy the community with their menacing driving, which endangers citizens and property.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

NO DATA

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

N/A

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

N/A

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

N/A

13 – Green Card (1990)

IMDb:

6.3

RT Users:

5.0

Letterboxd:

5.88

5.73

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Top Billed Cast:

Gérard Depardieu, Andie MacDowell, Bebe Neuwirth, Gregg Edelman, Robert Prosky, Jessie Keosian

SYNOPSIS:

Urban horticulturalist Brontë Mitchell (Andie MacDowell) has her eye on a gorgeous apartment, but the building’s board will rent it only to a married couple. Georges Fauré (Gérard Depardieu), a waiter from France whose visa is expiring, needs to marry an American woman to stay in the country. Their marriage of convenience turns into a burden when they must live together to allay the suspicions of the immigration service, as the polar opposites grate on each other’s nerves.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 29,804,169

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 12,500,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 17,304,169

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 2.38

12 – The Plumber (1979)

IMDb:

6.5

RT Users:

6.0

Letterboxd:

6.84

6.45

Drama, Horror, Thriller, TV Movie

Top Billed Cast:

Ivar Kants, Judy Morris, Robert Coleby, Candy Raymond, Henri Szeps

SYNOPSIS:

Be careful whom you hire to fix your home. In this early offering from acclaimed director Peter Weir, handyman Max (Ivar Kants) worms his way into the apartment of married couple Jill (Judy Morris) and Brian (Robert Coleby). Scaring Jill with tales of his dark past, Max parks himself in the house for several days, doing less and less work as the hours grind on. The terrified Jill is reluctant to anger Max, although she realizes she must eventually find the strength to eject him.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

NO DATA

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

N/A

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

N/A

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

N/a

11 – The Mosquito Coast (1986)

IMDb:

6.6

RT Users:

6.1

Letterboxd:

6.70

6.47

Adventure, Drama

Top Billed Cast:

Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix, Conrad Roberts, Martha Plimpton

SYNOPSIS:

An idealist uproots his family to a remote Caribbean island, away from the consumerism which he perceives to be choking America. He sets about creating a Utopia in the jungle by bringing ice to the natives and uses his genius for making gadgets to enhance their primitive lifestyle. However, he also alienates his long-suffering family, and his enterprise proves fatally flawed.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 14,302,000

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 25,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ (10,698,000)

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ (0.57)

10 – The Way Back (2010)

IMDb:

7.3

RT Users:

7.2

Letterboxd:

6.74

7.08

Adventure, Drama, History

Top Billed Cast:

Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Gustaf Skarsgård

SYNOPSIS:

Denounced by his wife as a possible spy in 1939, Janusz (Jim Sturgess) finds himself in a remote Siberian labor camp. Faced with brutal conditions inside and out, Janusz is determined to escape. A blizzard provides him with the perfect opportunity, and he and a small group of fellow prisoners make a break for it. Escape, however, is the easy part, for Janusz and his companions face a 4,000 mile trek on foot through the frozen Himalayas before they can truly be free.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 26,524,989

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 30,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ (3,475,011)

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ (0.88)

9 – The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

IMDb:

7.1

RT Users:

7.7

Letterboxd:

6.88

7.23

Drama, Romance, War

Top Billed Cast:

Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Michael Murphy, Bill Kerr, Noel Ferrier

SYNOPSIS:

When journalist Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) arrives in Jakarta, Indonesia, he has difficulty making contacts. He forms a friendship with dwarf photographer Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt), through whom he meets British diplomat Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver). Bryant falls for Hamilton, and she gives him key information about an approaching Communist uprising. As the city becomes more dangerous, Hamilton stays to pursue the story. However, he faces more threats as he gets closer to the government.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 10,278,575

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 6,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 4,278,575

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 1.71

8 – The Last Wave (1977)

IMDb:

7.0

RT Users:

7.9

Letterboxd:

7.14

7.35

Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Top Billed Cast:

Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow, Vivean Gray, Athol Compton

SYNOPSIS:

In Sydney, business lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is given the pro bono assignment of defending five aborigines accused of the murder of another tribesman. None of Burton’s clients are willing to speak about what happened, even in their own defense, and the medical examiner on the case can’t figure out how the victim died. But what’s most troubling Burton is the increasingly terrifying apocalyptic visions he’s having, leading him to think Australia may soon be destroyed.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

NO DATA

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

N/A

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

N/A

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

N/A

7 – Fearless (1993)

IMDb:

7.1

RT Users:

8.0

Letterboxd:

7.16

7.42

Drama

Top Billed Cast:

Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez, Tom Hulce, John Turturro, Benicio del Toro

SYNOPSIS:

When Max Klein (Jeff Bridges) survives a plane crash that kills many others, his last-minute epiphanies bring him a sense of invulnerability, leading to radical behavior. Instead of contacting his wife (Isabella Rossellini) after the crash, he sets off on a trip to see his old girlfriend, eats foods he was allergic to previously, and is strangely unafraid to fly again. Can a psychologist (John Turturro) and a fellow guilt-ridden survivor (Rosie Perez) help bring him down to earth?

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 6,971,266

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 20,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ (13,028,734)

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ (0.35)

6 – Witness (1985)

IMDb:

7.4

RT Users:

8.0

Letterboxd:

7.20

7.53

Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller

Top Billed Cast:

Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Josef Sommer, Lukas Haas, Jan Rubeš, Alexander Godunov

SYNOPSIS:

After witnessing a brutal murder, young Amish boy Samuel (Lukas Haas) and his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis) seek protection from police officer John Book (Harrison Ford). When Book uncovers evidence of police corruption involving narcotics lieutenant James McFee (Danny Glover), Book must take Rachel and Samuel, and flee to the Amish countryside where Rachel grew up. There, immersed in Amish culture and tradition, Book and Rachel begin a cautious romance.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 65,532,576

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 12,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 53,532,576

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 5.46

5 – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

IMDb:

7.4

RT Users:

8.0

Letterboxd:

7.60

7.67

Adventure, Drama, War

Top Billed Cast:

Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D’Arcy, Lee Ingleby, George Innes

SYNOPSIS:

In 1805, aboard the H.M.S. Surprise, the brash Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and his trusted friend, the ship’s scholarly surgeon, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), are ordered to hunt down and capture a powerful French vessel off the South American coast. Though Napoleon is winning the war and the men and their crew face an onslaught of obstacles, including their own internal battles, “Lucky Jack” is determined that nothing will stop the Surprise from completing its mission.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 212,912,137

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 135,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 77,912,137

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 1.58

4 – Gallipoli (1981)

IMDb:

7.4

RT Users:

8.3

Letterboxd:

7.32

7.67

Adventure, Drama, History, War

Top Billed Cast:

Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins, Heath Harris

SYNOPSIS:

Archy (Mark Lee) and Frank (Mel Gibson) are two young Australian sprinters who want to join the army to fulfill their sense of duty. Turned down because they are too young, the pair hop a freight train to Perth, where they are allowed to join up. They board a troop ship headed to Cairo and, after training in the shadows of the Great Pyramids, the boys are finally sent to the front line, where their speed makes them candidates for messengers in one of the war’s bloodiest battles.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 5,732,587

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 3,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 2,732,587

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 1.91

3 – Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

IMDb:

7.4

RT Users:

8.3

Letterboxd:

7.60

7.77

Drama, Mystery

Top Billed Cast:

Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray, Helen Morse, Kirsty Child, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Jacki Weaver

SYNOPSIS:

In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine’s Day, the school’s typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It’s not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 82,361

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 250,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ (167,639)

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ (0.33)

2 – The Truman Show (1998)

IMDb:

8.2

RT Users:

8.9

Letterboxd:

8.34

8.48

Comedy, Drama

Top Billed Cast:

Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Ed Harris

SYNOPSIS:

He doesn’t know it, but everything in Truman Burbank’s (Jim Carrey) life is part of a massive TV set. Executive producer Christof (Ed Harris) orchestrates “The Truman Show,” a live broadcast of Truman’s every move captured by hidden cameras. Cristof tries to control Truman’s mind, even removing his true love, Sylvia (Natascha McElhone), from the show and replacing her with Meryl (Laura Linney). As Truman gradually discovers the truth, however, he must decide whether to act on it.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 264,118,201

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 60,000,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 204,118,201

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 4.40

1 – Dead Poets Society (1989)

IMDb:

8.1

RT Users:

9.2

Letterboxd:

8.40

8.57

Drama

Top Billed Cast:

Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Gale Hansen, Josh Charles

SYNOPSIS:

A new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating’s help, students Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day.

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE GROSS:

$ 239,500,000

PRODUCTION BUDGET:

$ 16,400,000

PROFIT OR (LOSS):

$ 223,100,000

RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT:

$ 14.60