10 Highest-Grossing Gangster Movies, Ranked (2024)

Typified by its arresting style, complex characters, gritty content, and its intrinsic moral ambiguity, gangster cinema has long been a defining pillar of brilliance and creative innovation in film. However, due to the excessive and often confronting violence, the intimidating intensity, and the unpleasant characters, gangster movies are often burdened by R-ratings and a lack of universal appeal when it comes to amassing monumental figures at the box office.

That being said, with thought-provoking narratives, all-star casts, and some of the greatest directors cinema has ever seen enriching such films, there have been plenty of crime flicks that have become commercial hits. From some of the greatest movies the genre has ever seen to some unlikely financial hits, these 10 titles are the highest grossing films in gangster movie history.

10 'Casino' (1995)

Box Office: $116.1 million

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Martin Scorsese will feature prominently on this list, given his name is synonymous with gangster cinema at its very best. Casino stands as one of his many defining achievements in the genre, following the resourceful Ace (Robert De Niro) as he is sent to Las Vegas by the mafia to manage several of their casinos. While he excels at his job, his personal connections complicate things as he becomes more powerful.

Marking Scorsese’s return to the crime genre five years after he released Goodfellas (which, amazingly, only earned $47 million), Casino thrived at the box office to the tune of $116.1 million, although it did need to make $73 million of its intake internationally to achieve such a figure. It is still celebrated three decades later for its impressive scale, immersive style, sublime performances, and for its effective handling of violence and crime.

Casino

R

Biography

Crime

Drama

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 22, 1995

Director

Martin Scorsese

Cast

Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , Joe Pesci , James Woods , Frank Vincent , Pasquale Cajano

Runtime

178 minutes

Main Genre

Biography

9 'The Godfather Part III' (1990)

Box Office: $136.8 million

While the universally acclaimed The Godfather Part II struggled to perform due to audience perception of sequels in the 1970s, The Godfather Part III proved to be much more commercially successful. It sees an aging Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) striving to put an end to his family’s involvement in crime, an ambition that mob leader Don Altobello (Eli Wallach) pushes back against. The aspirations of Michael’s adopted nephew to become a key player in the underworld complicates the situation further.

The Godfather Part III is somewhat infamous, a much-maligned final entry to a film odyssey that many feel was already resolved. However, with Francis Ford Coppola directing and many of the original cast coming back, it stands as a film everyone movie buff needs to watch at least once. It is one of Coppola’s highest grossing movies with a box office intake of $136.8 million.

The Godfather Part III

R

Drama

Crime

Release Date

December 25, 1990

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Cast

Al Pacino , Diane Keaton , Andy Garcia , Talia Shire , Eli Wallach , Joe Mantegna , George Hamilton , Bridget Fonda

Runtime

162 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Watch on Apple TV

8 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)

Box Office: $157 million

Scorsese’s ability to make commercially successful R-rated movies has been proven time and time again. However, what he achieved in making Killers of the Flower Moon, an Apple original film with a preset date for a streaming release, a release that grossed $157 million, cannot be understated, even though it failed to surpass its almighty budget. The biographical crime drama explores the greed and scandal that engulfed 1920s Oklahoma when oil was discovered on Osage Nation land, leading to a series of murders and an FBI investigation.

A staggering feat that sees a veteran Scorsese utilize the full might of his decades of experience, Killers of the Flower Moon thrives as a thematically weighted and visually sublime indictment on a hidden chapter of American history. It marks one of the greatest films of 2020s cinema thus far and an auspicious highlight of gangster movies from one of the genre’s defining masters.

Killers of the Flower Moon

R

Drama

Crime

History

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 20, 2023

Director

Martin Scorsese

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio , Robert De Niro , Lily Gladstone , Jesse Plemons , John Lithgow , Brendan Fraser , Tantoo Cardinal , Cara Jade Myers

Runtime

206 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Studio

Paramount Pictures

7 'Road to Perdition' (2002)

Box Office: $181 million

A stylistic and moody gangster film from Sam Mendes that is based on the DC graphic novel series of the same name, Road to Perdition is an engrossing depiction of crime and fatherhood in the midst of the Great Depression. Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a loyal hitman for mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), but he must turn his back on his allegiances and flee when his son witnesses a mob killing, and the rest of his family is murdered.

Atmospherically divine, Road to Perdition uses gloomy imagery to create a weighted and melancholic sense of dread that hangs heavy over a story that invests a great deal in the core father-son relationship. A financial triumph and a critical success, the period gangster movie grossed $181 million to stand as one of the most successful films that the genre has ever seen, even if it is somewhat underrated today.

Road to Perdition

R

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 12, 2002

Director

Sam Mendes

Cast

Tom Hanks , Tyler Hoechlin , Rob Maxey , Paul Newman , Liam Aiken , Jude Law

Runtime

117 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

6 'Gangs of New York' (2002)

Box Office: $193.7 million

Another divine marriage of period setting and crime narrative from Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York is a gritty and ferocious picture propped up by two outstanding lead performances and a rousing tale of revenge and crime. Years after his father was killed by the notorious Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) in a brutal gang brawl, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives in the Five Points to infiltrate the crime lord’s inner circle and avenge his father’s murder.

With DiCaprio’s stardom soaring and Day-Lewis' awe-inspiring villainous turn, Gangs of New York grossed $193.7 million, which was actually a minor loss for Miramax given the magnitude of the production. However, the film remains an impressive gem in Scorsese’s filmography as well as a rousing crime epic that beautifully depicts its period setting.

Gangs of New York

R

Crime

Drama

History

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

December 20, 2002

Director

Martin Scorsese

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio , daniel day-lewis , Cameron Diaz , Jim Broadbent , John C. Reilly , Henry Thomas

Runtime

167 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

5 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)

Box Office: $213.9 million

An intriguing, ultra-violent, and darkly comedic dive into L.A.’s criminal underbelly, Pulp Fiction is widely regarded to be Quentin Tarantino’s definitive masterpiece and one of the greatest movies of all time. It also yielded immediate and significant financial success, grossing a staggering $213.9 million off a relatively lean budget of approximately $8 million, while also becoming an awards season success, winning the illustrious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

It focuses on several entwined tales, following two hitmen working for a notorious crime lord, the crime lord’s wife who has to be entertained by one of the hitmen, and a boxer who failed to throw a fight he was meant to. With Tarantino’s enchanting dialogue, a story as engrossing as it is elaborate, and A-list actors performing at their peak across the board, Pulp Fiction is a timeless masterpiece of crime cinema and one of the most successful films of Tarantino’s career.

Pulp Fiction

R

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 10, 1994

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Cast

John Travolta , Samuel L. Jackson , Tim Roth , Amanda Plummer , Eric Stoltz , Bruce Willis

Runtime

154

Main Genre

Crime

Studio

Miramax Films

4 'Public Enemies' (2009)

Box Office: $214.1 million

Michael Mann has directed some of the great blockbusters of the 1990s and 2000s, ranging from period dramas to action-packed crime thrillers. While 2009’s Public Enemies contains many of the director’s defining trademarks, as well as a staggering ensemble cast, its critical and audience approval has been relatively mixed. However, that didn’t prevent it from becoming one of Mann’s most financially successful films, grossing $214.1 million while competing against other blockbusters like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

The biographical crime thriller presents an enchanting visual display as it documents the crimes of bank robber John Dillenger (Johnny Depp) during the Great Depression as he and his gang are relentlessly pursued by the FBI. While few would regard it to be Mann’s greatest film, it does contain a slick sense of style, brilliant action sequences, and a peculiar leaning towards old cinematic methods that make it intriguing.

Public Enemies

R

Biography

Crime

Drama

History

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 1, 2009

Director

Michael Mann

Cast

James Russo , David Wenham , Christian Stolte , Jason Clarke , Johnny Depp , John Judd

Runtime

143 minutes

Main Genre

Biography

3 'The Godfather' (1972)

Box Office: $250.3 million

Not only still heralded as the definitive masterpiece of crime cinema, but often cited as the best movie ever made as well, The Godfather is an intense and compelling drama that is emblematic of Francis Ford Coppola’s excellence as a filmmaker. The aging Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is looking to transfer power of his crime empire to his reluctant youngest son, Michael. However, the succession plan opens the door for the family’s enemies to strike out against the family, making Michael’s decision all the more difficult.

From the performances to the cinematography, the engrossing plot progression, and the iconic music, The Godfather thrives at an elite level across every single department of film-making. It was an instant classic, winning five Oscars from seven nominations while also earning a whopping $250.3 million, making it, to that point in time, the highest-grossing film cinema had ever seen.

The Godfather (1972)

R

Crime

Drama

Release Date

March 14, 1972

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Cast

Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan , Richard S. Castellano , Robert Duvall , Sterling Hayden

Runtime

175 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

Studio

Paramount Pictures

Watch on Paramount+

2 'American Gangster' (2007)

Box Office: $269.7 million

A gripping biographical epic from Ridley Scott that coasts by on strong performances from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, American Gangster is a somewhat underappreciated gangster film of the modern era. It focuses on the criminal career of Frank Lucas (Washington), a prolific drug dealer and gangster in Harlem who rises to prominence through the late 60s and 70s, and the detective who stood against corruption in his ranks to bring the crook to justice.

With such immense star power behind it and an intriguing true story basis, American Gangster was destined to be a box office hit. It thrived both domestically and overseas, crossing the $100 million mark in just three weeks in America and Canada before going on to make $139.5 million internationally. It’s final tally of $269.7 million makes it one of the most successful gangster movies of all time.

American Gangster

R

Biography

Crime

Drama

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 2, 2007

Director

Ridley Scott

Cast

Denzel Washington , Russell Crowe , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Josh Brolin , Lymari Nadal , Ted Levine

Runtime

157 minutes

Main Genre

Biography

1 'The Departed' (2006)

Box Office: $291.4 million

Quite possibly Martin Scorsese’s best film of the 21st century, The Departed is a spellbinding crime thriller that utilizes an all-star cast and a brilliantly twisty story to maximum effect. Based on Internal Affairs, it follows a police informant who goes undercover into the Irish mob to figure out who their mole in the police force is. All the while, the mole tries to uncover the identity of the undercover cop before he himself is exposed.

The Departed became an awards season hit, winning four Academy Awards from five nominations while also becoming the highest grossing gangster film of all time with an impressive box office intake of $291.4 million. It debuted at number one, marking the fourth Scorsese film to achieve such a feat, and excelled both domestically and internationally to be the third most commercially successful movie of Scorsese’s career.

The Departed

R

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 5, 2006

Director

Martin Scorsese

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio , Matt Damon , Jack Nicholson , Mark Wahlberg , Martin Sheen , Ray Winstone

Runtime

150 mins

Main Genre

Crime

Studio

Warner Bros. Pictures

NEXT: The 15 Best Gangster Movies, Ranked