The Best Ron Howard Movies Ranked And Where to Watch them

If you're looking for the best Ron Howard movies of all time then here is a definitive list. We rank every movie directed by Ron Howard based on their popularity score from IMDB from best to worst. Click on the ‘see more’ button to find out where to watch them in Australia covering all streaming services. In August 2025 there are 14 films in this list.

List of the Best Movies Directed by Ron Howard In Order of Popularity

1. A Beautiful Mind
2. Cinderella Man
3. Thirteen Lives
4. Apollo 13
5. Willow
6. Parenthood
7. Solo: A Star Wars Story
8. In the Heart of the Sea
9. Hillbilly Elegy
10. Angels & Demons
11. The Paper
12. The Da Vinci Code
13. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
14. Inferno

Stream the top 14 Movies directed by Ron Howard

1. A Beautiful Mind

Rated: PG-13

8.2/10

John Nash is a brilliant but asocial mathematician fighting schizophrenia. After he accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn for the nightmarish.

2. Cinderella Man

Rated: PG-13

8.0/10

The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, in the 1920s following his retirement, makes a surprise comeback in order to get him and his family out of a socially poor state.

3. Thirteen Lives

Rated: M

7.8/10

Based on the true nail-biting mission that captivated the world. Twelve boys and the coach of a Thai soccer team explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. Entombed behind a maze of flooded cave tunnels, they face impossible odds. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning.

4. Apollo 13

Rated: PG

7.7/10

The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.

5. Willow

Rated: PG

7.2/10

The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.

6. Parenthood

Rated: PG-13

7.1/10

The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the 'black sheep' of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.

7. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Rated: PG-13

6.9/10

Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.

8. In the Heart of the Sea

Rated: PG-13

6.9/10

In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.

9. Hillbilly Elegy

Rated: R

6.7/10

An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.

10. Angels & Demons

Rated: PG-13

6.7/10

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is called in to save Vatican City from being incinerated by an ancient sect.

11. The Paper

Rated: R

6.7/10

Henry Hackett is the workaholic editor of a New York City tabloid. He loves his job, but the long hours and low pay are leading to discontent. Also, publisher Bernie White faces financial straits, and has hatchet-man Alicia Clark—Henry's nemesis—impose unpopular cutbacks.

12. The Da Vinci Code

Rated: PG-13

6.6/10

A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity.

13. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Rated: PG

6.3/10

Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Whos, an almost mutated sort of Munchkin-like people. All the Whos love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos, whom he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriending the Grinch.

14. Inferno

Rated: PG-13

6.2/10

After waking up in a hospital with amnesia, professor Robert Langdon and a doctor must race against time to foil a deadly global plot.