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All David Lynch movies and series, ranked by Tomatometer, place The Straight Story first at 95% and Dune last at 36% in Rotten Tomatoes’ current 14-entry editorial guide. The list also includes three Twin Peaks season entries, and its displayed order is not a perfectly descending score sort.
Rotten Tomatoes’ guide brings together feature films, a short film, and television seasons from across Lynch’s career. The table below preserves the guide’s displayed order and reports the Popcornmeter separately so critic approval is not confused with audience response.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![Mulholland Dr. (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41H2rdgdUbL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Mulholland Dr. (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD] | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Inland Empire (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/419P70S3KfL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Inland Empire (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] | $35.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Lost Highway (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41NLrd3oG2L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Lost Highway (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] | $32.28 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![David Lynch: The Art Life (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+JQX4186L._SL160_.jpg)
|
David Lynch: The Art Life (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] | $25.33 | Buy on Amazon |
Key takeaways
- The Straight Story (1999) is Rotten Tomatoes’ current number-one entry, with a 95% Tomatometer and 91% Popcornmeter.
- Dune (1984) ranks fourteenth and last on the guide, with a 36% Tomatometer and 65% Popcornmeter.
- The list contains 14 entries, including three separate Twin Peaks season entries rather than only feature films.
- The Tomatometer measures positive reviews from approved professional critics, while the Popcornmeter reflects user-submitted ratings.
- Rotten Tomatoes’ displayed order is not a simple descending sort of every visible percentage: What Did Jack Do? appears eighth despite its 93% Tomatometer.
All David Lynch movies and series, ranked by Tomatometer
Rotten Tomatoes’ current editorial guide ranks The Straight Story first among the listed David Lynch movies and series, with a 95% Tomatometer, while Dune ranks last at 36%; the guide also includes individual Twin Peaks seasons and should be treated as a volatile editorial list rather than a complete filmography. The displayed ranking was accessed on August 13, 2026, and scores may change as review counts change. See Rotten Tomatoes’ David Lynch ranking.
| Rank | Movie or series entry | Year | Type | Tomatometer | Popcornmeter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Straight Story | 1999 | Feature film | 95% | 91% |
| 2 | Twin Peaks: The Return: Season 1 | 2017 | Television season | 94% | 83% |
| 3 | The Elephant Man | 1980 | Feature film | 91% | 93% |
| 4 | Blue Velvet | 1986 | Feature film | 91% | 88% |
| 5 | Twin Peaks: Season 1 | 1990 | Television season | 91% | 95% |
| 6 | Eraserhead | 1977 | Feature film | 87% | 82% |
| 7 | Mulholland Dr. | 2001 | Feature film | 83% | 87% |
| 8 | What Did Jack Do? | 2020 | Short film | 93% | 71% |
| 9 | Inland Empire | 2006 | Feature film | 72% | 75% |
| 10 | Lost Highway | 1997 | Feature film | 70% | 87% |
| 11 | Wild at Heart | 1990 | Feature film | 66% | 81% |
| 12 | Twin Peaks: Season 2 | 1990–1991 | Television season | 65% | 88% |
| 13 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me | 1992 | Feature film | 67% | 78% |
| 14 | Dune | 1984 | Feature film | 36% | 65% |
Source: Rotten Tomatoes’ current editorial guide, accessed August 13, 2026. Tomatometer and Popcornmeter scores are volatile.
#1 Best Overall
What does the Tomatometer ranking measure?
The Tomatometer is the percentage of positive reviews from Rotten Tomatoes-approved professional critics; the Popcornmeter is a separate audience measure based on user-submitted ratings. Rotten Tomatoes says, “Tomatometer scores are based on the collective opinions of hundreds of film and television critics and serve as a trusted measurement of critical entertainment recommendation for millions of fans.” Rotten Tomatoes’ official FAQ explains the scoring system.
A 95% Tomatometer does not mean that every critic awarded a film a 9.5 out of 10. It means that 95% of counted professional reviews are classified as positive. Rotten Tomatoes can also revise a displayed percentage when its review count changes, so the figures above are a snapshot of the editorial guide rather than permanent grades.
Why are television seasons included with David Lynch’s films?
Rotten Tomatoes presents individual Twin Peaks seasons alongside Lynch’s feature films, so this guide compares television-season entries with movies and a short film. Rotten Tomatoes says, “For television, there are three distinct Tomatometers: the overall Series Tomatometer, the Season Tomatometer, and the Episodic Tomatometer.” The Rotten Tomatoes television-scoring FAQ also explains that the overall series score is calculated from the average of the seasons.
That distinction matters when reading the table. Twin Peaks: The Return: Season 1 at 94% is a season-level score, not a feature-film score, and the ranking does not show an overall Twin Peaks series score in its place. The guide’s season entries are useful for comparing critical reception across the original run and revival, but they are not perfectly equivalent units to the feature films.
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Why does the displayed order differ from a simple score sort?
The displayed order should be preserved because the article promises Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial ranking, not an independently recalculated list sorted by percentage. The clearest example is What Did Jack Do?: Rotten Tomatoes places the 2020 short at number eight even though its displayed 93% Tomatometer is higher than the scores of several entries above it.
Rank #2
- Genre: Mystery / Suspense
- Number of Discs: 2
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Playback Duration: 180
- Rating: R
This apparent inconsistency may reflect the guide’s editorial ordering, presentation, or other page-level logic; the dossier does not establish a definitive reason. It is safer to report the displayed order and identify the scores separately than to silently rearrange the entries.
What stands out in the ranking?
The Straight Story leads the guide at 95%, making Lynch’s quiet, emotionally restrained road film his highest-ranked listed entry. The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, and the first season of Twin Peaks each display a 91% Tomatometer, while Twin Peaks: The Return follows at 94% in the guide’s displayed order.
The critical cluster also shows the breadth of Lynch’s work. Eraserhead and Mulholland Dr. sit in the upper half despite their more overtly experimental structures. Lost Highway and Inland Empire rank lower by Tomatometer, although their Popcornmeter scores are 87% and 75%, respectively. Those audience figures provide context, not a replacement for the critic ranking.
The largest critic-audience gap in the table belongs to Dune: its 36% Tomatometer contrasts with a 65% Popcornmeter. Lost Highway also shows a notable difference, with a 70% Tomatometer and an 87% Popcornmeter. These differences suggest that audience response and professional critical consensus are measuring different reactions, not that one score corrects the other.
How should a first-time viewer use this ranking?
The ranking is most useful as a starting point, not as a required viewing order. Viewers who want the most accessible entry can begin with The Straight Story, whose central journey is more linear and restrained than the deliberately fractured narratives of Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., or Inland Empire.
Rank #3
Viewers interested in Lynch’s signature combination of American nostalgia, menace, surreal imagery, and nightmare logic can start with Blue Velvet or Mulholland Dr. Viewers who want the television side of his work should watch the original Twin Peaks before Twin Peaks: The Return; Fire Walk With Me is a feature-film companion to the series rather than a substitute for the series itself.
Eraserhead is a strong choice for viewers seeking Lynch’s earliest fully developed feature style, while Dune is best approached as an example of his move into large-scale studio filmmaking—not simply as the lowest-ranked title.
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| If you want… | Start with… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A relatively direct emotional journey | The Straight Story | It is the guide’s top-ranked entry and the least structurally forbidding starting point. |
| Lynch’s most recognizable surreal mystery | Blue Velvet | It combines midcentury American imagery with disturbing, dreamlike darkness. |
| A complete television experience | Twin Peaks: Season 1 | It introduces the original series before its second season and later revival. |
| Maximum formal experimentation | Mulholland Dr. or Inland Empire | Both use fractured, ambiguous structures rather than conventional linear storytelling. |
| Lynch’s early underground feature | Eraserhead | Its 1977 production places it at the foundation of his feature-film career. |
Where can you find physical editions of Lynch’s films?
Readers looking for physical media can compare David Lynch Criterion Blu-ray releases, including listed titles such as Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Inland Empire, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. The catalog supports Blu-ray and 4K format paths, but it should not be described as one complete all-in-one David Lynch box set.
Criterion’s Blue Velvet edition page illustrates why collectors may choose a specialist release: the page documents a director-approved 4K UHD and Blu-ray edition, a 4K restoration, deleted and alternate footage, documentaries, and related Lynch material. Prices, inventory, formats, and regional compatibility can change, so verify the exact edition before buying.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is this David Lynch’s complete filmography?
No. The 14-entry guide is a Rotten Tomatoes editorial selection of listed movies and television seasons, not a complete record of Lynch’s creative output or every professional credit.
The BAFTA filmography records shorts and other projects including Six Men Getting Sick, The Alphabet, The Grandmother, The Amputee, Industrial Symphony No. 1, American Chronicles, On the Air, Hotel Room, Dumbland, Rabbits, and Darkened Room, among other writer, producer, and director credits. The BAFTA brochure is a historical filmography source rather than the authority for the Rotten Tomatoes order, and it explicitly omits Dune at Lynch’s request. Read the BAFTA David Lynch filmography brochure.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe Television Academy identifies Twin Peaks as a series Lynch created in 1990 and records his work as showrunner, writer, director, and composer. The academy also documents his 2018 Emmy nominations connected to the revival. See the Television Academy’s David Lynch biography.
What is the best way to interpret the final ranking?
Use the Tomatometer order to identify the strongest current professional-critical reception on Rotten Tomatoes, but do not treat the order as a definitive judgment of Lynch’s artistic importance. The guide mixes films, a short, and television seasons; scores can change; and the displayed order is not perfectly numerical.
The ranking is therefore most valuable as a map of critical consensus across different stages and formats of Lynch’s career. The Criterion Collection’s description captures that range by calling Lynch “Both a midnight-movie icon and an art-house visionary,” a concise explanation for why a relatively gentle road film, a network television season, an experimental short, and a major studio adaptation can all appear in the same conversation. Explore Criterion’s David Lynch catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Rotten Tomatoes list David Lynch’s complete filmography?
No. Rotten Tomatoes’ 14-entry guide is an editorial ranking of selected movies, a short film, and individual television seasons. Lynch’s broader filmography also includes shorts, online series, television projects, and other writer, producer, director, and composer credits.
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Rotten Tomatoes uses separate scoring levels for television: an overall series score, season scores, and episodic scores. The guide presents individual Twin Peaks seasons, so those percentages are not directly identical to feature-film scores.
Why is What Did Jack Do? ranked eighth despite having a 93% Tomatometer?
The displayed order is Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial order, not necessarily a simple descending sort of every percentage shown. For example, What Did Jack Do? appears at number eight with a 93% Tomatometer, above entries displaying lower scores.
The Bottom Line
The Straight Story is Rotten Tomatoes’ current top-ranked David Lynch entry at 95%, but the list is not a complete filmography or a perfectly score-sorted chart. Read the Tomatometer as professional-critical consensus, use the Popcornmeter as secondary audience context, and remember that television seasons are scored separately from films.
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