Believe it or not, the upcoming film, The Longest Ride, is the tenth Nicholas Sparks movie! I’m sort of can’t believe that ten of his overly cheesy romantic stories made it to the big screen, but it’s more incredible that I’ve managed to see and survive them all. Although, I have to admit that I have soft spot for all of that eye candy mixed in with some unabashed, cliché melodrama.
I saw The Longest Ride last week—you’ll get my full thoughts on that in my review—but it sort of inspired me to revisit the past Sparks films to see which ones work and what made these movies so successful that we got ten of them. Along with my thoughts on each film, I list the film’s opening weekend box office amount, as well as its RottenTomatoes.com score.
Click through the slideshow to see The Definitive Ranking of Nicholas Sparks movies.
[tps_title]10. The Best of Me[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Liana Liberato, Luke Bracey
Opening Weekend Box Office: $10 million
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Rotten Tomatoes score: 8%
The Best of Me was the worst. THE WORST. It was just a weird mix of Sparks’ earlier movies, and I never rooted for the main couple to be together. Even their younger counterparts couldn’t get me to want them together, and I guess I got my wish with that awful ending. We know Sparks likes tragedy, but that twist was monumentally bad.
[tps_title]9. The Last Song[/tps_title]
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Eye Candy: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth
Opening Weekend Box Office: $16 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 20%
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I’m actually a big Miley Cyrus fan, but her turn in this 2010 film wasn’t a good one. Her character was pretty annoying, and the story was a predictable mess. If anything good came out of it, it was Cyrus’s song, “When I Look at You.”
[tps_title]8. Dear John[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried
Opening Weekend Box Office: $30.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%
Only one of the two Nicholas Sparks books I’ve read, it took me awhile to recall what Dear John was about, besides seeing Channing Tatum brood. Now that I remember, it really was centered on Channing Tatum’s brooding, which is a shame since Amanda Seyfried deserved a better character than the one she got stuck playing. Dear John had the biggest opening weekend for any Sparks film, but I’m sure that awkward ending left romance fans disappointed.
[tps_title]7. The Lucky One[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling
Opening Weekend Box Office: $22.5 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 20%
Before she was in Orange is the New Black, Taylor Schilling played opposite a shirtless Zac Efron in The Lucky One. Let’s be real that this movie did have its moments, like Zac Efron being shirtless, but otherwise, it’s watchable despite being another regurgitated romance.
[tps_title]6. Safe Haven[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough
Opening Weekend Box Office: $21.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 12%
Almost every Nicholas Sparks movie comes with a “twist,” and usually it’s one that you see coming in the first five minutes of the movie, but the one in Safe Haven was actually a pretty surprising one. I couldn’t help but appreciate it and get sucked into the super sentimental moment.
[tps_title]5. Message in a Bottle[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Robin Wright, Kevin Costner
Opening Weekend Box Office: $16.7 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 32%
The first Nicholas Sparks movie adaptation was definitely nothing special. The premise was promising, but the romance fell completely flat to me. Nevertheless, the less-than-positive reviews and opening weekend didn’t stop Hollywood from gobbling up Sparks’ next novels.
[tps_title]4. The Longest Ride[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson
Opening Weekend Box Office: TBD
Rotten Tomatoes score: 35% (at publication)
After being burnt on the past five movies, I didn’t hold much hope for The Longest Ride. From the trailers, it looked like nothing new, but I was a bit surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. I owe it to my insanely low expectations and Scott Eastwood’s STELLAR good looks. If we were ranking the movies based on the attractiveness of the movie’s leads, this would be up top. (Sorry, Ryan Gosling.) Seriously though, this is probably one of the least emotionally manipulative movies from Nicholas Sparks.
[tps_title]3. Nights in Rodanthe[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Richard Gere, Diane Lane
Opening Weekend Box Office: $13.4 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%
This is the Sparks movie that your mom drags you to because of her never-ending crush on Richard Gere. I’ve seen this movie more than a few times (thanks, Mom), and it has grown on me. There are parts that I really enjoy, like the bits where the leads interact or talk about their families. Other than that, I feel like the romance leaves a lot to be desired, but it still manages to be one of the better ones in Sparks’ repertoire.
[tps_title]2. A Walk to Remember[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Shane West, Mandy Moore
Opening Weekend Box Office: $12.1 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 27%
This is the other of the two Nicholas Sparks’ books I’ve read, and I loved it. It is romantic, tragic, and at the time made my little 13-year-old eyes fill with tears. We weren’t as familiar with Nicholas Sparks’ formula, so when we hit the twist, it stunned and broke our hearts. Even years later, it holds up pretty well, and I never mind sitting back and watching Mandy Moore and Shane West being so adorable.
[tps_title]1. The Notebook[/tps_title]
Eye Candy: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Marsden
Opening Weekend Box Office: $13.1 million
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52%
I like that James Marsden stars in both the best and worst Nicholas Sparks movies. The Notebook is untouchable. Say what you will, The Notebook is loaded with charm and charged with insane chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The interlocking storylines come together in such an epic and beautifully heartbreaking way, that even I was susceptible to sobs by the end.
What is your favorite Nicholas Sparks movie?
[tps_footer]Box Office numbers are from BoxOfficeMojo.com[/tps_footer]
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