Beyoncé is a Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to entertainment, and she's proved that nobody can rival her once again with her first album in six years, Rennaisance. Though it has been six years since her last and also universally acclaimed album, Lemonade, she has still remained incredibly active, whether it's featuring on other artists' songs or acting in the highest-grossing movies of all time.
The pop star has been in eight movies in her career, and they range from over-the-top James Bond parodies to gospel musicals to Disney's biggest-ever hit. While a lot of the films are low-scoring on IMDb, there's no denying that Beyoncé has so much energy and charisma in every one of them.
Obsessed (2009) - 5.0
Obsessed is a psychological thriller that completely misses the mark. The movie follows a wife (Beyoncé) who gets jealous of her husband's attractive new secretary. The film has an interesting premise, and it's clearly influenced by erotic '80s thrillers like Fatal Attraction and celebrated filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, but there's absolutely no reasoning behind any of the characters' actions. Some viewers might have especially rated the film low due to how some of the movie posters made it seem like some kind of romantic comedy, but it's anything but that.
However, it just goes to show how much star power Beyoncé has even when it comes to the movie industry, as Obsessed was overwhelmingly negatively received and even holds a miserable 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. But it still made $73 million worldwide, which is a brilliant result given the film's reception (via Box Office Mojo).
The Fighting Temptations (2003) - 5.5
The reason why Beyoncé is so successful is that she knows what she's good at, and she doesn't stray too far away from it. Acting isn't her strongest suit, but her musical talent knows no bounds, and that's why taking roles in musicals is such a great and almost tactical decision. However, not even the singer's amazing voice could mask the shortcomings of The Fighting Temptations.
The 2003 movie is about a lounge singer who tries to revive a gospel choir and enters them into a competition. But, this time, her stardom couldn't carry the film to box office success, as the movie barely made back its $30 million production budget (via Box Office Mojo). But, funnily enough, The Fighting Temptations got a strong recommendation from Roger Ebert, who gave the movie his signature two thumbs up.
The Pink Panther (2006) - 5.6
The Pink Panther sees Beyoncé in an interesting and almost meta role, as she plays Xania, a pop star who is essentially a fictionalized version of the former Destiny's Child singer. Unfortunately, as is the case with so many remakes, The Pink Panther is nowhere near as good as the Peter Sellers-led originals.
However, the 2006 movie isn't striving to be the next how funny some of Steve Martin's scenes are, and Martin puts his own spin on Inspector Clouseau. This time, the movie was successful enough to get a sequel, but Beyoncé didn't return, and that was felt in its box office performance, too (via Box Office Mojo). The Pink Panther 2 struggled to make back its budget, but it may have done better if Bey returned as Xania.
Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002) - 6.2
James Bond parody, the singer plays Foxxy Cleopatra, Austin's new sidekick. While the character is clearly parodying the idea of Bond girls, Foxxy is the coolest-looking character in the movie, she kicks ass, and in most scenes, Austin is following her lead.
The movie isn't great and is considered the worst of the Austin Powers trilogy, but there are loads of underrated jokes in Goldmember, and Foxxy is so funny, too. The 2002 release perfectly showcases how entertaining Beyoncé can be in movies, especially so early into her career and with so little training.
Dreamgirls (2006) - 6.5
Dreamgirls is the movie that Beyoncé is best known for, as it's glamourous, classy, and sounds incredible, just like Beyoncé herself. The movie is loosely based on the Motown girl group, The Supremes, as it follows a similar group, The Dreams, struggling with their manipulative record executive.
Dreamgirls took home so many awards, including two Academy Awards, and it's one of Beyoncé's greatest achievements in the first leg of her career. However, while the movie is spectacular-looking and has impeccable costume design, the songs are more memorable than the film itself. Though Dreamgirls is a masterclass in production, audiences generally found themselves waiting for the next musical number.
Epic (2013) - 6.6
The 2010s saw Beyoncé dive into animation, and these have been some of her best movies since starting her acting career. 2013 saw the release of the appropriately titled animated movie Epic, which is a wonderful fantasy movie about a teenager who is shrunk and teleported to a woodland kingdom that's full of flowerpeople.
Beyoncé plays Queen Tara, who is the queen of the forest, and it was the first time she played an authoritative figure in a kingdom, which is an oddly specific role that she has seemingly been typecast for. Epic isn't exactly a Pixar-tier animated movie, but it is colorful, fun, and has a strong message about the environment that's easily digestible for kids. The movie was a huge hit among young audiences, and it saw the biggest box office gross of Beyoncé's career yet, as it made almost $270 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).
The Lion King (2019) - 6.9
2019's one of the worst remakes ever, as it hardly does anything different from the original, and it's almost a shot-for-shot remake. However, the digital effects of the film and the animation is the gold standard of CGI, and it looks photorealistic. And the other trick up the "live-action" remake's sleeve is its perfect casting.
Along with bringing back actors from the original film, such as James Earl Jones, who reprises his role of Mufasa, the movie casts pop stars with extremely distinctive voices for the lead roles. Donald Glover plays Simba, and Beyoncé plays Nala. There are a lot of contributing factors as to why the film grossed an astronomical $1.6 billion, and Beyoncé is one of them (via Box Office Mojo).
Cadillac Records (2008) - 7.0
Given that Cadillac Records is a glamorous period musical drama and is based on real-life musicians, the movie was clearly trying to capitalize on Dreamgirls' success. But there's nothing bad about that, as the 2008 movie is way more entertaining and engaging, and Beyoncé's performance is compelling, as she plays real-life Gospel singer Etta James.
The film doesn't just star Beyoncé, but it sports an incredible cast full of talented actors, including Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, and Mos Def. Ironically, Cadillac Records is Beyoncé's highest-rated movie on the film database, but it unfairly has the worst box office performance. The 2009 film just made $9 million, which wasn't even enough to cover its already low budget of $12 million (via Box Office Mojo).
