Selena Gomez is one of the biggest stars on the planet. She began as a child star in the popular series Barney and Friends and later appeared in a number of series like Hannah Montanna and The Sweet Life of Zack & Cody before joining the cast of the highly successful series Wizards of Waverly Place. Since then, she has transitioned into an actress in serious dramas, a pop star, a producer, and a successful entrepreneur.
Update May 17, 2023: This article has been updated with even more films Selena Gomez starred in, as well as recent news regarding her career.
Selena Gomez certainly isn't slowing down anytime soon. Only Murders in the Building season 3 will debut on Hulu on August 8, 2023. She is also developing a reboot of Working Girl and recently signed a deal with the Food Network, where she will host two television series. Gomez has come a long way in her career, so take a look back at her career and see every major movie ranked.
17 Behaving Badly (2014)
Starboard Entertainment
Rick Stevens (Nat Wolff) was willing to do anything to conquer Nina Pennington (Selena Gomez), the prettiest and most popular girl in High School. However, the decisions he made to achieve his goal were not smart at all, and he had to deal with some complicated situations and very peculiar characters.
Directed by Tim Garrick, and starring Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, and Austin Stowell, Behaving Badly was the screen version of Ric Browde's novel While I'm Dead Feed the Dog. Sadly, it didn't get very good reviews. In fact, it scored 0% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, and the audience score was not great either at 29%.
16 Getaway (2013)
An adaptation of 1972's The Getaway, Courtney Solomon's Getaway followed the story of Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke), a racing car driver who was forced to go on a mission after his wife was kidnapped. He had the sole help of a young hacker (Selena Gomez), and the only hope to save his wife was to follow the orders of a mysterious voice that was keeping an eye on them through cameras installed in the car. A remarkable fact about this movie is that the accident scenes and car collisions are totally real: over 130 cars were wrecked during the making of the film.
15 In Dubious Battle (2016)
James Franco wrote and directed In Dubious Battle. It followed Jim Nolan, a man who helped start a migrant workers' strike against landowners during the apple growing season in central California in 1930. The script, written by Matt Rager, was based on the novel by John Steinbeck. In this film, Gomez surprised audiences with a role quite different from the ones she used to perform: Lisa London, a feisty mother, and stepdaughter of one of the workers on strike.
14 Monte Carlo (2011)
Grace (Gomez), her step-sister (Leighton Meester), and best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) spent all of their savings on a long-awaited trip to Paris in Monte Carlo, but all their dreams were crushed when their journey turned out to be far less glamorous and much more disappointing than they expected. To take their minds off this, the girls sneaked into a luxury hotel, and one of them was mistaken for a British heiress named Cordelia. Before they could reveal their true identities, they were drawn into a series of misadventures that led to a wonderful vacation in Monte Carlo...until the real Cordelia showed up.
13 Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003)
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over was directed by Robert Rodriguez and features Selena Gomez had a small role at the beginning of the movie as a young girl who hires Juni (Daryl Sabara) to investigate why her favorite water park is closed, only to discover it is because it is winter.
It's a small role, but it is one of her earliest roles. How big a star Gomez is now only adds to the film's impressive cast, which also included Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Ricardo Montalban, Salma Hayek, Holland Taylor, and Sylvester Stallone.
12 A Rainy Day in New York (2019)
Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York featured the story of Gatsby Welles (Timothée Chalamet) and Ashleigh (Elle Fanning), a young couple who decided to spend a weekend together in New York City. Gomez plays a young actress Chan Tyrell, who is also the younger sister of Gatsby's ex. A Rain Day In New York was shrouded in controversy after allegations of sexual assault were made against Woody Allen. In light of those allegations, Gomez donated her salary from the film—and then some—to Time's Up.
11 Princess Protection Program (2009)
Princess Protection Program follows Princess Rosalinda (Demi Lovato), a young girl with all the luxuries of royalty at her fingertips. However, her life drastically changed when an abusive dictator took over her country. In order to protect her life, Rosalinda had to join the Princess Protection Program and was forced to move into the home of one of the officers in rural Louisiana.
There she met the agent's daughter, Carter Manson (Gomez), who, after a not-so-hopeful start, taught the princess how to act like an ordinary girl in order to stay under the radar. The movie paired real-life friends Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, and the two young stars' energy is infectious.
10 Another Cinderella Story (2008)
Another Cinderella Story is a follow-up to the beloved 2004 movie A Cinderella Story featuring Hilary Duff. It's a modern version of the Cinderella story in which we follow the life of dancer Mary Santiago (Selena Gomez), who, after her mother's passing, was forced to work for the pop diva Dominique Blatt while being constantly harassed by her daughters. Despite being a direct-to-DVD sequel, which carries a lot of negative connotations, Another Cinderella Story received positive reviews from audiences.
9 The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
Something strange was happening in Centerville in The Dead Don't Die: animals were acting oddly, daylight hours were shifting unpredictably, and the moon never set. Scientists were concerned, and the news reports were unsettling. It turned out a strange invasion was about to happen, one where the dead would rise from their graves. The residents of Centerville were forced to band together to stop this threat and battle for survival.
This movie was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and starred Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Gomez, and Tom Waits. While it may not have been the most well-received film from Jim Jarmusch from critics or audiences, it was another great addition to Gomez's filmography to work with a high-profile director.
8 Rudderless (2014)
Directed by William H. Macy, Rudderless, directed by William H. Macy follows Sam Manning (Billy Crudup), a successful business executive and family man whose world came crashing down after his teenage son Josh (Miles Heizer) died in a school shooting. Utterly defeated and drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Sam came across a box of his son's music and discovered how talented he was. He decides to put together a band to distribute his son's creations and honor his talent.
However, an unexpected encounter with Josh's ex-girlfriend (Gomez), in which she confronted him for appropriating his son's music, led Sam to discover a hidden truth and reconsider his future. Gomez shines in the movie, and it also features the late great Anton Yelchin.
7 Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009)
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie follows along the adventures of the well-known Russo family, stars of the Disney series The Wizards of Waverly Place. The film focuses on Gomez's character, Alex needing to reverse a wish she made that her parents never met after being grounded during a vacation in the Caribbean.
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie aired at the height of the series' popularity, and when it aired on August 28, 2009, it was viewed by 11.4 million and was the biggest cable scripted program of the year in viewership numbers. To date, it is still the second most-watched Disney Channel Original Movie premiere, behind only High School Musical 2. The film went on to win the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program.
6 Ramona and Beezus (2010)
Ramona and Beezus is an adaptation of the popular book series of the same name written by Beverly Cleary. The movie was directed by Elizabeth Allen and focused on Ramona (Joey King), a little kid with a great imagination, boundless energy, and accidental stunts that had everyone's attention on her. She just loved to be mischievous, and her sister Beezus (Selena Gomez) is sick and tired of her messing up all of her plans. However, her unstoppable sense of fun, excitement, and mischief proved to be very useful after their father (John Corbett) lost his job, and Ramona took it upon herself to save her family's home.
Ramona and Beezus is very early in Gomez's career, and while the movie was a box office disappointment, it earned positive reviews. The film is a wholesome adaptation of the classic series and found a loyal fanbase of young kids who did see the movie.
5 The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
The Netflix original production The Fundamentals of Caring dealt with friendship, pain, inner growth, and the way facing our inner demons can make us move forward in life. Directed by Rob Burnett and starring Paul Rudd, Gomez, and Craig Roberts, the movie told the story of Ben (Rudd), a writer who gave up his dream to be a caregiver after suffering a personal tragedy. Six weeks into his training, he met his first client: Trevor, a foul-mouthed teen with muscular dystrophy.
Ben and Trevor are both paralyzed, one emotionally and the other physically, and after a while, they decided to go on a little trip to visit some of the places the boy had seen in the news. Their relationship, which started out distrustful, progressively transformed into a great friendship, and along the way, they encountered Dot (Gomez), a strong-willed young woman who joined them on their journey. The film garnered positive reviews, scoring 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, and began to show Gomez as more than the Disney image many had cast her in.
4 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising was directed by Nicholas Stoller and focuses on Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne), who are caught up in a battle with a sorority that has moved in next door in the middle of them trying to sell their house., Gomez has a small role in the film as the strict, rule-obsessed President of the Phi Lamda sorority, which leads a group of girls to start their own sorority.
Gomez is having a lot of fun playing up her Disney image in this as the rule-abiding strict mean girl type. It showed she was willing to play along with the joke about her image. Her addition to the movie, which also features Chloë Grace Moretz, Kiersey Clemons, Beanie Feldstein, and Awkwafina, makes Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising a showcase for some of the best up in the coming actress in the mid-2010s.
3 Spring Breakers (2013)
Spring Breakers was released in 2013 and was a major turning point for Gomez's career. The movie saw her play a young girl who went on Spring break with her friends to party and eventually meet up with drug dealer Alien (James Franco), who post her and her friend's bail after they were arrested and led them down a path they will never forget.
One of the earliest hits for studio A24, much of the marketing for Spring Breakers was focused on Gomez and fellow child stars Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson breaking away from their clean images. Spring Breakers focused much on them in bikinis, showcasing this was not the Disney image that audiences associated with these stars. Spring Breakers helped Gomez fly on the radar of many who may have dismissed her due to her early career.
2 Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is a documentary that followed Selena Gomez over a period of six years, documenting her career while also her battle with her lupus diagnosis and mental health. While not a narrative feature, the movie is one of Gomez's best-reviewed releases earning 97% on Rotten Tomatoes when it premiered on Apple TV+ on November 4, 2022. The film and the title song showed Gomez's willingness to be open with her fans and audience and helped further cement her as an icon.
1 Hotel Transylvania Series (2012 to 2022)
Hotel Transylvania and its sequels are animated monster comedy films that began run in 2012 and recently concluded in 2022. The films revolved around the titular hotel, which is run by Drac who is a single father taking care of his daughter Mavis, who Gomez voices. Over the course of the films, audiences see Mavis grow up from a teenager to a wife and mother and eventual successor to her father's successful company.
Miley Cyrus was originally cast as Mavis but was cut from the film due to the studio thought her public persona was not appropriate for a kid's movie. Gomez stepped into the role, and it is one of her most iconic film roles, as her voice gives the character a playfulness but also knowledge beyond her years. Much like how Mavis grew up, Gomez also took a larger role in the development of each film and became a producer on the fourth film, Hotel Transylvania: Transformia. When it comes to film roles, Mavis is Gomez's best in terms of box office, critical reaction, and cultural impact.