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Best Directorial Debuts Ranked

First films that announced a major talent — ranked by the audience.

Updated March 23, 2026 · ThumbScore Editorial

1

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Audience Score: 81%

2

American Beauty (1999)

Audience Score: 80%

3

Citizen Kane (1941)

Audience Score: 80%

4

The 400 Blows (1959)

Audience Score: 80%

5

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Audience Score: 79%

6

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Audience Score: 77%

7

Get Out (2017)

Audience Score: 76%

8

Ex Machina (2015)

Audience Score: 76%

9

District 9 (2009)

Audience Score: 75%

10

Breathless (1960)

Audience Score: 75%

11

Badlands (1974)

Audience Score: 75%

12

Duel (1971)

Audience Score: 74%

13

Lady Bird (2017)

Audience Score: 73%

14

Hereditary (2018)

Audience Score: 73%

15

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Audience Score: 73%

16

Eraserhead (1977)

Audience Score: 73%

17

Blood Simple (1985)

Audience Score: 73%

18

The Witch (2016)

Audience Score: 70%

19

Easy Rider (1969)

Audience Score: 70%

20

Evil Dead (2013)

Audience Score: 66%

21

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Audience Score: 66%

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