Spielberg vs. Scorsese: Who Is The Better Director—According To The Numbers

Spielberg vs. Scorsese: Who Is The Better Director—According To The Numbers


January 24, 2025 | Jesse Singer

Spielberg vs. Scorsese: Who Is The Better Director—According To The Numbers


Steven vs. Marty

Who is the better director: Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese? Yes, we know that movie making is an art and art is definitely more than just numbers. But, we also thought it could be fun to look at the numbers and use them to determine the winner here. So, who do you think is the better director? Now, see if the numbers agree...

Most Prolific

Spielberg: 36 Movies (including The Dish—scheduled for release in 2026)

Scorsese: 42 Movies

Martin Scorsese in a black suit, smiling at the cameraGeorges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

Most Prolific: Martin Scorsese

Caveat: 16 of the 42 Scorsese films are documentaries. But we love docs and they most definitely still count. So Scorsese takes the "Prolific" matchup.

American actor Robert De Niro as boxer Jake LaMotta in a scene from 'Raging Bull', directed by Martin Scorsese, 1980.United Artists/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Advertisement

Box Office

Spielberg: $10 billion+

Scorsese: $2 billion+

Steven SpielbergGage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

Box Office: Steven Spielberg

This shouldn't surprise anyone—as Spielberg is the highest-grossing director in cinematic history.

Steven Spielberg and ETPikawil, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

Oscar Nominations (Films: All Categories)

Spielberg: 147

Scorsese: 101

Oliver Stone Films FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

Oscar Nominations (Films: All Categories): Steven Spielberg

Adding up all the Oscar nominations that all of their films have brought in, Spielberg takes this category rather easily (although, with more non-documentary films to his name, that should probably be the case given how great both filmmakers are).

Meryl Streep at Oscars in black dressLars Niki, Getty Images

Advertisement

Oscar Wins (Films: All Categories)

Spielberg: 35

Scorsese: 20

Vin Diesel in saving private ryanGetty Images, Getty Images

Advertisement

Oscar Wins (Films: All Categories): Steven Spielberg

Spielberg's nominations win has translated into a victory in this battle as well.

Saving Private Ryan factsShutterstock

Advertisement

BAFTA Wins (Films: All Categories)

Spielberg: 22

Scorsese: 23

Rupert GrintWikimedia.Commons

Advertisement

BAFTA Wins (Films: All Categories): Martin Scorsese

After the Oscars, The BAFTAs (British Academy Film Awards) are maybe the second most prestigious non-festival film awards out there. And the Brits have given Scorsese films more wins than Spielberg movies—although, as you can see, it's very close.

Martin Scorsese Films FactsKundun (1997), Touchstone Pictures

Advertisement

Movies 90+ Rotten Tomatoes

Spielberg: 12

Scorsese: 14

Martin Scorsese Films FactsShutterstock

Advertisement

Movies 90+ Rotten Tomatoes: Martin Scorsese

Note: Scorsese's number does include documentaries.

Martin Scorsese Films FactsThe King of Comedy (1982), 20th Century Fox

Advertisement

Fewest "Rotten" Movies

Spielberg: 4

Scorsese: 2

Steven Spielberg attends Cannes Film Festival - 2013Denis Makarenko, Shutterstock

Advertisement

Fewest "Rotten" Movies: Martin Scorsese

Spielberg: Twilight Zone: The Movie (59%), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (53%), 1941 (39%), Hook (29%)

Scorsese: New York, New York (57%), Boxcar Bertha (54%)

Screenshot from the movie Hook (1991)TriStar, Hook (1991)

Advertisement

Oscar Nominations (Actors & Actresses)

Spielberg: 17

Scorsese: 26

Screenshot from the movie Taxi Driver (1976)Columbia, Taxi Driver (1976)

Advertisement

Oscar Nominations (Actors & Actresses): Martin Scorsese

Scorsese has directed 26 Oscar-nominated performances. That is second only to William Wyler who directed 36 actors and actresses to an Oscar nomination.

Martin Scorsese Films FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

"Sight And Sound" Greatest Directors

Spielberg: 0

Scorsese: 1

Steven Spielberg attends a premiereDavid Livingston, Getty Images

Advertisement

"Sight And Sound" Greatest Directors: Martin Scorsese

The prestigious Sight and Sound magazine has been putting out a "Greatest Films of All Time" list every 10 years since 1952. In 2002, they conducted a poll to determine the "Greatest Directors of All Time". Based on a poll of directors, Scorsese came in tied for 9th—with David Lean and Jean Renoir.

Spielberg didn't make the list.

Martin ScorseseMontclair Film, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

Best Director Oscar Nominations

Spielberg: 9

Scorsese: 10

Steven Spielberg speaks onstageMichael Loccisano, Getty Images

Advertisement

Best Director Oscar Nominations: Martin Scorsese

Very close—but Scorsese takes this one.

And speaking of close victories...

Martin Scorsese factsGetty Images

Advertisement

Best Director Oscar Wins

Spielberg: 2

Scorsese: 1

Director Steven Spielberg attends the 88th Annual Academy AwardsKevin Winter, Getty Images

Advertisement

Best Director Oscar Wins: Steven Spielberg

We could argue that Scorsese should have won for Raging Bull and Goodfellas—but the numbers are the numbers, and Spielberg takes this one.

30th Deauville American Film Festival: 'The Terminal'. Close-up of Stephen Spielberg.Getty Images

Advertisement

Best Picture Oscar Nomination

Spielberg: 11

Scorsese: 10

Best Picture Oscar Nomination: Steven Spielberg

Just to be clear, we're talking movies that they directed (if we include as a producer, Spielberg's number goes up to 13).

Universal Studios Hollywood Hosts The Opening of 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter'Getty Images

Advertisement

Best Picture Oscar Wins

Spielberg: 1

Scorsese: 1

Martin Scorsese factsGetty Images

Advertisement

Best Picture Oscar Wins: Tie

Spielberg's only Best Picture win as director was Schindler's List and for Scorsese it was The Departed.

Screenshot of Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth - from Schindler's List (1993)Universal, Schindler's List (1993)

Advertisement

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies

Spielberg: 5

Scorsese: 3

Martin Scorsese factsGetty Images

Advertisement

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies: Steven Spielberg

In 1998, The American Film Institute did a poll and put out their list of the 100 best American movies. They updated the list in 2007—and on that 2007 list, Spielberg had five films, while Scorsese had three.

'The Land Before Time' Los Angeles Premiere.Getty Images

Advertisement

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (Highest Ranked)

Spielberg: 8

Scorsese: 4

US film director Steven Spielberg, Headshot.Getty Images

Advertisement

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (Highest Ranked): Martin Scorsese

Looking at that updated 2007 list: Raging Bull is listed at #4, while Schindler's List stands at #8.

Futurama FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

And The Winner Is... Martin Scorsese

Spielberg: 7

Scorsese: 9

Adding up all the categories, Scorsese edges out Spielberg by a score of 9 to 7. So, are the numbers right? Is Martin Scorsese the better director? What do you think?

Director Martin Scorsese speaksPeter Kramer, Getty Images

Advertisement

READ MORE

Portrait of Miyoshi Umeki holding her Oscar
July 12, 2025 Peter Kinney

The Actress Who Threw Away Her Oscar

Miyoshi Umeki was a Japanese-American actress and singer who smashed prejudices when she became the first Asian actress to win an Oscar. Then she smashed expectations when she threw it in the bin.
July 11, 2025 Samantha Henman

Michael Hutchence’s Tragic Excess

With his work in INXS and on his own, Michael Hutchence became a household name throughout Australia and beyond—until his wild lifestyle caught up to him.
Peg Entwistle Facts
July 9, 2025 Penelope Singh

Hollywood's First Victim

Peg Entwistle had her whole life ahead of her. A celebrated Broadway actress in her time, Entwistle was poised to make the big time in Hollywood as a silver screen starlet—until it all came crashing down. To this day, Entwistle's infamously tragic and jaw-dropping end is synonymous with the cold cruelty of Hollywood dreams.
Hsthumb
July 8, 2025 Samantha Henman

The Forgotten Tragedy Of The Original Red Hot Chili Pepper

Hillel Slovak rose to greatness in the LA club scene and eventually found himself in the spotlight with the iconic rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sadly, his flirtation with fame would only last a short time. He had demons, and they were waiting in the wings to bring this ground-breaking guitarist to a tragic and early grave.
Lupe Velez Facts
July 7, 2025 Alex Summers

Lupe Vélez Was The "Mexican Spitfire," But She Met A Brutal End

Lupe Vélez was Hollywood’s first Latina icon—but if her name isn’t well-known today, maybe that’s because of her dark end. Not only was Vélez one of the most magnetic stars on screen, but she was also one of the most scandalous. When the cameras weren’t rolling, her love life kept the gossip columnists busy. Sadly, her time on Earth was all too short, and what happened to the woman they called the “Mexican Spitfire” is still the source of controversy today.
July 5, 2025 Samantha Henman

The Story On Ellen Degeneres's Comeback

Ellen DeGeneres is a huge figure in the TV industry and an LGBTQ icon. She’s been through her fair share of trials and tribulations, but the largest of them started in 2019. It had the momentum to completely derail her career—and we’ve collected all the sordid details for you.