Looking to watch an actor who sings, dances, and is an absolute cutie? Then this guy is ex-ZAC-tly who you need to check out. Zac Efron’s singing and performing career began at just 11 years old on stage, and from there, he went to act in TV movies and series. However, it’s his performances on the big screen that have captured audiences’ hearts over the past decade.
One way to find out which movies are fab and which are flops is to use the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, a rating system “based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics.”
We’ve looked at Zac’s filmography and compiled the ten best films based on the Tomatometer percentage given to each one. Get out your best tomato recipes, and get ready to read about Zac Efron’s movie successes.
Franchises will be limited to only one entry, with the highest scoring being included on the list.
The Beach Bum - 55%
In this 2019 R-rated film, lazy stoner and writer Moondog, played by Matthew McConaughey, learns that his half of his late wife’s estate is frozen and in his daughter’s control. There is a stipulation placed of growing up, taking life more seriously, and finishing his current work-in-progress book.
Zac Efron plays a man called Flicker who breaks out of a rehabilitation center along with Moondog. Efron’s role is pretty minor, but seeing his interestingly striped beard is definitely a perk. The Beach Bum is the lowest on our list with a score of 55%.
17 Again - 56%
Is Matthew Perry looking younger to you? Nope, it’s just Zac Efron playing the younger version of their shared character, Mike, in this 2009 film. 37-year-old Mike feels like he’s losing everything - his marriage is over, he’s growing further from his kids, and he has recently quit his job.
As the title suggests, Mike accidentally becomes 17 again, and now he must try to repair the damage in his life as his 17-year-old self. This isn’t so easy when your estranged wife is now dating someone else and your daughter thinks you’re into her. Luckily, the film earned more than a 17 on Rotten Tomatoes, scoring 56%.
The Greatest Showman - 56%
PT Barnum’s famous circus comes to life on the big screen as Efron stars opposite Hugh Jackman, who plays Barnum, in The Greatest Showman. Zac plays Barnum’s business partner Phillip Carlyle, who helps contribute to the man’s circus vision and falls for a pink-haired trapeze artist.
He took part in two musical duets with each of the aforementioned characters, titled, “The Other Side,” and, “Rewrite the Stars,” bringing him back to the singing roots that Efron planted as a teenager. Not only was his singing superb, but he looks pretty snazzy in a top hat too. While the movie was deemed an overall success, it only earned a 56% rating on RT, tying with 17 Again.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile - 56%
While Zac Efron may be a bit of a heart-stopper in real life, his character Ted Bundy did literally just that in this 2019 Netflix thriller, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
Based on real events, Bundy was an American serial killer in the ’70s who kidnapped, tortured, assaulted, and murdered over 30 women before going to jail. Not only did Zac certainly fit the dreamy and handsome look that Bundy was known for, but his performance was spot on. Rotten Tomatoes called it “compulsively watchable,” granting the movie Zac’s third 56% rating.
Liberal Arts - 71%
Ah, to be young in college. That’s what 35-year-old Jesse (Josh Radnor) is nostalgic for when he heads back to the town where he attended college and meets his old teacher’s daughter, Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen).
Zac Efron plays a college kid named Nat who is well-meaning but a little bit out there. He sets up a coffee date between Jesse and Zibby after they run into her at a dorm party. Zac is on screen for less than ten minutes, but if it weren’t for his matchmaking character, there would be no movie! This 2012 comedy-drama earned a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Neighbors - 72%
Who wouldn’t want Zac as their neighbor? Dad Mac (Seth Rogen) gets a taste of what it’s like when the house next to his becomes a frat house, with Zac’s character Teddy and the rest of the fraternity moving in in Neighbors.
They make an agreement that Mac will call Teddy instead of the cops when things get too loud, but when Mac goes against his word, he and his wife Kelly find themselves on the bad end of some pranks and hazing.
The second movie, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, catches up with the couple and Teddy two years later as he tries to help out a sorority looking to move into his old fraternity’s house. The first film earned a score of 72%, while the sequel scored 63%.
High School Musical 2 - 82%
High School Musical had tweens getting their heads in the game with Zac on Disney Channel in the mid-2000s. The teen heartthrob played a star basketball player who fell in love with theater and a girl, and the films show his journey as he tries to juggle his three passions.
The movie trio has a combined average score of 70%, but HSM2 soared above the others at 82%. The first and third movies came in at 63% and 64% respectively. The franchise became a huge hit with Disney fans and was a great stepping stone for Efron’s successful career.
Me and Orson Welles - 85%
Shortly after the last High School Musical film was released, Zac played yet another character who was a rising star on stage. In Me and Orson Welles, 17-year-old Richard is suddenly offered a role on Broadway in the production of Caesar after he meets Orson Welles.
Richard soon learns that theater is not easy, especially with someone as demanding as Welles overseeing the play. Similar to HSM, Zac’s character falls for a girl who is also involved in the play, and he must learn to keep his attraction and jealousy in check. Me and Orson Welles is “certified fresh” on RT and has a score of 85%.
The Disaster Artist - 91%
Another smaller part Zac Efron had was in The Disaster Artist. This film adaptation of a book with the same name is based on a true story beginning with Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) and Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) becoming friends.
They move to Los Angeles to try and make it as actors but instead get involved in filming their own project, leading to the real-life movie The Room. Efron’s character is Dan Janjigian, an actor who plays Chris-R in The Room. While the actual version of The Roomearned a rotten 26% on RT, The Disaster Artist did much better at 91%.
Hairspray - 91%
In the middle of the High School Musical movies, Zac took part in another musical, Hairspray, a film set in 1962 Baltimore. The 2007 movie was a remake of a 1988 film and a Broadway production (both with the same title).
Efron plays dreamboat Link Larkin, a regular on the fictional TV series The Corny Collins Show. The film stars Nikki Blonsky as Efron’s on-screen love interest Tracy, a young girl who joins the show and takes the world by storm with her plus size figure and intolerance for racism.
Disney fans were thrilled to Zac singing again, and the film earned a whopping 91%.