- With upcoming appearances in Dune: Part Two and Challengers, 2024 promises to be the year of Zendaya, so we’ve decided to look back at the best and worst movies of her career to date.
- Excluding TV movies on the Disney Channel, Zendaya has appeared in just 10 film roles to date, the first of which was 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
- To assemble our ranking, we’ve blended our own opinion with Rotten Tomatoes ratings to fill in the gaps of any movies we’ve not had the chance to see ourselves.
After humble beginnings on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, Zendaya has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and has won plenty of acclaim for her work, particularly her Emmy-winning performance in the TV series Euphoria. On the big screen, meanwhile, it feels as if Zendaya is just getting started after kickstarting her career as she’s largely appeared in supporting roles in the movies she’s featured in so far.
10. Duck Duck Goose
With longtime Disney animator Chris Jenkins at the helm, big things were hoped of the animated movie Duck Duck Goose prior to its release in 2018.
However, the movie was quietly moved onto Netflix after being pulled from theater schedules and its audience score of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes suggests why as it’s the lowest of any movie Zendaya has appeared in.
9. Space Jam: A New Legacy
Space Jam: A New Legacy is what happens when a movie is made for marketing purposes and to cash in on the popularity of a beloved original.
While Zendaya gives a spirited voice performance as Lola Bunny, she couldn’t stop Space Jam: A New Legacy from falling foul of critics, with the movie earning a meager 25% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
8. Malcolm & Marie
2021’s Malcolm & Marie is certainly a unique movie as it features just two cast members and was filmed during the summer of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While its almost soap opera-like narrative won’t be to everyone’s tastes, Zendaya and co-star John David Washington show plenty of chemistry throughout.
7. Smallfoot
Released in 2018, Smallfoot boasts a star-studded cast that features Channing Tatum, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, LeBron James and James Corden as well as Zendaya who played the character Meechee.
The movie earned a respectable 76% on Rotten Tomatoes and critics noted that it was an enjoyable watch, although it couldn’t quite hold a candle to the Disney and Pixar films of the era.
6. Dune
While 2021’s Dune is a great film and a true sci-fi epic, Zendaya’s role in it is minimal at best.
Save for a few dream sequences, she only features in one scene at the end so we can’t really place it any higher.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home
The third movie in the Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy. While placing it third out of those movies may be a controversial choice given that it is a fun-filled romp, it undoubtedly relies too heavily on cameos and references to past movies. There are literally moments of silence in the film – such as when Andrew Garfield appears – to give theater audiences time to cheer.
In terms of Zendaya’s role in the movie, her and Tom Holland’s chemistry is undeniable but her character has lost most of the sarcastic teen energy that she first brought to the role of MJ in 2017’s Homecoming.
4. The Greatest Showman
While The Greatest Showman may feature a sizeable cast, Zendaya offers up a truly unforgettable performance, even if she’s one of the musical’s supporting characters.
The fact that her and Zac Efron’s song, Rewrite the Stars, is the most-played song from the movie’s soundtrack album on Spotify tells you all you need to know.
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya’s feature film debut. The movie serves as a great introduction to the life of Peter Parker after his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War.
Her performance as MJ in Homecoming is certainly memorable as she stands out as a black sheep among her fellow students, although she is relegated to the role of supporting character as Tom Holland’s Peter finds himself with a different love interest… for now.
2. Spider-Man: Far From Home
This writer’s personal favorite of the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies. Not only does the film introduce a great villain in Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, but it also perfectly captures the complexities of teenage crushes.
After beginning as a supporting character in Homecoming, Zendaya expertly graduates into a starring role in Far From Home as the romance between MJ and Peter blossoms in charmingly awkward fashion.
1. Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two may not have officially been released yet but with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% as things stand, it is shaping up to be the highest-rated movie of Zendaya’s career so far.
Following her dream sequence debut in the first movie, Zendaya’s Chani takes on a more pivotal role this time around and the actress has won plenty of praise from critics for being more than a match for Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides.
Zendaya is starring in the movies Dune: Part Two, releasing on March 1, and Challengers, releasing on April 26.
