Dakota Johnson has one of the more unusual filmographies of her generation. She became globally famous playing Anastasia Steele in a blockbuster franchise, then spent the following decade working with some of the most distinctive directors in independent film. The result is a career where a glossy romance, an art-house horror remake, and a Spider-Man spinoff all sit on the same résumé. If you’re trying to figure out which Dakota Johnson movies are worth your time, this guide covers all of them, organized so you can find what fits your taste.
Quick Answer
If you want the short list, these are the Dakota Johnson movies most people mean:
- Fifty Shades of Grey (2015): her breakout and the franchise that made her famous.
- A Bigger Splash (2015): an early sign she’d pursue serious directors.
- Suspiria (2018): Luca Guadagnino’s divisive horror remake.
- The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019): a warm, widely loved adventure drama.
- The Lost Daughter (2021): a supporting role in an Oscar-nominated drama.
- Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022): a tender indie that she also produced.
- Materialists (2025): her romantic drama with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans.
- Verity (2026): her newest release, a Colleen Hoover thriller with Anne Hathaway.
Who Dakota Johnson Is, Briefly
Dakota Mayi Johnson was born on October 4, 1989, in Austin, Texas. She is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Her first screen appearance came as a child in Crazy in Alabama (1999), which was directed by her then-stepfather Antonio Banderas and starred her mother.
She came to adult acting more slowly than her family name might suggest. Early work included a small part in The Social Network (2010) and a role in the short-lived TV comedy Ben and Kate. Then Fifty Shades of Grey arrived, and her career changed overnight.
Complete Dakota Johnson Filmography
This table lists her major feature films in order of release. It is not every credit she has ever had. Brief cameos and small early parts are mostly left out, and release years refer to the US.
| Year | Film | Her role / note | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Crazy in Alabama | Childhood debut | Comedy-drama |
| 2010 | The Social Network | Small supporting part | Drama |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Anastasia Steele (lead) | Romance/drama |
| 2015 | Black Mass | Lindsey Cyr | Crime drama |
| 2015 | A Bigger Splash | Penelope | Drama/thriller |
| 2016 | How to Be Single | Alice (lead) | Romantic comedy |
| 2017 | Fifty Shades Darker | Anastasia Steele | Romance/drama |
| 2018 | Fifty Shades Freed | Anastasia Steele | Romance/drama |
| 2018 | Suspiria | Susie Bannion (lead) | Horror |
| 2018 | Bad Times at the El Royale | Emily Summerspring | Neo-noir thriller |
| 2019 | The Peanut Butter Falcon | Eleanor | Adventure drama |
| 2019 | Wounds | Alicia | Horror |
| 2020 | The High Note | Maggie Sherwoode (lead) | Music comedy-drama |
| 2021 | The Lost Daughter | Nina | Drama |
| 2022 | Cha Cha Real Smooth | Domino | Romantic comedy-drama |
| 2022 | Persuasion | Anne Elliot (lead) | Period romance |
| 2022/2024 | Am I OK? | Lucy | Comedy-drama |
| 2024 | Madame Web | Cassandra Webb (lead) | Superhero |
| 2024 | Daddio | Passenger (two-hander with Sean Penn) | Drama |
| 2025 | Materialists | Lucy, a matchmaker (lead) | Romantic drama |
| 2025 | Splitsville | Ensemble role | Comedy |
| 2026 | Verity | Lowen Ashleigh (lead) | Thriller |
Am I OK? has two years because it debuted at the Sundance festival in 2022 and reached Max in June 2024. Daddio also premiered at festivals before its June 2024 theatrical release.
The Fifty Shades Trilogy and What Came After
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Fifty Shades Darker (2017), and Fifty Shades Freed (2018) made Johnson a household name. The first film earned well over $500 million worldwide, which remains a major reason studios treated her as a lead. All three are rated R, and the series is built around a romance between a college graduate and a wealthy businessman.
Critical reception was harsh, and the screenplay took most of the blame. Johnson’s performances were often singled out as the more grounded element, and she has spoken in interviews about the experience being complicated. If you’ve only seen these three, you’ve seen the least representative part of her career.
What matters most for anyone exploring her work is what she did next. Rather than chase more franchise money, she took smaller roles in films by directors who clearly interested her. That pivot is the real story of her filmography.
Her Prestige and Arthouse Period
Several of her best-regarded films are ones where she isn’t the main character.
Black Mass (2015) is a crime drama about the Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, with Johnny Depp in the title role. Johnson plays Lindsey Cyr, Bulger’s partner. It’s a limited part, but it showed she could hold the screen in heavy dramatic territory.
A Bigger Splash (2015) is the one cinephiles recommend. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, it stars Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, and Matthias Schoenaerts as a group of friends whose Italian island holiday curdles into something dangerous. Johnson plays the young woman at the center of that tension. It marked the start of her working relationship with Guadagnino.
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) is the most accessible film on this list. Zack Gottsagen plays a young man with Down syndrome who escapes a care facility to chase a dream of becoming a pro wrestler, and Shia LaBeouf plays the fisherman who helps him. Johnson plays Eleanor, a caregiver who tracks them down. It’s rated PG-13 and is a genuine crowd-pleaser.
The Lost Daughter (2021) was Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut and earned three Oscar nominations. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley play two versions of the same woman at different ages, and Johnson plays Nina, a young mother whom Colman’s character becomes fixated on. It is uncomfortable, intelligent, and not an easy watch. It is also frequently cited as one of Johnson’s best performances.
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) is a stylish, twisty neo-noir from Drew Goddard, set in a faded hotel on the California-Nevada border. Johnson is part of a large ensemble that includes Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, and Chris Hemsworth.
Romantic Comedies and Dramas
Johnson is at her most natural in dry, understated comedy. Her delivery tends toward deadpan rather than broad laughs, which suits stories about awkward people.
How to Be Single (2016) follows several women navigating dating in New York. It’s an R-rated ensemble comedy with Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, and Alison Brie. It’s lightweight and uneven, but entertaining.
The High Note (2020) puts her opposite Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays a superstar singer. Johnson plays Maggie, her overworked assistant who secretly wants to be a producer. The music is a real strength, and the film is rated PG-13.
Persuasion (2022) is Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel. Johnson plays Anne Elliot, and the film is notable mostly for its modern, fourth-wall-breaking tone. Reactions were sharply divided: some viewers enjoyed the contemporary voice, while many Austen fans disliked it. It’s rated PG, so it’s one of the few options suitable for a wider family audience.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) is the film to watch if you want to see her at her warmest. Cooper Raiff writes, directs, and stars as a recent graduate who becomes a party-starter at bar mitzvahs and befriends a mother and daughter. Johnson plays Domino, the mother, and she also served as a producer. It’s gentle, funny, and emotionally honest.
Am I OK? (2022) follows two best friends whose bond is tested when one comes out. Johnson’s role is supporting, but the film was co-directed by Tig Notaro, and Johnson was also involved as a producer.
Horror and Thrillers
Her horror work is where the most polarizing opinions live.
Suspiria (2018) is Guadagnino’s reimagining of Dario Argento’s 1977 classic. Johnson plays Susie, an American dancer who joins a Berlin dance academy with a sinister secret. It runs long, it’s extremely stylized, and it is rated R for good reason. Critics and audiences split sharply; some call it a masterpiece, others find it exhausting. Johnson has publicly said the film affected her deeply.
Wounds (2019) is a weirder, lower-profile horror film directed by Babak Anvari. In the US it streamed on Hulu rather than getting a wide theatrical release. It suits viewers who like atmospheric unease more than jump scares.
Daddio (2024) isn’t horror, but it is tense. Almost the entire film takes place inside a New York taxi as Johnson’s character and the driver, played by Sean Penn, talk during a long ride from JFK Airport. It lives or dies on dialogue and performance, and it makes a strong case for her skill in a stripped-down format.
Madame Web: The Superhero Detour
Madame Web (February 2024) was Sony’s attempt to expand its Spider-Man universe, with Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic who develops clairvoyant abilities. It was widely panned by critics and underperformed commercially, becoming one of the year’s most discussed flops.
It’s worth being honest here. If you’re looking for a recommendation, this isn’t it. But it is part of the story, because it also clarifies why her subsequent choices leaned so strongly toward character-driven projects. One misfire doesn’t define a filmography, and her next big release was a very different kind of film.
Her Latest: Materialists, Splitsville, and Verity
Materialists (2025)
Directed by Celine Song, whose debut Past Lives was an awards-season favorite, Materialists stars Johnson as Lucy, a New York matchmaker who finds herself torn between two men: a wealthy suitor, played by Pedro Pascal, and an ex-boyfriend, played by Chris Evans. It sits somewhere between romantic comedy and a sober look at what people look for in a partner. It is rated R and is widely considered her strongest recent leading performance.
Splitsville (2025)
Splitsville is an ensemble comedy about two couples whose relationships unravel and reshape each other. Johnson is part of the cast alongside Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin, and Nicholas Braun. It’s a smaller, sharper comedy than most of her earlier work, and a good option if you prefer something that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Verity (October 2026)
Her newest film opened in US theaters on October 2, 2026. In Verity, Anne Hathaway plays a bestselling novelist left paralysed and catatonic after a car crash, and publishers need someone to finish her unfinished thriller series. Johnson plays Lowen, a struggling author hired to finish those books, who ends up living in Verity’s home and fantasizing about her life and husband. Josh Hartnett plays the husband, and Michael Showalter directed.
The film adapts Colleen Hoover’s novel, which was originally self-published in 2018 and is considered one of the darker entries in her catalog. Early reviews are mixed. Time Out gave it three out of five stars and called it a steamy thriller, while Variety’s review was considerably less enthusiastic. Because the film just opened, box-office results are still coming in and it would be premature to judge its performance.
Where to Start: Picks by Mood
Instead of ranking her films from “best” to “worst,” which is subjective, it’s more useful to match a film to what you’re in the mood for.
For a feel-good watch: The Peanut Butter Falcon or Cha Cha Real Smooth. Both are warm without being saccharine.
For a smart romance: Materialists. If you want something lighter, try How to Be Single or The High Note.
For a serious drama: The Lost Daughter. It demands attention, but it rewards it.
For art-house horror: Suspiria. Go in knowing it’s long, bold, and not for everyone.
For a tense two-person story: Daddio.
For something suitable for a mixed-age group: Persuasion (PG) or The Peanut Butter Falcon (PG-13).
For a pulpy thriller: Verity in theaters now, or Bad Times at the El Royale for something with more polish.
If you’re a completist who wants the full arc: Watch A Bigger Splash, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Lost Daughter, and Materialists, in that order. Together they trace her path from rising actor to franchise lead to respected indie performer to romantic-drama headliner.
A practical note on streaming: which service carries each film changes regularly, and some titles move in and out of catalogs within months. A tracker such as JustWatch will show current availability in the US.
What Her Movie Choices Reveal
Looking across her work, a few patterns stand out.
She repeatedly returns to certain directors. Luca Guadagnino directed her in A Bigger Splash and Suspiria, and she has worked with several first-time or early-career filmmakers, including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cooper Raiff, Celine Song, and Christy Hall. These aren’t safe commercial choices, and that is part of what defines her.
She also produces. Her involvement on projects like Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I OK? suggests she’s interested in helping shape films rather than only appearing in them. She has also said publicly that she plans to direct a feature, though details have been limited, so it’s best to treat that as an ambition rather than a confirmed release.
Her screen persona is distinctive: cool, wry, a bit guarded. That doesn’t suit every genre, and critics sometimes describe the same quality as either her greatest asset or her limitation, depending on the film. The best way to judge for yourself is to watch several of her films from different periods.
What’s Next
At the time of writing, no other confirmed major release has been announced to follow Verity, apart from the reported directing plans. Release schedules shift often, so check trade outlets such as Variety, Deadline, and The Hollywood Reporter for current news.
FAQs
What was Dakota Johnson’s first movie?
Her first film credit was Crazy in Alabama (1999), where she appeared as a child. Her first adult screen work came later, including a small role in The Social Network (2010).
What is Dakota Johnson’s most famous movie?
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) is the one that made her internationally famous. The three-film Fifty Shades series is still the work she is most associated with.
What are Dakota Johnson’s best movies?
Critics and audiences tend to point to The Lost Daughter, A Bigger Splash, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Materialists. “Best” is subjective, so the mood-based picks above may serve you better.
What is Dakota Johnson’s newest movie?
Verity, which opened in US theaters on October 2, 2026.
Is Dakota Johnson in a Marvel movie?
Not exactly. Madame Web (2024) is a Sony film set in its Spider-Man universe, which is separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Did Dakota Johnson direct a movie?
Not yet. She has said she intends to direct a feature, but no finished directorial film has been released.
Which Dakota Johnson movies are family-friendly?
Very few. Persuasion is rated PG and The Peanut Butter Falcon is PG-13. Most of her other films are R-rated or aimed at adults, so check content ratings first.
Do I need to watch the Fifty Shades movies in order?
Yes. They tell one continuous story, so start with Fifty Shades of Grey, then Darker, then Freed.
Who are Dakota Johnson’s parents?
Her parents are actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith.
Conclusion
Dakota Johnson’s filmography is more varied than her Fifty Shades fame suggests. The franchise made her a star, but the independent and arthouse work that followed, from A Bigger Splash to The Lost Daughter to Materialists, is what gives her career its shape. Madame Web was a misstep, and the reception for Verity is still taking form.
If you only have time for a few films, start with The Peanut Butter Falcon for warmth, The Lost Daughter for depth, and Materialists for her most recent leading work. Then explore outward based on whether you want romance, horror, or something in between.
