MFF Data – Nicolas Cage, Sleeveless Shirts, and His Filmography – An In-Depth Study
Quick Note – This Nicolas Cage data is silly. Enjoy the randomness of a thoroughly detailed, slightly pointless, and time consuming dumb movie data article. Also, make sure to listen to our podcast episodes about this data and the time he ran around in a bear suit in The Wicker Man.
This data article came about because earlier this year I was talking to someone about Con Air (because I’m the co-host of Con Air – The Podcast), and Nicolas Cage’s 1990s action run, and the conversation led us to discussing the mythical being known as “Tank Top Nic Cage,” the man who has appeared in Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Con Air, Kiss of Death, Valley Girl, Birdy, The Boy in Blue (watch the trailer please), Wild At Heart, Red Rock West and The Croods (both of them). These are some of Cage’s most well-regarded movies, and they also feature him wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. I began to wonder if there was any correlation between his clothes selection and the critical/audience/box office averages. Also, I recently watched the 2019 movie Primal (listen to the episode we recorded about it) and noticed that he wears a henley throughout. Then, I thought back to Dying of the Light, Rage, Inconceivable, A Score to Settle and Looking Glass and remembered that he wore a henley in those low rated movies. These two clothing choices were enough to fuel my research to see if “Tank Top Nic Cage” is the ultimate Nic Cage.
To figure out the data, I watched every Nic Cage movie (thank you every streaming service invented, Hoopla and my local library) and logged all the instances in which he wore a sleeveless t-shirt, leather jackets (which he is known for), suits/tuxedos, or a henley t-shirt. I didn’t count uniforms (the pilot uniform in Left Behind doesn’t count as a suit, it’s a uniform), and included all other clothing options in a “None” category. In 8 MM, Cage wears all four of the clothing options I researched, thus, 8 MM is included in all the categories.
Quick Note – In movies like World Trade Center, he’s buried underneath rubble for the majority of the screen time. I didn’t feel the need to watch every minute of the film. I don’t want you thinking that I slacked on my research though. There are blink-and-you-miss-it sleeveless shirt moments in Looking Glass and Joe, so I knew I had to take the data collection seriously. I’ve just known when I could fast-forward. I also had to rewatch many of the films because I originally only planned to cover sleeveless t-shirts. However, I noticed the suit/leather jacket/henley trends so decided to include them.
Here are the overall averages throughout his career.
- IMDb User Score Average – 5.89
- Rotten Tomatoes Average – 48.6%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $102 million
- Academy Award Wins – One – 1996 – Best Actor in a Leading Role – Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – He was nominated for Best Actor in 2003 for Adaptation.
Sleeveless T- Shirts or Tank Tops (Vests not included)
IMDb User Score Average – 6.12
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.58
- VOD Average – 4.9
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 54.9%
- Theatrical Release Average – 62.5% – Highest of all the averages
- VOD Release – 30.8%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $89 million
- # of movies – 22
- # of Fresh movies – 12 (54.5% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 7 (31.8%)
Quick thoughts – With Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Valley Girl, Red Rock West, Birdy, Joe and The Incredible Weight of Massive Talent in this category, it’s easy to understand why it has the highest IMDb and Tomatometer average. The category is loaded. Toss in Racing With the Moon, Wild at Heart, Kiss of Death, The Croods and The Croods 2, and you have a solid group of Fresh, but not wildly loved (by critics) movies.
The 0% rated Deadfall didn’t help the “Tank Top Nic Cage” category, BUT, if you are a Cage completist, you need to watch it (Arsenal too).
Cage performances you need to watch
- Kiss of Death – Little Junior Brown is a beast.
- Joe – It’s proof Cage was crushing it in the 2010s
- Valley Girl – Cage is a solid romantic lead
| MOVIE | IMDb Score | Tomatometer Score | Year Released | Worldwide Box Office |
| Valley Girl | 6.4 | 83 | 1983 | 17 |
| Birdy | 7.2 | 80 | 1984 | 1 |
| Racing With the Moon | 6.7 | 60 | 1984 | 5 |
| The Boy in Blue | 5.3 | NA | 1986 | NA |
| Raising Arizona | 7.3 | 90 | 1987 | 23 |
| Moonstruck | 7.1 | 93 | 1987 | 80 |
| Fire Birds | 4.7 | 10 | 1990 | 15 |
| Wild at Heart | 7.2 | 67 | 1990 | 15 |
| Deadfall | 4 | 0 | 1993 | NA |
| Red Rock West | 7 | 97 | 1993 | 10 |
| Kiss of Death | 5.9 | 68 | 1995 | 15 |
| Con AIr | 6.9 | 57 | 1997 | 224 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Captain Correlli’s Mandolin | 5.9 | 28 | 2001 | 62 |
| Bangkok Dangerous | 5.3 | 9 | 2008 | 47 |
| The Croods | 7.2 | 72 | 2013 | 573 |
| Joe | 6.8 | 86 | 2014 | NA |
| Between Worlds | 4 | 32 | 2018 | NA |
| Looking Glass | 4.6 | 21 | 2018 | NA |
| A Score to Settle | 4.7 | 15 | 2019 | NA |
| The Croods 2 | 6.9 | 77 | 2020 | 215 |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | 86 | 2022 | 25 |
Suits/Tuxedos/Suit Jacket
IMDb User Score Average – 6.04
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.54
- VOD Average – 5.02
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 48.2%
- Theatrical Release Average – 56.5%
- VOD Average – 28.2%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $94 million
- # of movies – 55
- # of Fresh movies – 23 (41.8% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 12 (21.8%)
Quick thoughts – There are some beautiful movies in this category (Adaptation, Face/Off, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Leaving Las Vegas), and it makes me happy that his prison trilogy (or Beige Volvo Trilogy) features him wearing suits in Face/Off, The Rock, and Con Air
It’s worth noting that Leaving Las Vegas (won an Oscar) and Adaptation (Nominated for an Oscar) feature him wearing a suit AND dying. Is that his Oscars formula?
Cage performances you need to watch
- Matchstick Men – So so so good.
- Vampire’s Kiss – It’s his favorite performance.
- Adaptation – He plays two characters. Perfection.
| MOVIE | IMDB | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
| Fast Times at Ridgemont High | 7.1 | 78 | 1982 | 27 |
| Valley Girl | 6.4 | 83 | 1983 | 17 |
| Birdy | 7.2 | 80 | 1984 | 1 |
| Racing With the Moon | 6.7 | 60 | 1984 | 5 |
| The Cotton Club | 6.5 | 77 | 1984 | 26 |
| The Boy in Blue | 5.3 | NA | 1986 | NA |
| Peggy Sue Got Married | 6.4 | 86 | 1986 | 41 |
| Raising Arizona | 7.3 | 90 | 1987 | 23 |
| Moonstruck | 7.1 | 93 | 1987 | 80 |
| Vampire’s Kiss | 6 | 61 | 1989 | NA |
| Zandallee | 4.3 | 33 | 1991 | NA |
| Honeymoon in Vegas | 5.8 | 65 | 1992 | 35 |
| Deadfall | 4 | 0 | 1993 | NA |
| Amos and Andrew | 5.7 | 17 | 1993 | 9 |
| It Could Happen to You | 6.4 | 71 | 1994 | 38 |
| Trapped in Paradise | 5.9 | 5 | 1994 | 6 |
| Guarding Tess | 6.2 | 56 | 1994 | 27 |
| Leaving Las Vegas | 7.5 | 91 | 1995 | 50 |
| The Rock | 7.4 | 69 | 1996 | 336 |
| Con AIr | 6.9 | 57 | 1997 | 224 |
| Face/Off | 7.3 | 92 | 1997 | 241 |
| Snake Eyes | 6.1 | 40 | 1998 | 104 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | 6.5 | 25 | 2000 | 233 |
| The Family Man | 6.8 | 53 | 2000 | 125 |
| Captain Corelli’s Mandolin | 5.9 | 28 | 2001 | 62 |
| Adaptation | 7.7 | 91 | 2002 | 33 |
| Sonny | 5.6 | 22 | 2002 | NA |
| Matchstick Men | 7.3 | 82 | 2003 | 59 |
| National Treasure | 6.9 | 46 | 2003 | 331 |
| Lord of War | 7.6 | 61 | 2005 | 60 |
| The Weather Man | 6.6 | 59 | 2005 | 15 |
| The Wicker Man | 3.7 | 15 | 2006 | 38 |
| Next | 6.2 | 28 | 2007 | 74 |
| National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets | 6.5 | 36 | 2007 | 457 |
| Bangkok Dangerous | 5.3 | 9 | 2008 | 47 |
| Knowing | 6.2 | 34 | 2009 | 186 |
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | 6.6 | 86 | 2009 | 12 |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 6.1 | 40 | 2010 | 218 |
| Trespass | 5.3 | 9 | 2011 | NA |
| Seeking Justice | 6.1 | 28 | 2012 | NA |
| Stolen | 5.5 | 20 | 2012 | 18 |
| The Frozen Ground | 6.4 | 61 | 2013 | NA |
| Dying of the Light | 4.5 | 11 | 2014 | NA |
| Rage | 5 | 12 | 2014 | NA |
| Pay the Ghost | 5.1 | 10 | 2015 | NA |
| The Runner | 4.7 | 24 | 2015 | NA |
| Dog Eat Dog | 4.7 | 49 | 2016 | NA |
| Snowden | 7.3 | 61 | 2016 | 35 |
| The Trust | 5.4 | 63 | 2016 | NA |
| Vengeance | 5.2 | NA | 2017 | NA |
| Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 2017 | NA |
| A Score to Settle | 4.7 | 15 | 2019 | NA |
| Prisoners of Ghostland | 4.2 | 61 | 2021 | NA |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | 86 | 2022 | 25 |
Other Wardrobe
IMDb User Score Average – 5.6
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.34
- VOD Average – 5.02
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 47.5%
- Theatrical Release Average – 59.9%
- VOD Average – 32.5%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $94 million
- # of movies – 31
- # of Fresh movies – 12 (38.7% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 4 (12.9%)
Quick thoughts – With Pig, Kick-Ass, Mandy, Color Out of Space, Bringing Out the Dead and Army of One, this category features some legit films, but they can’t make up for Left Behind, Season of the Witch, Outcast, Grand Isle, 211, and USS Indianapolis.
Cage performances you need to watch
- Mandy – It’s a sensory blasting experience
- Bringing out the Dead – Tired Nicolas Cage = Excellent Nicolas Cage
- Pig – Dude should’ve been nominated for an Oscar. Maybe if he wore a suit…
| MOVIE | IMDB User Score | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
| Rumble Fish | 7.1 | 75 | 1983 | 3 |
| Time to Kill | 5.1 | NA | 1989 | NA |
| Never on Tuesday | 4.6 | NA | 1989 | NA |
| City of Angels | 6.7 | 58 | 1998 | 199 |
| Bring out the Dead | 6.8 | 72 | 1999 | 17 |
| Christmas Carol – The Movie | 5.4 | 13 | 2001 | NA |
| Windtalkers | 6.1 | 33 | 2002 | 78 |
| World Trade Center | 6 | 66 | 2006 | 163 |
| The Ant Bully | 5.8 | 62 | 2006 | 50 |
| Grindhouse | 7.5 | 84 | 2007 | 50 |
| G-Force | 5.1 | 22 | 2009 | 293 |
| Astro Boy | 6.2 | 50 | 2009 | 42 |
| Kick-Ass | 7.6 | 76 | 2010 | 98 |
| Season of the Witch | 5.4 | 11 | 2011 | 91 |
| Drive Angry | 5.4 | 47 | 2011 | 41 |
| Left Behind | 3.1 | 0 | 2014 | 21 |
| Outcast | 4.6 | 4 | 2015 | NA |
| USS Indianapolis | 5.2 | 17 | 2016 | NA |
| Army of One | 5.1 | 25 | 2016 | NA |
| 211 | 4.4 | 4 | 2018 | NA |
| Humanity Bureau | 4.6 | 25 | 2018 | NA |
| Mom and Dad | 5.5 | 75 | 2018 | NA |
| Mandy | 6.5 | 90 | 2018 | NA |
| Teen Titans | 6.7 | 91 | 2018 | 52 |
| Spider-Verse | 8.4 | 97 | 2018 | 375 |
| Grand Isle | 4.6 | 0 | 2019 | NA |
| Running With the Devil | 5.4 | 24 | 2019 | NA |
| Kill Chain | 5 | NA | 2019 | NA |
| Jiu Jitsu | 2.9 | 28 | 2020 | NA |
| Color out of Space | 6.1 | 86 | 2020 | NA |
| Pig | 6.9 | 97 | 2022 | 4 |
Leather Jackets
IMDb User Score Average – 5.75
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.05
- VOD Average – 4.98
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 42.8%
- Theatrical Release Average – 44.8%
- VOD Average – 38.2%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $99 million
- # of movies – 24
- # of Fresh movies – 9 (37.5% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 5 (20.8%)
Quick thoughts – Call me crazy, but his most famous leather jacket moment was in Gone in 60 Seconds. It’s a part of his character.
Cage performances you need to watch
- Wild at Heart – Wowza
- Lord of War – Cage is really good in Lord of War. It’s an appreciated performance but it’s not one of his most talked about (aside from cinephile circles)
- Willy’s Wonderland – I love this movie. He has a great bathroom fight with an evil gorilla
Leather jacket fact – For years I thought he wore a leather jacket in Snake Eyes. He didn’t. Turns out it’s a rust brown-colored suit constructed from a polyester/cotton blend woven with narrow horizontal ribs and slubbed for a silky sharkskin effect of gold fleck detailing.
| MOVIE | IMDB User Score | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide |
| Valley Girl | 6.4 | 83 | 1983 | 17 |
| Birdy | 7.2 | 80 | 1984 | 1 |
| Fire Birds | 4.7 | 10 | 1990 | 15 |
| Wild at Heart | 7.2 | 67 | 1990 | 15 |
| Face/Off | 7.3 | 92 | 1997 | 241 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | 6.5 | 25 | 2000 | 233 |
| The Family Man | 6.8 | 53 | 2000 | 125 |
| Lord of War | 7.6 | 61 | 2005 | 60 |
| The Wicker Man | 3.7 | 15 | 2006 | 38 |
| Next | 6.2 | 28 | 2007 | 74 |
| Ghost Rider | 5.2 | 27 | 2007 | 230 |
| Bangkok Dangerous | 5.3 | 9 | 2008 | 47 |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 6.1 | 40 | 2010 | 218 |
| Ghost Rider 2 | 4.3 | 18 | 2012 | 149 |
| The Frozen Ground | 6.4 | 61 | 2013 | NA |
| Dying of the Light | 4.5 | 11 | 2014 | NA |
| Rage | 5 | 12 | 2014 | NA |
| Inconceivable | 5.1 | 31 | 2017 | NA |
| Vengeance | 5.2 | NA | 2017 | NA |
| Between Worlds | 4 | 32 | 2018 | NA |
| Willy’s Wonderland | 5.5 | 60 | 2021 | NA |
| Prisoners of Ghostland | 4.2 | 61 | 2021 | NA |
| The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | 86 | 2022 | 25 |
Henley
IMDb User Score Average – 5.45
- Theatrical Release Average – 6.35
- VOD Average – 5
Rotten Tomatoes Average – 32.3%
- Theatrical Release Average – 48.75%
- VOD Average – 25%
- Worldwide Box Office Average (not inflated) – $45.5 million
- # of movies – 13
- # of Fresh movies – 3 (23% of them are Fresh)
- # of movies with a 7.0 or higher IMDb score – 1 (7.69%)
Quick thoughts – Uff da. Willy’s Wonderland, Adaptation, and It Could Happen to You are worth watching. Also, Fire Birds and Seeking Justice are a good time.
Cage performances you need to watch
- Deadfall – It’s insane
- Fire Birds – It’s Cage’s Top Gun.
- Primal – The guy who directed worked as the 2nd Unit Director on RRR (2022).
| MOVIE | IMDb User Score | Tomatometer Score | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
| Fire Birds | 4.7 | 10 | 1990 | 15 |
| It Could Happen to You | 6.4 | 71 | 1994 | 38 |
| 8MM | 6.6 | 23 | 1999 | 96 |
| Adaptation | 7.7 | 91 | 2002 | 33 |
| Seeking Justice | 6.1 | 28 | 2012 | NA |
| Dying of the Light | 4.5 | 11 | 2014 | NA |
| Rage | 5 | 12 | 2014 | NA |
| Pay the Ghost | 5.1 | 10 | 2015 | NA |
| Inconceivable | 5.1 | 31 | 2017 | NA |
| Looking Glass | 4.6 | 21 | 2018 | NA |
| A Score to Settle | 4.7 | 15 | 2019 | NA |
| Primal | 4.9 | 37 | 2019 | NA |
| Willy’s Wonderland | 5.5 | 60 | 2021 | NA |
Fun Charts
Last stat – His movies are better off when he only wears one of these items.
- Only one item (Leather Jacket, Henley, Suit, Sleeveless T-Shirt) – 52.8% Tomatometer Average
- Two items worn – 47.1% average
- Three items worn – 39.8% average
- Four items worn – 23%
Which is the best outfit and why?
- Sleeveless T-Shirt – 54.9% – Tomatometer Average
- Sleeveless T-Shirt AND a Suit – 52%
- Sleeveless T-Shirt AND a Leather Jacket – 48.75%
- Leather Jacket AND a Suit – 46.25%
- Henley AND a Suit – 32.3
- Henley AND a Leather Jacket – 24.5%
- Sleeveless T- Shirt AND a Henley – 16%
Which kind of clothing is featured most in his highest ranked films?
| Movie | Tomatometer | Clothes |
| Spider-Verse | 97 | NA |
| Red Rock West | 97 | Sleeveless |
| Pig | 97 | NA |
| Moonstruck | 93 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Face/Off | 92 | Suit/Leather |
| Adaptation | 91 | Suit/Henley |
| Leaving Las Vegas | 91 | Suit |
| Teen Titans | 91 | NA |
| Raising Arizona | 90 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Mandy | 90 | NA |
| Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 86 | Sleeveless/Suit/Leather |
| Joe | 86 | Sleeveless |
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | 86 | Suit |
| Peggy Sue Got Married | 86 | Suit |
| Color out of Space | 86 | NA |
| Movies | IMDb Score | Clothes |
| Spider-Verse | 8.4 | NA |
| Adaptation | 7.7 | Suit/Henley |
| Kick-Ass | 7.6 | NA |
| Lord of War | 7.6 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Leaving Las Vegas | 7.5 | Suit |
| Grindhouse | 7.5 | NA |
| The Rock | 7.4 | Suit |
| Face/Off | 7.3 | Suit/Leather |
| Raising Arizona | 7.3 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Matchstick Men | 7.3 | Suit |
| Snowden | 7.3 | Suit |
| Birdy | 7.2 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| The Croods | 7.2 | Sleeveless |
| Wild at Heart | 7.2 | Sleeveless/Leather Jacket |
| Moonstruck | 7.1 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| Fast Times at Ridgemont High | 7.1 | NA |
| Rumble Fish | 7.1 | NA |
| Red Rock West | 7 | Sleeveless |
| Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 7 | Sleeveless/Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Movies | Worldwide Box Office | Clothes |
| The Croods | 573 | Sleeveless |
| National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets | 457 | Suit |
| Spider-Verse | 375 | NA |
| The Rock | 336 | Suit |
| National Treasure | 331 | Suit |
| G-Force | 293 | NA |
| Face/Off | 241 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | 233 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| Ghost Rider | 230 | Leather Jacket |
| Con AIr | 224 | Sleeveless/Suit |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | 218 | Suit/Leather Jacket |
| The Croods 2 | 215 | Sleeveless |
Final thoughts
- Adaptation and Leaving Las Vegas featured a suit wearing Nicolas Cage. He won his Oscar for LLV, and was nominated for his performance in Adaptation. Also, in both films he plays a writer, and he dies. Dang.
- His five highest grossing films feature him wearing a suit.
- His recent run of Color Out of Space, Pig, and Mandy feature him not wearing a suit/leather jacket/henley or sleeveless shirt.
- Face/Off, The Rock and Con Air feature Cage wearing a suit.
- Red Rock West, Pig, Moonstruck, Joe, Mandy and Raising Arizona are some of his highest rated films. In them, he plays a blue-collar (or down on his luck) guy. I like this variation of Cage. Also in Leaving Las Vegas and Adaptation his characters haven’t definitely seen better days.
- If you want critical acclaim, have Cage play a blue collar guy who wears sleeveless shirts. It worked in Raising Arizona, Valley Girl, Birdie, Joe, Red Rock West, and Moonstruck
- If you want to make money, put Cage in a suit or leather jacket. It worked for National Treasure, Face/Off, The Rock, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Con Air, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Family Man and Snake Eyes
Final Final thought – If he keeps it up, “Flannel Nic Cage” might be the ultimate Nic Cage. Adaptation, Joe, Mandy, and Color out of Space feature some legit flannel. There
Movies, Films & Flix 