There’s no easier way to make a name for yourself in Hollywood than by directing a box office success. That’s the case for those listed here. These are all recognizable names, save perhaps for one or two filmmakers who may not be familiar to more antiquated audiences. But all in all, these are some of the most popular (and in some cases, the highest-rated) filmmakers that Hollywood has ever had to offer.
Several of them have Best Director honors under their belts from the Academy Awards, and have released fan-favorite projects throughout their entire careers. One or two of the following names aren’t exactly known for putting out critical darlings, but obviously, they hold value in Hollywood nonetheless. With all that said, these are the ten highest-grossing film directors in the history of the industry.
10Ridley Scott
Kicking things off with one of the more beloved filmmakers on the list,Ridley Scottis just about as fan-favorite a director as they come. With seminalscience fictionprojects likeAlien(1979) andBlade Runner(1982) under his belt, he quickly established himself as a juggernaut of the industry. And frankly, when perusing the list of films among Scott’s oeuvre, it could seem surprising that he only comes in at number ten.
But when considering his individually highest-grossing film wasThe Martian(2015) with $650 million accrued at the box office, it should start to make sense. Certain other projects likeGladiator(2000) made decent money in ticket sales, though that’s mostly known nowadays for its impressive run at the Oscars. Meanwhile, every other director on this list made at least one film that grossed over a billion dollars. In the end, Scott’s films are among the highest-rated, but he does land here at the start of the list.
Related:10 Best Ridley Scott Films, Ranked
9Tim Burton
Although this may be a shocking entry on the offset due to the popularity of his more small-scale projects,Tim Burtonhas undoubtedly directed his fair share of blockbusters. Of course, films likeBeetlejuice(1988) andEdward Scissorhands(1990) remain among his highest-caliber films, their results inthe box officeultimately paled in comparison to other Burton projects from that time likeBatman(1989) andBatman Returns(1992).
And in the 21st century, he really started making a name for himself as a juggernaut of the industry thanks to high-grossing movies likePlanet of the Apes(2001),Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005), and most prominentlyAlice in Wonderland(2010). That last one grossed over a billion dollars at the box office, and ultimately helped Burton land here at number nine.
Related:Tim Burton’s Career Ranked By Decade
8J.J. Abrams
Although he’s mostly known for two particular science fiction franchises,J.J. Abramsmade hisdirectorial debutwithMission: Impossible III(2006). And given that franchise had already established a decent track record at the box office, it of course performed well in that regard. And as for the aforementioned sci-fi properties: the first wasStar Trek(2009). He also helmed its sequel,Star Trek Into Darkness(2013), and in between he releasedSuper 8(2011). All three had fantastic runs in theaters.
But of course, Abrams really catapulted into blockbuster territory when he helmedStar Wars: The Force Awakens(2015). He returned to directStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker(2019), as well. And no matter how you may feel about the quality of those respective projects, there’s no denying their statuses as blockbuster sensations.
7Christopher Nolan
Although he does come in at number seven in terms of success at the box office,Christopher Nolanmight very well come out on top of this list if it were ranking the quality of these respective careers themselves. In other words, Nolan never released a bad film, so to speak, save perhaps forTenet(2020) — but even then, neither fans nor critics went as far to call it bad.
That particular project didn’t make the kind of juggernaut, blockbuster money of otherNolan films, but it still performed adequately enough. Of course,The Dark Knight Trilogyis the most successful name under Nolan’s directorial belt in terms of ticket sales. ButInception(2010),Interstellar(2014), andDunkirk(2017) also made one-in-a-lifetime numbers in theaters. And, again: in the end, almost all of those projects are of the absolute highest quality, too.
6David Yates
Although the franchise is seen in a pretty negative light these days thanks to the keyboard antics of J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter film franchise is still obviously one of the most popular properties around the Hollywood block. And that’s been the case since Christopher Columbus directed the first film,Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone(2001) at the start of the century.
But after a couple more releases with another director in the mix with Alfonso Cuaron,the franchisefound its permanent leader inDavid Yates. He made four films in the core franchise — the last four, that is — and has since been helming theFantastic Beastsprequel series. Yates hasn’t done much at all outside of this groundbreaking franchise, but in the end, he never really needed to. The wizarding world alone lands him here at number six.
5Michael Bay
From a qualitative standpoint,Michael Bayhas one of the weaker catalogues of films out of any director on this list. Make no mistake: the firstBad Boys(1995) delivered some great laughs,The Rock(1996) was a solid project, and the firstTransformers(2007) film was successful for what it set out to achieve. But in the end, ham-fisted sequels to both aforementioned movies in tandem with underwhelming properties likeArmageddon(1998) andPearl Harbor(2001) have portrayed Bay in a negative light for film fans.
But of course, all five of those projects and any respective sequels absolutely dominated at the worldwide box office.Transformersas a property has gone down as one of thehighest grossing movie franchisesof all time with nearly $5 billion accrued at the box office. And when adding nearly a dozen films from throughout his career, he does here land at number five.
4Peter Jackson
He’s made fourteen feature films throughouthis career. And it total, those projects byPeter Jacksonhave made just over $6.5 billion in theaters. But, here’s the thing: of those fourteen projects, six in particular accrued roughly $5.7 billion of that total. And they were all within the Middle Earth franchise.Bad Taste(1987),Meet the Fables(1989), andBraindead(1992) all accrued less than a million dollars in theaters respectively.Heavenly Creatures(1994) performed a bit better, making $5.5 million, whileForgotten Silver(1995) was another dud.
The Frighteners(1996) made decent money with thirty million, but of course,The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001) marked the first massive success that helped land Jackson at number four. The only film outside of that franchise that made substantial money wasKing Kong(2005) with $563 million made at the box office. But still, he comes in here at number four.
3Russo Brothers
After their first two feature films —Welcome to Collinwood(2002) followed byYou, Me and Dupree(2006) — nobody would have ever guessed thatJoeandAnthony Russowould go on to be the third-highest grossing directors in the history of film.You, Me and Dupreemade great money in theaters thanks to the cast of Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon, and Kate Hudson, but ultimately, the Russos are known throughout the world for four particular entries in theMarvel Cinematic Universe.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier(2014) was perhaps their best of the bunch. But with the follow-upCaptain America: Civil War(2016), they broke a billion dollars at the box office. And of course, bothAvengers: Infinity War(2018) andAvengers: Endgame(2019) blew those numbers out the water with over $2 billion made worldwide. Pretty staggering numbers for Joe and Anthony.
2James Cameron
Frankly,James Cameronmay be the single most impressive entry on the list. Obviously, the Russo Brothers came in right before, but there are two of them. There’s only one James Cameron. Meanwhile, the number one pick has released more than thirty features throughout his career. James Cameron has only released eleven.
And from a critical perspective, Cameron also has a great balance of quality and quantity. WhileAliens(1986) andTerminator 2: Judgment Day(1991) madegreat money in theatersin themselves, they’re ultimately remembered as being films of legitimately high caliber. And on the other hand, whileTitanic(1997) andAvatar(2009) are of course solid narratives, both those projects have gone down in history for the statuses as financial juggernauts. It’s easy to see in the end how Cameron lands in second place.
1Steven Spielberg
Although the numbers are close these days, the king of blockbusters remains on top as the highest-grossing film director of all time. Of course,Jaws(1975) was the first of the famous, aforementionedSteven Spielbergblockbusters. But the eighties is when he truly solidified this number one spot, asE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982) became the highest-grossing film of all time. At least, at the time of release.
Three Indiana Jones movies helped his case in the eighties, and the subsequent decade was just as successful. Off the bat, he put outSchindler’s List(1993) andJurassic Park(1993) in the same year, with the latter being Spielberg’s most profitable film to date. He also put out a sequel inJurassic Park: The Lost World(1997), as well as a masterful war film inSaving Private Ryan(1998). Both raked in hundreds of millions of dollars, and none of that even touched on the 21st century. He’s built quite the resume.
