7 Highest Grossing Directors Of All Time; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and others

Box office acts as a major tool to decide the success or failure of any movie. It also decides the ranking of the actors, directors and studios in the film business. While Pinkvilla has previously reported the highest grossing actors of all time, here’s taking you down the numbers lane that tells which film director rules the list of highest-grossing directors of all time at the worldwide box office.

7 Highest Grossing Directors of all time

1. Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is among the most popular filmmakers across the globe. The Hollywood icon, who has been active in the film industry since the 1960s has blessed the audience with many memorable blockbuster movies. Spielberg is considered as the most successful film director in the world. Undoubtedly, he rules at the top among the highest-grossing film directors of all time.

Taking his commercial successes in account, Steven Spielberg’s rich filmography has smashed a total box office collection of USD 10.75 Billion globally. Of which, a major chunk was contributed by Jaws, Jurassic Park franchise, and Indiana Jones franchise.

The critically-acclaimed legendary filmmaker bagged three Academy awards, two BAFTA awards, four Golden Globe awards among many other accolades in his 60 year long career.

2. James Cameron

James Cameron is the second most successful film director in the world. The legendary Hollywood icon has won both commercial and critical acclaim for his movies like Titanic, the Avatar franchise, Aliens, The Terminator and its sequel, among others. Cameron has been active in the industry since the 1970s and has earned numerous accolades throughout his career.

Although the filmmaker has directed fewer movies compared to Steven Spielberg, he has still managed to gross a total box office collection of USD 8.7 billion, securing the second spot among the highest-grossing directors of all time.

Cameron directed the first film to gross over $1 billion (Titanic), the first two films to gross over $2 billion (Titanic and Avatar), and is the only director to have three films gross over $2 billion (Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar 2).

3. Anthony Russo

Anthony Russo is the third highest-grossing film director of all time. He works alongside his brother Joe Russo, and together they are collectively known as the Russo Brothers. Anthony has co-directed nine movies with his brother. The cumulative box office collection of his illustrious filmography is USD 6.79 billion.

The duo has directed four Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. The two Avengers movies contributed the most to their cumulative box office collections.

4. Joe Russo

Joseph Russo (Joe Russo) secured the fourth spot among the highest grossing directors of all time. While Joe and Anthony share the same gross collection of USD 6.79 Billion, the difference in the ranking came because of the average business per movie. In addition to directing 9 movies together, Joe has directed one movie alone.

For the uninitiated, the Russo Brothers are teaming up again to direct the next two instalments of Marvel Cinematic Universe- Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

5. Peter Jackson

Among the highest-grossing directors of all time, Peter Jackson holds the fifth spot. The three-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker has earned numerous accolades throughout his career. Jackson is best known for directing the iconic The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, which have solidified his place among the legends of cinema. Reportedly, his movies have grossed over USD 6.54 billion worldwide.

Peter Jackson’s other notable works include Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners, and King Kong, among others. He has also directed short films, documentaries, and has acted in several projects.

6. Michael Bay

Michael Bay is the sixth highest-grossing director of all time. The American filmmaker is known for directing big-budget tentpole movies such as Bad Boys 1 & 2, the first five films in the Transformers franchise, The Rock, and Pearl Harbor, among others.

With a global gross collection of over USD 6.49 billion, Michael Bay is one of the most commercially successful directors in the history of cinema.

7. David Yates

David Yates has secured the seventh spot among the highest-grossing directors of all time. The acclaimed filmmaker is best known for directing several films in the iconic Harry Potter series. He directed the final four movies of the Harry Potter franchise, as well as the three films in its prequel series, the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

David Yates’ films have grossed over USD 6.33 billion worldwide, placing him among the most successful film directors of all time.

Following is the list of highest-grossing directors of all time:

Besides the above-mentioned film directors, some other notable filmmakers whose filmography has left a mark at the box office include Christopher Nolan, J.J. Abrams, Ridley Scott, and Tim Burton.

If you loved reading this, you can also check out the list of highest-grossing actors of all time at the global box office. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates!

Disclaimer: The box office figures are compiled from various sources and our own research. The figures can be approximate, and Pinkvilla does not make any claims about the authenticity of the data. However, they are adequately indicative of the box-office performance of the films in question.

ALSO READ: 7 highest-grossing actors of all time: Samuel Jackson, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Cruise and others