Directing a single box office hit is an extraordinary feat.
But to become an all-time box office great, one must possess unrivaled levels of creativity, longevity, and enterprise — or else, decide to make five “Transformers” movies.
To find out which directors have had the most fiscally successful careers, we looked into Box Office Mojo’s data to compile this list of the helmers whose movies have grossed the most money at the domestic box office.
From Steven Spielberg to Christopher Nolan to Michael Bay, the top-grossing directors in U.S. movie history all have compelling and versatile filmographies.
Here are the 15 highest-earning movie directors of all time, ranked by total box office gross:[/nextpage][nextpage]
15. Gore Verbinski — Total gross: $1.529 billion
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006). Disney
Number of movies: 10
Average gross: $152.9 million
Highest-grossing film: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” ($423.3 million)
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14. David Yates — Total gross: $1.631 billion
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2” (2011). Warner Bros.
Number of movies: 6
Average gross: $271.9 million
Highest-grossing film: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2″ ($381 million)
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13. Ridley Scott — Total gross: $1.635 billion
“The Martian” (2015). Aidan Monaghan/20th Century Fox
Number of movies: 23
Average gross: $152.9 million
Highest-grossing film: “The Martian” ($423.3 million)
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12. J.J. Abrams — Total gross: $1.684 billion
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015). Disney
Number of movies: 5
Average gross: $336.8 million
Highest-grossing film: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($936.7 million)
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11. George Lucas — Total gross: $1.743 billion
“Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” (1999). Lucasfilm
Number of movies: 6
Average gross: $290.7 million
Highest-grossing film: “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” ($423.3 million)
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10. Chris Columbus — Total gross: $1.750 billion
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001). Warner Bros.
Number of movies: 15
Average gross: $116.7 million
Highest-grossing film: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” ($317.6 million)
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9. Clint Eastwood — Total gross: $1.816 billion
“American Sniper” (2014). Keith Bernstein/Warner Brothers
Number of movies: 34
Average gross: $53.4 million
Highest-grossing film: “American Sniper” ($350.1 million)
(Excerpt) Read More at: BusinessInsider.com[/nextpage]