Following the success of Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron is the first director in history to have three movies surpass $2 billion at the worldwide box office.
Cameron's first, Titanic, was released in 1997 and became the highest grossing movie ever at the time, as did his next effort, the first Avatar.
The Way of Water was released in November of 2022 and surpassed $2bn in January of 2023. The money, incredibly, continues to roll in.
Despite Cameron's success, he doesn't actually take the top spot on our list of the most successful directors. That honour goes to Steven Spielberg. whose movies have grossed no less than $10,657,071,461, with Jurassic Park emerging as his biggest hit in 1993.
As well as obvious success, Spielberg has enjoyed longevity in the business as he made his theatrical directorial debut in 1974 with The Sugarland Express.
Third on our list is the Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony, and their box office success can be attributed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the co-directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Rounding out the top five is Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fame, and Michael Bay, whose biggest movie is Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Highest-grossing directors
| Director | Worldwide Box Office | Biggest Movie |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Spielberg | $10,657,071,461 | Jurassic Park |
| James Cameron | $8,238,937,410 | Avatar |
| The Russo Brothers | $6,840,246,172 | Avengers: Endgame |
| Peter Jackson | $6,536,703,723 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
| Michael Bay | $6,495,374,196 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon |
| David Yates | $6,350,769,729 | Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows: Part 2 |
| Christopher Nolan | $4,963,005,708 | The Dark Knight Rises |
| J.J. Abrams | $4,648,965,502 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens |
| Tim Burton | $4,413,226,120 | Alice in Wonderland |
| Ridley Scott | $4,366,290,985 | The Martian |
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