Since he began as a 17-year-old six decades ago, this filmmaker has ruled the worldwide box office, beating heavyweights in the process. Back in the 1970s, when Jaws became the first film to cross the $100 million mark in the domestic market, it became the benchmark for box office success. Over the years, this was replaced by $1 billion in global earnings. But in the five decades, one thing has remained common—one filmmaker has consistently made the highest-grossing films, decade after decade, making him the most successful filmmaker in the history of cinema, at least in terms of box office gross.
World’s most successful director
Steven Spielberg has ruled the box office for five decades. In a career that has spanned 60 years, Spielberg has directed 36 feature films that have collectively grossed $10.7 billion at the box office. He is the only film director to breach the $10 billion mark with box office receipts. James Cameron trails him with a cumulative gross of $8.8 billion. The Russo Brothers, Michael Bay, and Peter Jackson complete the top 5, all with worldwide box office gross of over $6.5 billion.
Steven Spielberg, the trendsetter at the box office
Spielberg’s films have broken most of the big milestones at the Hollywood box office. His 1975 film Jaws was the first to earn over $100 million in North America. He then upped the ante when his ET the Extra-Terrestrial became the highest-grossing film ever, with a worldwide gross of $791 million. Spielberg was also the first filmmaker to record a billion-dollar hit, a feat he achieved with Jurassic Park ($1.05 billion) in 1993.
In the 21st century, even as James Cameron, Russo Brothers, and Christopher Nolan pulled away, Spielberg continued to direct blockbusters like Catch Me If You Can ($352 million), War of the Worlds ($603 million), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($786 million), and Ready Player One ($603 million).
Steven Spielberg’s downfall at the box office
However, Spielberg has seen a disappointing return at the box office post-pandemic with his two releases. His 2021 musical West Side Story only earned $75 million on a $100 million budget despite getting praise from critics and winning an Oscar. His most recent film – The Fabelmans – fared even worse, earning only $45 million worldwide. However, it is again called one of the filmmaker’s best ever. Spielberg is currently developing a film around the character Frank Bullitt, a fictional San Francisco police.
