Special Report

50 Highest Grossing Films Directed by Women

One of the pioneering directors of motion pictures was Frenchwoman Alice Guy. She directed early films for the trailblazing French film maker Gaumont before she and her husband came to the U.S. and started their own movie company. Changes in the industry eventually put her company and other independents out of business. She returned to France but was unable to find film work. Guy’s accomplishments wouldn’t be recognized until much later in the 20th century.

Hers is the story of female movie directors in microcosm — visionary women frustrated by a male-dominated industry, whose accomplishments were overlooked or credited to men.

Change has been glacial in the movie industry, but in recent years, more women have been getting the chance to prove themselves behind the camera — and being recognized for their talent. The fruits of their work are manifesting themselves increasingly in profitable motion pictures.

To determine the highest-grossing films directed by women, 24/7 Tempo reviewed films with female directors made between 1990 and 2019. Films are ranked by world box office gross with data from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services. Information on casts came from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon. Tomatometer scores are from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator. We excluded films directed by women in collaboration with a male director.  

Rom-coms such as “What Women Want” and “Sleepless in Seattle” — directed by Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron, respectively — are on the list. (Between them, the two have 11 films ranked here.) Nail-biters such as “Zero Dark Thirty” and the horror remake “Carrie,” both directed by women, found favor among audiences — as did historically based movies such as “Unbroken” and “The Iron Lady.” 

Patty Jenkins became the first female director of a superhero film by helming the mega-hit “Wonder Woman,” which is among the 100 top-grossing movies of all time. Comedians who went behind the camera to make box-office magic include Penny Marshall and Betty Thomas, each with two entries on the list. (Click here for the complete list of the 100 top-grossing movies of all time.)

Click here to see the 50 highest grossing films directed by women

Sofia Coppola, Jodie Foster, and Angelina Jolie are actors whose directorial efforts produced profitable and critically acclaimed movies. Coppola was the first American woman to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar, and one of only seven nominated for the award in Oscar history. The first woman to win the award was Kathryn Bigelow, who took home the golden statue for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Chloe Zhao won in 2020 for “Nomadland” to become the first woman of color to win the Best Director Oscar. (See who won the Oscar for Best Director every year since the Oscars began.)

Courtesy of Albatros Film

50. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
> Director: Gurinder Chadha
> Worldwide ticket sales: $76,583,333
> Actors: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher
> Tomatometer score: 85%

Gurinder Chadha’s sly comedy about a young Indian girl (Parminder Nagra) with a talent for soccer whose strict family won’t let her play the sport delighted critics and audiences. Time magazine critic Jumana Farousky said “The acting is as nimble as the footwork.” The film is Chadha’s highest-grossing film.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

49. A Dog’s Journey (2019)
> Director: Gail Mancuso
> Worldwide ticket sales: $78,099,156
> Actors: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Kathryn Prescott, Marg Helgenberger
> Tomatometer score: 51%

An adventure/comedy/drama with a Buddhist-like twist in which a dog finds the meaning of life through the people he meets, Gail Mancuso’s film was more popular with audiences than critics, with 91% of fans on Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a thumbs-up.

Courtesy of Screen Gems

48. Carrie (2013)
> Director: Kimberly Peirce
> Worldwide ticket sales: $84,790,678
> Actors: Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday
> Tomatometer score: 50%

A remake of the story of a bullied high school girl with serious telekinetic powers who uses them to lethal effect, this is director Kimberly Peirce’s top-grossing film.

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Staff / Getty Images North America

47. Step Up All In (2014)
> Director: Trish Sie
> Worldwide ticket sales: $86,165,646
> Actors: Ryan Guzman, Briana Evigan, Adam Sevani, Misha Gabriel Hamilton
> Tomatometer score: 42%

Trish Sie, who helmed the hit “Pitch Perfect 3,” directed this film about a Miami dancer who refuses to give up on his career. He pulls together a dance crew of old and new friends and tries to win a dance competition in Las Vegas.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

46. Red Riding Hood (2011)
> Director: Catherine Hardwicke
> Worldwide ticket sales: $90,300,442
> Actors: Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke
> Tomatometer score: 10%

Despite a strong cast led by Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, and Lukas Haas, the film found little favor among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Catherine Hardwicke also directed the runaway vampire-themed hit “Twilight.”

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

45. The Parent Trap (1998)
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $92,108,518
> Actors: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix
> Tomatometer score: 87%

This remake of a film that starred Hayley Mills 37 years earlier made a star out of Lindsay Lohan who played a dual role as twins separated because of their parents’ divorce. Critics embraced the remake, saying writer-director Nancy Meyers’ gave the film “an amiable modern spin.”

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Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

44. The Last Song (2010)
> Director: Julie Anne Robinson
> Worldwide ticket sales: $92,678,948
> Actors: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Greg Kinnear, Bobby Coleman
> Tomatometer score: 20%

Former Disney Channel star (and now pop music idol) Miley Cyrus plays a teen sent to a Southern town by her mother to be with her estranged father for the summer, and romance begins with a local boy. Audiences made Julie Anne Robinson’s film a hit, even though critics did not warm to the movie.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

43. Money Monster (2016)
> Director: Jodie Foster
> Worldwide ticket sales: $93,466,095
> Actors: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell, Dominic West
> Tomatometer score: 59%

This is Academy Award winner Jodie Foster’s white-knuckle thriller about a television stock-market personality (George Clooney) taken prisoner by a disgruntled investor who claims he lost everything because of the guru’s advice. Udita Jhunjhunwala of Livemint called the film “a timely and thrilling entertainer.”

Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

42. Forces of Nature (1999)
> Director: Bronwen Hughes
> Worldwide ticket sales: $93,888,180
> Actors: Sandra Bullock, Ben Affleck, Maura Tierney, Steve Zahn
> Tomatometer score: 45%

This rom-com paired Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck but there was little chemistry between them in the opinion of critics. Even so, it was the top-grossing film for Bronwen Hughes, who has also directed television shows such as “Magnum P.I.” “The Walking Dead,” and “Better Call Saul.”

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

41. Blockers (2018)
> Director: Kay Cannon
> Worldwide ticket sales: $94,523,781
> Actors: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton
> Tomatometer score: 84%

Kay Cannon’s directorial debut is a teen comedy about three high school seniors vowing to lose their virginity on prom night and the parents who try to keep that from happening. Action star John Cena played against type as a sensitive parent.

Courtesy of STX Entertainment

40. Hustlers (2019)
> Director: Lorene Scafaria
> Worldwide ticket sales: $95,353,967
> Actors: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Mette Towley
> Tomatometer score: 87%

Lorene Scafaria’s film about strippers seeking to empower their lives boasted a strong cast led by Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, and Constance Wu. Harper’s Bazaar critic Yasmin Omar said the movie is a “quintessentially female narrative — and it’s all the better for it.” It is Scafaria’s top-grossing film.

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Courtesy of Universal Studios

39. Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)
> Director: Susanna White
> Worldwide ticket sales: $97,799,865
> Actors: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Oscar Steer
> Tomatometer score: 75%

Buoyed by the extraordinary Emma Thompson, the Susanna White-helmed sequel to the original 2005 “Nanny McPhee” was a hit. Movies.com critic Jen Yamto found it “whimsical, heartwarming, and a tad bittersweet.”

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

38. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
> Director: Nora Ephron
> Worldwide ticket sales: $101,200,000
> Actors: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger, Rita Wilson
> Tomatometer score: 75%

One of the great rom-coms of the 1990s stars Tom Hanks as a widower who finds love with reporter Meg Ryan. Nora Ephron, who also co-wrote the film, has six movies on this list.

Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

37. The Peacemaker (1997)
> Director: Mimi Leder
> Worldwide ticket sales: $110,463,140
> Actors: George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Marcel Iures, Aleksandr Baluev
> Tomatometer score: 43%

George Clooney and Nicole Kidman play a U.S. colonel and a nuclear scientist tasked with finding nuclear warheads that went missing after a train wreck in Russia. Critics weren’t won over by Mimi Leder’s film, which grossed more than $110 million worldwide.

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

36. Step Up (2006)
> Director: Anne Fletcher
> Worldwide ticket sales: $114,194,847
> Actors: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Damaine Radcliff, De’Shawn Washington
> Tomatometer score: 21%

Critics chided “Step Up” as a trite teen romance, but audiences on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 83%. The film features Channing Tatum as a buff bad boy who meets ballet student Jenna Dewan and romance is kindled.

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

35. The Iron Lady (2011)
> Director: Phyllida Lloyd
> Worldwide ticket sales: $114,956,699
> Actors: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Susan Brown
> Tomatometer score: 52%

Critics thought Phyllida Lloyd’s storytelling was bland, but were enraptured by Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain’s first female prime minister.

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Courtesy of Turner Pictures

34. Michael (1996)
> Director: Nora Ephron
> Worldwide ticket sales: $119,718,203
> Actors: John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins
> Tomatometer score: 34%

Michael is an offbeat angel played by John Travolta. When he’s not drinking, smoking, and chasing women, he imparts knowledge to cynical journalists William Hurt and Robert Pastorelli about relationships and faith. Newsweek critic David Ansen said he was “pleasantly surprised to find something quirkier and more off-center.”

Courtesy of Focus Features

33. Lost in Translation (2003)
> Director: Sofia Coppola
> Worldwide ticket sales: $119,723,856
> Actors: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
> Tomatometer score: 95%

“Lost in Translation” earned Sofia Coppola a Best Director nomination. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star as lonely Americans in Tokyo who form an unlikely bond. Joshua Rothkopf of In These Times said of the film that “…its pretty images of Tokyo and oddball intergenerational friendship coalesce into something unexpectedly moving…”

Larry French / Stringer / Getty Images North America

32. Space Station 3D (2002)
> Director: Toni Myers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $128,233,077
> Actors: Tom Cruise, James Arnold, Michael J. Bloomfield, Robert D. Cabana
> Tomatometer score: 87%

Narrated by Tom Cruise, this Toni Myers movie is the first 3D live-action film to be shot in space. The motion picture shows the assembly of the International Space Station while in orbit.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

31. Julie & Julia (2009)
> Director: Nora Ephron
> Worldwide ticket sales: $129,540,499
> Actors: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Chris Messina, Stanley Tucci
> Tomatometer score: 77%

Amy Adams plays a woman fed up with her job, so to relieve the frustration, she decides to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s landmark French cookbooks. The film weaves in the true story of how Child (Meryl Streep) mastered French cooking.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

30. Bewitched (2005)
> Director: Nora Ephron
> Worldwide ticket sales: $131,426,169
> Actors: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine
> Tomatometer score: 24%

A movie studio looking to make a film based on the 1960s sitcom about a suburban housewife who’s a witch casts a woman – Nicole Kidman – who actually is a witch. Nora Ephron wrote and directed the film, which was among her lowest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes, but was one of her biggest hits.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

29. A League of Their Own (1992)
> Director: Penny Marshall
> Worldwide ticket sales: $132,440,069
> Actors: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna
> Tomatometer score: 79%

“A League of Their Own,” about women’s professional baseball during World War II, is one of the most quotable films of the 1990s. Director Penny Marshall assembled a memorable cast that included Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Hanks, and Geena Davis.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

28. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
> Director: Ava DuVernay
> Worldwide ticket sales: $132,675,864
> Actors: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling
> Tomatometer score: 42%

Ava DuVernay’s film imparts a message of family and love in this sci-fi fantasy about youthful space travelers. Critics thought the movie was moving in parts but overly ambitious. It is DuVernay’s top-grossing movie.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

27. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
> Director: Kathryn Bigelow
> Worldwide ticket sales: $132,820,716
> Actors: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong
> Tomatometer score: 91%

Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win a Best Director Academy Award (for “The Hurt Locker”), followed up that success with the heart-pounding and well-crafted “Zero Dark Thirty,” dramatizing the hunt for 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. It was nominated for five Oscars.

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

26. Herbie Fully Loaded (2005)
> Director: Angela Robinson
> Worldwide ticket sales: $144,146,816
> Actors: Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton, Cheryl Hines, Breckin Meyer
> Tomatometer score: 40%

Angela Robinson directed this attempt at reviving the Disney “The Love Bug” franchise about a headstrong Volkswagen. The movie starred Lindsay Lohan and Michael Keaton. It was Robinson’s highest-grossing film.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

25. Big (1988)
> Director: Penny Marshall
> Worldwide ticket sales: $151,668,774
> Actors: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard
> Tomatometer score: 97%

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes awarded Penny Marshall’s fantasy comedy a nearly perfect score. Tom Hanks’ boyish charm and poignant performance helped carry the movie, about a boy who wishes to be an adult but does not like the consequences.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

24. 27 Dresses (2008)
> Director: Anne Fletcher
> Worldwide ticket sales: $160,259,319
> Actors: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Brian Kerwin
> Tomatometer score: 41%

Anne Fletcher’s rom-com starred Katherine Heigl as the perpetual bridesmaid. Critics thought it was “clichéd and forgettable,” but it became one of Fletcher’s biggest-grossing films.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

23. Unbroken (2014)
> Director: Angelina Jolie
> Worldwide ticket sales: $161,459,297
> Actors: Jack O’Connell, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund
> Tomatometer score: 51%

The gripping story of an American POW held by the Japanese during World War II who refused to be broken by a sadistic prison camp commander, Angelina Jolie’s film is based on the true story of Louis Zamperini.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

22. Wayne’s World (1992)
> Director: Penelope Spheeris
> Worldwide ticket sales: $183,100,000
> Actors: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
> Tomatometer score: 78%

Penelope Spheeris struck paydirt with this comedy about suburban kids (“Saturday Night Live alums Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) who want to put their public access show on commercial TV. Silly and quotable, the movie is Spheeris’s greatest success.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

21. Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
> Director: Trish Sie
> Worldwide ticket sales: $185,736,412
> Actors: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp
> Tomatometer score: 28%

“Pitch Perfect 3” reunites the acapella Bellas a third time for a USO Tour. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes felt the franchise had been played out by the third movie, but it struck a chord with audiences and is Trish Sie’s highest-grossing film.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

20. What Women Want (2000)
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $191,300,000
> Actors: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Alan Alda
> Tomatometer score: 54%

Rom-com queen Nancy Meyers cast Mel Gibson as a man who, because of a fluke accident, is able to read women’s minds. Critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes were split over the film. “There’s nothing profound about the film, but it stays with you,” opined Hillel Italie of the Associated Press.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

19. The Intern (2015)
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $194,564,672
> Actors: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Anders Holm
> Tomatometer score: 59%

Robert De Niro plays a widowed retiree who returns to the workforce as a 70-year-old intern at an online fashion site. The movie scored well with audiences who liked the intergenerational chemistry between De Niro and Anne Hathaway.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

18. Birds of Prey (2020)
> Director: Cathy Yan
> Worldwide ticket sales: $201,858,461
> Actors: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett
> Tomatometer score: 79%

This is an anarchic movie vehicle for Margot Robbie about DC Comics superhero Harley Quinn, who is the target of a master villain in Gotham City. Rosie Perez and Mary Elizabeth Winstead added to the film’s star power. It is Cathy Yan’s highest-grossing film.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

17. The Holiday (2006)
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $205,135,324
> Actors: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black
> Tomatometer score: 49%

Nancy Meyers directed, wrote, and co-produced this rom-com about two women – one American and one from England – who swap houses after breakups and find romance. “The Holiday” is the highest-scoring Nancy Meyers movie with Rotten Tomatoes audiences.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

16. Little Women (2019)
> Director: Greta Gerwig
> Worldwide ticket sales: $206,006,503
> Actors: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen
> Tomatometer score: 95%

“Little Women” was a critical and box-office success, with critics hailing Gerta Gerwig’s adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel. It was the fifth time Alcott’s classic was adapted for the movies and earned Gerwig an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

15. Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
> Director: Sharon Maguire
> Worldwide ticket sales: $211,952,420
> Actors: Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Sally Phillips
> Tomatometer score: 78%

The third installment of the Bridget Jones franchise finds Bridget (Renée Zellweger) pregnant and unsure of who the father is. Sharon Maguire, who directed the first of the Jones films, returned to direct this one.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

14. It’s Complicated (2009)
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $219,103,655
> Actors: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski
> Tomatometer score: 58%

Triple threat Nancy Meyers directed, wrote, and co-produced this rom-com, which boasted plenty of star power with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin. Critic Candice Frederick of Reel Talk Online said “It’s [writer/director Nancy Meyers’] typical, though smart, romantic comedy for a more mature audience.”

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

13. You’ve Got Mail (1998)
> Director: Nora Ephron
> Worldwide ticket sales: $250,821,495
> Actors: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey
> Tomatometer score: 70%

Critics hailed the chemistry between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as rival bookstore owners who begin an anonymous romance online. The film, directed by Nora Ephron, was one of the most popular rom-coms of the 1990s.

Courtesy of Universal Studios

12. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
> Director: Beeban Kidron
> Worldwide ticket sales: $262,520,724
> Actors: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones
> Tomatometer score: 27%

Critics dismissed the sequel to “Bridget Jones’s Diary” because it was “bogged down by slapstick and silliness.” It’s the lowest rated of three films in the franchise, but it’s the highest-grossing film for British director Beeban Kidron.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

11. Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
> Director: Nancy Meyers
> Worldwide ticket sales: $266,728,738
> Actors: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet
> Tomatometer score: 72%

Sharp performances from A-listers Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, and Amanda Peet buoyed this rom-com about an aging womanizer (Nicholson) who finds love with his girlfriend’s mother (Keaton). “Something’s Gotta Give” is one of Nancy Meyers’ most successful films.

Courtesy of Miramax

10. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
> Director: Sharon Maguire
> Worldwide ticket sales: $281,929,795
> Actors: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones
> Tomatometer score: 80%

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” launched the franchise about a woman who vows to take control of her life and starts a chronicle to record it. Renée Zellweger’s charm and comedic skills helped make the film a hit, and it became director Sharon Maguire’s most successful motion picture.

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

9. Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
> Director: Elizabeth Banks
> Worldwide ticket sales: $287,506,194
> Actors: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow
> Tomatometer score: 65%

Elizabeth Banks directed and co-produced the sequel to the hit “Pitch Perfect.” After a disastrous performance before the president of the U.S., the acapella group seeks redemption by trying to win a competition in Denmark.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. Doctor Dolittle (1998)
> Director: Betty Thomas
> Worldwide ticket sales: $294,456,605
> Actors: Eddie Murphy, Peter Boyle, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt
> Tomatometer score: 42%

Critics thought the scatological humor was out of place in this version of “Doctor Dolittle,” with the title character played by Eddie Murphy. Nevertheless, this proved to be Betty Thomas’ most lucrative film.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

7. The Proposal (2009)
> Director: Anne Fletcher
> Worldwide ticket sales: $317,375,031
> Actors: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson
> Tomatometer score: 44%

Though critics thought Anne Fletcher’s film was too formulaic, the chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds lifted the film into hit territory. It proved to be Fletcher’s top-grossing motion picture.

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

6. Deep Impact (1998)
> Director: Mimi Leder
> Worldwide ticket sales: $349,464,664
> Actors: Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman
> Tomatometer score: 45%

Plenty of star power shines in “Deep Impact,” about humankind’s attempts to thwart a comet from colliding with the Earth. Mimi Leder’s disaster film is her biggest hit.

Courtesy of Summit Distribution

5. Twilight (2008)
> Director: Catherine Hardwicke
> Worldwide ticket sales: $392,616,625
> Actors: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke
> Tomatometer score: 49%

The film that launched the franchise about teen vampires and werewolves in love made stars out of the perpetually melancholy Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Catherine Hardwicke directed the film, which was her most successful effort.

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

4. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)
> Director: Betty Thomas
> Worldwide ticket sales: $443,140,005
> Actors: Jason Lee, Zachary Levi, David Cross, Justin Long
> Tomatometer score: 20%

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” fused CGI and live action to return the critters to the big screen. Critics were unsparing in their disdain for the Betty Thomas film.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

3. Mamma Mia! (2008)
> Director: Phyllida Lloyd
> Worldwide ticket sales: $609,841,637
> Actors: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård
> Tomatometer score: 55%

Audiences were enthralled by the film’s exuberance and the fun that the star-filled cast was having. “Mamma Mia has been made with the most delicious, joyful abandon,” said Deborah Ross of The Spectator. It is Phyllida Lloyd’s highest-grossing film.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
> Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
> Worldwide ticket sales: $665,692,281
> Actors: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman
> Tomatometer score: 81%

“Kung Fu Panda 2” is the only animated film on this list. Featuring voices by Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and Dustin Hoffman, it was directed by South Korean filmmaker Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

1. Wonder Woman (2017)
> Director: Patty Jenkins
> Worldwide ticket sales: $821,763,408
> Actors: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis
> Tomatometer score: 93%

Patty Jenkins made film history by becoming the first woman to direct a superhero movie. And it was a blockbuster. Starring Israeli actor Gal Gadot, “Wonder Woman” had the third-highest domestic gross of any film in 2017. Critic Dan Brightmore of NME said “It’s taken a while, but the first ever superhero film with both a female protagonist and director is an absolute delight.”

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