Christopher Nolan has become the fifth highest grossing director in movie history.
With the release of his latest effort, Dunkirk, blockbuster director Nolan has moved into esteemed company indeed, passing the likes of Ron Howard and James Cameron into the top five highest grossing directors in terms of domestic box office.
Dunkirk has so far brought in $165.4 million in the U.S. which has taken Nolan’s overall total to $1,982 billion. Nolan’s highest grosser to date is The Dark Knight ($534.9 million).
This new total places Nolan behind Robert Zemeckis in fourth ($2,091 billion), Peter Jackson in third ($2,134 billion), Michael Bay in second ($2,326 billion), and Steven Spielberg way out in first ($4,45 million).
It should be noted that Spielberg has reached his total, however, from 31 movies compared to the 11 films of Nolan.
This is an ever changing list of course; Ron Howard will be surging up the ranks once Han Solo releases and James Cameron’s Avatar sequels will also propel him higher on the list. The two directors currently sit at seventh and sixth respectively.
The three other directors that make up the top 10 are Tim Burton, Clint Eastwood, and Chris Columbus.
Originally published August 22, 2017. Updated November 21, 2019.
