The combined efforts of an astounding number of people go into the production of every film. If the director, screenwriter, composer, cinematographer, and all the others are taken as building blocks, then the one in charge of putting all those blocks in the correct place where they can come together to create something wonderful is the producer. It's a role of utmost responsibility and importance, and yet it's almost ignored by the general audience, in most cases.
People mostly choose movies based on their favorite actors or directors, but it would be hard to find someone with a favorite producer. In recognition of all the Hollywood behind-the-scenes powerhouses whose names go overlooked, the following list looks at some of the highest-grossing movie producers of all time, with data taken from the reputable website, The Numbers.
Lauren Shuler Donner - $7.5 Billion
While most high-profile producers can be usually found associated with blockbuster movies of varying nature from multiple studios and franchises, for most of her professional career, Lauren Shuler Donner has been involved with only one - the X-Men franchise.
After purchasing the rights for the films in 1994, she has since then been on board as a producer of the series from the original trilogy to even the The Gifted.
Ian Bryce - $7.6 Billion
Ian Bryce's name can be found attached to some of the Speed and Saving Private Ryan.
A frequent collaborator of action director Michale Bay, the two have worked together on many hit films, such as the Ambulance.
Lorenzo Di Bonaventura - $7.8 Billion
Preceded by an esteemed tenure at Warner Bros. Pictures, Lorenzo di Bonaventura's first project as a producer came in the form of the Constantine.
He would then go on to c0-produce the Transformers franchise, whose financial success ($4.8 billion across six films) unfortunately does not match up with their critical reception, with every entry in the series being marked as "Rotten" by Rotten Tomatoes. Some of his other hits include the The Meg.
Charles Roven - $8 Billion
The DCEU might not have a "one man to rule them all" type of figure like the The Suicide Squad, all have been co-produced by him, and all were box-office hits.
The cult-classic 12 Monkeys and the film adaptation of Uncharted are also a few of the films he has worked on.
Frank Marshall - $9.4 Billion
With a career spanning over 50 years, Frank Marshall started with small films like 1973's Paper Moon and then moved on to bigger and bigger projects, like Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The husband of Kathleen Kennedy, the two have worked together on almost every film, other than a few, such as the successful film production company, Amblin Entertainment.
Neal H. Moritz - $9.5 Billion
The Fast and Furious franchise has been a literal money-printing machine for years now, and Neal H. Moritz has been a producer for the films from 2001's The Fast and the Furious to the repeatedly delayed F9.
Following a dispute between Moritz and Universal Pictures related to the spin-off film Hobbs & Shaw, he has now been removed from the series, but the fact remains that with his help, it grew to a franchise with over $5.8 billion in box-office gross.
Jerry Bruckheimer - $10.6 Billion
The man responsible for bringing everybody's all-time favorite pirate Jack Sparrow to the live screens, Jerry Bruckheimer has been the sole producer for the all the ones that followed.
The films have gone through the hands of many directors and writers, but Bruckheimer is one factor that has remained constant throughout and their total gross across five films amounts to over $4.5 billion. Some of his other popular projects include the Will Smith starring Top Gun.
David Heyman - $11.5 Billion
From Harry Potter series.
From Philosopher's Stone to Deathly Hallows, he produced every single film in the series and also the spin-off Fantastic Beasts films. J.K. might have written the books, but it was David Heyman who recognized their potential and consequently birthed the cinematic universe after purchasing the movie rights.
Kathleen Kennedy - $12.8 Billion
Disney's movie sector in its entirety is basically run by two people. One is Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm and responsible for all things Star Wars, and the other is Kevin Feige, who is basically in charge of the MCU.
One of the most accomplished women in the film industry, she has not only produced all the Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones franchise.
Kevin Feige - $22.6 Billion
The difference in the numbers between Kevin Feige and everybody else says all there is to say about the man. His achievement in the world of cinema through the MCU cannot be understated. Across a total of 23 films, with a lot more to come, for 13 years and counting, Feige has been at the helm of the most successful and wonderfully designed and planned cinematic universe in history.
He hasn't directed or written any of the films, nor has he created any of the characters that the films are based on, but it is impossible to imagine the MCU being what it is without his leadership.
