FILMS - SUCCESSFUL MOVIES DIRECTED BY WOMEN FILM MAKERS

women have been extremely under-represented as directors when it comes to major Hollywood productions. Because of that, women rarely have had the opportunity to direct films that would go on to become blockbusters (sadly, even fewer have gotten nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director). Today, a small but increasing number of women are getting the opportunity to direct blockbusters, and there are several women who can now proclaim that they have directed films that have grossed $250 million+ worldwide.
  Several women filmmakers have co-directed high-grossing animated hits like Jennifer Lee (Frozen), Vicky Jenson (Shrek) and Brenda Chapman (Brave) with male filmmakers. 
Some  of  the Successful  movies  directed by  women filmmakers  are -

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1. Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) - Directed by Elizabeth Banks

 

Worldwide Gross: $287.5 million
Elizabeth Banks appeared in the original Pitch Perfect (2012) and made her feature directorial debut with this sequel. Pitch Perfect 2 was a massive success at the box office, grossing more than double what the original did at the worldwide box office. That success has opened the door for other directorial projects for Banks. 

• Dr. Dolittle (1998) - Directed by Betty Thomas

20th Century Fox

Worldwide Gross: $294.5 million
Betty Thomas is also one of the most successful female directors in Hollywood (she has a second film higher up on this list, too). She began her career as an actress (she even won an Emmy Award for her role on Hill Street Blues) and later transitioned into directing — first on television, then in film. Her early credits include 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie and 1997's Private Parts, but the remake of Dr. Dolittle starring Eddie Murphy was her first major hit.

• The Proposal (2009) - Directed by Anne Fletcher

Worldwide Gross: $317.4 million
Sandra Bullock is one of the most successful romantic comedy actresses of all time, and one her biggest hits — 2009's The Proposal — was directed by Anne Fletcher. Fletcher has had a successful career directing comedies such as 27 Dresses (2008), The Guilt Trip (2012), and Hot Pursuit (2015), but has had an even more successful career as a choreographer (appropriately, her directorial debut was the 2006 dance film Step Up). 

• What Women Want (2000) - Directed by Nancy Meyers

  

   

After making her directorial debut with 1998's The The Parent Trap, Nancy Meyers had her biggest-ever hit when   she  directed  the  Mel Gibson -Helen  Hunt

  romantic comedy Worldwide Gross: $374.1 million
After making her directorial debut with 1998's The Parent Trap, Nancy Meyers What Women Want, one of the most successful romantic comedies of all time. She has remained successful as a director ever since. 

• Twilight (2008) - Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

 

 

Worldwide Gross: $393.6 million
The Twilight series of novels were a worldwide phenomenon, and the film series based on them were major box office hits. The first film in the series was directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Her other films include Thirteen (2003), Lords of Dogtown (2005), and Red Riding Hood (2011).

• Mamma Mia! (2008) - Directed by Phyllida Lloyd

  

   

 

Worldwide Gross: $609.8 million
The big-screen adaption of the smash musical hit Mamma Mia! is one of the highest-grossing musical films of all time and was especially a big hit internationally (it grossed $90 million in the UK alone!) Director Phyllida Lloyd started her career as a theater director and later directed the 2011 Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady. Both of Lloyd's films starred Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. 

• Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) - Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson

  

   

 

Worldwide Gross: $665.7 million
Jennifer Yuh Nelson is the first woman to be the sole director of an animated feature released by a major studio — and with great results. Prior to working on Kung Fu Panda 2, Yuh worked on story and art on 2002's Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, 2003's Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, 2005's Madagascar and the 2008 original Kung Fu Panda.
Yuh also co-directed Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), which grossed $521.2 million worldwide.

• Wonder Woman (2017) - Directed by Patty Jenkins.

  
  
  
  
  

   

Worldwide Gross: $713.9 million+
With superhero blockbusters being what rules the box office these days, it's no surprise that Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman is the all-time highest-grossing film by a female director. Jenkins breakthrough film was 2003's Monster, which features an Oscar-winning performance by Charlize Theron. Jenkins mainly worked in television between Monster and Wonder Woman, and she is the first woman to helm a major studio superhero blockbuster. 

Look Who's Talking (1989) - Directed by Amy Heckerling

 

 

Worldwide Gross: $297.0 million
The earliest film on this list, Amy Heckerling's Look Who's Talking was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1989 and one of the biggest comedy hits of the 1980s. Heckerling also wrote the film. She co-wrote and directed the less successful sequel Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and followed it up with the beloved 1995 teen comedy Clueless. 

• Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) - Directed by Beeban Kidron

  

   

   

  Worldwide Gross: $262.5 million
  Though Baroness Kidron (seriously, she's nobility!) is best known for directing and producing lower budget films in England, her biggest success was the 2004 Bridget Jones sequel. She later directed the 2010 film Hippie Hippie Shake starring Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller, which was never released after Kidron left the troubled film before it was completed.