Jordan Peele's Nope has stormed into theaters to the tune of about $44 million in its first three days alone. It's another well-reviewed directorial effort from the horror auteur, but it hasn't just been his thrills and chills that produced box office gold, as Peele has stuck his hand in several genres to great effect.
Everything Peele has written, starred in, or directed was up for inclusion, with the exception of BlacKkKlansman, which did feature Peele as a producer but was far more of a Spike Lee Joint.
Keanu (2016) — $20.7 Million
Peele proved he could excel in comedy before he revolutionized horror, but before he was directing Get Out he was starring alongside his Key & Peele co-star Keegan-Michael Key in Keanu.
The pair are on the hunt for the cutest cat in cinema history, but there's little else that sets Keanu apart, and potential ticket buyers got that sense from the moment the first trailer dropped. The film didn't even clear $21 million domestically, which was effectively the only territory in which it played. Worse yet, it carried a budget of $15 million (according to Box Office Mojo), a relatively modest figure that still wasn't low enough to push the film into profitability.
Wanderlust (2012) — $23.8 Million
David Wain directed many stars—including Peele, Alan Alda, Justin Theroux, and Malin Akerman—in this cult comedy that follows what more or less amounts to a cult. It's a small film about peaceful living and is light on laughs compared to his phenomenal Wet Hot American Summer, but it's also heavier on heart (without extending itself to the point of saccharine).
Wain's films aren't typically big players at the box office (with the exception of Role Models), and Wanderlust was no different, even if it was co-headlined by Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. And, while the budget was kept at a relatively low $35 million considering the stars involved, the movie still barely cleared $23.8 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) — $34.1 Million
Peele has actually played several characters over the course of Bob's Burgers, popping in for a single episode every now and then for a one-off character, most notably as the Sofa Queen's Jester. However, his biggest role on the show was as Felix Fischoeder's girlfriend Fanny, particularly in the two "Wharf House" episodes. Peele reprised the role for The Bob's Burgers Movie and gets quite a bit amount of screentime in comparison to much of the remainder of the stacked cast of cameos and mainstays.
The budget was kept pretty low for The Bob's Burgers Movie at $38 million. Unfortunately, Box Office Mojo reports that it only generated $34 million worldwide. But the show (and the movie) will only see their followings grow over time, so the fully on-brand and joyful cinematic entry will have to wait to truly find its audience.
Candyman (2021) — $77.4 Million
Peele co-wrote the revitalized take on the Candyman mythos with director Nia DaCosta and Win Rosenfeld, but his involvement didn't stop there. Peele also served as producer, and his staples as a horror auteur are very much present in Candyman, making it just as worthy of viewing as his directorial efforts.
Candyman hit theaters with a fairly slight $25 million budget, which is the only thing that allowed it profitability at just over $77 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. In truth, the film should have done better given the inclusion of Peele, the surge in popularity of legacy horror sequels, and the recognizable name brand.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) — $125.4 Million
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie wasn't Peele's first go-round with the animated world, but his role as Melvin Sneedly is arguably his best in the genre to date. Unlike Peele himself, Sneedly is well known for being utterly devoid of a sense of humor.
Considering the relatively popular name brand and star-studded cast, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie had a jaw-droppingly small budget of $38 million, per Box Office Mojo. And, while the film could have done worse than $125 million worldwide, there's little doubt that 2017 was years too late for a Captain Underpants movie, perhaps even a decade too late.
Storks (2016) — $183.5 Million
The first of three animated ventures (thus far) for Peele, Storks is a pleasant and diversionary animated film led by a more-than-capable Andy Samberg. Also along for the ride was Peele's partner, Keegan-Michael Key, and, of course, they're paired (as Alpha and Beta Wolf).
Storks technically made more money than Peele's subsequent animated venture, Captain Underpants, but it was far less successful. The budget was a comparably modest $70 million given it was a major animated project from Warner Bros., yet it only cleared $183.5 million worldwide per Box Office Mojo.
Us (2019) — $255.2 Million
Even when he was a horror director with only two feature films, it was clear that Peele was a big part of the genre's future. Get Out was not only compulsively watchable and impeccably crafted, but it was also poignant as well. Much of the same could be said of Us, which avoided any sort of sophomore slump to give Peele a truly impressive addition to his filmography.
Like Get Out, Us performed far above the standard horror outing, yet it still carried a comparably low budget ($20 million, per Box Office Mojo). The film earned nearly 13 times that figure with a worldwide total of just over $255 million.
Get Out (2017) — $255.7 Million
Get Out served as a clear, early indicator that Peele was an expert at crafting memorable characters who also act like human beings, which is something that cannot be universally said of horror, modern or otherwise.
It's as rare for a horror film to receive an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination as it is for a debut director to receive one, but both were the case for Get Out. It was also perhaps the biggest financial success of 2017, netting $255.7 million on a budget of just $4.5 million, per Box Office Mojo.
Little Fockers (2010) — $310.7 Million
Among all of the other little-known facts about Peele is the fact that he has a brief cameo in Little Fockers, the critically bashed conclusion of the trilogy initiated by the charming and sweet Meet the Parents. The tired film features Peele as an E.M.T. and the only interesting thing about the role is that it's his first in a feature film.
On the surface, a comedy film earning nearly $150 million domestically and another $160 million internationally would make it a huge hit. However, Little Fockers carried a massive budget of $100 million, which still allows the panned film to be a modest financial success.
Toy Story 4 (2019) — $1.07 Billion
Bringing on Key and Peele for Toy Story 4 was a very logical decision, especially when casting them as characters named Ducky and Bunny, respectively. Bunny and Ducky were partially fueled by the duo's gift for improvisation, which is just one fresh aspect that helps make Toy Story 4 feel like a worthy continuation after a seemingly-perfect finale.
Box Office Mojo puts Toy Story 4's production budget at $200 million, but the film doubled that in the United States alone. It even scored another $640 million internationally, making it a success across the globe. That fate wasn't always written in stone, even with the name brand, as Toy Story 3 was a particularly lauded film very clearly meant to serve as a conclusion. But Toy Story 4 proved that the characters still had some juice left in them, particularly with superb additions like Forky (Tony Hale). With that being said, the box office performance of Lightyear has now cast doubt on the property's immediate future.