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 Deadpool and Wolverine solo films. She also served as executive producer for the X-Men spin-off TV shows, Legion and The Gifted.
Ian Bryce - $7.6 Billion
Ian Bryce's name can be found attached to some of the biggest action blockbusters in recent years, from 2002's Spider-Man and World War Z to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His first time working on a film was in 1983's Return of the Jedi as a production assistant, following which he enjoyed further success as a producer with films like 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 Transformers franchise, Netflix's 6 Underground, and the upcoming 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 Keanu Reeves starring superhero film, 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 G.I. Joe and Red series of films. and the shark movie, The Meg.
Charles Roven - $8 Billion
The DCEU might not have a "one man to rule them all" type of figure like the MCU has Kevin Feige, but producer Charles Roven has been involved in the production of almost every DC movie made this century. From Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel to the recent Snyder Cut and the upcoming The Suicide Squad, all have been co-produced by him, and all were box-office hits.
The cult-classic 12 Monkeys and the upcoming 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 Back to the Future and 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 Bourne series, Assassin's Creed, and Steven Spielberg's The BFG, films which Marshal produced/co-produced on his own. He is also one of the co-founders of 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 Pirates of the Caribbean series since the first film in 2003 and 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 Bad Boys series and Tom Cruise's Top Gun.
David Heyman - $11.5 Billion
From Gravity to I am Legend, David Heyman has acted as the producer for many blockbusters in recent years, but his biggest success comes in the form of one of the biggest and most popular franchises ever - the 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 recent Star Wars films and TV shows but a plethora of other hits, as well as Back to the Future and War of the Worlds. Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was her first film as a producer and since then, the two have collaborated numerous times, namely on 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.