Box Office Star Records > Worldwide > Lifetime Specific Technical Role > Top Worldwide Screenwriters

Top Grossing Screenwriter at the Worldwide Box OfficeBETA


See also: Top Domestic Screenwriters - Top International Screenwriters - Top Worldwide Art Directors - Top Worldwide Assistant Directors - Top Worldwide Assistant Editors - Top Worldwide Associate Producers - Top Worldwide Casting Directors - Top Worldwide Cinematographers - Top Worldwide Co-Executive Producers - Top Worldwide Co-Producers - Top Worldwide Composers - Top Worldwide Costume Designers - Top Worldwide Costume Supervisors - Top Worldwide Dialogue Editors - Top Worldwide Directors - Top Worldwide Editors - Top Worldwide Executive Producers - Top Worldwide Line Producers - Top Worldwide Make-up and Hair Designers - Top Worldwide Music Editors - Top Worldwide Music Supervisors - Top Worldwide Producers - Top Worldwide Production Designers - Top Worldwide Re-recording Mixers - Top Worldwide Second Unit Directors - Top Worldwide Set Decorators - Top Worldwide Set Designers - Top Worldwide Sound Designers - Top Worldwide Sound Editors - Top Worldwide Sound Effects Editors - Top Worldwide Sound Mixers - Top Worldwide Story Creators - Top Worldwide Stunt Coordinators - Top Worldwide Supervising Sound Editors - Top Worldwide Unit Production Managers - Top Worldwide Visual Effects Supervisors

This list shows the highest grossing Screenwriters based on the worldwide box office of the movies they worked on.

Since we are still actively researching technical roles, we consider this chart to be in beta mode. The table includes data for movies in The Numbers database. While we make every effort to collect all available data, there are inevitably omissions and errors. Please help us by sending corrections to corrections@the-numbers.com.

  1
James Cameron photo
James Cameron
Best known as a Screenwriter based on credits in that role in 14 films.
Top films contributed to this record: Avatar ($2,923,706,026 in 2009), Avatar: The Way of Water ($2,320,250,281 in 2022), Titanic ($2,223,048,786 in 1997), Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($515,344,899 in 1991), Alita: Battle Angel ($401,900,040 in 2019), True Lies ($365,300,000 in 1994), Rambo: First Blood Part II ($300,400,000 in 1985), Aliens ($183,291,256 in 1986), The Terminator ($78,019,031 in 1984), The Abyss ($54,793,997 in 1989)

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  2
Christopher Markus
Best known as a Screenwriter based on credits in that role in 12 films.
Top films contributed to this record: Avengers: Endgame ($2,717,503,922 in 2019), Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754 in 2018), Captain America: Civil War ($1,151,899,586 in 2016), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ($720,539,572 in 2005), Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714,401,889 in 2014), Thor: The Dark World ($644,602,516 in 2013), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ($418,186,950 in 2010), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian ($417,341,288 in 2008), Captain America: The First Avenger ($370,569,776 in 2011), Pain & Gain ($81,275,291 in 2013)

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  3
Stephen McFeely
Best known as a Screenwriter based on credits in that role in 12 films.
Top films contributed to this record: Avengers: Endgame ($2,717,503,922 in 2019), Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754 in 2018), Captain America: Civil War ($1,151,899,586 in 2016), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ($720,539,572 in 2005), Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714,401,889 in 2014), Thor: The Dark World ($644,602,516 in 2013), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ($418,186,950 in 2010), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian ($417,341,288 in 2008), Captain America: The First Avenger ($370,569,776 in 2011), Pain & Gain ($81,275,291 in 2013)

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Complete List

Rank Name Worldwide
Box Office
Movies Average
1 James Cameron $9,373,972,878 14 $669,569,491
2 Christopher Markus $9,287,220,371 12 $773,935,031
3 Stephen McFeely $9,287,220,371 12 $773,935,031
4 Steve Kloves $7,921,984,746 13 $609,383,442
5 David Koepp $6,975,966,787 34 $205,175,494
6 Chris Morgan $6,784,001,805 14 $484,571,558
7 Peter Jackson $6,613,736,039 11 $601,248,731
8 Fran Walsh $6,613,736,039 12 $551,144,670
9 Terry Rossio $6,132,907,500 19 $322,784,605
10 Philippa Boyens $6,034,837,119 10 $603,483,712
11 Christopher Nolan $5,932,751,502 11 $539,341,046
12 Ehren Kruger $5,918,424,990 17 $348,142,646
13 Chris McKenna $5,860,299,209 8 $732,537,401
14 Erik Sommers $5,829,285,860 7 $832,755,123
15 Amanda Silver $5,673,108,805 8 $709,138,601
16 Andrew Stanton $5,647,772,399 9 $627,530,267
17 Ted Elliott $5,364,054,404 12 $447,004,534
18 Ken Daurio $5,300,147,972 9 $588,905,330
19 Christopher McQuarrie $5,182,949,289 12 $431,912,441
20 Robert Wade $5,049,424,258 9 $561,047,140
21 Rick Jaffa $4,962,464,239 7 $708,923,463
22 Neal Purvis $4,890,054,980 8 $611,256,873
23 Jeff Nathanson $4,669,856,303 12 $389,154,692
24 Lawrence Kasdan $4,494,436,770 14 $321,031,198
25 J.J. Abrams $4,380,169,464 7 $625,738,495
26 Cinco Paul $4,328,690,479 8 $541,086,310
27 Akiva Goldsman $4,300,366,534 21 $204,779,359
28 John Logan $4,291,345,679 19 $225,860,299
29 Jonathan Aibel $4,246,919,981 12 $353,909,998
30 Glenn Berger $4,246,919,981 12 $353,909,998
31 Guillermo del Toro $4,181,197,599 19 $220,063,032
32 Linda Woolverton $4,019,017,207 8 $502,377,151
33 George Lucas $4,004,422,180 6 $667,403,697
34 Michael Arndt $4,002,363,757 6 $667,060,626
35 Roberto Orci $4,001,224,025 10 $400,122,403
36 Alex Kurtzman $4,001,224,025 10 $400,122,403
37 Colin Trevorrow $3,982,255,535 4 $995,563,884
38 Rhett Reese $3,614,642,814 15 $240,976,188
39 Paul Wernick $3,611,387,388 14 $257,956,242
40 Joss Whedon $3,602,711,061 9 $400,301,229
41 Jennifer Lee $3,589,423,751 6 $598,237,292
42 M. Night Shyamalan $3,545,048,232 16 $221,565,515
43 Jeff Pinkner $3,544,657,199 7 $506,379,600
44 Derek Connolly $3,477,721,405 7 $496,817,344
45 Melissa Rosenberg $3,421,205,146 7 $488,743,592
46 Roland Emmerich $3,415,772,709 8 $426,971,589
47 Simon Kinberg $3,395,380,938 12 $282,948,412
48 Sylvester Stallone $3,305,772,052 23 $143,729,220
49 Scott Rosenberg $3,234,925,472 11 $294,084,134
50 Tony Gilroy $3,206,000,585 16 $200,375,037
51 James Gunn $3,167,876,685 13 $243,682,822
52 Ryan Coogler $3,026,942,520 6 $504,490,420
53 David S. Goyer $3,007,414,150 14 $214,815,296
54 Jared Bush $3,000,116,272 5 $600,023,254
55 Luc Besson $2,946,294,130 37 $79,629,571
56 Meg LeFauve $2,882,911,854 4 $720,727,964
57 Peter Craig $2,840,297,933 9 $315,588,659
58 Jonathan Nolan $2,838,478,306 4 $709,619,577
59 Chris Terrio $2,833,945,465 5 $566,789,093
60 Todd Phillips $2,807,934,799 10 $280,793,480
61 Brad Bird $2,772,079,065 7 $396,011,295
62 Eric Roth $2,728,236,283 19 $143,591,383
63 Brian Lynch $2,678,228,749 5 $535,645,750
64 Chris Weitz $2,590,138,786 10 $259,013,879
65 Mark Bomback $2,536,720,262 11 $230,610,933
66 Kelly Marcel $2,517,878,386 6 $419,646,398
67 David Leslie Johnson $2,513,792,616 8 $314,224,077
68 Alvin Sargent $2,500,200,771 8 $312,525,096
69 Dean DeBlois $2,397,418,264 5 $479,483,653
70 Gary Dauberman $2,388,998,026 10 $238,899,803
71 Matthew Fogel $2,379,185,572 3 $793,061,857
72 John August $2,361,426,577 11 $214,675,143
73 J. David Stem $2,348,430,663 9 $260,936,740
74 Noah Baumbach $2,320,127,041 15 $154,675,136
75 Lana Wachowski $2,207,783,700 8 $275,972,963
76 Joe Robert Cole $2,193,365,918 5 $438,673,184
77 Andy Wachowski $2,170,823,348 7 $310,117,621
78 David N. Weiss $2,166,992,046 8 $270,874,006
79 Irene Mecchi $2,132,937,601 5 $426,587,520
80 Michael McCullers $2,108,313,419 7 $301,187,631
81 Andrew Adamson $2,106,807,008 5 $421,361,402
82 Phil Johnston $2,087,869,955 6 $347,978,326
83 Eric Pearson $2,082,350,003 4 $520,587,501
84 Art Marcum $2,082,150,827 8 $260,268,853
85 Matt Holloway $2,082,150,827 8 $260,268,853
86 Bob Peterson $2,051,099,598 4 $512,774,900
87 Scott Frank $2,050,313,507 12 $170,859,459
88 Robert Mark Kamen $2,044,831,840 16 $127,801,990
89 Jez Butterworth $2,043,999,226 10 $204,399,923
90 Jon Hoeber $2,037,772,159 11 $185,252,014
91 Erich Hoeber $2,037,772,159 11 $185,252,014
92 Darren Lemke $2,025,357,544 10 $202,535,754
93 Michael Green $2,015,068,747 9 $223,896,527
94 Quentin Tarantino $2,009,368,336 15 $133,957,889
95 Evan Spiliotopoulos $2,002,293,460 10 $200,229,346
96 Dean Devlin $1,997,536,131 5 $399,507,226
97 Zi Jiao (饺子) $1,994,924,639 1 $1,994,924,639
98 Drew Pearce $1,988,680,509 3 $662,893,503
99 Steven Zaillian $1,977,325,407 16 $123,582,838
100 Mike White $1,975,752,206 11 $179,613,837

This table is updated daily to reflect the latest studio reports.

Note: This chart is not adjusted for inflation.

Image attributions

James Cameron: Angela George [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons