Box Office Star Records > Worldwide > Lifetime Specific Technical Role > Top Worldwide Story Creators
Top Grossing Story Creator at the Worldwide Box OfficeBETA
See also: Top Domestic Story Creators - Top International Story Creators - 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 Screenwriters - 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 Stunt Coordinators - Top Worldwide Supervising Sound Editors - Top Worldwide Unit Production Managers - Top Worldwide Visual Effects Supervisors
This list shows the highest grossing Story Creators 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
Stan Lee
| Best known as an Executive Producer based on credits in that role in 51 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Avengers: Endgame ($2,717,503,922 in 2019), Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,158,241 in 2018), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,921,206,586 in 2021), The Avengers ($1,515,100,211 in 2012), Black Panther ($1,334,157,082 in 2018), Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1,132,298,674 in 2019), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($952,224,986 in 2022), Spider-Man 3 ($896,337,268 in 2007), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($878,852,749 in 2017), Spider-Man ($823,929,972 in 2002) |
2
Jack Kirby
| Best known as a Story Creator based on credits in that role in 15 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Avengers: Endgame ($2,717,503,922 in 2019), Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,158,241 in 2018), The Avengers ($1,515,100,211 in 2012), Black Panther ($1,334,157,082 in 2018), Thor: Love and Thunder ($760,928,081 in 2022), Ant-Man and the Wasp ($623,144,660 in 2018), Iron Man 2 ($621,156,389 in 2010), Iron Man ($584,877,827 in 2008), The Fantastic Four: First Steps ($520,636,922 in 2025), Thor ($449,326,618 in 2011) |
3
Steve Ditko
| Best known as a Story Creator based on credits in that role in 9 films. |
| Top films contributed to this record: Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,921,206,586 in 2021), Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1,132,298,674 in 2019), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($952,224,986 in 2022), Spider-Man 3 ($896,337,268 in 2007), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($878,852,749 in 2017), Spider-Man ($823,929,972 in 2002), Spider-Man 2 ($797,001,599 in 2004), The Amazing Spider-Man ($758,576,824 in 2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($709,672,746 in 2014) |
Complete List
| Rank | Name | Worldwide Box Office |
Movies | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Lee | $21,475,182,703 | 25 | $859,007,308 |
| 2 | Jack Kirby | $12,678,778,708 | 15 | $845,251,914 |
| 3 | Steve Ditko | $8,870,101,404 | 9 | $985,566,823 |
| 4 | J.K. Rowling | $8,034,419,377 | 9 | $892,713,264 |
| 5 | Andrew Stanton | $5,883,571,791 | 8 | $735,446,474 |
| 6 | J.R.R. Tolkien | $5,855,064,402 | 6 | $975,844,067 |
| 7 | Bruce Geller | $4,733,922,036 | 8 | $591,740,255 |
| 8 | John Lasseter | $4,649,808,299 | 8 | $581,226,037 |
| 9 | Rick Jaffa | $4,088,286,422 | 3 | $1,362,762,141 |
| 10 | Amanda Silver | $4,088,286,422 | 3 | $1,362,762,141 |
| 11 | James Wan | $3,747,636,439 | 12 | $312,303,037 |
| 12 | Jennifer Lee | $3,739,929,969 | 3 | $1,246,643,323 |
| 13 | George Lucas | $3,721,711,655 | 10 | $372,171,166 |
| 14 | Pete Docter | $3,679,803,955 | 7 | $525,686,279 |
| 15 | Stephenie Meyer | $3,374,889,464 | 6 | $562,481,577 |
| 16 | Michael Crichton | $3,349,967,178 | 11 | $304,542,471 |
| 17 | Suzanne Collins | $3,303,430,858 | 5 | $660,686,172 |
| 18 | Terry Rossio | $3,257,235,506 | 9 | $361,915,056 |
| 19 | Brenda Chapman | $3,204,450,661 | 3 | $1,068,150,220 |
| 20 | David S. Goyer | $3,159,898,651 | 5 | $631,979,730 |
| 21 | Xu Zhonglin | $3,101,036,843 | 5 | $620,207,369 |
| 22 | James Cameron | $3,088,614,588 | 3 | $1,029,538,196 |
| 23 | Stephen King | $3,065,406,662 | 61 | $50,252,568 |
| 24 | Larry Lieber | $3,039,433,575 | 5 | $607,886,715 |
| 25 | Linda Woolverton | $2,921,216,089 | 2 | $1,460,608,045 |
| 26 | Chris Buck | $2,721,411,969 | 2 | $1,360,705,985 |
| 27 | Josh Friedman | $2,573,269,689 | 2 | $1,286,634,845 |
| 28 | Gary Scott Thompson | $2,430,898,881 | 3 | $810,299,627 |
| 29 | Shane Salerno | $2,430,092,131 | 2 | $1,215,046,066 |
| 30 | Chris Van Allsburg | $2,396,247,950 | 5 | $479,249,590 |
| 31 | Peter Craig | $2,343,835,436 | 4 | $585,958,859 |
| 32 | Ted Elliott | $2,214,614,074 | 7 | $316,373,439 |
| 33 | Bob Peterson | $2,090,240,539 | 3 | $696,746,846 |
| 34 | Phil Johnston | $2,073,040,821 | 4 | $518,260,205 |
| 35 | Chris Sanders | $2,071,366,637 | 4 | $517,841,659 |
| 36 | Jim Reardon | $2,044,320,351 | 3 | $681,440,117 |
| 37 | Rich Moore | $2,044,320,351 | 3 | $681,440,117 |
| 38 | Robert Wade | $1,999,737,775 | 3 | $666,579,258 |
| 39 | Neal Purvis | $1,999,737,775 | 3 | $666,579,258 |
| 40 | Bryan Singer | $1,992,248,040 | 5 | $398,449,608 |
| 41 | Gene Roddenberry | $1,982,007,732 | 10 | $198,200,773 |
| 42 | Lowell Cunningham | $1,938,081,830 | 4 | $484,520,458 |
| 43 | Lee Unkrich | $1,865,276,687 | 2 | $932,638,344 |
| 44 | Michael Dougherty | $1,791,034,970 | 4 | $447,758,743 |
| 45 | Cressida Cowell | $1,771,361,794 | 3 | $590,453,931 |
| 46 | John Logan | $1,681,843,351 | 4 | $420,460,838 |
| 47 | Christopher Nolan | $1,678,085,523 | 2 | $839,042,762 |
| 48 | Irene Mecchi | $1,661,454,403 | 1 | $1,661,454,403 |
| 49 | Jonathan Roberts | $1,661,454,403 | 1 | $1,661,454,403 |
| 50 | Zak Penn | $1,661,122,300 | 3 | $553,707,433 |
| 51 | Dr Seuss | $1,646,246,861 | 6 | $274,374,477 |
| 52 | Mark Millar | $1,642,966,842 | 7 | $234,709,549 |
| 53 | Ron Clements | $1,616,781,167 | 4 | $404,195,292 |
| 54 | Zack Snyder | $1,574,046,092 | 5 | $314,809,218 |
| 55 | Fabian Nicieza | $1,568,310,061 | 2 | $784,155,031 |
| 56 | Rob Liefeld | $1,568,310,061 | 2 | $784,155,031 |
| 57 | Nicole Perlman | $1,562,664,440 | 2 | $781,332,220 |
| 58 | Josie Trinidad | $1,547,808,830 | 2 | $773,904,415 |
| 59 | Kevin Hageman | $1,495,641,955 | 4 | $373,910,489 |
| 60 | Dan Hageman | $1,495,641,955 | 4 | $373,910,489 |
| 61 | Brian Lynch | $1,492,693,971 | 2 | $746,346,986 |
| 62 | Dan Brown | $1,478,215,672 | 3 | $492,738,557 |
| 63 | Shane Morris | $1,471,497,945 | 2 | $735,748,973 |
| 64 | Meg LeFauve | $1,463,347,131 | 2 | $731,673,566 |
| 65 | Justin Marks | $1,452,163,362 | 1 | $1,452,163,362 |
| 66 | Marc E. Smith | $1,451,653,316 | 1 | $1,451,653,316 |
| 67 | Kristen Anderson-Lopez | $1,451,653,316 | 1 | $1,451,653,316 |
| 68 | Robert Lopez | $1,451,653,316 | 1 | $1,451,653,316 |
| 69 | David Leslie Johnson | $1,442,885,359 | 4 | $360,721,340 |
| 70 | William Steig | $1,426,383,456 | 2 | $713,191,728 |
| 71 | Geneva Robertson | $1,404,526,897 | 2 | $702,263,449 |
| 72 | Dan O’Bannon | $1,384,737,928 | 7 | $197,819,704 |
| 73 | Byron Howard | $1,375,630,992 | 3 | $458,543,664 |
| 74 | Charles Perrault | $1,371,000,572 | 4 | $342,750,143 |
| 75 | Ronald Shusett | $1,365,166,837 | 6 | $227,527,806 |
| 76 | E.L. James | $1,324,147,014 | 4 | $331,036,754 |
| 77 | Geoff Johns | $1,318,462,843 | 2 | $659,231,422 |
| 78 | Roland Emmerich | $1,316,009,541 | 3 | $438,669,847 |
| 79 | Phil Lord | $1,307,735,233 | 4 | $326,933,808 |
| 80 | Joseph Kosinski | $1,290,993,065 | 3 | $430,331,022 |
| 81 | Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont | $1,262,441,615 | 2 | $631,220,808 |
| 82 | Ian Fleming | $1,261,539,339 | 11 | $114,685,394 |
| 83 | Alex Kurtzman | $1,259,701,833 | 3 | $419,900,611 |
| 84 | Jared Bush | $1,249,333,162 | 2 | $624,666,581 |
| 85 | Alfred Gough | $1,248,981,647 | 2 | $624,490,824 |
| 86 | Miles Millar | $1,248,981,647 | 2 | $624,490,824 |
| 87 | Philip K. Dick | $1,239,383,995 | 10 | $123,938,400 |
| 88 | David Callaham | $1,229,568,877 | 3 | $409,856,292 |
| 89 | Pamela Ribon | $1,213,648,330 | 2 | $606,824,165 |
| 90 | Matthew Fogel | $1,212,345,452 | 3 | $404,115,151 |
| 91 | Don Heck | $1,206,034,216 | 2 | $603,017,108 |
| 92 | Kelly Marcel | $1,201,849,921 | 3 | $400,616,640 |
| 93 | Seth Grahame-Smith | $1,163,822,677 | 5 | $232,764,535 |
| 94 | Tom Wheeler | $1,162,998,169 | 3 | $387,666,056 |
| 95 | Jon Spaihts | $1,150,923,865 | 3 | $383,641,288 |
| 96 | Will Beall | $1,148,861,807 | 2 | $574,430,904 |
| 97 | Rudyard Kipling | $1,146,049,354 | 4 | $286,512,339 |
| 98 | Ryan Fleck | $1,129,576,094 | 1 | $1,129,576,094 |
| 99 | Anna Boden | $1,129,576,094 | 1 | $1,129,576,094 |
| 100 | Paul King | $1,094,260,681 | 3 | $364,753,560 |
This table is updated daily to reflect the latest studio reports.
Note: This chart is not adjusted for inflation.
Image attributions
Stan Lee: By Edward Liu (Stan "The Man" Lee) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
