Women Are Responsible For Directing Some Of The Most Iconic Movies, And Here Are 16 To Prove It
That's right: Twilight was directed by a woman!!!
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which popular movies most people never realized were directed by women. Here are the amazing results.
Warning: Possible movie spoilers ahead! 🚨
Note: Not all submissions are from Community users.
1. Everyone and their dogs is familiar with the 2001 classic Shrek, but most folks might not realize it was actually co-directed by Vicky Jenson. Jenson also directed Shark Tale (2004) and Post Grad (2009).
"It was co-directed by Vicky Jenson, along with Andrew Adamson — you can thank her for one of the internet’s favorite movies." —smogden
How much money Shrek made at the box office: $487.9 million worldwide
How much money Shark Tale made at the box office: $374.6 million worldwide
How much money Post Grad made at the box office: $6.4 million worldwide
2. The first Twilight movie was directed by Catherine Hardwicke in 2008, who was also behind legendary films like Thirteen (2003) and Lords of Dogtown (2005). The rest of the films in the Twilight Saga were directed by men.
"There is a distinct difference in the first one compared to the others. Just something to think about." —mce7011
How much money Twilight made at the box office: $408.4 million worldwide
How much money Thirteen made at the box office: $10.1 million worldwide
How much money Lords of Dogtown made at the box office: $13.4 million worldwide
3. Before she directed popular movies like A League of Their Own (1992) and The Preacher's Wife (1996), Penny Marshall was responsible for directing Tom Hanks in the 1988 film Big.
"It was the first female-directed film to gross over $100 million at the box office, and it’s still a classic all these years later." —tomkat41
How much money Big made at the box office: $151.9 million worldwide
How much money A League of Their Own made at the box office: $132.4 million worldwide
How much money The Preacher's Wife made at the box office: $48.1 million worldwide
4. The legendary 1991 film Point Break was actually directed by none other than Kathryn Bigelow, who'd go on to become the first (and only) woman to win the Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker (2008).
Suggested by: actoranon
How much money Point Break made at the box office: $83.5 million worldwide
How much money The Hurt Locker made at the box office: $49.3 million worldwide
5. In the late '90s, The Matrix was directed by legendary sister duo the Wachowskis (Lilly and Lana) with booming success. They've directed all of the sequels in the franchise and are also responsible for classics like Cloud Atlas (2012) and Bound (1996).
Suggested by: meganhash13
How much money The Matrix made at the box office: $466.4 million worldwide
How much money The Matrix Reloaded made at the box office: $741.8 million worldwide
How much money The Matrix Revolutions made at the box office: $427.3 million worldwide
6. Patty Jenkins (the woman behind 2003's Monster) made herstory in 2017 when she became the first woman to direct a superhero film: Wonder Woman. She's also one of the most successful female directors of all time, bringing in the fourth-highest box office numbers worldwide.
Suggested by: emrules17
How much money Wonder Woman made at the box office: $822.8 million worldwide
How much money Monster made at the box office: $58.5 million worldwide
7. Do you remember the legendary 2000 rom-com Love & Basketball starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps? Yes, that cinematic classic was directed by an iconic woman and her name is Gina Prince-Bythewood.
"Not sure if this is well-known knowledge, but it’s the first movie that came to mind 😊." —yessirbrebre_26
How much money it made at the box office: $27.7 million worldwide
8. Angelina Jolie took on a new role in the entertainment industry in the 2010s when she stepped behind the camera. She directed popular movies like Unbroken (2014) and By the Sea (2015), which she co-starred in with ex-husband Brad Pitt.
How much money Unbroken made at the box office: $161.5 million worldwide
How much money By the Sea made at the box office: $3.3 million worldwide
9. Kung Fu Panda 2 was directed by the incredible Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who brought in some of the biggest global box office numbers to date. Nelson was also behind such masterpieces as The Darkest Minds (2018) and Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016).
How much money Kung Fu Panda 2 made at the box office: $665.7 million worldwide
How much money Kung Fu Panda 3 made at the box office: $521.1 million worldwide
How much money The Darkest Minds made at the box office: $41.1 million worldwide
10. Melina Matsoukas made her directorial debut with 2019's Queen & Slim, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith. Before directing movies, she was responsible for directing episodes of Insecure and music videos like "Rude Boy" by Rihanna.
Suggested by: kaylayandoli
How much money Queen & Slim made at the box office: $47.8 million worldwide
11. The famous woman behind 2000s classics like 27 Dresses (2008), The Proposal (2009), and Step Up (2006) is none other than Anne Fletcher, who is, without a doubt, box office gold.
Suggested by: senpainoticedu
How much money 27 Dresses made at the box office: $162.7 million worldwide
How much money The Proposal made at the box office: $317.4 million worldwide
How much money Step Up made at the box office: $114.2 million worldwide
12. Wayne's World (1992) is one of the most dude-centric rock 'n' roll movies from the '90s, but did you know it was directed by Penelope Spheeris? She's also known for directing classics like The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) and The Little Rascals (1994).
Suggested by: threetubersahead
How much money Wayne's World made at the box office: $183.1 million worldwide
How much money The Beverly Hillbillies made at the box office: $57.4 million worldwide
How much money The Little Rascals made at the box office: $67.3 million worldwide
13. The 2008 film Cadillac Records — a biopic centered around popular blues and R&B singers Etta James, Muddy Waters, and Chuck Berry — was directed by Darnell Martin. Martin also directed the popular 2012 television film Firelight.
How much money Cadillac Records made at the box office: $8.9 million worldwide
14. Tina Gordon is the filmmaker responsible for directing stars Issa Rae, Regina Hall, and Marsai Martin in the 2019 comedy Little. She's also known for directing Peeples (2013) and writing screenplays like What Men Want (2019).
How much money Little made at the box office: $49 million worldwide
How much money Peeples made at the box office: $9.3 million worldwide
How much money What Men Want made at the box office: $72.2 million worldwide
15. The 2008 jukebox musical Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, and Christine Baranski (among others) was directed by the talented Phyllida Lloyd.
Suggested by: cryybabyy
How much money it made at the box office: $609.9 million worldwide
16. And the legendary 2000 slasher film American Psycho was directed by Mary Harron. She was the woman behind other horror classics, like I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) and The Moth Diaries (2011).
Suggested by: lmm066
How much money American Psycho made at the box office: $34.3 million worldwide
How much money I Shot Andy Warhol made at the box office: $1.9 million worldwide
How much money The Moth Diaries made at the box office: $413,000 worldwide
Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.
