By skyforbes 
These are the Top 20 directors of all time at the global box office, according to the-numbers.com:
| Rk | Name | Lifetime WW B.O. | Last Movie | Worldwide | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Spielberg | $10,722,123,483 | The Fabelmans | $43,271,455 | 2022 |
| 2 | James Cameron | $8,707,914,015 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $2,322,902,023 | 2022 |
| 3 | Russo Bros | $6,762,816,826 | The Electric State | Streaming | 2025 |
| 4 | Peter Jackson | $6,553,626,434 | They Shall Not Grow Old | $21,656,913 | 2018 |
| 5 | Michael Bay | $6,495,839,639 | Ambulance | $52,181,095 | 2022 |
| 6 | David Yates | $6,354,627,148 | Pain Hustlers | Streaming | 2023 |
| 7 | Christopher Nolan | $6,046,452,187 | Oppenheimer | $976,757,255 | 2023 |
| 8 | Ridley Scott | $5,043,525,588 | Gladiator II | $460,380,411 | 2024 |
| 9 | Tim Burton | $4,876,242,675 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | $451,980,048 | 2024 |
| 10 | J.J. Abrams | $4,637,580,337 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skyw… | $1,069,951,814 | 2019 |
| 11 | Robert Zemeckis | $4,395,707,700 | Here | $15,993,629 | 2024 |
| 12 | Jon Favreau | $4,336,018,074 | The Lion King | $1,661,454,403 | 2019 |
| 13 | Ron Howard | $4,310,835,830 | Eden | $2,480,113 | 2025 |
| 14 | Sam Raimi | $4,266,568,715 | Doctor Strange in the Multi… | $952,224,986 | 2022 |
| 15 | Chris Renaud | $4,176,449,267 | Despicable Me 4 | $972,964,428 | 2024 |
| 16 | James Wan | $4,174,708,796 | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | $440,181,226 | 2023 |
| 17 | Chris Columbus | $4,092,285,485 | The Thursday Murder Club | Streaming | 2025 |
| 18 | Shawn Levy | $4,050,867,277 | Deadpool & Wolverine | $1,338,071,348 | 2024 |
| 19 | Roland Emmerich | $4,015,708,066 | Moonfall | $59,053,195 | 2022 |
| 20 | Jon Watts | $3,934,883,628 | Wolfs | Streaming | 2024 |
In my opinion, I think Zemeckis, Howard, Columbus are the only directors on this list who'd have a hard time getting a $100m budget for their next films.
But does the answer change if we're talking about getting a $100m budget for an original non-IP movie? I think it does. I think in that case, Zemeckis, Howard, Columbus, Yates, Raimi, and Watts would all struggle.
And I feel like Burton and Bay are right on the cusp.