Box Office Star Records > Domestic > Lifetime Specific Technical Role > Top Domestic Story Creators
Top Grossing Story Creator at the Domestic Box OfficeBETA
See also: Top Domestic Art Directors - Top Domestic Assistant Directors - Top Domestic Assistant Editors - Top Domestic Associate Producers - Top Domestic Casting Directors - Top Domestic Cinematographers - Top Domestic Co-Producers - Top Domestic Composers - Top Domestic Costume Designers - Top Domestic Costume Supervisors - Top Domestic Dialogue Editors - Top Domestic Directors - Top Domestic Editors - Top Domestic Executive Producers - Top Domestic Make-up and Hair Designers - Top Domestic Music Editors - Top Domestic Music Supervisors - Top Domestic Producers - Top Domestic Production Designers - Top Domestic Re-recording Mixers - Top Domestic Screenwriters - Top Domestic Second Unit Directors - Top Domestic Set Decorators - Top Domestic Set Designers - Top Domestic Sound Designers - Top Domestic Sound Editors - Top Domestic Sound Effects Editors - Top Domestic Sound Mixers - Top Domestic Stunt Coordinators - Top Domestic Supervising Sound Editors - Top Domestic Unit Production Managers - Top Domestic Visual Effects Supervisors - Top International Story Creators - Top Worldwide Story Creators
This list shows the highest grossing Story Creators based on the domestic 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 ($858,373,000 in 2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($814,811,535 in 2021), Black Panther ($700,059,566 in 2018), Avengers: Infinity War ($678,815,482 in 2018), The Avengers ($623,357,910 in 2012), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($411,331,607 in 2022), Spider-Man ($405,930,363 in 2002), Spider-Man: Far From Home ($391,362,492 in 2019), Spider-Man 2 ($375,828,527 in 2004), Thor: Love and Thunder ($343,256,830 in 2022) |
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 ($858,373,000 in 2019), Black Panther ($700,059,566 in 2018), Avengers: Infinity War ($678,815,482 in 2018), The Avengers ($623,357,910 in 2012), Thor: Love and Thunder ($343,256,830 in 2022), Iron Man ($318,604,126 in 2008), Iron Man 2 ($312,433,331 in 2010), The Fantastic Four: First Steps ($274,286,610 in 2025), Ant-Man and the Wasp ($216,648,740 in 2018), Thor ($181,030,624 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 ($814,811,535 in 2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($411,331,607 in 2022), Spider-Man ($405,930,363 in 2002), Spider-Man: Far From Home ($391,362,492 in 2019), Spider-Man 2 ($375,828,527 in 2004), Spider-Man 3 ($338,007,351 in 2007), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($334,580,976 in 2017), The Amazing Spider-Man ($262,717,220 in 2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($203,530,343 in 2014) |
Complete List
| Rank | Name | Domestic Box Office |
Movies | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Lee | $8,755,868,315 | 25 | $350,234,733 |
| 2 | Jack Kirby | $5,237,122,689 | 15 | $349,141,513 |
| 3 | Steve Ditko | $3,538,100,414 | 9 | $393,122,268 |
| 4 | Andrew Stanton | $2,547,568,752 | 8 | $318,446,094 |
| 5 | J.K. Rowling | $2,494,770,799 | 9 | $277,196,755 |
| 6 | John Lasseter | $1,982,752,094 | 8 | $247,844,012 |
| 7 | George Lucas | $1,909,718,484 | 10 | $190,971,848 |
| 8 | J.R.R. Tolkien | $1,862,231,735 | 6 | $310,371,956 |
| 9 | Stephen King | $1,829,164,383 | 61 | $29,986,301 |
| 10 | Suzanne Collins | $1,617,889,120 | 5 | $323,577,824 |
| 11 | Pete Docter | $1,609,463,822 | 7 | $229,923,403 |
| 12 | Bruce Geller | $1,524,547,002 | 8 | $190,568,375 |
| 13 | Stephenie Meyer | $1,393,698,160 | 6 | $232,283,027 |
| 14 | David S. Goyer | $1,389,837,420 | 5 | $277,967,484 |
| 15 | Michael Crichton | $1,385,155,245 | 11 | $125,923,204 |
| 16 | Larry Lieber | $1,371,973,651 | 5 | $274,394,730 |
| 17 | Rick Jaffa | $1,367,236,884 | 3 | $455,745,628 |
| 18 | Amanda Silver | $1,367,236,884 | 3 | $455,745,628 |
| 19 | James Wan | $1,269,376,280 | 12 | $105,781,357 |
| 20 | Terry Rossio | $1,226,234,796 | 9 | $136,248,311 |
| 21 | Jennifer Lee | $1,219,594,835 | 3 | $406,531,612 |
| 22 | Brenda Chapman | $1,204,901,451 | 3 | $401,633,817 |
| 23 | Gene Roddenberry | $1,203,666,176 | 10 | $120,366,618 |
| 24 | Peter Craig | $1,095,588,692 | 4 | $273,897,173 |
| 25 | Linda Woolverton | $1,047,652,208 | 2 | $523,826,104 |
| 26 | Chris Van Allsburg | $1,046,542,055 | 5 | $209,308,411 |
| 27 | Dr Seuss | $1,005,086,197 | 6 | $167,514,366 |
| 28 | James Cameron | $954,526,683 | 3 | $318,175,561 |
| 29 | Ted Elliott | $928,513,364 | 7 | $132,644,766 |
| 30 | Bob Peterson | $902,386,845 | 3 | $300,795,615 |
| 31 | Chris Buck | $878,326,587 | 2 | $439,163,294 |
| 32 | Bryan Singer | $874,220,205 | 5 | $174,844,041 |
| 33 | Christopher Nolan | $827,671,242 | 2 | $413,835,621 |
| 34 | Chris Sanders | $815,287,622 | 4 | $203,821,906 |
| 35 | Gregory Maguire | $772,540,795 | 2 | $386,270,398 |
| 36 | Winnie Holzman | $772,540,795 | 2 | $386,270,398 |
| 37 | Shane Salerno | $759,137,369 | 2 | $379,568,685 |
| 38 | Josh Friedman | $751,062,578 | 2 | $375,531,289 |
| 39 | Phil Johnston | $738,636,652 | 4 | $184,659,163 |
| 40 | Rich Moore | $731,772,636 | 3 | $243,924,212 |
| 41 | Jim Reardon | $731,772,636 | 3 | $243,924,212 |
| 42 | Justin Marks | $718,732,821 | 1 | $718,732,821 |
| 43 | William Steig | $708,197,942 | 2 | $354,098,971 |
| 44 | Lowell Cunningham | $700,132,003 | 4 | $175,033,001 |
| 45 | Ron Clements | $689,450,553 | 4 | $172,362,638 |
| 46 | Rob Liefeld | $687,662,444 | 2 | $343,831,222 |
| 47 | Fabian Nicieza | $687,662,444 | 2 | $343,831,222 |
| 48 | Zak Penn | $682,086,868 | 3 | $227,362,289 |
| 49 | Zack Snyder | $677,980,205 | 5 | $135,596,041 |
| 50 | Phil Lord | $674,137,401 | 4 | $168,534,350 |
| 51 | Alfred Gough | $669,928,962 | 2 | $334,964,481 |
| 52 | Miles Millar | $669,928,962 | 2 | $334,964,481 |
| 53 | Gary Scott Thompson | $643,645,345 | 3 | $214,548,448 |
| 54 | Kevin Hageman | $633,458,826 | 4 | $158,364,707 |
| 55 | Dan Hageman | $633,458,826 | 4 | $158,364,707 |
| 56 | Don Heck | $631,037,457 | 2 | $315,518,729 |
| 57 | Lee Unkrich | $625,464,895 | 2 | $312,732,448 |
| 58 | Mark Millar | $603,091,004 | 7 | $86,155,858 |
| 59 | Cressida Cowell | $600,760,529 | 3 | $200,253,510 |
| 60 | Seth Grahame-Smith | $598,004,398 | 5 | $119,600,880 |
| 61 | Nicole Perlman | $570,935,185 | 2 | $285,467,593 |
| 62 | Michael Dougherty | $566,978,721 | 4 | $141,744,680 |
| 63 | Rudyard Kipling | $550,187,079 | 4 | $137,546,770 |
| 64 | Meg LeFauve | $549,916,959 | 2 | $274,958,480 |
| 65 | Joseph Kosinski | $546,396,611 | 3 | $182,132,204 |
| 66 | Irene Mecchi | $543,638,043 | 1 | $543,638,043 |
| 67 | Jonathan Roberts | $543,638,043 | 1 | $543,638,043 |
| 68 | Josie Trinidad | $542,359,959 | 2 | $271,179,980 |
| 69 | Byron Howard | $537,409,700 | 3 | $179,136,567 |
| 70 | Gary Whitta | $533,539,991 | 1 | $533,539,991 |
| 71 | John Knoll | $533,539,991 | 1 | $533,539,991 |
| 72 | David Callaham | $528,287,885 | 3 | $176,095,962 |
| 73 | Philip K. Dick | $527,943,223 | 10 | $52,794,322 |
| 74 | Brian Lynch | $519,810,199 | 2 | $259,905,100 |
| 75 | Matthew Fogel | $514,271,617 | 3 | $171,423,872 |
| 76 | Nicholas Sparks | $512,354,718 | 11 | $46,577,702 |
| 77 | Dan O’Bannon | $511,802,499 | 7 | $73,114,643 |
| 78 | John Logan | $510,193,189 | 4 | $127,548,297 |
| 79 | John Grisham | $508,776,545 | 6 | $84,796,091 |
| 80 | Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont | $504,014,165 | 2 | $252,007,083 |
| 81 | Charles Perrault | $493,996,856 | 4 | $123,499,214 |
| 82 | Ronald Shusett | $492,231,408 | 6 | $82,038,568 |
| 83 | Jonah Hill | $488,161,148 | 4 | $122,040,287 |
| 84 | Neal Purvis | $487,895,842 | 3 | $162,631,947 |
| 85 | Robert Wade | $487,895,842 | 3 | $162,631,947 |
| 86 | Erica Rivinoja | $486,622,904 | 4 | $121,655,726 |
| 87 | Victoria Strouse | $486,295,561 | 1 | $486,295,561 |
| 88 | Geneva Robertson | $485,080,642 | 2 | $242,540,321 |
| 89 | Christopher Miller | $483,964,206 | 3 | $161,321,402 |
| 90 | Marc E. Smith | $477,373,578 | 1 | $477,373,578 |
| 91 | Kristen Anderson-Lopez | $477,373,578 | 1 | $477,373,578 |
| 92 | Robert Lopez | $477,373,578 | 1 | $477,373,578 |
| 93 | Stuart Beattie | $474,687,607 | 3 | $158,229,202 |
| 94 | Shane Morris | $466,296,318 | 2 | $233,148,159 |
| 95 | David Leslie Johnson | $451,535,871 | 4 | $112,883,968 |
| 96 | Pamela Ribon | $449,848,755 | 2 | $224,924,378 |
| 97 | Alex Kurtzman | $444,922,654 | 3 | $148,307,551 |
| 98 | Tom Clancy | $444,481,205 | 6 | $74,080,201 |
| 99 | Chris Bowman | $441,306,089 | 2 | $220,653,045 |
| 100 | Hubbel Palmer | $441,306,089 | 2 | $220,653,045 |
The Domestic Market is defined as the North American movie territory (consisting of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam).
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
