Jerry Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer with one of the most impressive résumés in Hollywood. The 70 year old producer has has been honored with 41 Academy Award nominations (six wins), eight Grammy Award nominations (five wins), 23 Golden Globe nominations (four wins), 77 Emmy Award nominations (17 wins), and eight People’s Choice nominations (four wins) over the course of his 42-year career. Bruckheimer’s best-known television series include the CSI franchise, Without a Trace, Cold Case, and the American version of The Amazing Race. Some his most famous films include Flashdance, Beverley Hills Cop, Top Gun, Bad Boys, The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and the National Treasure franchise. With a net worth of $850 million, Bruckheimer is the ninth richest producer in the world. Below is a list of his highest grossing films worldwide.
5. Armageddon – $553.7 million
The only Bruckheimer film in the top five not having to do with pirates, Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster thriller, directed by Michael Bay, that follows a group of deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a giant asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Steve Buscemi, Armageddon was a box office smash that received mixed critical reviews.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – $654.3 million
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl–the first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise–is a 2003 fantasy film based on the popular Disney theme park ride. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the film follows pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) as they rescue a kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from the cursed crew of the Black Pearl. The film was a huge success, critically and financially.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – $963.4 million
Released in 2007, the third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, follows Will Turner (Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Knightley), Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and the crew of the Black Pearl as they attempt to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) form Davy Jones’ Locker. Directed once again by Gore Verbinski, the film became the most successful film of 2007 and was the most expensive movie ever made to date with a budget of $300 million.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – $1.05 billion
The fourth and newest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, is the only film of the series not directed by Gore Verbinski. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film–which draws inspiration from the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers–follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), joined by Angelica (Penélope Cruz), in his search for the Fountain of Youth. The film received mixed critical reviews but stands as the 13th highest grossing film of all-time.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $1.07 billion
Directed by Gore Verbinski, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Released in 2006, the film follows Will Turner (Bloom) in his quest to find Jack Sparrow’s (Depp) magic compass at the order of Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company, who promises to pardon Turner and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) upon the item’s successful return. At the time, the film was the fastest film to ever gross $1 billion worldwide and currently stands as the 11th highest grossing film of all-time.
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