10 Highest-Grossing Todd Phillips Movies Ever

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We all love a good movie, whether it evokes emotions of fear, terror, fascination, love, laughter, and joy. Oftentimes, we're so enamored with the actors and their dramatized camera persona that we forget the people whose very imagination gave life to that project which soon became a blockbuster success - the writers, directors, and producers. One of the most recognized and financially successful directors and producers in Hollywood is Todd Phillips. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Todd wrote and self-produced his first documentary film in 1993 entitled Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies, which surrounded the turbulent life of punk rockstar, GG Allin. From that time onward, he has been excelled tremendously. Here are 10 of the highest-grossing movies created by Todd Phillips.

Joker

Marvel and DC Comic fans have enjoyed the dominance of Batman as the superhero for decades. But the backstory of the villains is rarely shared or understood. In 2019, Todd Phillips decided to give the fans a new perspective with a film about how one of Batman's most lethal antagonists, Joker. Played by Hollywood actor, Joaquin Phoenix, Joker's character is represented by Arthur Fleck, who is a failed comedian, is forced to work as a clown as a day job. But he also wears another mask to cope with the outside world. His failed career and current state in life drive him to madness, and soon birthed the criminal mastermind known as Joker. This proved to be Todd's most lucrative film, grossing $1.074 billion at the box office.

The Hangover 2

Todd Philips has a penchant for creating movies that are slightly outrageous not too farfetched that it's not relatable. So in 2011, he released the second part of a trio of one of the funniest bachelor movies of all time: The Hangover Part 2. Together with a cast of insanely hilarious actors, such as Bradley Cooper (Phill), Zach Galifianakis (Alan), Ed Helms (Stu), Ken Jeong (Mr. Chow), and Paul Giamatti (Kingsley). By this time, the Old School director already had a few movies under his belt, and the second movie series became the most successful of the franchise, grossing $586.8 million at the global box office.

The Hangover

The year 2009 marked the release of Todd Phillip's first Hangover movie. The film was co-produced by Daniel Goldberg and was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. When asked in an interview with Vanity Fair how he came up with such a hilarious and adventurous movie, he stated that his intention when writing was to make the co-producers and writers laugh as hard as possible at the script. He even has a minor role in the film as Mr. Creepy which came in as a surprise cameo. From director to actors, the chemistry and vision gave birth to a masterpiece that grossed $469.3 million at the worldwide box office.

A Star Is Born

Classic movies are often reinvented to keep their genius alive even as the years go by and things change. So when Todd remade the 1976 romance musical starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, entitled A Star Is Born, it was basically the same story of romance, struggle, inspiration, success, and failure with a modern twist. Released in 2018, it follows a seasoned music artist, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), and a young, promising talent on the verge of quitting on her dream to be a musician named Ally (Lady Gaga). The two fall in love and encounter many personal issues on the road to success. Although Phillips was just the producer in this film (it was Bradley Cooper's directorial debut), it still banked $436.2 million on a $23 million budget.

The Hangover 3

The third movie series, Hangover Part 3, was released in 2013 and has been the last one since. The Wolfpack, as Todd calls them, are back after a wild excursion to Bangkok in the previous movie series. But while Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Doug (Justin Bartha) settle down into a sense of normalcy, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) is still an awkward and restless soul. He goes on a quest to find peace and contentment and, ultimately, quits taking his ADHD medication. This results in him acting impulsively and irrationally, and eventually, his friends take him to a rehab center in Arizona. They all end up back in Las Vegas, where it all began! The film generated $362 million at the box office.

Borat

Todd Phillips struck again in 2006 with the black comedy mockumentary, Borat. The film's star was Sacha Baron Cohen who played the lead role of Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional journalist from Kazakhstani who journeys to America to explore the cultural differences of the American people throughout his interactions with them. The film was exactly what it's described as a mockumentary since Borat's seemingly professional observations of the American people were mainly for comedic purposes. The film was favorably received by viewers and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and for the Writers Guild of America Award. However, the film was banned by most Arab countries. Nevertheless, it went on to gross $262.2 million in worldwide sales.

Due Date

Nowadays, when people hear of Robert Downey Jr., they immediately think of Iron Man or Sherlock Holmes. But Downey will forever be remembered for his role as Peter Highman in Todd Phillip's comedy, Due Date. The film follows Highman who is a soon-to-be father desperately trying to be present for his wife's delivery of their baby. The only issue is that Highman is in Atlanta and must take a trip to Los Angeles. But plans drastically change when he is forced to take a road trip with potential actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) which turns out to be a nightmare. Other actors who star in the film include Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, and Michelle Monaghan. At the worldwide box office, it amassed $211.8 million.

Starsky & Hutch

With another adaptation to add to his resume, Todd Phillips is assured his spot in history as the only director of the new Millenium to reinvent the 1975 crime/drama series, Starsky & Hutch. Starring Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken Hutchinson, the comedy was an immediate success. There was a cast of amazing actors, and even music celebrities, such as Snoop Dogg who played Huggy Bear Brown. Other iconic actors that made the movie worth watching include Vince Vaughn (Reese Feldman), Amy Smart (Holly), Carmen Electra (Staci), Juliette Lewis (Kitty), Fred Williamson (Capt. Doby), and Chris Penn (Manetti). To this day, the movie is a classic and received $170 million at the box office shortly after its release.

Road Trip

If you've been paying attention, you would've realized that a good bit of Todd Philips' films involve some sort of cross-country, cross-state, cross-continent element. In 2000, Phillips took his creative genius on a wild ride by creating the sex comedy, Road Trip. When a group of college students, namely Kyle Edwards (DJ Qualls), E.L (Seann William Scott), Josh Parker (Breckin Meyer), and Rubin Carver (Paulo Costanzo) set out on a journey from New York to Texas to save their friend's relationship, they take some unexpected turns. When Josh picks up a girl at a frat party named Beth Wagner (Amy Smart), they record their intimacy and must retrieve the video before it reaches his girlfriend, Tiffany Henderson (Rachel Blanchard). The hilarious film grossed $119.7 million at the box office and became a college comedy classic.

Project X

Todd Phillips has a way of making movies that every college student or senior in high school desires to one day live out. In 2012, he released a comedy called Project X, a movie about three average high-school students named Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper), and J.B (Jonathan Daniel Brown), who have endured their entire high school experience unheard and unseen. So as the seniors are now graduating, they need to leave their mark in the most unforgettable way - a legendary party. Appearances were also made by Rick Shapiro who played a drug dealer named T-Rick, who supplies the minors with marijuana and ecstasy. Phillips made bank off another party banger, this time grossing a decent $102.7 million at the box office.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Vox, Vanity Fair, Roger Ebert, Reel Views