Only nine women directors, so far, have ever been given a budget north of $100 million. Even fewer have done so without also having a male co-director or on projects that aren’t animated. That needs to change, and with “Captain Marvel” opening this weekend, hopefully that changes soon.
Kathryn Bigelow • “K:19 – The Widowmaker” (2002) – $100 Million
Before she became the first (and only) woman to win the Oscar for Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman director to land a $100 million budget for her 2002 submarine thriller “K-19: The Widowmaker.”
Jennifer Yuh Nelson • “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) – $150 Million
Jennifer Yuh Nelson directed the $150 million sequel to “Kung Fu Panda.” She came back for the third film as well with a similar budget, but would then be paired with male director Alessandro Carloni.
Lana and Lilly Wachowski • “Cloud Atlas” (2012) -$128.5 Million and “Jupiter Ascending” (2016) – $176 Million
Lana Wachowski came out publicly as a transgender woman in 2012 while discussing the creative process behind “Cloud Atlas.” She would then co-direct “Jupiter Ascending” in 2015, with Lilly also coming out as trans woman in 2016.
Jennifer Lee with Chris Buck • “Frozen” (2013) – $150 Million
Jennifer Lee’s “Frozen” won two Oscars and was a pop cultural smash, and she’ll direct the sequel as well along with Chris Buck.
Patty Jenkins • “Wonder Woman” (2017) – $149 Million
Patty Jenkins was only the third woman to direct a $100 million budgeted movie solo. “Wonder Woman” went on to make $412 million at the domestic box office. She’s signed on to direct the sequel “Wonder Woman 1984” due out in 2020.
Ava DuVernay • “A Wrinkle in Time” (2018) – $103 Million
Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” is an ambitious fantasy that should hopefully inspire a new generation of filmmakers and young kids. But the exotic, colorful family film only made $132 million at the worldwide box office.
Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck • “Captain Marvel” (2019)
Marvel’s first female-fronted property enlisted Anna Boden along with Ryan Fleck, best known for their indie “Mississippi Grind.” Its Thursday box office preview made it the fifth highest opening for any MCU film, putting it on pace for a huge first weekend.
Niki Caro • “Mulan” (2020)
Niki Caro’s live action adaptation of the animated hit “Mulan” was supposed to come out later this year, but was recently pushed back to 2020.
