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Peter Jackson is a director, producer, and screenwriter from New Zealand. He is best known for writing and directing the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, and the live-action monster movie King Kong. He is 4th highest-grossing Hollywood director, and his films have grossed jaw-dropping collections worldwide. Apart from commercial success, Peter has also received numerous prestigious accolades, including Three Academy Awards, three BAFTA awards, two Golden Globes, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Peter Jackson is considered one of the best directors in Hollywood and has a star to his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in LA. For his exceptional contribution to cinema, he was awarded a knighthood in 2010.
The Lovely Bones - $93.6 million
The Lovely Bones is a 2009 supernatural thriller film directed by Peter Jackson and with a screenplay written by Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan in significant roles and is based on Alice Sebold's 2002 novel, The Lovely Bones. The film was released in North America on January 15, 2010, to mixed reviews with a particular appreciation for Jackson’s direction and Tucci’s performance. The film grossed around $44 million domestically as per Box Office Mojo and ended up with a global haul of $93.6 million.
King Kong - $556.9 Million
King Kong is a monster action film released in 2005, produced, written, and directed by Peter Jackson. The film follows the story of a group of filmmakers exploring an uninhabited mystery island and is the remake of the 1933 film of the same name. The film stars A-listers like Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Broody, and Andy Serkis in significant roles. The movie was made on a budget of $217 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever produced at that time. The film was a substantial box office success grossing $218 million in the domestic market and a worldwide collection of $556.9 Million, as reported by IMDB.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings - $897.7 million
The first installment of the hit trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s famous novel of the same name, was released in 2001. This movie was a huge critical and commercial success, directed and produced by Peter Jackson. The movie is considered one of the most influential films of all time, and it swept several prestigious awards, including four academy awards, three BAFTA awards, and three Saturn awards. The movie grossed a whopping $897.7 million with a domestic haul of $316 million and boasted of a stellar star cast including Sir Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, etc.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - $947.5 million
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released in 2002 as the second installment of the epic fantasy trilogy. Like the first part, the movie is co-produced, co-written, and directed by Peter Jackson. After the humongous success of the first installment, The Two Towers grossed around $947.5 million worldwide with a domestic gross of $342 million, as reported by Rotten Tomatoes, and became the highest-grossing movie of 2002. This movie was again a huge critical success and received six nominations at the 75th Academy Awards and numerous BAFTA nominations.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - $958 million
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was released in 2013 as the second installment of The Hobbit trilogy and a prequel to the LOTR trilogy. The movie is co-produced, co-written, and directed by Peter Jackson and boasts an ensemble cast of Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, etc. Like all its predecessors, the movie was a major critical and commercial success grossing $258.38 Million at the domestic box office and ending up with an international haul of $958 Million, as per The Fandom.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - $962.2 million
The third installment of the Trilogy, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, was released in 2014. Peter Jackson again helmed the Director’s chair while co-producing and co-writing the movie. The movie received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike and grossed $962.2 million worldwide, with an impressive domestic collection of $255.13 million. It also won various accolades, including an Academy Award nomination.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - $1.017 billion
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released in 2012 as the first installment of The Hobbit trilogy. Peter Jackson co-produced, directed, and co-wrote the screenplay of the blockbuster movie along with Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro. It received mixed reviews from the critics and continued the excellent box-office legacy of the LOTR universe, grossing a staggering $1.017 billion worldwide and $303 million domestically, becoming the highest-grossing movie in The Hobbit trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - $1.146 billion
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third and final installment of the LOTR trilogy and was released in 2003. Peter Jackson co-produced, co-wrote, and directed this magnum opus, like the preceding movies. Made on a budget of just $94 Million, the film raked in $1.146 billion worldwide with a domestic haul of $378.25 million. The movie was nominated in the 76th Academy Awards across multiple categories, including Best Picture, and to date remains one of the best movies of Peter Jackson’s cinematic career.
Peter Jackson has established himself as one of the most legendary directors of Hollywood by directing some of the best and most influential movies of all time in the form of The LOTR and Hobbit trilogy. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the highest-grossing film of Peter Jackson’s career, and all his movies have grossed a total of $6.5 Billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful directors in the game.
Sources - Box Office Mojo, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, The Fandom