David Fincher is a unique filmmaker; a perfectionist, interested in the scarier parts of the human experience, who always is trying to do new, visually interesting things in his movies. Those reasons are what has made his career one to watch for, and he’s been able to mix personal projects that also get people to go to the cinema and spend money. Here are his 10 highest-grossing films worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
10 Zodiac (2007) – $84.7 Million
Zodiac tells the story of the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who sends cryptic messages to newspapers, taunting the police as he feels much smarter than them; and the cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who becomes obsessed with the messages and wants to find the killer, even if that means turning his life upside down.
This might be Fincher’s most underrated film, as it has everything; investigations, a cold, efficient killer, some very tense scenes where you think the lead is going to get killed, and a great cast. Gyllenhaal is the lead, but the supporting characters are as good as him, from Robert Downey Jr., to Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, and Chloë Sevigny.
9 Fight Club (1999) – $101.2 Million
Back when it was first released, Fight Club had one of those twist endings that surprised audiences, making it one of their biggest talking points. Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, the story of the Narrator (Edward Norton in one of the performances, that showed he was going to be in Hollywood for the long haul), and Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), as they create a fight club to unburden their life frustrations, and unknowingly touch on the dissatisfaction that many young, male adults feel.
The film was loved by some, hated by others, and is still talked about all these years later, as some of its ideas (extreme capitalism, depression, angry men) have become even bigger concerns in the last few years. The movie might have been the first time Fincher had all the money and movie stars for making the film he had thought in his head, and the results spoke for themselves, as it’s visually stunning, has some dark humor, and people still remember where they were when they understood who Tyler Durden really was.
8 The Game (1997) – $109.4 Million
The Game has a crazy starting point; Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) a rich man who has everything, gets a birthday present like no other, an unusual entertainment, about a game he won’t know he’s playing. From there on, many weird and bad things start happening to him. This thriller lives in the paranoia world, and has one of Douglas’ best performances, as his Nicholas turns from cocky and entitled, to scared, paranoid, and suicidal. This was Fincher’s first film after Se7en, showing audiences that if thrilling, psychological dramas with not-that-well-adjusted lead characters were their preferred cup of tea, the director was their guy.
7 Alien 3 (1992) – $159.8 Million
Alien 3 continues the story of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her worst enemy, as they arrive at a maximum-security prison, where the Xenomorphs can keep reproducing and killing everyone. This was Fincher’s first film, after he earned notoriety as a video clip filmmaker, and the experience almost made him never direct again, as the director has disowned the movie, as the film was ruined by studio interference. Even then, there’s already some DNA of everything the director loves to do on one of his films, including his perfectionism for shooting as many times as necessary in even the smallest of scenes.
6 Panic Room (2002) – $197 Million
Panic Room might’ve been one of the most difficult projects Fincher has ever directed, as it all happens in a pretty small space of one house in Manhattan. Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her tween daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart, in what was for many the first time they saw her), have just moved to a new home with a panic room, when three men enter the house to steal something, they are going to use that room. The battle between the assailants and the divorced woman has many twists and turns, as the bad guys have different objectives and moral codes, and Meg is much more resilient and resourceful than anyone could’ve thought.
This idea is as exciting as they come for a director, and even more for a perfectionist like Fincher, as he could control everything. Even then, the director has said how difficult this shoot was, and not only because they had to start and stop the production twice, because of a Nicole Kidman injury (she was the first Meg Altman cast), and because of Jodie Foster’s pregnancy during the second one, but also because of the smaller sandbox in which he decided to play.
5 The Social Network (2010) – $224.9 Million
The Social Network was one of the most impactful films of the early 2010s, as it told the kind-of real story of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), creator of Facebook, his best friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield), Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the man that helped the company become much bigger, and the twins that sued them (Armie Hammer playing both parts). With an incredible cast that has gone to do even bigger things, and the best thing Aaron Sorkin has ever written (other than The West Wing), this story of coding and depositions could’ve been as boring as it is exciting, sad, and entertaining as possible, with an incredible pace thanks to the director, and the rest of the people involved.
About the incredible first scene, with Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara, Fincher told TimeOut: “The first scene in a movie should teach the audience how to watch it. I’ve got a contract for two hours and 19 minutes. I have final cut at two hours and 19 minutes. As long as I can make it in that time, I can do whatever the f*ck I want. (…) It’s shut-the-f*ck-up-time: pay attention, or you’re going to miss a lot.”
4 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) – $232.2 Million
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was based on the best-selling novel of the same name, written by Stieg Larsson. This is a dark film even for Fincher, as there are some scenes that could be someone’s worst nightmare. Rooney Mara has never been better, and Daniel Craig is able to make his character very competent, while also being completely out of his depth with this mystery. Even all these years later, it still deserves a sequel, as the books were a complete trilogy, and now that many years have passed, it would be interesting to see Mara and Fincher get back to the character.
3 Se7en (1995) – $327.3 Million
Se7en is about two detectives, one young and impulsive, named Mills (Brad Pitt), another, an older, wiser, and tired man named Somerset (Morgan Freeman), as they try to catch a serial killer, John Doe (Kevin Spacey), who is using the seven deadly sins as the theme for his murder spree.
This might be one of the most pessimistic and depraved films ever made, and it put Fincher back on the map, after the disaster that was Alien 3. This film proved the director’s mastery, making a moody film, that evolved the thriller genre, and created an incredible villain, while also making even bigger stars of Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow. The movie also has one of the most sad, scary, memorable, and spoiler-heavy endings of the last 30 years.
2 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) – $335.8 Million
Warner Bros.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has many things going for it; some incredible aging and de-aging visual effects, a charismatic Brad Pitt performance, and a great love story between his character and Daisy (Cate Blanchett). Based on a short story by one of the greatest American writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is all about Benjamin Button, the man who ages backward, as his body is old when his mind is baby-like, and how his whole life happens, who he meets, and how he falls in love. This is a surprising film by Fincher, as he spends much more time than usual in showing the day-to-day life of this unique individual, and crafting a tender love story, that can even beat time.
1 Gone Girl (2014) – $369.3 Million
Gone Girl is Fincher’s highest-grossing movie ever, based on Gillian Flynn’s bestselling book and with an incredible twist that translates perfectly to the movie. This thriller about two not-so-great people is much more intense and stressful than one could’ve thought of by the title; as there are similar movies, but none are as surprising, scary, and memorable. Both Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike give great performances that should’ve earned them some awards (Pike got nominated for her first and only Academy Award for it), as they destroy each other first with words, and then with everything they got, proving that sometimes it’s better to be alone.
About casting Affleck for the movie, Fincher told The Guardian: “Ben went through a period of his life where he was fodder; I guess he still is in a weird way. And you wonder, ‘When will they let him off?’ But it’s really good to have somebody who understands how nutty that is. What it’s like to live in a house where you have to draw the drapes, just in case [of photographers].”
