Movie lovers around the world are awestruck at the production value brought to the screen by filmmakerDenis Villeneuve. A director, writer, and producer, Villeneuve is a name that comes up in conversation when discussing the best directors of the 21st century. French-Canadian, Villeneuve’s career took off in 2013 with back-to-back cinematic feats across multiple genres. He’s been tapped to helm some of the biggest sci-fi features in cinematic history as well as sending audiences to the edge of their seats with the best action thrillers of the 2010s.
A multi-faceted filmmaker, Villeneuve got his start in 1994 by writing and directing the shortREW FFWD. He’s come a long way since, drawing audiences to theaters with thrillers, sci-fi, and action movies starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Oscar-nominated, if Villeneuve’s name is attached to the project, audiences know it will be worth the cost of a movie ticket.
8’Maelstrom' (2000)
Box Office Worldwide: $254,832
In Villeneuve’s first major theatrical release,Maelstromintroduced moviegoers to the filmmaker’s unique storytelling ability. After a series of personal disasters ensue, Bibiane (Marie-Josée Croze) perpetrates a hit-and-run, killing a man. She attends the funeral and subsequently begins a budding relationship with his son, Evian (Jean-Nicolas Verreault). The whole film is narrated by a philosophical dead fish (voiced byPierre LeBeau).
Written by Villeneuve in French with English subtitles, the film earned asmall box office total of $254,832. The film is a shining introductory example of Villeneuve’s feature work and his ability to weave symbolic, thought-provoking elements into his films.Maelstromis filled with hidden connectionsthat viewers are left to make meaning of after the movie ends.
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7’Enemy' (2013)
Box Office Worldwide: $3.48M
This psychological thriller was the second film within a year that Villeneuve released starringJake Gyllenhaal. He stars as Adam, a history professor who discovers his exact look-alike in the background of a movie. Adam becomes obsessed with finding Anthony (Gyllenhaal), the pair meeting in person, and stumbling down a dark rabbit hole of their existence. The film dropsan ambiguous endingin the lap of viewers, making it one of the most analyzed films in Villeneuve’s catalog.
Despite Gyllenhaal’s attachment to the project and the release of Villeneuve’s other well-known thriller a few months earlier,Enemyearned a small$1 million at the domestic box officein the spring of 2014 and just over $3 million worldwide. Indie audiences were preoccupied withWes Anderson’sThe Grand Budapest Hotel, which premiered in theaters the week before.
A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.
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6’Incendies' (2010)
Box Office Worldwide: $6.79M
Nominated for the Academy Award’s Best Foreign Language Film,Incendiesis arguablyVilleneuve’s best dramatic feat. The French-spoken film follows twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) as they attempt to fulfill their deceased mother’s last wishes. Jeanne is to deliver a letter to their father they never knew, and Simon is to deliver one to a brother they didn’t know existed. The pair travel to the war-torn Middle East, embarking on separate journeys to discover their family history.
Incendiesfound most of its acclaim and success from festival premiers but performed reasonably at the box office with a$2 million domestic performanceand over $6 million worldwide. It lost the Oscar win to Denmark’sIn a Better World.
Incendies (2010)
Twins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history and fulfill their mother’s last wishes.
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5’Sicario' (2015)
Box Office Worldwide: $84.9M
Before he was directing large-scale sci-fi feats, Villeneuve set the tone for this action franchise.SicariofollowsFBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt)as she joins a government task force whose mission is to escalate the tensions between the US and Mexico border as the war on drugs continues to wage. Blunt is joined byJosh BrolinandBenicio Del Toroin this grizzly Oscar-nominated feature.
Securing a healthyworldwide success of $84 millionwith its $30 million budget,Sicariowas an unexpected land with audiences. As writerTaylor Sheridan’sdebut feature, it garnered such a following that his hopes for a trilogy came to fruition with a sequel in 2018 andthe third installment on its way. Villeneuve’s knack for cinematic features and slow-burn pacing set the franchise up for success, although he did not return for the sequel and has yet to lock in for the third film.
4’Prisoners' (2013)
Box Office Worldwide: $122.8M
Villeneuve’s first English language feature remains a crime thriller favorite for audiences over a decade later.PrisonersstarsHugh Jackmanas Keller Dover, a distraught father whose young daughter and friend go missing. As Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the police force fail to come up with answers and accountability to Keller’s satisfaction, Keller takes the investigation into his own hands.
Audiences turned out at theaters to see the gritty “missing persons” feature led by A-listers Jackman and Gyllenhaal. Battling against the horror sequelInsidious: Chapter 2in September of 2013,Prisonersfared well at the box office, earning a domestic total of$61 million and $122 million worldwidewith a production budget of $46 million.
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3’Arrival' (2016)
Box Office Worldwide: $203.38M
A stand-alone feature in Villeneuve’s sci-fi catalog,Arrivalis not his highest-grossing in the genre; however, it was a box office surprise.Amy Adamsstars as Louise Banks, a linguist who is called in by the US military to attempt to decode and communicate with mysterious alien visitors after twelve crafts appear in various locations around the world. Earning eight Oscar nominations and taking home one,Arrivalwas a risk worth the reward in the end.
With just a productionbudget of $47 millionand a US box office tally of just over $100 million, the one-off original proved that Villeneuve could elevate a story in this genre without needing a franchise tie-in.Arrivaltotaled $203 million worldwide, establishing its legacy as one ofthe best sci-fi movies of its decade.
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2’Blade Runner 2049' (2017)
Box Office Worldwide: $267.69M
In one of the mosttechnologically advanced movies of the 2010s,Blade Runner 2049succeeded in beating the remake/sequel curse plaguing the decade. A follow-up from the original 1982 sci-fi classic, Blade Runner K (Ryan Gosling) sets out to find missing Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) in a futuristic, technology-driven Los Angeles before what remains of a fractured society spirals into chaos.
While its predecessor was an instant box office flop that became a cult classic,Blade Runner 2049hinged on the appeal of its A-list cast and genre legacy; however, the film ultimately flopped at the box office, onlyearning $92 millionin the US with a production budget of $150 million - though it ultimately earned $267 million worldwide. Scoring five Oscar nominations and two wins for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects,Blade Runner 2049is still asequel worth watching despite the box office numbers.
Blade Runner 2049
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1’Dune: Part One' (2021)
Box Office Worldwide: $402M
With a reported production budget of $165 million,Villenueve’s adaptation (and remake)ofFrank Herbert’ssci-fi seriesDuneproved successful. The epic follows the Atreides family as war breaks out over who controls the planet’s supply of a precious resource. Paul (Timothée Chalamet), the heir, and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), brave the harshest conditions in an effort to save their people.
A box office feat following the closure and restrictions of movie theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic,Dune: Part Onegrossed roughly$402 million worldwide. Its US release landed over $108 million, low despite its overall success when factoring in Warner Brothers' decision to simultaneously release the film on Max, the same day as its theatrical release. It earned 10 Oscar nominations, securing six wins. Villenueve’s 2024 counterpart ispredicted to shatter the box office scoresofPart Onewith its star-studded cast and long-awaited release.
