Films of Variety Billion Dollar Producer Mary Parent Usher in Big Box Office Haul
The feature films of “Dune” producer Mary Parent, selected as a Variety Billion Dollar producer, have raked in more than $4.5 billion at the box office. Parent, who kickstarted her career in the 1990’s, has proven her mettle at the producing helm of feature films that have made a signifcant impact on the Hollywood pop cultural radar. https://variety.com/2021/film/producers/billion-dollar-producer-mary-parent-dune-filmmaker-1235093190/
These five features alone net a box office gross well over $1 billion:
More from Variety
“You, Me and Dupree” (2006)
In one of her first efforts as a credited producer, Parent coached filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo through the film that would become a commercial weigh station en route to their roles as directors of four entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If it received only a lukewarm reception by Variety film critic Justin Chang, who called it “a middling third-wheel comedy elevated a couple of notches by the ineffably weird charms of Owen Wilson,” the film gave Parent a modest hit with $131 million in box office receipts.
“Pacific Rim” (2013)
After Guillermo del Toro’s plan-ned adaptation of “At the Mountains of Madness” fell apart at Universal due to creative differences over the budget and rating, Parent repaired del Toro’s relationship with the studio by signing him to direct this science-fiction monster movie in addition to co-writing and producing it. Chang called it “apocalyptic spectacle in a spirit of unpretentious, unapologetic fun,” and audiences agreed with $411 million in worldwide ticket sales.
“Godzilla” (2014)
Parent doubled down on kaiju action with this American reboot of Toho’s “Godzilla” franchise, which launched the Legendary “MonsterVerse” that would lead to “Kong: Skull Island,” the “Godzilla” sequel “King of the Monsters,” and “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Variety chief critic Peter Debruge said that first-time tentpole director Gareth Edwards “makes good on his ability to conjure enormous scope and scale via clever staging and visual effects,” and with its box office haul of $525 million, the film set the stage for what would become four blockbusters, each making upward of $400 million.
“The Revenant” (2015)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu followed up his Oscar-winning “Birdman” with this brutal tale of vengeance and frontier survival starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which Parent helped get to the finish line after production delays risked catastrophic delays and ballooned the budget from $60 million to almost $135 million. Its uncompromising verisimilitude earned Iñárritu a second director Oscar and a lead actor statuette for DiCaprio, while audiences embraced what Chang called its “pitiless violence, grueling intensity and continually breathtaking imagery” to the tune of $533 million.
“Detective Pikachu” (2019)
After 21 animated features and a long-running anime television series, Parent and her collaborators were the first to bring a live-action Pokémon film to the big screen with this loose adaptation of the 2016 video game of the same name. Built around a skillfully self-aware performance by Ryan Reynolds as the titular character, co-writer and director Rob Letterman’s film charmed enough fans of the franchise to gross $434 million at the B.O., even if Debruge was less impressed, calling it “Legendary Pictures’ half-baked attempt to get in on the massive popularity of the Pokémon phenomenon.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
