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Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Jon Favreau's turn.

He briefly worked for Bear Stearns on Wall Street before returning to Queens College for a semester. He dropped out of college for good (a few credits shy of completing his degree), and moved to Chicago in the summer of 1988 to pursue a career in comedy. He performed at several Chicago improvisational theaters, including the ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute. Through his contacts, he started an acting career in some films and TV shows, including the iconic Eric the Clown in that Seinfeld episode. He moved to Los Angeles, where he earned even more interest after writing Swingers for Doug Liman. After a slow period, he finally moved to directing.

From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?

That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

Made (2001)

"Welcome to disorganized crime."

His directorial debut. It stars Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Peter Falk, and Sean "Diddy" Combs (what an absolutely unfortunate timing, huh?). It follows two aspiring boxers, life-long friends, who get involved in a money-laundering scheme through a low-level organized crime group.

The film bombed at the box office, but it earned a very positive response. His career was just getting started.

• Budget: $5,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $5,313,300.

• Worldwide gross: $5,480,653.

Elf (2003)

"This holiday, discover your inner elf."

His second film. It stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart. It follows Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves, who learns about his origins and heads to New York City to meet his biological father.

The script was written by David Berenbaum back in 1993, with Chris Farley and Jim Carrey attached at one point to play Buddy. The script was constantly rewritten by other people, including Will Ferrell and his partner Adam McKay. According to Favreau, the script was initially "much darker" and did not interest him, although he was interested in working with Ferrell's first post-SNL movie. Asked to rewrite it, a turning point came when he realized he could make Buddy's world an homage to the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. This allowed him to conceive of a movie that could be PG rated as opposed to the original script, which he guessed would have been rated PG-13.

The film debuted with $32 million on its first weekend. It played through the holiday and held extremely well, earning $178 million domestically, becoming one of the highest grossing comedies. In the rest of the world, it wasn't quite strong, earning $228 million worldwide. It received high praise, and it remains a holiday classic. This is what made Favreau even more popular, while also building Ferrell's movie career.

• Budget: $33,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $178,053,220.

• Worldwide gross: $228,936,304.

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

"Adventure is waiting."

His third film. It is an adaptation of the children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, and is a standalone spin-off of the Jumanji. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, and Tim Robbins. The story is about two squabbling brothers, Danny and Walter who find a mysterious board game in the basement which transports their house into outer space. Along with their older sister Lisa and an astronaut, they try to survive the game so they can return home.

Even though Sony considers the film part of the Jumanji franchise, Favreau has made it clear he was not interested in referencing the film, as he disliked it. For the film, Favreau wanted to use more practical effects instead of CGI. He said, "it's so fun to actually shoot real spaceships or have a real robot running around on the set, or real Zorgons built by Stan Winston. It gives the actors, especially young actors, so much to work off of". Dax Shepard, who plays the astronaut, said he would not have been interested in doing the film if the effects had been CGI-based.

Favreau says the most complicated shot in the film was when the house was caught in the gravity field of Tsouris-3. The stage was mounted on top of a gimbal 30 to 40 feet off the ground, and the gimbal allowed the set to be tilted close to 40 degrees. All the cast and crew had to be safely secured with cables and harnesses. Favreau called it "an overwhelming experience".

The film received positive reviews, which were better than Jumanji. Nevertheless, without a big star like Robin Williams, the film had a tough hill to climb. It opened with just $13 million on its first weekend, and then it crashed 62% on its second weekend, as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opened. It left theaters very quickly, earning just $29 million domestically and $65 million worldwide, becoming a flop. Favreau said the film wasn't released so much as it "escaped". He further described the experience: "After the highs of the success of Elf, Zathura was sobering and, though it was well-received by the critics and I learned a tremendous amount about visual effects, the grim reality of the movie business hit me like a bucket of cold water."

• Budget: $65,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $29,258,869.

• Worldwide gross: $65,079,236.

Iron Man (2008)

"Heroes aren't born. They're built."

His fourth film. Based on the Marvel Comics character, it stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, and Shaun Toub. In the film, following his escape from captivity by a terrorist group, world-famous industrialist and master engineer Tony Stark builds a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the superhero Iron Man.

Development started back in 1990, when Universal set out to adapt the character as a low-budget film. But they never did anything with it, so 20th Century Fox bought the rights in 1996, with Nicolas Cage interested in playing him. Tom Cruise was also interested in producing and starring, while Quentin Tarantino was at one point attached to write and direct. Fox then decided to sell the rights to New Line Cinema in 1999, as they wanted to focus on the X-Men instead. The project was then stuck in development hell, with directors like Joss Whedon and Nick Cassavetes attached at one point.

In November 2005, Marvel Studios worked to start development from scratch, and announced Iron Man as their first independent feature, because the character was their only major one not already depicted in live action. Paramount Pictures was announced as Marvel's distribution partner. According to associate producer Jeremy Latcham, "we went after about 30 writers and they all passed," saying they were uninterested in the project due to both the relative obscurity of the character and the fact that it was solely a Marvel production. When the film did have a script, even the requests for rewrites met with many refusals.

Favreau was hired in April 2006, reuniting him with Marvel producer Avi Arad on another film after they both worked on Daredevil. He found the opportunity to create a politically ambitious "ultimate spy movie", and compared his approach to an independent film, "if Robert Altman had directed Superman". Favreau wanted to make Iron Man a story of an adult man literally reinventing himself after discovering the world is far more complex than he originally believed. He changed the Vietnam War origin of the character to Afghanistan, as he did not want to do a period piece.

Favreau planned to cast a newcomer in the title role, as "those movies don't require an expensive star; Iron Man's the star, the superhero is the star." Neither Cage nor Cruise were considered, and the options were three actors: Jim Caviezel, Timothy Olyphant and Sam Rockwell. However, Favreau felt that Robert Downey Jr. was the right actor; he chose Downey, a fan of the comic, because he felt the actor's past made him an appropriate choice for the part, explaining "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark." Marvel executives were opposed to casting Downey, even when he auditioned. So Favreau leaked the news that Downey was in talks to the press; the positive reaction and enthusiasm to this story helped convince the executives, with Downey cast in the role in September 2006, earning $500,000 for the role. For reference, Terrence Howard (who was cast as Rhodey), was paid $4.5 million for the film.

There was much improvisation in dialogue scenes, because the script was not completed when filming began (the filmmakers had focused on the story making sense and planning the action). Favreau felt that improvisation would make the film feel more natural. Some scenes were shot with two cameras to capture lines said on the spot. Multiple takes were done, as Downey wanted to try something new each time. It was Downey's idea to have Stark hold a news conference on the floor, and he created the speech Stark makes when demonstrating the Jericho weapon. Downey improvised the film's final line, "I am Iron Man", which Feige felt was inline with the character's personality. Bridges described this approach as "a $200 million student film", and noted that it caused stress for Marvel executives when the stars were trying to come up with dialogue on the day of filming scenes. He also noted that in some instances, he and Downey would swap characters for rehearsal to see how their own lines sounded.

The crew conceived a post-credits scene featuring Nick Fury and called Samuel L. Jackson to ask him if he would be interested in playing Fury, as Jackson had learned a few years earlier that his likeness had been used for Fury in the Ultimate Marvel comics imprint. However, according to Latchman, Jackson originally appeared without any deal for him to reappear in later films.

It earned $98 million on its first weekend, which was the 11th biggest in history. Showing some legs, it closed with $319 million domestically and $585 million worldwide. It received high praise, and its name has showed up in many lists as one of the most influential superhero films of all time. In 2022, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. It revived Downey's career; by this point, his career was just in small films or box office bombs, this elevated him to superstar.

But most importantly, it marked the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• Budget: $140,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $319,034,126.

• Worldwide gross: $585,796,247.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

"It's not the armor that makes the hero, but the man inside."

His fifth film. The sequel to Iron Man, and the third installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, and Samuel L. Jackson. Set six months after the events of the original, the film follows Tony Stark as he resists calls from the United States government to hand over the Iron Man technology, which is causing his declining health. Meanwhile, Russian scientist Ivan Vanko uses his own version of the technology to pursue a vendetta against the Stark family.

Favreau wanted a trilogy, with Obadiah Stane becoming Iron Monger during the sequels, but he changed his mind when they started writing the first film. He wanted the Mandarin, comparing it to Palpatine in Return of the Jedi (an important character who does not appear in the first film). Favreau and Downey also wanted to show Stark's alcoholism, but the storyline was ultimately downplayed for the film, as studio executives were concerned with how an alcoholic Iron Man would be perceived in marketing and affect merchandise sales. The sequel was confirmed right after the original's debut, with Favreau returning. Downey recommended Justin Theroux to write the script, having worked with him on Tropic Thunder.

In October 2008, it was announced that Don Cheadle would replace Terrence Howard as James Rhodes. Favreau did not enjoy working with Howard, often re-shooting and cutting his scenes; Howard's publicist said he had a good experience playing the part, while Marvel chose not to comment. As Favreau and Theroux chose to reduce the role, Marvel came to Howard to discuss lowering his salary — Howard was the first actor hired in Iron Man and was paid the largest salary. Theroux denied the part of the report which claimed the size of the role had fluctuated. In Howard stated that, going into the film, the studio offered him far less than was in his three-picture contract, claiming they told him the second will be successful, "with or without you," and, without mentioning him by name, said Downey "took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out."

Mickey Rourke joined to play the villain, managing to convince Marvel in giving him a sizeable salary after his awards run in The Wrestler. Sam Rockwell was also confirmed, after previously auditioning to play Stark. Emily Blunt was offered the role of Black Widow; while she was interested, she could not accept it due to scheduling conflicts with Gulliver's Travels. Scarlett Johansson was cast instead.

The film opened with $128 million, the fifth biggest debut in history. But it didn't hold as well as the original, closing with $312 million domestically. But worldwide, it earned $623 million, which was above the original. Reviews were favorable, but it was widely considered inferior to the original, with criticism for its story and villains. Favreau is still involved in the MCU, but he decided this was it for him as a director.

• Budget: $200,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $312,433,331.

• Worldwide gross: $623,933,331.

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

"First contact, last stand."

His sixth film. The film is based on the 2006 Platinum Studios graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, and stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, and Noah Ringer. Set in the Southwestern United States in a retro-futuristic version of the 1870s, the film is about an amnesiac outlaw man, a wealthy powerful cattleman and a mysterious traveler who must ally to save a group of townspeople who have been abducted by aliens.

The project began development in 1997, when Universal and DreamWorks bought film rights to a concept pitched by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, former president at Malibu Comics, which he described as a graphic novel in development. They hired Steve Oedekerk to write and direct the film, which Oedekerk planned to do after completing Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Rosenberg, who formed Platinum Studios to pursue adapting Cowboys & Aliens and other Malibu Comics properties into film and television, joined as a producer. By 1998, Oedekerk left the project. By 2004, the film rights were acquired by Columbia Pictures, who did not move the project beyond development.

When the graphic novel was published, Universal and DreamWorks teamed up again for the film. Robert Downey Jr. was in talks, and he told Favreau about the project while preparing for Iron Man 2. Interested, Favreau signed as director, but Downey chose to leave the film and make Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows instead. Daniel Craig was cast instead, and Harrison Ford soon joined. Favreau had cast Craig and Ford in the film because they were actors who suited the action-adventure roles so the characters would be less seen as comedic. The director compared Ford, in particular, with John Wayne in having "a sense of history" with the actor and the role. The crew also decided not to give Ford's character a hat similar to the one he wore in the Indiana Jones films.

The script was passed by so many writers, including Steve Oedekerk, David Hayter, Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Jeffrey Boam, Thompson Evans and Chris Hauty. When Universal and DreamWorks re-partnered in 2007, they hired Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. In 2009, Ostby and Fergus were replaced by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. That's why the film has six credited writers, including five just for the screenplay alone.

When DreamWorks wanted the film converted to 3-D, Favreau was not interested, stating that Westerns should be shot only on film (as opposed to being shot digitally, which is required for modern 3D technology), and didn't want it to be converted after filming.

The film debuted with just $36.4 million on its opening weekend, barely beating The Smurfs. It only earned $100 million domestically and $174 million worldwide, against its $163 million budget, becoming a box office flop. It received mixed reviews, particularly for its tone and story.

• Budget: $163,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $100,240,551.

• Worldwide gross: $174,822,325.

Chef (2014)

"Starting from scratch never tasted so good."

His seventh film. It stars Favreau, Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Downey Jr. It follows a celebrity chef who, after a public altercation with a food critic, loses his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant and begins to operate a food truck with his young son.

Favreau had long wanted to make a film about food and chefs, and felt that the subject was suited to a small-scale independent film rather than a big-budget production. He cited Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Eat Drink Man Woman, and Big Night as inspirations for creating a food-centric film. He said he wrote the script in just two weeks. The script was semi-autobiographical, incorporating parts of Favreau's life into the main character, such as being a father while having a busy career and coming from a "broken home". Favreau also drew a comparison between his career as a director and Carl's career as a chef; he stepped down from directing major studio films to go "back to basics" and create Chef on a smaller budget, much like Carl's resignation from a popular restaurant to work in a food truck.

Favreau contacted Roy Choi, a restaurateur who created the Kogi Korean BBQ food truck, to serve as a consultant on the film; Choi was eventually promoted to co-producer. While the film was in pre-production, Favreau shadowed Choi in his restaurants and worked as part of Choi's kitchen crew after training at a culinary school. Choi oversaw the menus prepared for the film and created the Cuban sandwiches that form a central part of the storyline.

After a slow roll-out, the film earned $48 million worldwide, becoming a box office success. It also received high praise, and it's deemed as one of Favreau's best films.

• Budget: $11,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $31,424,003.

• Worldwide gross: $48,428,048.

The Jungle Book (2016)

"The legend will never be the same."

His eighth film. Based on Rudyard Kipling's works, the film is a live-action animated remake of Disney's 1967 animated film. It stars Neel Sethi, and features the voices and motion capture performances of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Christopher Walken. The film follows Mowgli, an orphaned human boy who, guided by his animal guardians, sets out on a journey of self-discovery while evading the threatening Shere Khan.

In 2013, Disney announced plans to adapt the 1967 film into live-action, with Favreau confirmed shortly thereafter. Favreau as a child used to watch Disney's film, and felt the need to strike a balance between the two films by retaining the buoyant spirit of the 1967 film, including some of its memorable songs while crafting a film with more realism and peril. He was encouraged by Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn to take advantage of the film's setting and story as an opportunity to use the latest advancements in photorealistic rendering, computer-generated imagery, and motion capture technologies. The story of the film is not independently taken from Kipling's works, but also borrows cinematic inspirations from other films, including the child-mentor relationship in Shane, the establishment of rules in a dangerous world from Goodfellas, and the use of a shadowy jungle figure in Apocalypse Now.

Despite a high budget, Disney and trackers were conservative with estimates. However, the film exploded very quickly; it debuted with $103 million. It held very well, dipping just 40% on its second weekend and 29% on its third. By the end of its run, it earned a colossal $364 million domestically and $967 million worldwide, becoming Favreau's highest grossing film. The film received high praise, with some even considering it superior to the animated film. It won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. A sequel was announced with Favreau returning, but so far, there have been no updates.

• Budget: $175,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $364,001,123.

• Worldwide gross: $967,724,775.

The Lion King (2019)

"The King has returned."

His ninth film. A photorealistically animated remake of The Lion King, it stars the voices of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Florence Kasumba, Eric André, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and James Earl Jones. The plot follows Simba, a young lion who must embrace his role as the rightful king of his homeland following the murder of his father, Mufasa, at the hands of his uncle, Scar.

A few months after the colossal success of The Jungle Book, Disney confirmed that Favreau would direct a remake of The Lion King. He said the virtual cinematography technology he used in The Jungle Book would be used to a greater degree in The Lion King. Although some reports reported the film would be a live-action film, it actually utilizes photorealistic computer-generated animation. Disney also did not describe it as live-action, only stating it would follow the "technologically groundbreaking" approach of The Jungle Book. While the film acts as a remake of the animated film, Favreau was inspired by the Broadway adaptation of the film for certain aspects of the remake's plot, particularly Nala and Sarabi's roles. Favreau also aimed to develop his own take on the original film's story with what he said was the spectacle of a BBC wildlife documentary.

The animals were designed from art and photo references. From that, the characters were built; all the rigging, shapes, textures, and furs were rendered step-by-step for further improvement. After that, the animation of the animals was crafted by hand, based on the reference clips. The environment was created entirely in CGI from reference materials such as high-definition photos of the African landscape. Rather than have animators do everything, the team used artificial intelligence to allow virtual characters to behave in ways that mimicked real animals. The sole non-animated shot in the entire film is the sunrise in the opening scene.

The film was highly anticipated and it killed it at the box office. It debuted with a gigantic $191 million domestically and $531 million worldwide. It closed with $1.662 billion worldwide, becoming the seventh highest grossing film of all time and the biggest animated film (because of the whole photorealism thing). But despite all that money, it received mediocre reviews. While Favreau claimed the film would offer new things, people still found it pretty much identical to the original in nearly everything, criticizing its lack of originality. The voices drew polarized reactions, with some feeling the cast just phoned it in (particularly Beyoncé). The CGI also drew mixed reactions, as many felt the film fell into the uncanny valley. Elton John, who worked on the original's music, disowned the film, feeling that the magic was lost.

• Budget: $260,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $543,638,043.

• Worldwide gross: $1,662,020,819.

Other Projects

We already mentioned he had acting credits before becoming a director. Some of his appearances include Hoffa, PCU, Batman Forever, Swingers, Deep Impact, Daredevil, Entourage, Seinfeld, Friends, The Sopranos, and Monk.

On TV, he directed episodes for Undeclared, Revolution, The Office, About a Boy, The Orville and Young Sheldon.

He is the creator and showrunner of The Mandalorian, a Star Wars show set 5 years after Return of the Jedi. It follows a lone bounty hunter who protects a Force-sensitive child, Grogu, from remnant Imperial forces. Favreau writes nearly every episode of the show, and occassionally directs. He is also the creator of The Book of Boba Fett, although that lasted just 7 episodes and was not well received.

The Future

His next film is The Mandalorian & Grogu, a continuation of the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian. Filming has begun, it will star Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver, and will be released in theaters on May 22, 2026.

FILMS (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	The Lion King	2019	Disney	$543,638,043	$1,118,382,776	$1,662,020,819	$260M
2	The Jungle Book	2016	Disney	$364,001,123	$603,723,652	$967,724,775	$175M
3	Iron Man 2	2010	Paramount	$312,433,331	$311,500,000	$623,933,331	$200M
4	Iron Man	2008	Paramount	$319,034,126	$266,762,121	$585,796,247	$140M
5	Elf	2003	New Line Cinema	$178,053,220	$50,444,305	$228,936,304	$33M
6	Cowboys & Aliens	2011	Universal / Paramount	$100,240,551	$74,581,774	$174,822,325	$163M
7	Zathura: A Space Adventure	2005	Sony	$29,258,869	$35,820,235	$65,079,236	$65M
8	Chef	2014	Open Road	$31,424,003	$17,004,045	$48,428,048	$11M
9	Made	2001	Artisan	$5,313,300	$167,353	$5,480,653	$5M

Across those 9 films, he has made $4,362,221,822 worldwide. That's $484,691,313 per film.

The Verdict

You have to give credit to Favreau. He started slowly, getting small roles in TV, before getting supporting roles in movies. And then getting a big break with Swingers (even if he didn't direct it). Elf cemented him as a new director, also successfully launching Will Ferrell's career as leading man (some will say Zoolander and Old School, but he was not the lead in the former, and the latter performed modestly but not extraordinary).

Of course, his presence does not necessarily guarantee success. Just look at Made, although that can be excused given it's not a big film. Now, Zathura, despite forming part of many people's childhood (including OP), simply got lost in the shuffle on a competitive month. And Cowboys & Aliens, despite his enormous interest… was just so bland. Like the pieces were there for a fun film, yet the film took itself way too seriously and wound up not satisfying anyone.

Then there's Iron Man. A big risk back then, especially because Downey was at an all time low, and with a film that required improvisation. That would be a recipe for disaster, and mark the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before it even begins. Flash to 16 years later and it's the highest grossing franchise ever. Some films better than others, but Favreau was a huge contributor to kicking it off. And Hollywood was never the same ever again. Multiple studios have tried to replicate it, but none have come anywhere close to this kind of success.

I mentioned in Tony Scott's post, that Eddie Murphy referred to Beverly Hills Cop II as "the most successful mediocre picture in history." A statement that I'm not sure I'd agree with, even when he said it back in the 80s (Scott never half-assed a movie). Now, 30 years later, I think we could refer to the 2019 Lion King as the new "most successful mediocre picture in history." It made $1.662 billion worldwide, despite feeling half-assed and soulless. And hey, I'm not the only one who says it; Elton John himself said it. Whether there are worse films is irrelevant. It's a film that's clearly not interested in saying anything new, nor do the bare minimum, and everyone is on auto-pilot for the paycheck. And hey, it worked, considering all the money it made, but it's just because of nostalgia. No one's gonna say they prefer the new version to the original. You can tell that Favreau's heart is simply not in it.

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.

The next director will be John Hughes. An essential figure of the 80s.

I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about… J.J. Abrams. We'll have to talk in detail over his TV shows as well.

This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
September 23-29	John Hughes	The master of coming-of-age comedies.
September 30-October 6	James Wan	The biggest horror filmmaker today.
October 7-13	Martin Campbell	How the fuck did he go from Casino Royale to Green Lantern?
October 14-20	J.J. Abrams	We're so done with the mystery box, pal.

Who should be next after Abrams? That's up to you.