Dennis Dugan is a director, actor, producer, comedian, and screenwriter mostly known for directing comedy films, with Adam Sandler in the lead role. He made his directorial debut in 1990 with the movie Problem Child and went on to direct commercially successful movies like Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, The Benchwarmers, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Jack and Jill, etc.
Dennis Dugan’s movies generally receive negative reviews from critics, and he has been nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Director several times. Yet, most of his films are box-office hits. Below is a list ranking his eight highest-grossing movies.
8 Problem Child – $72.2 Million
Problem Child is a 1990 Black comedy film and the directorial debut of Dennis Dugan. The movie’s premise is based on an adopted notorious kid who creates a nuisance for his new parents. The movie starred John Ritter, Michael Oliver, and Jack Warden in substantial roles and opened to negative reviews from critics. Yet, the film was a box office success grossing $72.2 Million worldwide on a mere budget of $11 Million.
7 Jack And Jill – $149 Million
Jack and Jill is a 2011 comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, with Adam Sandler co-writing the screenplay and starring in the lead role. Sandler starred in a double role alongside Katie Holmes and Al Pacino in the movie. The movie was panned by critics and audiences alike and is still considered one of the worst films ever made. Despite worldwide panning, the movie did considerable business at the box office, grossing $149 Million on a $79 Million budget.
6 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry – $187.1 million
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry was released in 2007, starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James in the lead roles and Dennis Dugan directing the movie. The movie opened to mostly negative reviews from the critics but was a moderate success at the box office. The film grossed $187.1 Million worldwide with a domestic haul of $120 Million mounted on an $85 Million budget, as reported by IMDB.
5 You Don’t Mess With The Zohan – $204.3 million
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is a 2008 satirical comedy film co-written, co-produced by Adam Sandler, and directed by Dennis Dugan. The movie stars Sandler in the lead role alongside John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, and Rob Schneider. It follows the story of an Israeli soldier who fakes his death and moves to the US. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It was a box-office success grossing $204.3 million worldwide with a domestic gross of $103 Million as per Rotten Tomatoes on a budget of $90 Million.
4 Just Go With It – $215 Million
With a worldwide gross of $215 Million, Just Go With It is a romantic comedy film released in 2011 with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in the lead role and directed by Dennis Dugan. It is a remake of the 1969 movie Cactus Flower and boasts a stellar cast, including Aniston, Sandler, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, etc. Despite a stellar cast, the movie was panned by the critics and won 2 Golden Raspberry Awards. But the film was a commercial success grossing around $103 Million domestically against a production budget of $80 Million.
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3 Big Daddy – $234.8 Million
Big Daddy is a comedy film released in 1999 and directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, and Rob Schneider in pivotal roles. The premise follows the story of a man who gets dumped by his girlfriend and adopts a child. The movie opened at No.1 at the box office despite getting negative reviews from critics. It went on to gross an impressive $234.8 worldwide with a mere budget of $34.2 Million, becoming a major commercial success for Dennis Dugan and Sandler.
2 Grown Ups 2 – $246.9 Million
The sequel of the 2010 hit movie Grown Ups 2 is a comedy released in 2013 with Dennis Dugan returning to direct and Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Salma Hayek reprising their roles from the previous movie. Just like its predecessor, the film was panned by critics. Still, it became a major box office success grossing $246.9 Million worldwide against a production budget of $80 Million, as reported by Box Office Mojo.
1 Grown Ups – $272.2 Million
Dennis Dugan’s Highest-grossing movie to date, Grown Ups, was released in 2010 boasting an ensemble cast of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. The movie’s story revolves around the reunion of 5 friends who meet after three decades. Like most Dennis Dugan movies, the film was panned by the critics but was a big commercial success. The movie grossed $272.2 Million at the global box office with a domestic haul of $162 Million against a modest production budget of $75 Million, as per The Numbers.
Dennis Dugan might not be one of the best directors in the industry in terms of critics, but his movies have always found a way into the masses, becoming major commercial successes. His frequent collaboration with Adam Sandler has led to some of his biggest career hits. Through a career spanning over three decades, Dennis Dugan has directed over 15 movies that have grossed over a whopping $1.7 Billion worldwide.
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Source – The Numbers, Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB
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