As he celebrates his 68th birthday, we thought we’d celebrate one director who’s influence on modern cinema can never be erased: Spike Lee.
Not only are his films a beloved part of the cannon of Hollywood but their pivotal portrayals of Black folks and timely themes make his body of work culturally specific, necessary, and forever relevant. Whether he’s telling the story of a well-known civil rights icon or a little Black girl from Bed-Stuy—nobody does movies quite like Lee.
That’s why, no matter how much time goes by in between projects, audiences are always eager to see what he has in store. And they’ll undoubtedly be in for a treat later this year when his new film, “High and Low” hits theaters. The upcoming film will see him and Denzel Washington collaborating again after nearly 20 years. It’ll also star rappers A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice and fellow actor Jeffrey Wright.
So it’s in honor of his birthday and his longstanding career in film, that we’d thought we’d take a look at some of his highest-grossing films worldwide by the box office. From “Black KkKlansmen” to “Malcolm X,” keep reading to see how this prolific director continues to take over Hollywood.
Happy Birthday, Spike!
“Inside Man”- 2006
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Ownen, Jodie Foster
Box Office: $186,003,591
Synopsis: A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal’s brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.
“BlacKkKlansmen” – 2018
Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier
Box Office: $93,413,70
Synopsis: Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.
“Malcolm X”- 1992
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Spike Lee
Box Office: $48,169,910
Synopsis: Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.
“Jungle Fever”- 1991
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson
Box Office: $43,882,682
Synopsis: Friends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.
“Do the Right Thing”- 1989
Starring: Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Ossie Davis
Box Office: $37,295,445
Synopsis: On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone’s hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
“He Got Game”- 1998
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Rosario Dawson
Box Office: $21,567,853
Synopsis: A basketball player’s father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
“Mo’Better Blues”- 1990
Starring: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Joie Lee
Box Office: $16,153,593
Synopsis: Jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam makes questionable decisions in his professional and romantic lives.
“School Daze”- 1988
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell
Box Office: $14,545,844
Synopsis: An unpopular young man wants to pledge to a popular fraternity at his historically black college.
“Crooklyn”- 1994
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, Zelda Harris
Box Office: $13,642,925
Synopsis: A vibrant, semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.
“Miracle at St. Anna”- 2008
Starring: Laz Alonso, Derek Luke, Michael Ealy
Box Office: $9,333,654
Synopsis: Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.
“She’s Gotta Have It”- 1986
Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy Redman Hicks
Box Office: $7,137,502
Synopsis: The film follows a young woman who is dating three men and explores the feelings this arrangement provokes.
“Get on the Bus”- 1996
Starring: Ossie Davis, Isaiah Washington, Bernie Mac, Charles S. Dutton
Box Office: $5,754,249
Synopsis: A disparate group of African-American men travel by bus to Washington, DC for the Million Man March.
“Oldboy”- 2013
Starring: Josh Brolin, Samuel L. Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen
Box Office: $5,186,767
Synopsis: Obsessed with vengeance, a man sets out to find out why he was kidnapped and locked into solitary confinement for twenty years without reason.
“Girl 6″- 1996
Starring: Theresa Randle, Isaiah Washington, Spike Lee
Box Office: $4,939,939
Synopsis: An aspiring actress disappointed by her treatment in the movie industry turns to phone sex to make a living.
“She Hate Me” – 2004
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jim Brown, Q-Tip
Box Office: $1,526,951
Synopsis: Fired from his job for exposing corrupt business practices, a former biotech executive turns to impregnating wealthy lesbians for profit.
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