Highest grossing black directors

Tyler Perry is well known for his movies featuring himself as the now iconic grandmother Madea. Always ready with a good comeback, Madea's movies have made us laugh, cry and reflect on life. Tyler has also directed The Single Moms Club, For Colored Girls and Good Deeds, earning him a staggering $600million in ticket sales.

Tim Story may not be a household name, but his movies have brought great entertainment in the almost two decades since he started directing. Barbershop, Taxi, Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Saturday 12 September at 18:20 on M-Net Movies Action+), Think Like A Man and its sequel and Ride Along, are just some of the movies he’s brought to the big screen. Tim recently completed directing Ride Along 2, which will most definitely add to his already $490million at the ticket office.

John Singleton started his directing career with the 1990s classic, Boyz n the Hood. Since then, he directed Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers (Sunday 13 September at 15:55 on M-Net Movies Action) and Abduction, bringing his earnings to $465million.

For as long as we can remember, the Wayans family has made us laugh. And $400million later, director Keenan Ivory Wayans is laughing all the way to the bank. He directed his siblings in Scary Movie, White Chicks and Little Man. To this day, we can’t help but laugh when we think of their crazy antics.

Some of award-winning director Spike Lee’s movies have been a real education. We particularly enjoyed Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Malcolm X. And with more movies and documentaries lined up, his $374million earned in ticket sales will keep him in the top of highest grossing black directors for many more years.