The Founder
Ambitious salesman Ray Kroc battles stubborn brothers and ruthless corporate greed to turn a modest California burger joint into a global fast‑food empire, risking everything on his vision of relentless expansion.
“He took someone else's idea and America ate it up.”
Synopsis
Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald in the 1950s when they were operating a burger restaurant in Southern California. Impressed by the brothers' efficient system for preparing food, Kroc recognized the potential for franchising. He eventually positioned himself to take control of the company from the McDonald brothers, leading to the creation of a billion-dollar business empire.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 57+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Robert FrazenShot by John SchwartzmanScored by Carter BurwellDesigned by Michael Corenblith
Box Office
2016 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.6× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$24.1M
US & Canada: $12.8M — 53% of worldwide · International: $11.3M (47%)
Full synopsis
Also known as
- The Founder - Die wahre Geschichte von McDonald'sde
- Le Fondateurfr
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Cast & Crew
57 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Michael Keaton
as Ray Kroc
Nick Offerman
as Dick McDonald
John Carroll Lynch
as Mac McDonald
Linda Cardellini
as Joan Smith
B J Novak
as Harry J. Sonneborn
Laura Dern
as Ethel Kroc
Justin Randell Brooke
as Fred Turner
Kate Kneeland
as June Martino
Patrick Wilson
as Rollie Smith
Griff Furst
as Jim Zien
Wilbur Fitzgerald
as Jerry Cullen
David De Vries
as Jack Horford
Supporting cast
35Andrew Benator
as Leonard Rosenblatt
Cara Mantella
as Myra Rosenblatt
Randall Taylor
as Owner (Ed's Drive-In)
Lacey King
as Car Hop Girl (Ed's Drive-In)
Jeremy Madden
as Dennis
Rebecca Ray
as Car Hop Girl (Joe's Drive-In)
Adam Rosenberg
as Employee (San Bernadino)
Jacinte Blankenship
as Woman (San Bernadino)
Charles Green
as Loan Officer #1
David Silverman
as Loan Officer #2
Mike Pniewski
as Harvey Peltz
Catherine Dyer
as Mrs. Horford
Susan Savoie
as Mrs. Cullen
Franco Castan
as Art Wolodarsky
Kenny Alfonso
as Kroc Corporate Lawyer
Kabby Borders
as Cheerleader #1
Nicolette Goetz
as Cheerleader #2
Lauren Denham
as Cheerleader #3
Abbey Ferrell
as Cheerleader #4
Justin Alvarez
as Photographer
Victor Mccay
as Kroc Divorce Lawyer
Steve Coulter
as Doctor Reeves
Ric Reitz
as Will Davis (LA Times Reporter)
Joy Glover Walters
as Mother (San Bernadino)
Makabe Ganey
as Little Boy
Jody Thompson
as Customer (Schaumburg)
Chris Greene
as Grand Opening Customer
Kimberly Banta
as Bingo Caller
Devon Ogden
as Gorgeous Blonde
Gerald Duckworth
as Owner (Joe's Drive-In)
Jen Cohen
as Female Passenger
David Zyler
as Dr. Nelson
Joseph Sanfelippo
as McDonald's Announcer (voice)
Conrad Whitaker
as Limo Driver (uncredited)
Afemo Omilami
as Mr. Merriman (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
3Other crew
5Parents Guide
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