The Founder
Updated: 12/20/2025, 11:19:04 AM Wikipedia source
The Founder is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, which eventually involved forcing out the company's founders to take control with conniving ruthlessness. Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch co-star as McDonald's founders Richard and Maurice McDonald, alongside Linda Cardellini as Ray Kroc's third wife Joan Smith, and B. J. Novak as McDonald's president and chief executive Harry J. Sonneborn. The film premiered at Arclight Hollywood on December 7, 2016, and was released theatrically in the United States on January 20, 2017, by the Weinstein Company. It grossed $24 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Keaton and Offerman.
Infobox
Tables
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 2016 | Capri Awards | Best Actor | Michael Keaton | Won | |
| 2017 | AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | Best Time Capsule | The Founder | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Michael Keaton | Nominated | |||
| Best Buddy Picture | John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman | Nominated |
References
- The Founderhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190509184007/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/founder-film
- IndieWirehttps://www.indiewire.com/2017/01/box-office-top-ten-takeaways-split-the-founder-xxx-the-return-of-xander-cage-james-mcavoy-m-night-shyamalan-1201771566/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2017/02/the-weinstein-co-sued-over-distribution-of-the-founder-1201904600/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-weinstein-lawsuit-founder-20170208-story.html
- Box Office Mojohttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4276820/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
- The Founder
- All Things Consideredhttps://www.npr.org/2017/01/25/511655874/the-founder-follows-salesmans-genius-idea-to-franchise-mcdonalds
- "Weinstein Company Wins Bidding War for Michael Keaton's McDonald's Movie 'The Founder' (Exclusive)"https://www.thewrap.com/weinstein-company-wins-bidding-war-for-michael-keatons-mcdonalds-movie-the-founder-exclusive/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2014/12/black-list-2014-announcement-schedule-1201324672/
- "John Lee Hancock Plans McDonald's History Story, The Founder"https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/391277-john-lee-hancock-plans-mcdonalds-history-feature-the-founder
- Complexhttp://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/02/michael-keaton-mcdonalds-the-founder-harvey-weinstein
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/laura-dern-talks-join-michael-794871
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nick-offerman-joins-micheal-keaton-795025
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bj-novak-joins-michael-keaton-798599
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2015/film/news/linda-cardellini-michael-keaton-mcdonalds-founder-1201515935/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2015/06/john-carroll-lynch-the-founder-gwendolyn-christie-swallows-and-amazons-1201459085/
- SSN Insiderhttps://archive.today/20160422141423/http://www.ssninsider.com/on-the-set-for-6115-james-gunn-starts-shooting-the-belko-experiment-michael-keaton-begins-mcdonalds-biopic-the-founder-more/
- Patch.comhttp://patch.com/georgia/douglasville/movie-shoot-douglasville-begins-next-week-0
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- Douglas County Sentinelhttps://web.archive.org/web/20170427215348/http://www.douglascountysentinel.com/leisure/article_1662eb94-05a2-11e5-84bf-37dd1e7a0c7f.html
- Business Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com/original-mcdonalds-restaurants-the-founder-set-2016-12/#the-movie-was-shot-in-atlanta-and-corenblith-was-tasked-with-finding-a-location-within-a-30-mile-radius-of-its-production-hub-3
- Explore Canton, GAhttps://explorecantonga.com/things-to-do/attractions/filmed-in-canton/the-founder/
- Christian Science Monitorhttps://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2017/0121/Here-s-how-the-film-The-Founder-recreated-spots-that-featured-in-McDonald-s-founder-Ray-Kroc-s-life
- Architectural Digesthttps://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-founder-set-design-see-what-the-first-mcdonalds-burger-joint-looked-like
- Varietyhttps://www.variety.com/2015/film/news/weinstein-co-buys-michael-keatons-mcdonalds-movie-the-founder-1201443179/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2015/03/michael-keaton-founder-a-little-chaos-kate-winslet-cop-car-kevin-bacon-1201399587/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2016/03/the-founder-lion-release-date-change-weinstein-co-1201712527/
- Entertainment Weeklyhttps://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/founder-release-date-michael-keaton-mcdonalds
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- eCourtshttps://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/FCASeFiledDocsDetail?county_code=HuTOiIIjABegb0_PLUS_g1SXFrA%3D%3D&txtIndexNo=ciBcuUIcrauSPzAEbz9tvA%3D%3D&showMenu=no&isPreRji=N&civilCase=ljJiloSWlUyDnk1A7OejaQ%3D%3D
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2017/01/split-xxx-return-of-xander-cage-the-founder-box-office-preview-1201888052/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2017/01/split-xxx-return-of-xander-cage-the-founder-late-night-thursday-previews-box-office-1201889940/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2017/01/dogs-purpose-split-resident-evil-gold-box-office-1201895463/
- Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_founder/
- "The Founder reviews"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-founder
- Rolling Stonehttps://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-the-founder-movie-review-w455928
- RogerEbert.comhttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-founder-2017
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2017-aarp-nominations-movies-grownups-awards-956675/item/best-picture-956668