Denise Di Novi is an American film producer and director. Denise Di Novi is one of the most prominent producers in Hollywood, producing dozens of films for most Hollywood studios. Her most popular include Heathers, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Crazy, Stupid, Love and Practical Magic, and Little Women starring Winona Ryder and Little Women starring Saoirse Ronan. She is the daughter of jazz musician Gene DiNovi; when Di Novi was three years old, her family moved to Los Angeles from New York, where her father had been a prominent Bebop jazz musician in many of the Big Bands, as well as serving as Musical Conductor for Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Anne Margaret and Dinah Shore. In the 70s, the family moved to Toronto, Canada. Her mother, Patricia McNeil Di Novi, was a dancer in New York City on Broadway. Di Novi studied communications at Simmons College in Massachusetts and earned a journalism degree. After working as a copy editor at the National Observer and staff writer for Canada AM, she became a reporter for Toronto's Citytv. However, she left to take a job as a unit publicist for Final Assignment. She became a principal in the Montreal-based production company Filmplan International, acting in various production capacities on nine major studio releases, including films with David Cronenberg. In 1983, Filmplan relocated to Los Angeles and merged with Arnold Kopelson's Film Packages.[citation needed] Di Novi joined New World Pictures as Executive Vice President of production. She later shifted into an overall deal as an independent producer, producing Heathers (1988) starring Winona Ryder. Di Novi then headed Tim Burton Productions and was responsible for producing several films. She set up her own production company, Di Novi Pictures, 1993 at Columbia Pictures. She then entered into a producing deal with Warner Brothers Pictures. Di Novi has produced over 40 films. These include six from her partnership with Tim Burton: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Cabin Boy (1994), Ed Wood (also 1994) and James and the Giant Peach(1996). She produced four films based on books by Nicholas Sparks: Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), Nights in Rodanthe (2008) and The Lucky One (2012). For four years, Di Novi was executive producer of The District, a CBS primetime series created by Terry George. Di Novi made her directorial debut on the thriller Unforgettable (2017) for Warner Bros. Di Novi completed a series for FX, The Veil, starring Elisabeth Moss, that aired in 2024. Description above from the Wikipedia article Denise Di Novi , licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 21, 1956 (70)
- Sherman Oaks, California, USA
- Producer, also director and actor
- 49 on MovieCove · 57 credits in all
What are Denise Di Novi's films like?
Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 3 · Earnest 37
A split, not a type: Light 25 · Serious 12 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 20 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 10
Gentle 17 · Charged 21 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 25 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 20 · Funny 11
A split, not a type: Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 4
Casual 34 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 19 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 11
Resolved 40 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy18
- Bittersweet23
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Denise Di Novi's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 49 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
Subscription and free streaming for Denise Di Novi's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
57 credits, 49 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Practical Magic 2(2026)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
NANOcell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
The Veil(2024)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows
The Sky Is Everywhere(2022)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Not Going Quietly(2021)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Little Women(2019)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Unforgettable(2017)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Beaches(2017)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Sneaky Pete(2015)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Danny Collins(2015)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Focus(2015)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Best of Me(2014)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
You're Not You(2014)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
If I Stay(2014)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Outlander(2014)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Ray Donovan(2013)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Lucky One(2012)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Crazy, Stupid, Love.(2011)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Monte Carlo(2011)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Life as We Know It(2010)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Ramona and Beezus(2010)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Nights in Rodanthe(2008)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Lucky You(2007)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Bones(2005)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Catwoman(2004)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
New York Minute(2004)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Sudbury(2004)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Eloise at Christmastime(2003)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Eloise at the Plaza(2003)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
What a Girl Wants(2003)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
A Walk to Remember(2002)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Original Sin(2001)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Happy Campers(2001)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
The District (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Message in a Bottle(1999)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Practical Magic(1998)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Almost Heroes(1998)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Little Women(1994)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Ed Wood(1994)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Cabin Boy(1994)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Batman Returns(1992)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Edward Scissorhands(1990)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Meet the Applegates(1990)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Heathers(1989)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
For Those I Loved(1983)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Videodrome(1983)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Going Berserk(1983)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
A Walk to Remember (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Counting Miracles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Homewrecker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Method (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Splitfoot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Hollys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 56 titles, 50 of them dated from 1983 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Batman Returns (1992)
Highest rated
Little Women (2019)
Most popular right now
Practical Magic 2 (2026)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Won an Independent Spirit Award in 1990, Best First Feature.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Denise Di Novi's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up19
- 50th to 74th14
- 25th to 49th12
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
21 of their 49 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved10
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser21
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed13
Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 41 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Denise Di Novi's work okay for kids?
Across up to 32 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Denise Di Novi work with?
People who share at least 2 of Denise Di Novi's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alison Greenspan shares the most, 16.
Directors
- Tim BurtonShared titles: James and the Giant Peach (1996), Cabin Boy (1994), Ed Wood (1994), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman Returns (1992), The Bat, the Cat, and the Penguin (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990)See all 7 shared titles with Tim Burton
- Glenn FicarraShared titles: Focus (2015), Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Glenn Ficarra
- John RequaShared titles: Focus (2015), Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)See all 2 shared titles with John Requa
- George C. WolfeShared titles: You're Not You (2014), Nights in Rodanthe (2008)See all 2 shared titles with George C. Wolfe
Writers
- Nicholas SparksShared titles: The Best of Me (2014), The Lucky One (2012), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), A Walk to Remember (2002), Message in a Bottle (1999)See all 5 shared titles with Nicholas Sparks
- Elizabeth ChandlerShared titles: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), Eloise at Christmastime (2003), Eloise at the Plaza (2003), What a Girl Wants (2003)See all 5 shared titles with Elizabeth Chandler
- Alice HoffmanShared titles: Practical Magic 2 (2026), Sudbury (2004), Practical Magic (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Alice Hoffman
- Daniel WatersShared titles: Happy Campers (2001), Batman Returns (1992), Heathers (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Daniel Waters
Actors
- Dianne WiestShared titles: Practical Magic 2 (2026), Practical Magic (1998), Edward Scissorhands (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Dianne Wiest
- Joey KingShared titles: Practical Magic 2 (2026), Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), Ramona and Beezus (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Joey King
- Stockard ChanningShared titles: Practical Magic 2 (2026), Practical Magic (1998), Meet the Applegates (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Stockard Channing
- Josh DuhamelShared titles: You're Not You (2014), Life as We Know It (2010), Ramona and Beezus (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Josh Duhamel
Composers and cinematographers
- Andrew DunnShared titles: Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), What a Girl Wants (2003), Practical Magic (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew Dunn
- Stefan CzapskyShared titles: Ed Wood (1994), Batman Returns (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Stefan Czapsky
- Danny ElfmanShared titles: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Danny Elfman
- Rupert Gregson-WilliamsShared titles: Practical Magic 2 (2026), What a Girl Wants (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Rupert Gregson-Williams
Producers
- Alison GreenspanShared titles: Beaches (2017), Unforgettable (2017), If I Stay (2014), The Best of Me (2014), You're Not You (2014), The Lucky One (2012), Monte Carlo (2011), Ramona and Beezus (2010), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), Catwoman (2004) and 4 moreSee newest 12 of 16 shared titles with Alison Greenspan
- Bruce BermanShared titles: The Lucky One (2012), Life as We Know It (2010), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Catwoman (2004), Practical Magic (1998)See all 5 shared titles with Bruce Berman
- Christine A. SacaniShared titles: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), New York Minute (2004), Eloise at Christmastime (2003), Eloise at the Plaza (2003)See all 5 shared titles with Christine A. Sacani
- Andrew A. KosoveShared titles: Practical Magic 2 (2026), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew A. Kosove
Mixed roles
- Bradley WhitfordShared titles: Not Going Quietly (2021), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Bradley Whitford
