Michael Barnathan is an American film producer who has produced and executive-produced films such as Used People, The Help, the first three Harry Potter films, Rent, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Night at the Museum. He was also a producer for the 2010 film adaptation Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and 2013 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, based on the novels by Rick Riordan. Barnathan graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University in 1980. Barnathan is Jewish. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Barnathan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 1, 1958 (68)
- Producer, also actor
- 31 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Known for
What are Michael Barnathan's films like?
Across their 25 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 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 24
A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 7 · Dark 5
Grounded 10 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 4
Gentle 6 · Charged 15 · Intense 4
Steady 15 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 2
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 10
Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 4
Casual 14 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 14 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 5
Resolved 22 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy13
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic1
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 Michael Barnathan's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (11).
- Night at the Museum (2006) · producer
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) · producer
- Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) · producer
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) · producer
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) · producer
- Jingle All the Way (1996) · producer
- Fantastic Four (2005) · producer
- Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) · producer
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) · producer
- I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) · producer
- Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022) · producer
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Barnathan'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
34 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Gremlins 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)
Chupa(2023)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
The Christmas Chronicles(2018)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
I Kill Giants(2017)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Young Messiah(2016)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Pixels(2015)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
The Help(2011)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
I Love You, Beth Cooper(2009)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Night at the Museum(2006)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Rent(2005)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Fantastic Four(2005)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Cheaper by the Dozen(2003)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Monkeybone(2001)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Bicentennial Man(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Stepmom(1998)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Jingle All the Way(1996)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Nine Months(1995)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Used People(1992)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Kennedys of Massachusetts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Unholy Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Stranger on My Land(1988)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Uncle Tom's Cabin(1987)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 32 titles, 31 of them dated from 1987 to 2023.
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.
How do Michael Barnathan's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 31; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th15
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
15 of their 31 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed15
Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
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 Michael Barnathan's work okay for kids?
Across up to 19 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run lighter than most 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 Michael Barnathan work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Barnathan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chris Columbus shares the most, 20.
Directors
- Chris ColumbusShared titles: Chupa (2023), Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022), The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), I Kill Giants (2017), The Young Messiah (2016), Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013), The Help (2011), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) and 8 moreSee newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Chris Columbus
- Shawn LevyShared titles: Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Night at the Museum (2006), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)See all 4 shared titles with Shawn Levy
Writers
- Thomas LennonShared titles: Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Night at the Museum (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Thomas Lennon
- Milan TrencShared titles: Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022), Night at the Museum (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Milan Trenc
- David GuggenheimShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018)See all 2 shared titles with David Guggenheim
- Matt LiebermanShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Lieberman
Actors
- Robin WilliamsShared titles: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Night at the Museum (2006), Bicentennial Man (1999), Nine Months (1995)See all 4 shared titles with Robin Williams
- Rosario DawsonShared titles: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), No Day But Today: The Story of 'Rent' (2006), Rent (2005)See all 3 shared titles with Rosario Dawson
- Darby CampShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Darby Camp
- Judah LewisShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Judah Lewis
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Christophe BeckShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)See all 5 shared titles with Christophe Beck
- Stephen GoldblattShared titles: The Help (2011), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), No Day But Today: The Story of 'Rent' (2006), Rent (2005)See all 4 shared titles with Stephen Goldblatt
- Dan ZimmermanShared titles: Chupa (2023), The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Dan Zimmerman
- Don BurgessShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), Christmas with the Kranks (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Don Burgess
Producers
- Mark RadcliffeShared titles: Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022), The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), I Kill Giants (2017), The Young Messiah (2016), Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013), The Help (2011), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Night at the Museum (2006), Rent (2005) and 6 moreSee newest 12 of 18 shared titles with Mark Radcliffe
- Anna Barnathan BarryShared titles: Chupa (2023), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), I Kill Giants (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Anna Barnathan Barry
- Bill AndrewShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), The Young Messiah (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Bill Andrew
- Tracy K. PriceShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), The Young Messiah (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Tracy K. Price
Mixed roles
- Clay KaytisShared titles: The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020), The Christmas Chronicles (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Clay Kaytis
