"[3] He spent his teenage years making short films and shooting commercials for local businesses, often using homemade camera rigs strapped to skateboards.

When asked what inspired him to become a filmmaker, Rønning said his father being a part of the local theater company immersed his young self with experience of sitting backstage and having views of the productions' inner workings.

[4] In 2006, Rønning and Espen Sandberg directed their feature film debut, Bandidas,[5] starring Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek, and written and produced by French filmmaker Luc Besson.

[citation needed] The success of Kon-Tiki led to Rønning and Sandberg directing a film in the Pirates of the Caribbean[11] franchise for Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney.

Filmed on location in Australia, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales went on to earn close to US$800 million at the box office worldwide.

[12][13] Rønning's next movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer for Disney, premiered in the fall of 2019 to become the third highest October release of all time and eventually grossing half a billion dollars worldwide.

[21] The film, titled Tron: Ares, will star Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges, Jodi Turner-Smith, and Evan Peters.