Idiom suggestions for 'made an impact'

You can use the idiomatic expression,

leave (one's) mark:

To do something that will be remembered or that makes one famous or successful; to do something that is very important or meaningful.

• The actress first left her mark with her incredible performance as Lady Macbeth on Broadway.

(The Free Dictionary)

So you could say:

• Franco Zeffirelli left his mark on the movie industry following his release of 'Romeo and Juliet'

For a very large impact, a paradigm shift, the term quantum shift would be appropriate.

• With his movie 'Romeo and Juliet', Franco Zeffirelli brought about a quantum shift in the world of film.

Collins Cobuild defines the related terms quantum leap / quantum jump:

A quantum leap or quantum jump in something is a very great and sudden increase in its size, amount, or quality.

• The vaccine represents a quantum leap in healthcare.

An example from ReversoContext is

The revolution in digital technology has brought about a quantum shift in the way we communicate with one another.

Made an impression

To have or create a strong impact on someone, whether good or bad (usually specified by an adjective before "impression.")

Franco Zeffirelli made a lasting impression on the world of film following his release of 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Another phrase is Lasting impact which seems to be used in similar context as Google Ngram's books suggest

Franco Zeffirelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' left a lasting impact on the world of film.

How bout transformed? From Lexico:

transform: Make a marked change in the form, nature, or appearance of.

Your example:

Franco Zeffirelli transformed the world of film following his release of 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Another possibility is revolutionized, but I think that would overstate Zeffirelli's impact.