The world’s richest celebrity is a filmmaker who has directed just six films, and yet has amassed a wealth of close to $10 billion. Here’s how.

It is a misconception about the world of cinema that only stars make the big bucks. Granted, the highest-paid members of any film crew are almost always the actors, but the directors – at least the top ones- are not often far behind. In fact, the world’s richest film celebrity is not an actor but a film director. This person has a staggering net worth of $ 9.4 billion (roughly ₹80,000 crore), even though he has directed just six films in his life. (Also read: World’s richest actor has only one hit but $1.4 billion net worth, is richer than Tom Cruise and Shah Rukh Khan)

The world’s richest celeb, man behind two mega franchises

World’s richest film celeb

George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise, is the world’s richest film celebrity. As per Bloomberg, Lucas’ net worth (as of October 2024) is $7.7 billion. Other sources put it at an even higher – $9.4 billion. Either way, his wealth far exceeds any of his contemporaries, beating the likes of Jay Z, Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna by a very comfortable margin. The interesting thing to note is that Lucas, though known as a director, has helmed only six films in his career – THX 118 (1971), American Graffiti (1973), and then four Star Wars films, including the original in 1977 and the prequel trilogy. His last directorial – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – was released in 2005.

George Lucas created the Star Wars franchise

Just how rich is George Lucas

To give an idea of just how rich George Lucas is, one needs only compare his wealth to some of the other richest celebs in the world. Even if one takes the lowest estimate of his net worth (Forbes puts it at $5.3 billion ‘only’), it exceeds the combined net worths of Taylor Swift ($1.3 billion), Tom Cruise ($800 million), and Shah Rukh Khan ($870 million). Jami Gertz – the world’s richest actress – is the only one who comes close with a net worth of $8 billion, but she has amassed this wealth in the field of business and sports. Lucas’ wealth, however, is solely tied to entertainment.

How George Lucas made his billions

Lucas may have directed only six films but he has been the creator and producer of two of the biggest franchises ever – Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The Star Wars franchise has grossed nearly $50 billion worldwide, including merchandise and box office collections sales. As the creator, Lucas has received significant royalties from it. The Indiana Jones franchise is also almost $3-billion-strong. Lucas is also the founder of video game licensor LucasArts, visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic, and audio company THX. The success of these business ventures adds to his immense wealth. Lucas sold the IP of Star Wars to Disney but continues to derive royalties from it as per the agreement. Given that more Star Wars films are in the pipeline, his wealth will only likely increase.