His futuristic films have always been the stuff of fantasy, but George Lucas also has a bank balance one can only dream of after topping Forbes’ annual billionaire celebrity list.
The famous director, 79, has amassed a fortune of $5.5 billion according to the survey, despite the fact that his film career effectively ended in 2005 with the release of the science fiction epic Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith.
Lucas, who has since worked as an executive producer on the recently concluded Indiana Jones franchise, made his money largely through the production company LucasFilm, which he sold to Disney in 2012 for $4 billion in cash and stock.
The American filmmaker heads an impressive list that includes his close friend and fellow new wave director Steven Spielberg, basketball legend Michael Jordan, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and rapper Jay-Z.
Spielberg comes in second with $4.8 billion thanks to a prolific string of blockbuster films, despite insisting he hasn’t received a salary since the mid-1980s.
His futuristic films have always been the stuff of fantasy, but George Lucas also has a bank balance you can only dream of after topping Forbes’ annual billionaire celebrity list.
Lucas on the set of his first Star Wars film in 1977. He has since become the richest celebrity in the world despite stepping away from the camera in 2005.
Instead, the 77-year-old director negotiated a percentage of the gross sales of each of his films while also taking a generous financial share of tickets sold at Universal theme parks, courtesy of the ever-popular Indiana Jones franchise.
Universal Orlando had previously housed the Jaws attraction, based on Spielberg’s 1975 classic about a marauding killer shark, before it closed permanently in 2011.
The director’s last film, The Fabelmans, grossed $45.6 million worldwide on a $40 million budget.
Further down the list, American sports icon Michael Jordan comes in third, having amassed $3.2 billion across a variety of business ventures.
The 61-year-old former basketball player was named the world’s first billionaire athlete in 2015, but much of his extraordinary wealth comes from lucrative brand partnerships.
Jordan has earned over $1.8 billion from his popular Nike Air Jordan brand, while his purchase of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team for $175 million in 2010 netted him huge profits in 2023, when it was sold for $3 billion. .
Directly below Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, 70, is in fourth place with a fortune of $2.8 billion, earned through a combination of media work and astute real estate investments.
Winfrey, who became the first black female billionaire in 2003, has turned her brand into a lucrative empire spanning properties and her own production company.
Steven Spielberg comes in second with $4.8 billion thanks to a prolific string of blockbuster films, despite insisting he hasn’t received a salary since the mid-1980s.
The director has taken a generous financial share of tickets sold at the Universal theme park, courtesy of the Indiana Jones franchise (pictured on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark).
Former basketball player Michael Jordan was named the world’s first billionaire athlete in 2015 and remains in third place on the list.
Directly below Jordan, Oprah Winfrey is in fourth place with a fortune of $2.8 billion, earned through a combination of media work and astute real estate investments.
As Beyoncé celebrates the release of her new country album Cowboy Carter, her husband Jay-Z hits the bank with a net worth of $2.5 billion, putting him in fifth place.
Elsewhere, Kim Kardashian moves closer to the top five after being named the sixth richest celebrity with a fortune of $1.7 billion.
As Beyoncé celebrates the release of her new country album Cowboy Carter, her husband Jay-Z hits the bank with a net worth of $2.5 billion.
The 54-year-old rapper and businessman, hip hop’s first billionaire, owes his wealth to a variety of ventures, not all of them related to the music industry.
In 2021, he sold a 50% stake in his Armand de Brignac champagne brand to luxury goods giant LVMH for an estimated $300 million, followed by the $750 million sale of a majority stake in his brand. from D’Usse cognac to Bacardi in 2023.
The rapper is also one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Elsewhere, Kim Kardashian is within striking distance of the top five after being named the sixth richest celebrity with a fortune of $1.7 billion, the result of her beauty and clothing brands, along with a string of lucrative TV shows. .
Surprisingly, pop superstar Taylor Swift only rises to fourteenth place with a fortune of $1.1 billion.
Swift, 34, has seen her fortune rise considerably thanks to an estimated $190 million after-tax earnings from her Eras world tour.
She is the first recording artist to become a billionaire based solely on earnings through music and acting.
Surprisingly, pop superstar Taylor Swift only rises to fourteenth place with a fortune of $1.1 billion.
She is the first recording artist to become a billionaire based solely on earnings through music and acting.