George Lucas Net Worth: The Force Awakens
George Lucas is a filmmaker who probably needs no introduction. He's been behind some of the most popular and successful film series of all time, both as a director and a producer. His belief in a seemingly doomed space opera “Star Wars” has transformed the film industry and made the blockbuster the primary option for most films. His films have made staggering amounts of money.
But what exactly is George Lucas' net worth? Exploring this topic will introduce you to some staggeringly huge numbers that may be hard to believe. However, we did our research and George Lucas is worth more money than most people can possibly imagine. We're not exaggerating when we say that George Lucas is worth more than many small countries around the world.
George Lucas' Worth Is Out Of This World!
Listing all of George Lucas' accomplishments is almost embarrassing. He created the “Star Wars” franchise, one that doesn't need any explanation. As the writer and director of many of the films (and producer on many others), he has created the most popular science fiction universe of all time, one that appeals just as much to children as it does to adults.
Did you know that Indiana Jones was named after George Lucas’ dog.
Lucas also had a hand in producing the Indiana Jones franchise with his best friend, Steven Spielberg. This action and adventure franchise stars the charismatic Harrison Ford in multiple exciting and unforgettable adventures. Lucas also founded Lucasfilm, gaming studies, and groundbreaking technical effects company, Industrial Light and Magic, that helped create the fantastic effects in his films.
All of this success has helped Lucas earn a staggering $10 billion over the years. That's not a typo: Lucas is one of the wealthiest people in show business. What is fascinating about this fact is that Lucas' success was all but assured in its early stages. While a promising director, he was not considered a visionary of any sort at first.
In fact, there's a good chance that “Star Wars” may never have gotten made at all if Lucas hadn't made one of the smartest business deals of all time. The irony of this situation is that he made this deal in desperation, fearing that his movie would never get made. Let's explore why Lucas' decision to accept a low salary for “Star Wars” led to his amazing fortune.
How Lucas Made So Much Money With Low Salaries
Before “Star Wars,” Lucas had made two major films. His first, “THX 1138” was a dystopian sci-fi movie that has retained a cult following over the years. While not hugely successful, it was successful enough for Lucas' friend, Francis Ford Coppola, to provide the $777,000 needed to fund “American Graffiti.” This coming-of-age film took place in the 1960s and was a surprise hit at the box office.
Its blend of nostalgia and strong acting (particularly from an incredibly young Harrison Ford and a memorable cameo from DJ Wolfman Jack) helped it make over $140 million at the box office. Lucas made just $150,000 for directing the film, frustrated that his profit share wasn't higher. Regardless, Lucas was now a hot commodity and was ready to pitch his next project.
No One Believed in “Star Wars” Project, Except George Lucas
George Lucas on set filming the scene of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope(1977).
It might be hard to believe at the time, but “Star Wars” was considered something of a fool's gambit for Lucas. Space operas of this type were considered passe and unoriginal, and the project ran into early technical problems that seemed to doom it. Lucas turned to Fox, then one of the biggest production firms in the world, for help. As a successful director, he was entitled to a $500,000 directing paycheck.
However, Fox was uncertain of the project and nearly didn't bankroll it. That's when Lucas pitched them a strange compromise that no company had ever heard before: they could pay him just $150,000 for his services instead of $500,000. All he asked was to hold the merchandising rights for the film and to keep the rights to any sequels. Fox gladly signed this agreement, sure that they'd basically swindled Lucas.
Small Decisions Can Make a Big Difference
As history has shown time and time again, such small decisions can make a big difference unexpectedly. “Star Wars” went on to be a big hit, particularly driven by Lucas' intelligent merchandising efforts. He made millions in merchandising rights after the first film alone and helped ensure that these products retained a higher level of quality. And he could get the profits from all sequel films and merchandising. Such deals are now commonplace, but Lucas' desperation pioneered the concept first.
Many of Lucas' Films Make Millions Of Dollars
Since “Star Wars” was released, Lucas has written and directed a handful of movies, many of which were successful. For example, his highest-earning movie of all time is “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” the first prequel film in the series. Lucas wrote and directed this movie, which made $1,027,082,707 worldwide. Its sequel, “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” then made $850,035,635 worldwide.
However, even movies Lucas produced have made a lot of cash over the years. His Indiana Jones series with director Steven Spielberg has made over a billion itself, including “Raiders of the Lost Ark” ($390,133,212), “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” ($333,107,271 worldwide), “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” ($474,310,887 worldwide), and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls” ($786,636,033 worldwide).
His other “Star Wars” movies did very well at the box office, including “The Return of the Jedi” ($475,347,111 worldwide), “The Empire Strikes Back” ($547,879,454 worldwide) “Attack of the Clones” ($649,436,358 worldwide) and the original film ($775,512,064 worldwide). All of his top-ten-grossing films come from these two franchises.
Other Lucas films have been less successful. The strange comedy, “Howard the Duck” grossed just $37 million on a $38 million budget and may be his biggest flop. In fairness to Lucas, he had almost nothing to do with the movie creatively. While Lucasfilm produced it, and it was his idea to make the film, most of the creative ideas came from the production and direction team Gloria Katz and William Huyck.
Merchandising! Where the Real Money From the Film Is Made
When Mel Brooks parodied "Star Wars" with "Space Balls," he included a character named "Yogurt" (satirizing the wise sage, Yoda, from the "Star Wars" films) who claimed that merchandising was where films made most of their money. Lucas was either amazingly aware of this fact or simply lucky when he made his deal with Fox to hold all merchandising rights for future films.
At the time, merchandising was considered an inexpensive way to make a little extra money but not any kind of economic powerhouse. Lucas proved Fox wrong by making millions off in merchandising toys, comics, books, and much more over the years. Though exact numbers aren't available, it has been reported that each new "Star Wars" movie nets at least $5-7 billion for Disney every year.
Rocket Firing Boba Fett. The value of this toy is estimated at $150,000.
While Lucas didn't make that much money with each film he produced, he was likely bringing in hundreds of millions every year on merchandising. This clever decision also made it easier for Lucas to track product quality. For example, "Star Wars" toys are still highly valued for their better-than-average construction and design quality and their superior material types.
Furthermore, "Star Wars" games are often highly rated and carefully constructed. Other companies merchandising video games typically pay as little as possible to produce a sub-par product that critics and fans hate. Ever since the earliest days, Lucas' kept a firm grip on game quality. As a result, "Star Wars" video games are always eagerly anticipated and often high-grossing and critically acclaimed and respected.
The Disney Sale Increased His Value Incredibly
While Lucas was already a millionaire many times over by 2012, he had grown tired of film creation. His prequels, while amazingly successful, didn't satisfy as many fans as he'd hoped. And other film projects after simply didn't do as well, critically or commercially, as he'd hoped. As a result, Lucas decided to sell his rights to the Star Wars franchise in 2012 to Disney for $2.21 billion in cash and 37 million shares of Disney stock.
This deal pushed Lucas' worth well beyond the high-million mark and into the billionaire stratosphere. What is fascinating about this deal is how much it has increased in value over the years. At the time, Lucas received stocks worth $1.85 billion, as Disney stocks traded at about $50 each at the time. Since then, Disney stocks have skyrocketed and quadrupled in their initial value.
As a result, they are currently (as of 2022) worth about $7.4 billion, which is why Lucas' value is so much higher than any of his nearest competitors. What is amazing is that Lucas currently earns $64 million per year as a stockholder and he does no more creative work for Disney. And while he's sometimes been hard on the Disney sequels, he is also glad not to be in charge of Star Wars anymore.
However, Lucas' retirement from filmmaking doesn't mean he hasn't been busy. In fact, Lucas has been one of the most active philanthropic fundraisers in recent memory. His incredible worth makes it easier for him to move large amounts of money and plan various fundraising events. Just as importantly, he has focused on charities that he thinks will truly make a difference to the world.
Lucas' Incredible Philanthropy
George Lucas was already active in many charitable causes before selling the rights to “Star Wars.” For example, he opened the nonprofit foundation “Edutopia” to help support creativity and innovation in schools. Over the years, this group has raised and distributed over $1 billion dollars to educational centers throughout the nation, helping them improve their operation in many ways.
Lucas also surprised many by proposing a low-income housing development on his land in 2015. This proposal came in the face of heavy pushback from others in his community when he tried to create a film-making school on his land. These individuals were worried that such a school would impact their land value. As a little revenge (and to help needier people), Lucas instead built low-income housing for people who truly needed it.
Lucas also pledged to donate his billions of dollars to charity after his death, listing multiple organizations that would receive all of his fortunes. These groups include groups like “Make-a-Wish Foundation,” “Princess Grace Foundation,” “Standing UP to Cancer,” “Jackie Robinson Foundation” and many more. He currently supports 12 charities and foundations and causes as divorce as cancer treatment, human rights advocacy, creative arts, education, and fostering orphans.
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Final Thoughts
While George Lucas' net worth may be due partially to luck and being in the right place at the right time, his consistently on-point film instincts, intelligent business decisions, and careful cultivation of high-quality merchandise has made him a fortune that's hard to imagine. Where Lucas gets our undying respect is his dedication to charity. Imagine what $10 billion or more (he'll be worth more when he dies) could do for the world?