Introduction

Luc Besson is a French professional film director, producer, and screenwriter with an estimated net worth of $100 Million.

Before Wealth & Fame

Due to his parents’ careers, Luc Besson was inspired to become a marine biologist, and he spent much of his youth traveling to resorts in Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece. However, his parents divorced when he was 10, and by the age of 17, he had suffered a diving accident that left him unable to dive anymore, putting his dreams of marine biology on hold.

While becoming a marine biologist was his biggest dream, he had also become interested in writing as a teenager, having penned the first drafts of Le Grand Bleu before he turned 18. Falling back on this, Luc decided to take odd jobs on film sets across Paris to get a better feel for the industry before diving in himself.

Film Career 

Luc Besson started out as an assistant to directors, including Patrick Grandperret and Claude Faraldo. He then moved on to directing short films and a couple of commercials before moving to the United States, where he started his own production company in 1980.

During the early 80s, Besson met composer Eric Serra, whom he tapped to write music for his short film L’Avant Dernier. While Besson directed many films, his biggest hit came in 1997 with The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman.

Since the late 90s, Besson has written and produced numerous action movies, including the hit Taxi and Transporter series. He also served as writer and producer on the Taken series starring Liam Neeson, which became another huge success for him.

EuropaCorp

In 1992, Luc Besson founded a European film studio, then known as Leeloo Productions. The company was later renamed to Europa Corp and has since become one of Europe’s leading motion picture companies. To date, it has produced or co-produced more than 120 films, including iconic franchises such as Taken and The Transporter.

EuropaCorp is a publicly traded company on the Euronext Growth Paris stock exchange. At the time of writing, it has a market valuation of €49 million ($56.7 million) and generates approximately €34 million ($39.3 million) in annual revenue. The most recent financial reports indicate that Frontline, Luc Besson’s holding company, owns approximately 12% of EuropaCorp. This would indicate that Besson’s stake in the company is currently valued at €5.9 million ($6.8 million)

Besson previously owned up to 60% of the company as recently as 2020; however, EuropaCorp was in a financial hole. To eliminate these issues, the company’s debt was ultimately converted into equity, and Vine Alternative Investments received a 60% stake in the business.

Several of EuropaCorp’s publicly available financial documents reportedly show that Luc Besson receives a director’s fee between $2 million and $6 million per film. He also allegedly receives 5% of the net producer profits.

Highest-Grossing Movies

Here’s a complete list of Luc Besson’s ten highest-grossing movies:

1. Lucy – $469 million (2014)
2. Taken 2 – $376 million (2012)
3. Taken 3 – $326 million (2014)
4. The Fifth Element – $264 million (1997)
5. Taken – $227 million (2008)
6. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – $226 million (2017)
7. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra – $131 million (2002)
8. Transporter 3 – $109 million (2008)
9. Arthur and the Invisibles – $109 million (2006)
10. Transporter 2 – $89 million (2005)

Real Estate

In 2016, Luc Besson bought Charlton Heston’s Beverly Hills estate for $12.2 million. The property consists of a 5,100-square-foot mansion with glass-walled dining and living areas, a double-height library, and stunning hillside views. A separate three-story structure on the property boasts an elevator, a staff suite, a screening room, a tennis court, and a multi-level art studio.

Besson lived in this mansion for years until finally selling it in 2022 for $11.7 million, a massive discount from his original $14.9 million asking price. In other words, he lost quite a lot of money on the sale.

Introduction

Steven Soderbergh is an American film director with an estimated net worth of $80 Million.

Soderbergh has directed both independent films and major blockbusters, with his movies collectively grossing over $2.2 billion at the box office. Most of the box-office success in Soderbergh’s career comes from his Ocean series, all of which grossed at least $297 million worldwide.

Quick Facts

• Earned $60 million from Magic Mike after funding the $7 million budget with Channing Tatum
• Outside of the Ocean’s series, Soderbergh has never directed a film with a budget over $60 million.

Magic Mike Earnings

When Soderbergh helped produce Magic Mike, the film’s $7 million production budget was funded by himself and lead actor Channing Tatum. The film grossed $167 million at the worldwide box office, plus an additional $46.8 million in domestic DVD and Blu-ray sales. Due to their investment, Soderbergh and Tatum each earned roughly $60 million from the film.

Highest-Grossing Movies

Here’s a complete list of Steven Soderbergh’s ten highest-grossing movies:

1. The Hunger Games – $695 million (2012)
2. Ocean’s Eleven – $451 million (2001)
3. Ocean’s Twelve – $363 million (2004)
4. Ocean’s Thirteen – $311 million (2007)
5. Ocean’s Eight – $298 million (2018)
6. Erin Brockovich – $256 million (2000)
7. Traffic – $208 million (2000)
8. Magic Mike – $167 million (2012)
9. Contagion – $137 million (2011)
10. Magic Mike XXL – $123 million (2015)

Real Estate

Steven Soderbergh has been searching for the right house throughout his career. This includes selling homes in Los Angeles and New York City for a combined $10 million while also purchasing a duplex in Tribeca for $8.5 million.

Personal Life

In 1989, the same year his debut film was released, Soderbergh married actress Betsy Brantley. The couple remained married for five years and had a daughter named Sarah before their divorce in 1994.

Soderbergh began a relationship with model and television personality Jules Asner, and the two got married in 2003. They have been together ever since, but they separated briefly in the late 2000s. During their separation, Soderbergh had another daughter, Pearl Button Anderson, with Australian woman Frances Lawrencina Anderson. Asner was aware of the pregnancy when she reconciled with Soderbergh.

Summary 

Steven Soderbergh has been a prominent figure in the film industry, both as a director and a film producer, and has also directed several smaller films. Many credit Soderbergh for helping independent films gain more recognition throughout the 90s, and he has remained adamant about keeping this part of Hollywood alive.

Introduction

Martin Scorsese is an American professional film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor with an estimated net worth of $200 Million.

Scorsese has become a household name for his work in entertainment. Although he has been active since the early 1960s, Scorsese continues to work hard to produce, write, and direct new hit films.

Career Earnings

Martin Scorsese’s films have grossed over $2 billion at the box office, earning the director substantial income. However, despite being one of the richest directors in the world, there is little information available about what he has earned from individual films.

• As the director of Gangs of New York, Scorsese reportedly earned $6 million, though he paid back $3 million due to an overrun budget.
• In 2010, Martin Scorsese earned $3.5 million for directing Shutter Island.
• For directing Hugo in 2011, it was reported that Scorsese earned $10 million.

Highest-Grossing Movies

Here’s a complete list of Martin Scorsese’s ten highest-grossing movies:

1. The Wolf of Wall Street – $407 million (2013)
2. Shark Tale – $375 million (2004)
3. Shutter Island – $295 million (2010)
4. The Departed – $291 million (2006)
5. The Aviator – $214 million (2004)
6. Gangs of New York – $194 million (2002)
7. Hugo – $186 million (2011)
8. Cape Fear – $182 million (1991)
9. Killers of the Flower Moon – $157 million (2023)
10. Casino – $116 million (1995)

Real Estate

In August 1987, Martin Scorsese acquired a 4,900-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom townhouse in New York City for $1.75 million. He sold the property for $6.16 million in August 2007.

Following the sale, Scorsese paid $12.5 million for a five-story, 6,660-square-foot, ten-room townhouse just two blocks over. Interestingly, when he renovated the property in the mid-2010s, one of the suppliers, Extech Building Materials, claimed that they owed $18,000 by Scorsese’s contractor, which they never received. The company placed a lien on the property in 2015 and was eventually forced to file a lawsuit against both Scorsese and the contractor, Smith Restoration. To our knowledge, the outcome of the suit hasn’t been disclosed to the public.