Who are the richest movie directors? Before we answer that questions, have you wonder who are the richest people in the movie industry?

You would assume that it is the movie stars, i.e actors. Wrong! It is the movie directors who also choose to produce their movies who are richer than anybody else (Why not? After all they are the brain behind everything that you see on-screen). Of course, not all movie directors are rich, but only those who make blockbuster kind of films that earn money around the world. And these directors don’t just earn money from the box office, but also from the royalties they receive out of the sales of DVD and Blu Rays. Not only that, someone like George Lucas also earned money after selling his company, Lucas Films, that made Star Wars, to Disney. We all know about Steven Spielberg and how he produces movies of several other directors. All in all, there are countless other avenues — than just the box office collections of their movies — that happen to the income source of the directors.

With all of that said, here is the list of the richest movie directors in the world:

 

18. JJ Abrams – $120 Million

Notable Movies: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek Into Darkness

 

18. Coen Brothers – $120 Million

Notable Movies: Fargo, No Country For Old Men

 

18. Bryan Singer – $120 Million

Notable Movies: X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse

 

17. Gore Verbinksi – $130 Million

Notable Movies: The Ring, Rango

 

15. Tim Burton – $140 Million

Notable Movies: Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands

 

15. Ron Howard – $140 Million

Notable Movies: A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13

 

12. Guy Ritchie – $150 Million

Notable Movies: The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Sherlock Holmes

 

12. Frank Marshall – $150 Million

Notable Movies: Alive, Eight Below

 

12. Barry Levinson – $150 Million

Notable Movies: Rain Man, Good Morning Vietnam

 

11. Christopher Nolan – $180 Million

Notable Movies: The Dark Knight, Inception