An Empire of Dreams! Inside George Lucas' Astonishing Net Worth and How He Made His Fortune From 'Star Wars' and Beyond

It's hard, if not impossible, to overstate how much George Lucas has changed the world. The filmmaker, entrepreneur and philanthropist is of course best-known for creating Star Wars, one of the most lucrative media franchises in history, and arguably the most recognizable IP of modern times. Just as surely as Lucas the artist forever changed pop culture and the entertainment industry, Lucas the businessman has made some historically savvy power moves—and he's always come out on top. The Force is, unquestionably, strong with him.

What is George Lucas' net worth in 2024?

In 2024, Forbes estimates George Lucas' net worth at an intergalactic $5.5 billion. This is particularly remarkable considering he's essentially retired from filmmaking and has donated a considerable portion of his fortune to charitable interests.

Related: The 25 Best Star Wars Characters Yet—From Jedis to Mandalorians, Wookiees and Beyond

How did George Lucas become famous?

Born in Modesto, California, in May 1944, Lucas grew up interested in science and mechanics and regularly attending sci-fi serials like Flash Gordon in movie theaters. From an early age, Lucas showed outstanding creative talent and a willingness to think outside the box, matched by a desire to always be fully in control of every endeavor. His stark social sci-fi student film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 ran 15 minutes over the school's allotted five minutes but was head-turning in its artistic merits.

Lucas is one of the foremost voices of the era's New Hollywood movement, along with friends and collaborators like Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma and of course Steven Spielberg. In 1969, Lucas and Coppola founded San Francisco-based production company American Zoetrope. In 1971, Spielberg adapted THX 1138—about a dystopian future where android police rule and humans are required to take emotion-suppressing drugs—into a feature film that's garnered significant acclaim and cult classic status over subsequent decades.

Always compelled by a desire for autonomy in his projects, Lucas founded the Lucasfilm company in 1971. In 1973, his warm and nostalgic dramedy American Graffiti, about the cruising scene of the 1960s, was released to universal acclaim. American Graffiti was a critical darling that proved to be a mammoth global hit, ultimately netting five Oscar nods including Best Picture and Best Director for Lucas. Such success and exposure meant Lucas had significant clout over his next project. Studio execs were baffled when he poured his efforts into space opera.

How much was George Lucas worth before Star Wars?

Due mainly to the global box-office success of American Graffiti, Lucas was a multimillionaire (net worth about $4 million, or around $20 million adjusted for inflation today) before cameras rolled on his blockbuster sci-fi landmark.

Related: Your Roadmap to a Galaxy Far, Far Away! Get Answers to All Your Star Wars Timeline Questions

How much of Star Wars did George Lucas create?

The very definition of visionary, Lucas is the driving force behind Star Wars. Utterly against the grain of the gritty '70s, Lucas steadfastly wanted to tell a hero's journey inspired by myth that harnessed filmmaking technology and special effects on the razor's edge. The shoot of Star Wars took a toll on writer-director Lucas, to put it mildly. He was even hospitalized for exhaustion.

Aside from Fox exec Alan Ladd Jr., who greenlit the movie after virtually every other studio passed, mostly all of the higher-ups at 20th Century Fox didn't get the appeal of Lucas' space wizard saga and expected the movie to tank.

Star Wars opened on May 25, 1977, and critical and especially audience response to the film was rapturous off the bat. Moviegoers couldn't get enough of universal themes, groundbreaking storytelling and good old-fashioned fun. Star Wars became the highest-grossing movie of all time, with a $550 million gross in its initial run.

It's certainly worth mentioning that despite the fact Lucas is undeniably the genius behind the brand, the original Star Wars film (since retitled Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope) was indeed a collaboration. Originally shown to Lucas' circle of filmmaking friends in a shaggier, much longer cut that wasn't as well-received, Star Wars was remolded by an editing team including Lucas' wife at the time, Marcia (they divorced in 1983), into the streamlined, spirited blend of adventure and coming-of-age film we know today. Star Wars received a whopping 10 Oscar nods, including Best Picture and Best Director; Best Film Editing was among the seven wins.

How much did George Lucas make on the first Star Wars?

This is where the savvy and risk-taking nature of Lucas comes out, and where the saga gets really interesting. After Star Wars was rejected by virtually all major studios (a sunny Western in space was a tough sell in an era of cinematic antiheroes and grim realism) except Fox, Lucas was offered a respectable $500,000 salary to direct (about $1.5 million today). Lucas offered to take a $150,000 salary under two conditions: he held on to potential sequel rights and merchandising rights.

Sequels were a rarity in 1977, and film merchandise was not even really a thing. Star Wars' producing studio 20th Century Fox had even suffered a blow a decade prior due to a lack of public interest in Doctor Dolittle swag. The studio accepted Lucas' deal. The transaction has since become infamous.

Related: The 40 Best Star Wars Gifts We Could Find Across the Galaxy

How did George Lucas make his money? 

Above all else, it's the merchandise. The sales of Star Wars toys and tie-ins outsold the smash hit movies' tickets manyfold. Ironically, Star Wars merchandise almost didn't happen, because, like most major studios, all major toy companies didn't believe in the project. Lucas' persistence won over then-fledgling, Cincinnati-based smaller company Kenner. Though the Star Wars brand was ultimately lent to (sometimes even repurposed) various kinds of toys and other merchandise, the most recognizable are the famous 3.75" action figures. The Star Wars figurines were smaller than other action toys of the day (like G.I. Joe dolls), wisely, with the intent of selling vehicles and play sets.

Star Wars' unprecedented box-office explosion led to a demand for toys that Kenner simply couldn't fulfill by Christmas 1977, leading to the famous voucher promising a full set in the following year. For more on the fascinating story of Star Wars' unprecedented merchandising empire, we highly recommend The Toys That Made Us, now streaming on Netflix.

Of course, Lucas is his own enterprise, and he's made his fortune through numerous other endeavors. Among them, he produced the highly lucrative Indiana Jones films as well as other projects as varied as Howard the Duck and Tuskegee Airmen biopic Red Tails.

How much is Skywalker Ranch worth?

Lucas first started developing his famous sprawling, secluded professional property in Marin County in 1978. Skywalker Ranch is now estimated to be worth over $100 million.

Related: Take Your Game Night To a Galaxy Far, Far Away with 100+ Star Wars Trivia Questions

Who is the richest film director?

George Lucas is the richest movie director in history. There's some irony here, as unlike virtually all other filmmakers who've worked near or at the top, Lucas is not a member of the Directors Guild of America: The guild fined Lucas $250,000 for not featuring opening credits in The Empire Strikes Back (Lucas, correctly, felt the famous opening crawl was far more effective for dramatic purposes and excitement), and a disillusioned Lucas left the DGA before shooting Return of the Jedi. This meant his first choice for directing Jedi, Steven Spielberg, couldn't be in the director's chair. So instead, Welsh film and TV director Richard Marquand directed Jedi, with Lucas reportedly present throughout the shoot.

Who is richer: George Lucas or Steven Spielberg?

Lucas' fortune towers over even that of friend, colleague and frequent collaborator Spielberg, whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion in 2024.

How much money does Steven Spielberg make from Star Wars?

Even though Spielberg hasn’t had so much as a credit on Star Wars, he’s made millions of dollars from the franchise, thanks to his long-term friendship with colleague Lucas. Lucas and Spielberg both directed high-profile sci-fi films in 1977—Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, respectively.

Before its 1977 release, nearly everyone thought strange, fantastical and unprecedented Star Wars might be a box-office bomb. As part of a decades-spanning friendly rivalry, Lucas and Spielberg reportedly traded two and a half percent of the back-end profit from their two movies; Spielberg got the better end of the deal. Close Encounters performed well at the box office; Star Wars obliterated most box-office records and spawned one of the top brands in modern history.