2022 has not been a good year for most people, including wealthy individuals. Some of them lost money due to high inflation, a bad stock market and market contractions due to the war in Ukraine. The number of ultra-rich fell 6% this year.
However, there are still several millionaires in the entertainment industry who have seen their fortunes grow and have earned much more from their recent projects. The entertainment scene grew as several other markets collapsed as the general population tended to consume more entertainment during lockdowns and tough times. One of the richest celebrities is one from New Zealand. Here’s a rundown of the celebrities and how much they’re worth.
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Stephen Spielberg
Steven Spielberg is arguably the richest person in entertainment despite losing $850 million in 2022. He took over from his friend and business rival, George Lucas. Known for directing Schindler’s List, the 75-year-old director is now worth a whopping $7.25 billion, according to the Billionaire Index published by Bloomberg. That is a decrease of 10.5 percent compared to a comparable period last year.
He is currently the main partner in the DreamWorks Studios where he has directed some of the blockbusters currently being enjoyed around the world, including Jaws, Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan. All of these films have grossed over $25 billion at the box office in just a few months.
Steven also runs a film production company called Ambling Partners Production, which recently entered into a multi-year production deal with Netflix. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his annual income at around $150 million while his famous wife, Kate Capshaw, has invested more than $200 million in real estate.
George Lucas
Lucas is known for his role in creating Star Wars and Indiana Jones, two major franchises that have been his main cash cows. He topped the list of entertainment billionaires, but the two franchises above have experienced a decline in the year 2022. year.
Much of the fortune comes from the $4.1 billion the entertainer received from the sale of his film production company to Disney. The film director is now retired and focuses much of his energy on philanthropic activities through his family’s charitable organization.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah enters the list as the top entertainment woman according to her net worth. Like most celebrities, she has seen her total net worth drop by as much as 10% in 2021 and 2022. The media mogul is 68 years old and ends the year with a net worth of $2.5 billion, down from $2. 7 billion in the same period last year. year.
Her huge media empire, which includes The Oprah Magazine and Harpo Productions, accounts for most of her fortune. She ended her famous Oprah Winfrey show in 2011, but continues to do TV interviews on various platforms, including on Apple TV+.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is one of the few celebrities whose wealth grew while everyone else saw their investments fall. Forbes estimates that his wealth will grow from $1.6 billion to about $1.7 billion by 2022.
The legendary basketball player made his mark in the Basketball Hall of Fame where he earned a whopping $90 million over the course of his career. He has appeared in a few talk shows and movies during and after his basketball career. Jordan also owns the Charlotte Hornets basketball team, the Miami Marlins baseball team, and the 23XI Nascar team. He has also invested in technology companies, including eSports company aXiomatic and headphone brand Muzik.
Peter Jackson
New Zealander, Peter Jackson, makes the list at position five. He became a billionaire late last year after selling his visual effects company, Weta Digital, for a whopping $1.62 billion to Unity Software, a video game company based in the US. The entertainer also directed the Lord of the Rings series.
His net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 billion. Aside from the proceeds from the sale of his company, he received approximately $10 million for each of the three films produced under the Lord of the Rings moniker. These films have grossed over $3 billion at the box office, taking home about 10% of the profits. Jackson has also made some money from The Hobbit, estimated at $20 million per movie, with about 20% of the revenue coming from back-end sources.
Rihanna
Barbados-born musician and entertainer Rihanna is arguably the richest female musician, with a net worth of around $1.4 billion. This is a whopping $300 million lower than her net worth for the same period last year. The 34-year-old made a name for himself in the music industry. However, most of her income comes from her fashion and makeup companies.
The largest of her investments is in the $2.8 billion company Fenty Beauty, which she co-owns with French luxury company LVMH. She also owns 30% of fashion house Savage x Fenty, which focuses on lingerie and is valued at around $1 billion.
There are even more famous billionaires, including Jay-Z, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods and Tyler Perry. Several others are closing in on $1 billion. As the year 2023 gets better, we expect many more to join the billionaires’ club.
