The 50 Richest Directors 2015

Directors are not at the forefront of Hollywood's image like actors and actresses are, as they stroll glamourously down red carpet events, and even though the film directors are also walking down these red carpets, I'm sure your focus is on the actors and actresses.

However, it is the directors who are seen as the power force behind a movies ultimate success, giving them a lot of power in Hollywood, and if they produce enough commercially successful films they can without a doubt make a fortune in Hollywood, just like the following directors have.

Net worth estimates as recorded by CelebrityNetWorth.com

50. Harold Ramis - $50 Million

Best known movie: Groundhog Day (1993)

All movies (they directed): Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Club Paradise (1986), Groundhog Day (1993), Stuart Saves His Family (1995), Multiplicity (1996), Analyse This (1999), Bedazzled (2000), Analyse That (2002), The Ice Harvest (2005), Year One (2009).

Harold Ramis has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor and writer. Ramis is best known for directing Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation and Groundhog Day.

49. Doug Liman - $50 Million

Best known movie: The Bourne Identity (2002)

All movies (they directed): Getting In (1994), Swingers (1996), Go (1999), The Bourne Identity (2002), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Jumper (2008), Fair Game (2010), Edge of Tomorrow (2014).

Doug Liman has earned his fortune from his work as an American director and producer. Liman is best known for directing Swingers, The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

48. Garry Marshall - $50 Million

Best known movie: The other Sister (1999)

All movies (they directed): Young Doctors in Love (1982), The Flamingo Kid (1984), Nothing in Common (1986), Overboard (1987), Beaches (1988), Pretty Woman (1990), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Exit to Eden (1994), Dear God (1996), The Other Sister (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001), Raising Helen (2004), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Georgia Rule (2007), Valentine's Day (2010), New Year's Eve (2011).

Garry Marshall has earned his fortune from his work as an American director, producer, actor and writer. Marshall is best known for directing Pretty Woman, The Other Sister and The Princess Diaries.

47. Hayao Miyazaki - $50 Million

Best known movie: Spirited Away (2001)

All movies (they directed): The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Conan the Future Boy: The Big Giant Robot's Resurrection (1984), Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), The Wind Rises (2013).

Hayao Miyazaki has earned his fortune from his work as a Japanese animation director, producer, animator and writer. Miyazaki is best known for directing Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away.

46. Justin Lin - $50 Million

Best known movie: Fast and Furious 6

All movies (they directed): Shopping for Fangs (1997), Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), Annapolis (2006), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Fast and Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), The Wolf Man (pre-production, 2017), Untitled Shaolin Temple Remake (announced), Untitled Jeremy Renner/Bourne Sequel (announced, 2016).

Justin Lin has earned his fortune from his work as a Taiwanese-born American film director, producer and writer. Lin is best known for directing The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6.

45. Ethan Coen - $50 Million

Best known movie: No Country for Old Men (2007)

All movies (they directed): Blood Simple. (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O' Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), The Ladykillers (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Hail, Caesar! (2016).

Ethan Coen has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Coen is best known for directing Raising Arizona, Fargo and No Country for Old Men.

44. Sam Raimi - $55 Million

Best known movie: Spider-Man 3 (2007)

All movies (they directed): It's Murder! (1977), The Evil Dead (1981), Crimewave (1985), Evil Dead II (1987), Darkman (1990), Army of Darkness (1992), The Quick and the Dead (1995), A Simple Plan (1998), For Love of the Game (1999), The Gift (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Drag Me to Hell (2009), Oz the Great and Powerful (2013).

Sam Raimi has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor and writer. Raimi is best known for directing The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and The Spider Man trilogy.

43. Barry Sonnenfeld - $60 Million

Best known movie: Men in Black (1997)

All movies (they directed): The Addams Family (1991), For Love or Money (1993), Addams Family Values (1993), Get Shorty (1995), Men in Black (1997), Wild Wild West (1999), Big Trouble (2002), Men in Black II (2002), RV (2006), Men in Black 3 (2012), Nine Lives (pre-production).

Barry Sonnenfeld has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and cinematographer. Sonnenfeld is best known for directing The Addams Family (1 & 2) and The Men in Black trilogy.

42. David Lynch - $60 Million

Best known movie: Mulholland Drive (2001)

All movies (they directed): Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Lost Highway (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001), Rabbits (2002), Inland Empire (2006).

David Lynch has earned his fortune from his work as an American film and television director, actor, visual artist, and as a musician and author. Lynch is best known for directing Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive.

41. John Woo - $60 Million

Best known movie: Face/Off (1997)

All movies (they directed): The Young Dragons (1974), Fa qian han (1977), Da sha xing yu xiao mei tou (1978), Ha luo, ye gui ren (1978), Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979), Qian zuo guai (1980), Mo deng tian shi (1981), Ba cai Lin Ya Zhen (1982), Xiao Jiang (1985), Liang zhi lao hu (1985), A Better Tomorrow (1986), Ying xiong wu lei (1986), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), The Killer (1989), Just Heroes (1989), Bullet in the Head (1990), Once a Thief (1991), Hard Boiled (1992), Hard Target (1993), Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Windtalkers (2002), Paycheck (2003), Red Cliff (2008), Red Cliff II (2009), The Crossing (2014), The Crossing 2 (post-production, 2015), Untitled Johnnie to Film (filming).

John Woo has earned his fortune from his work as a Chinese film director, producer and writer. Woo is best known for directing The Killer, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II.

40. Rob Reiner - $60 Million

Best known movie: When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

All movies (they directed): This Is Spinal Tap (1984), The Sure Thing (1985), Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Misery (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), North (1994), The American President (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), The Story of Us (1999), Alex & Emma (2003), Rumour Has It... (2005), The Bucket List (2007), Flipped (2010), The Magic of Belle Isle (2012), And So It Goes (2014).

Rob Reiner has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and actor. Reiner is best known for directing The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally... and Misery.

39. Robert Altman - $60 Million

Best known movie: Gosford Park (2001)

All movies (they directed): The Delinquents (1957), Countdown (1967), The Cold Day in the Park (1969), MASH (1970), Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Images (1972), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974), California Split (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976), 3 Women (1977), A Wedding (1978), Quintet (1979), A Perfect Couple (1979), HealtH (1980), Popeye (1980), Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), Streamers (1983), Secret Honour (1984), O.C. and Stiggs (1985), Fool for Love (1985), Beyond Therapy (1987), Vincent & Theo (1990), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Ready to Wear (1994), Kansas City (1996), The Gingerbread Man (1998), Cookie's Fortune (1999), Dr. T and the Women (2000), Gosford Park (2001), The Company (2003), A Prairie Home Companion (2006).

Robert Altman earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and writer. Altman is best known for directing MASH, The Player and Gosford Park.

38. David Fincher - $65 Million

Best known movie: Fight Club (1999)

All movies (they directed): Alien 3 (1992), Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), Panic Room (2002), Zodiac (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Gone Girl (2014), The Girl Who Played with Fire (announced).

David Fincher has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, and as a music video director. Fincher is best known for directing Alien 3, Se7en and Fight Club.

37. Brett Ratner - $65 Million

Best known movie: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

All movies (they directed): Money Talks (1997), Rush Hour (1998), The Family Man (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Red Dragon (2002), After the Sunset (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Rush Hour 3 (2007), Tower Heist (2011), Hercules (2014), Beverly Hills Cop 4 (announced, 2016).

Brett Ratner has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, and as a music video director. Ratner is best known for directing The Rush Hour trilogy, Red Dragon and X-Men: The Last Stand.

36. Woody Allen - $70 Million

Best known movie: Midnight in Paris (2011)

All movies (they directed): What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966), Take the Money and Run (1969), Bananas (1971), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), Annie Hall (1977), Interiors (1978), Manhattan (1979), Stardust Memories (1980), A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Radio Days (1987), September (1987), Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanours (1989), Alice (1990), Shadows and Fog (1991), Husbands and Wives (1992), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Celebrity (1998), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Small Time Crooks (2000), The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), Hollywood Ending (2002), Anything Else (2003), Melinda and Melinda (2004), Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006), Cassandra's Dream (2007), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Whatever Works (2009), You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), To Rome with Love (2012), Blue Jasmine (2013), Magic in the Moonlight (2014), Irrational Man (post-production, 2015), Untitled Woody Allen Project (pre-production, 2016).

Woody Allen has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, actor, screenwriter and as a musician, comedian and play writer. Allen is best known for directing Vicky Cristina Barcelona, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Midnight in Paris.

35. Martin Scorsese - $70 Million

Best known movie: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

All movies (they directed): Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Boxcar Bertha (1972), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The king of Comedy (1982), After Hours (1985), The Colour of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010), Hugo (2011), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Silence (filming, 2016), Sinatra (announced).

Martin Scorsese has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor, screenwriter and film historian. Scorsese is well known for directing gangster movies, including the likes of Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed.

34. Zhang Yimou - $70 Million

Best known movie: Hero (2002)

All movies (they directed): Red Sorghum (1987), Dai ha mei zhou bao (1989), Ju Dou (1990), Raise the Red Lantern (1991), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), To Live (1994), Shanghai Triad (1995), Keep Cool (1997), Not One Less (1999), The Road Home (1999), Happy Times (2000), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005), Curse of the Golden Flower (2006), The Bright Red Lanterns Hung High (2008), A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (2009), Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010), The Flowers of War (2011), Coming Home (2014), The Great Wall (pre-production, 2016).

Zhang Yimou has earned his fortune from his work as a Chinese film director, producer, actor, writer and cinematographer. Yimou is best known for directing Hero, House of Flying Daggers and The Flowers of War.

33. John Landis - $70 Million

Best known movie: The Blues Brothers (1980)

All movies (they directed): Schlock (1973), The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Into the Night (1985), Spies Like Us (1985), iThree Amigos! (1986), Coming to America (1988), Oscar (1991), Innocent Blood (1992), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Stupids (1996), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Susan's Plan (1998), Burke and Hare (2010).

John Landis has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. Landis is best known for directing Animal House, The Blues Brothers and Trading Places.

32. Farrelly Brothers - $72 Million

Best known movie: Dumb & Dumber (1994)

All movies (they directed): Dumb & Dumber (1994), Kingpin (1996), There's Something About Mary (1998), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Osmosis Jones (2001), Shallow Hal (2001), Stuck on You (2003), Fever Pitch (2005), The Heartbreak Kid (2007), Hall Pass (2011), The Three Stooges (2012), Dumb and Dumber To (2014), One Night Stan (pre-production, 2016).

The Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby Farrelly) have earned their fortune from their work as American film directors and screenwriters. The Farrelly brothers are best known for directing Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary and Me, Myself & Irene.

31. Michael Mann - $75 Million

Best known movie: Heat (1995)

All movies (they directed): Thief (1981), The Keep (1983), Manhunter (1986), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995), The Insider (1999), Ali (2001), Collateral (2004), Miami Vice (2006), Public Enemies (2009), Blackhat (2015).

Michael Mann has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Mann is best known for directing The Last of the Mohicans, Heat and The Insider.

30. Irwin Winkler - $80 Million

Best known movie: The Net (1995)

All movies (they directed): Guilty by Suspicion (1991), Night and the City (1992), The Net (1995), At First Sight (1999), Life as a House (2001), De-Lovely (2004), Home of the Brave (2006).

Irwin Winkler has earned his fortune from his work as an American director and producer. Winkler's most noteworthy directorial piece is The Net starring Sandra Bullock.

29. Todd Phillips - $80 Million

Best known movie: The Hangover (2009)

All movies (they directed): Road Trip (2000), Old School (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004), School for Scoundrels (2006), The Hangover (2009), Due Date (2010), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover Part III (2013), Arms and the Dudes (pre-production, 2016).

Todd Phillips has earned his fortune from his work as an American director, producer, actor and screenwriter. Phillips is best known for directing and writing Old School, The Hangover trilogy and Due Date.

28. Joel Schumacher - $80 Million

Best Known movie: The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

All movies (they directed): The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), D.C. Cab (1983), St. Elmo's Fire (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Cousins (1989), Flatliners (1990), Dying young (1991), Falling Down (1993), The Client (1994), Batman Forever (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), Batman & Robin (1997), 8MM (1999), Flawless (1999), Tigerland (2000), Bad Company (2002), Phone Booth (2002), Veronica Guerin (2003), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), The Number 23 (2007), Blood Creek (2009), Twelve (2010), Trespass (2011).

Joel Schumacher has earned his fortune from his work as an American director, producer and screenwriter. Since Schumacher's critically smashed Batman & Robin, Schumacher has struggled to do a comeback, but some of Schumacher's successful pieces include The Lost Boys and Batman Forever.

27. Jon Turteltaub - $80 Million

Best known movie: National Treasure (2004)

All movies (they directed): Think Big (1989), Driving Me Crazy (1991), 3 Ninjas (1992), Cool Runnings (1993), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Phenomenon (1996), Instinct (1999), The kid (2000), National Treasure (2004), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), Last Vegas (2013), National Treasure 3 (announced).

Jon Turteltaub has earned his fortune from his work as an American director and producer. Turteltaub is best known for his work directing Walt Disney Studio's movies like Cool Runnings and National Treasure.

26. Ivan Reitman - $85 Million

Best known movie: Ghostbusters (1984)

All movies (they directed): Foxy Lady (1971), Cannibal Girls (1973), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Legal Eagles (1986), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1993), Junior (1994), Fathers' Day (1997), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), Evolution (2001), My Super-Ex Girlfriend (2006), No Strings Attached (2011), Draft Day (2014), Triplets (announced).

Ivan Reitman has earned his fortune from his work as an Czechoslovakian-born Canadian film director and producer. Reitman is best known for his work directing Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II.

25. Jay Roach - $90 Million

Best known movie: Meet the Parents (2000)

All movies (they directed): Zoo Radio (1990), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Mystery, Alaska (1999), Meet the Parents (2000), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Meet the Fockers (2004), Dinner for Schmucks (2010), The Campaign (2012), Trumbo (post-production, 2015).

Jay Roach has earned his fortune from his work as an American director, producer and screenwriter. Roach is best known for directing the Austin Powers series, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers.

24. Judd Apatow - $90 Million

Best known movie: The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

All movies (they directed): The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009), This Is 40 (2012), Trainwreck (2015).

Judd Apatow has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor, screenwriter, and also as a comedian. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions which has helped produce some brilliant comedies including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Superbad and Bridesmaids.

23. Tony Scott - $90 Million

Best known movie: Top Gun (1986)

All movies (they directed): The Hunger (1983), Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Revenge (1990), Days of Thunder (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991), True Romance (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), The Fan (1996), Enemy of the State (1998), Spy Game (2001), Man on Fire (2004), Domino (2005), Deja Vu (2006), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009), Unstoppable (2010).

Tony Scott earned his fortune from his work as a British director and producer. Scott directed some of  great classics including Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Crimson Tide.

22. Quentin Tarantino - $100 Million

Best known movie: Pulp Fiction (1994)

All movies (they directed): My Best Friend's Birthday (1987), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Sin City (2005), Death Proof (2007), Inglorious Basterds (2009), Django Unchained (2012), The Hateful Eight (filming, 2015).

Quentin Tarantino has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. Tarantino is best known for directing violent movies, including such movies as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds- which all have Tarantino's unique violent experience for audiences.

21. Bryan Singer - $100 Million

Best known movie: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

All movies (they directed): Public Access (1993), The Usual Suspects (1995), Apt Pupil (1998), X-Men (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), Superman Returns (2006), Valkyrie (2008), Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Broadway 4D (post-production, 2015), X-Men: Apocalypse (pre-production, 2016).

Bryan Singer has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Singer is best known for his work on the X-Men franchise, having directed X-Men, X-Men 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

20. Joss Whedon - $100 Million

Best known movie: The Avengers (2012)

All movies (they directed): Serenity (2005), The Avengers (2012), Much Ado About Nothing (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (post-production, 2015).

Joss Whedon has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor, screenwriter, and as a comic book author and composer. Joss Whedon is the co-founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and also the co-founder of Bellwether Pictures.

19. Coen Brothers - $100 Million

Best known movie: No Country for Old Men (2007)

All movies (they directed): Blood Simple. (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O' Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), The Ladykillers (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Hail, Caesar! (2016).

The Coen brothers have earned their fortune from their work as American directors, producers and screenwriters. Among the Coen brothers most renowned directorial pieces include Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men.

18. John Lassetter - $100 Million

Best known movie: Toy Story (1995)

All movies (they directed): Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011), Cars 3 (filming), Toy Story 4 (pre-production, 2017).

John Lassetter has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, and as the chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar and DisneyToon Studios. Lassetter's more successful directorial pieces include Toy Story (1 & 2) and A Bug's Life.

17. Guy Ritchie - $100 Million

Best known movie: Snatch. (2000)

All movies (they directed): Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch. (2000), Swept Away (2002), Revolver (2005), RocknRolla (2008), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur (pre-production, 2016).

Guy Ritchie has earned his fortune from his work as an English film director, producer and screenwriter. Ritchie is best known for his classics, including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

16. Gore Verbinski - $110 Million

Best known movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

All movies (they directed): Mousehunt (1997), The Mexican (2001), The Ring (2002), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), The Weather Man (2005), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Rango (2011), The Lone Ranger (2013).

Gore Verbinski has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and also as a musician. Verbinski has directed some family favourites, including Pirates of the Caribbean (1, 2 & 3) and Rango.

15. Roland Emmerich - $110 Million

Best known movie: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

All movies (they directed): Franzmann (1979), Das Arche Noah Prinzip (1984), Joey (1985), Ghost Chase (1987), Moon 44 (1990), Universal Soldier (1992), Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), The Patriot (2000), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 10,000 BC (2008), 2012 (2009), Anonymous (2011), White House Down (2013), Stonewall (post-production, 2015), Independence Day 2 (pre-production, 2016), Stargate (announced), Independence Day 3 (announced).

Roland Emmerich has earned his fortune from his work as a German film director, producer and screenwriter. Emmerich's best known for creating large movies that operate on a large scale covering large landscapes and epic disasters, and a few of his most famous include Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow.

14. Ron Howard - $140 Million

Best known movie: A Beautiful Mind (2001)

All movies (they directed): Grand Theft Auto (1977), Night Shift (1982), Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Willow (1988), Parenthood (1989), Backdraft (1991), Far and Away (1992), The Paper (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Ransom (1996), Edtv (1999), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Missing (2003), Cinderella Man (2005), The Da Vinci Code (2006), Frost/Nixon (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), The Dilemma (2011), Rush (2013), In the Heart of the Sea (2015), Inferno (pre-production, 2016), The Graveyard Book (announced).

Ron Howard has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and actor. Some of Howard's most successful movies include Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code.

13. Ridley Scott - $140 Million

Best known movie: Alien (1979)

All movies (they directed): The Duellists (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Black Rain (1989), Thelma & Louise (1991), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), White Squall (1996), G.I. Jane (1997), Gladiator (2000), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), Matchstick Men (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), A Good Year (2006), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), Robin Hood (2010), Prometheus (2012), The Counsellor (2013), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), The Martian (post-production, 2015).

Ridley Scott has earned his fortune from his work as an English director and producer. Scott rocketed to success after he directed Alien, with further success arriving after his directorial release of Gladiator, which led on to more epic movies, including Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven.

12. Tim Burton - $140 Million

Best known movie: Edward Scissorhands (1990)

All movies (they directed): Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Ed Wood (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Dark Shadows (2012), Frankenweenie (2012), Big Eyes (2014), Peregrine's Home for Peculiars (filming, 2016), Beetlejuice 2 (announced).

Tim Burton has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, and also as a writer, poet, artist and stop motion artist. Burton is best known for his unique style of filmmaking, and some that highlight this uniqueness best are Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Alice in Wonderland.

11. Christopher Nolan - $150 Million

Best known movie: The Dark Knight (2008)

All movies (they directed): Following (1998), Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Interstellar (2014).

Christopher Nolan has earned his fortune from his work as a British-American film director, producer and screenwriter. Nolan is possibly the most influential film director for the 21st Century, having directed The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the epic Inception and Interstellar.

10. Barry Levinson - $150 Million

Best known movie: Sleepers (1996)

All movies (they directed): Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Tin Men (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Rain Man (1988), Avalon (1990), Bugsy (1991), Toys (1992), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), Disclosure (1994), Sleepers (1996), Wag the Dog (1997), Sphere (1998), Liberty Heights (1999), An Everlasting Piece (2000), Bandits (2001), Envy (2004), Man of the Year (2006), What Just Happened (2008), The Bay (2012), The Humbling (2014), Rock the Kasbah (post-production, 2015).

Barry Levinson has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. Levinson is best known for directing Good Morning, Vietnam, Rain Man and Sleepers.

9. John Hughes - $150 Million

Best known movie: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

All movies (they directed): Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Curly Sue (1991).

John Hughes earned his fortune as an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Hughes is best known for his work directing Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, as well as for his work screenwriting Home Alone (1 & 2).

8. Francis Ford Coppola - $250 Million

Best known movie: The Godfather (1972)

All movies (they directed): Battle Beyond the Sun (1959), The Bellboy and the Playgirls (1962), Tonight for Sure (1962), The Terror (1963), Dementia 13 (1963), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Finian's Rainbow (1968), The Rain People (1969), The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather: Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), One from the Heart (1981), The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Gardens of Stone (1987), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), The Godfather: Part III (1990), Dracula (1992), Jack (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), Supernova (2000), Youth Without Youth (2007), Tetro (2009), Twixt (2011).

Francis Ford Coppola has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Coppola is best known for directing The Godfather trilogy, which changed how gangster were portrayed on the big screen, laying the foundation for such directors as Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma's work on gangster movies.

7. Wachowski Brothers - $250 Million

Best known movie: The Matrix (1999)

All movies (they directed): Bound (1996), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Speed Racer (2008), Cloud Atlas (2012), Jupiter Ascending (2015).

The Wachowski brothers have earned their fortune from their work as American film directors, producers and screenwriters. Their biggest financial success to date is still the Matrix trilogy, with each of them passing the $400 million mark worldwide at the box office.

6. Tyler Perry - $400 Million

Best known movie: Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013)

All movies (they directed): Madea's Family Reunion (2006), Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Meet the Browns (2008), The Family That Preys (2008), Madea Goes to Jail (2009), I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009), Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010), For Coloured Girls (2010), Madea's Big Happy Family (2011), Good Deeds (2012), Aunt Bam's Place (2012), Madea's Witness Protection (2012), Madea Gets a Job (2013), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counsellor (2013), Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (2013), The Single Moms Club (2014), Tyler Perry's Madea's Neighbours from Hell (2014).

Tyler Perry has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, actor, screenwriter, and also as a play writer, song writer and author. As a Hollywood star, Perry has made his fortune fast from the success of his original ideas which have surpassed all reasonable expectations.

5. Michael Bay - $430 Million

Best known movie: Transformers (2007)

All movies (they directed): Bad Boys (1995), The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbour (2001), Bad Boys II (2003), The Island (2005), Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Pain & Gain (2013), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), 13 Hours (pre-production), Bad Boys 3 (announced).

Michael Bay has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director and producer. Bay is best known for his big-budget action flicks, most famously and lucratively being the big-screen Transformers franchise. Bay is also well known for explosions, as his movies are jam-packed with explosions, due to Bay's belief that an action movie isn't entertaining for audiences unless there is a heavy dose of exploding cars, barrels, houses, large buildings, bombs, and whatever else that you could possibly think of.

4. Peter Jackson - $450 Million

Best known movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)

All movies (they directed): Bad Taste (1987), Meet the Feebles (1989), Dead Alive (1992), Heavenly Creatures (1994), The Frighteners (1996), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), King Kong (2005), The Lovely Bones (2009), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun (announced, 2016).

Peter Jackson has earned his fortune from his work as a New Zealand film director, producer and screenwriter. Jackson is best known for his work directing 'The Lord of the Rings Trilogy' and 'The Hobbit Trilogy'.

3. James Cameron - $700 Million

Best known movie: Titanic (1997)

All movies (they directed): Piranha: Part Two: The Spawning (1981), The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1997), Avatar (2009), The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back (delayed), Avatar 2 (pre-production, 2017), Avatar 3 (pre-production, 2018), Avatar 4 (pre-production, 2019), The Informationist (announced), Battle Angel (announced).

James Cameron has earned his fortune from his work as a Canadian film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Cameron has directed some of the biggest and brightest movies in Hollywood, two of which are the highest grossing movies of all time, Avatar and Titanic.

2. Steven Spielberg - $3.5 Billion

Best known movie: Schindler's List (1993)

All movies (they directed): Firelight (1964), The Sugarland Express (1974), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), 1941 (1979), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Colour Purple (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Always (1989), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Amistad (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Munich (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (post-production, 2015), The BFG (pre-production, 2016), Indiana Jones 5 (announced), It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War (announced, 2017).

Steven Spielberg has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, screenwriter and business magnate. Steven Spielberg is widely recognised as the most influential Hollywood player, as he has directed some of the highest grossing movies of all time, as well as co-founding DreamWorks- a major studio which has helped produce some of Spielberg's best work.

1. George Lucas - $4.3 Billion

Best known movie: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

All movies (they directed): THX 1138 (1971), American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).

George Lucas has earned his fortune from his work as an American film director, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur. Lucas is best known for his creation of the 'Star Wars' franchise, which  in 2014 he sold for more than 4 billion US dollars to Walt Disney. Lucas founded Lucasfilm in 1971, as an American film and television production company which is well known for developing special effects, sound and computer animation for such films as 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones'.

This list's order towards the latter end shall come as little surprise to most, as George Lucas has been leveraging his Star Wars creation since the 70s, until he recently sold the rights to Star Wars to Walt Disney for more than a billion US dollars. Steven Spielberg was a co-founder to DreamWorks Studios and has an extremely lucrative deal with Universal and their theme park, not to mention Spielberg is also one of the highest paid Directors, most famously being the $250 million that he made from directing Jurassic Park (1993). James Cameron has made his fortune from being the director behind the two highest grossing movies of all time, which were Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009). Peter Jackson has made his substantial fortune from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, and Michael Bay made his fortune of most from The Transformers franchise, having directed the big-screen releases.


Are you surprised at how much the richest directors in the world are worth? Let us know in the comments box below.

Keanu Reeves: The Best Comeback Actor for 2014

Keanu Reeves is Hollywood gold again, as he hits the big screens in "John Wick"

This is one guy you don't want to mess with
Film: "John Wick"
Picture: Keanu Reeves as John Wick
Source: filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.com

2014 was a good year for movies as a whole, with releases including Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, today I am not here to talk about any of these brilliant big screen additions to 2014, but rather the great revenge thriller, John Wick, and the actor behind the leading role, Keanu Reeves.

Why Keanu Reeves?

Some may be wondering at this stage why I have chosen Keanu Reeves as the greatest comeback actor for 2014, as he has surely been in movies in the previous year and the years proceeding. That is all true, but none of these were noteworthy other than 47 Ronin which ultimately flopped at the box office, and including this movie, you've probably not seen a single Keanu Reeves movie (other than John Wick) since 2008 when he starred in the remake for The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Street Kings. Both of which were descent movies, which sadly couldn't be said for the movies which followed, that is of course until now, as after seeing Keanu Reeves as John Wick (lead character) in "John Wick" you will be given further reason to love revenge thrillers.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick

Keanu Reeves looks just like he has always looked in John Wick, which was surprising considering he is 50 years old and could easily pass for a 40 year old. But, one thing is for sure, and that is that you will take Reeves seriously in the revenge thriller flick, John Wick, as it is an adrenaline pumping ride of action, heartfelt loss, and then more action from a man who has nothing to lose and every skill imaginable which would allow his to kill just about anybody. They shouldn't have messed with John Wick, that is for sure.

I speak of Keanu Reeves' John Wick as that is his comeback role of a new form, as we have all become accustomed to seeing Reeves in action thrillers and Sci-fi roles, but never before have we seen him in a revenge thriller. A lot of veteran actors have given the revenge thriller sub-genre a shot since Liam Neeson made it popular, but Reeves has made the role as John Wick his own, and you truly could believe in Reeves performance, as it was simply stunning to watch.

Keanu Reeves 2014 Movies

Keanu Reeves has only been credited for one role in 2014, that of course being the role of John Wick in "John Wick", which was better for the project because it meant that Reeves wasn't having to focus on other characters at the time of playing John Wick. Some may argue that it is not much of a comeback in 2014 if he has only starred in a single movie, but think again, as Reeves is set to star in a whole line up of movies for 2015 and 2016.

Keanu Reeves 2015 Movies

Reeves' Knock Knock has already been released, and he is also set to star in The Whole Truth and Daughter of God in 2015. Knock Knock seems to have been approved by audiences, as IMDb's overall user rating for the movie currently stands at 8.3/10. If this pattern keeps on going, Reeves may just find himself at the top of the Hollywood game again, which in honesty, would be welcomed by myself.

Keanu Reeves 2016 Movies

Reeves is all set for 2016, with a project starring as the lead in a Nicolas Winding Refn movie, The Neon Demon. And on top of this, Reeves is also set to star in a TV mini-series, Rain. This is all that we know so far, and in fairness we are still only in the early stages of 2015 to know all of the projects that Reeves will be partaking in during 2016, so it should be interesting to see if there are any other projects which will need to be added to this list.


Do you feel that Keanu Reeves has done a shocking comeback into movies in 2014? Have you seen John Wick? How would you rate John Wick? Let us know in the comments box below.

30 Identical Movies That Could be Twins

These movies are all similar in more than one way, sometimes with near identical plots, but always with the same idea

It is hardly surprising that Hollywood would be keen to cash in on the good ideas used for movie projects, which is why where there is a great idea for a movie, typically two studios will undertake a similar movie project, incorporating the same idea, and sometimes even with the same plot.

Typically, these near movie twins will be released either within the same year as one another, or within a year after the others release. Hollywood clearly likes the idea of recycling the old movies, with an entire flood of remakes, doing one two many sequels and prequels, and to top-off Hollywood's addiction to recycling, they also on occasion use the same movie idea to create two (or, sometimes more) movies.

Going through the stages since movies first became a thing of existence, we have collected all of the identical movie twins that we could find. Here they are.

Top Gun (1986) | Iron Eagle (1986)

Abyss (1989) | Leviathan (1989)

Turner & Hooch (1989) | K-9 (1989)

Tombstone (1994) | Wyatt Earp (1994)

Powder (1995) | Phenomenon (1996)

Babe (1995) | Gordy (1995)

Braveheart (1995) | Rob Roy (1995)

Showgirls (1995) | Striptease (1996)

Air Force One (1996) | Con Air (1996)

Volcano (1997) | Dante's Peak (1997)

Saving Private Ryan (1998) | The Thin Red Line (1998)

Antz (1998) | A Bug's Life (1998)

Armageddon (1998) | Deep Impact (1998)

The Truman Show (1998) | EDtv (1999)

Red Planet (2000) | Mission to Mars (2000)

Stealing Harvard (2002) | Orange County (2002)

The Bourne Identity (2002) | Paycheck (2003)

Finding Nemo (2003) | Shark Tale (2004)

Chasing Liberty (2004) | First Daughter (2004)

The Cave (2005) | The Descent (2005)

Madagascar (2005) | The Wild (2006)

Capote (2006) | Infamous (2006)

The Prestige (2006) | The Illusionist (2006)

Happy Feet (2006) | Surf's Up (2007)

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) | Observe and Report (2009)

Cop Out (2010) | The Other Guys (2010)

Friends With Benefits (2011) | No Strings Attached (2011)

Mirror Mirror (2012) | Snow White & the Huntsman (2012)

A Hijacking (2012) | Captain Phillips (2013)

After Earth (2013) | Oblivion (2013)

Olympus Has Fallen (2013) | White House Down (2013)

The Equaliser (2014) | John Wick (2014)

All of these movies made attempts at cashing in on the same idea as another movie, but the real question which hungers for an answer is, which out of each of the pairs was your favourite? Let us know in the comments box below.