Billionaire Football Fans and Real Top Guns Are Funding Your Favorite Oscar Movies

Billionaire investors are behind several films in the 2024 Oscar race, including Killers of the Flower Moon, Anatomy of a Fall and The Past life»

Superyachts, football clubs, social networks… and Oscar-winning films? Money has always been the dirty secret of Hollywood success — best picture swag bags don't pay for themselves — but in recent years the billionaire class behind the biggest films has increasingly come under the spotlight. Tycoons and (multiple) millionaires are turning away from the industries that made them rich and investing in movies. More surprise? Most of these films are very good.

This makes a lot of financial sense: in a fragmented industry that is busy fighting with the numerous alternative forms of entertainment that are absorbing the world's attention, it is becoming increasingly difficult for studios to justify investing money in a product that does not guarantee any pre-existing audience. So what's a director to do when increasingly risk-averse studios decide not to make their passion projects? Enter the billionaires.

Although billionaires have long tried their hand at film financing, most notably Howard Hughes, the late Dodi Fayed (who helped finance Steven Spielberg's Hook) and Planet Hollywood founder Keith Barish, they are often were perceived as vaguely inexperienced, dreamy characters throwing their money away. in failed projects.

However, everything has changed in recent years, with billionaire financiers now seen as the potential saviors of the film industry. What is the main connection between the many films they finance? These are mostly middle-grade adult dramas that have no real commercial potential and are therefore unlikely to receive direct studio funding. For many art-oriented films aimed exclusively at adult audiences (for example, a three-hour epic about the murder of Native Americans), private financing is one of the few remaining ways to realize projects.

Take A24. The entertainment company was founded in 2012 and has since become — depending on your point of view — a hallmark of interesting, well-made films. Or the triumph of diligent merchandising and self-congratulation of filmmakers. Perhaps both. They were behind last year's Everywhere All At Once, as well as the acclaimed Holocaust drama Zone of Interest (five Oscars will be awarded at this weekend's ceremony), Priscilla and Zac Effron's Iron Claw.

However, behind their impeccable filmmaking record lies some serious money: it was founded by three industry insiders — Daniel Katz, John Hodges and David Fenkel — each of whom worked at the cutting edge of the film/money interface. And he is backed by American billionaire Todd Boeley (see below) through his investment portfolio Eldridge Industries.

But Boeli is far from the only indie action mogul. Here are some of the top earners:

Todd Boeli Net Worth: $6.1 Billion

Movies financed (through A24) include: Priscilla, Bo Is Afraid, Zone of Interest, Midsommar , Iron Claw, Talk to Me, Everything Everywhere at Once, Keith

After studying at LSE, American Boeli made his fortune in finance, joining Guggenheim Partners in 2001. He had a long-standing interest in entertainment and sports, making early deals with Time Warner and the LA Dodgers. Since 2015, his personal portfolio, part of Eldridge Industries, has included numerous magazines, including Variety, Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter, as well as A24 and other entertainment studios. He is also the chairman and owner of Chelsea Football Club.

Chelsea owner and film mogul Todd Boehli with club director Behdad Eghbali in February 2024. Photo: Getty

Required eccentric trivia about the billionaire:Boeli had a rocky relationship with former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. Last September, during a string of poor performances for the club, Tuchel banned Boeli from entering the dressing room at half-time. To be fair, he reportedly showed a group of children as part of the prize tour. But denying entry to your boss was never a good decision, and Tuchel was sacked soon after, just six months later. Boeli denied it had anything to do with the incident.

Dan Friedkin Net Worth: $6.1 Billion

Films Financed Include: The Square, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Mule, All the Money in the World

An heir to Toyota Gulf States, which distributes Toyota vehicles, Friedkin inherited his legacy from his father, who founded the company when he was 35 years old. His other investments include a portfolio of luxury resorts and ownership of Italian football club A S Roma.

However, it was through his entertainment company, Imperative Entertainment, that Friedkin made his greatest impact on popular culture. Founded in 2014, it produces podcasts, TV shows, documentaries and films. They supported Clint Eastwood's The Mule and Ruben Östlund's The Square. Most recently, he committed part of the $200 million budget to Martin Scorsese's leading Oscar hope, Killers of the Flower Moon. Friedkin's group 30West also owns a majority stake in independent distributor Neon, which won Best Picture in 2020 with Parasite and is in the 2024 race with Anatomy of a Fall.

Dan Friedkin Photo: Getty

Eccentric billionaire trivia:In addition to acquiring sports teams and backing passion projects for filmmakers, Friedkin has a pleasingly eccentric range of interests befitting a billionaire. He is a semi-professional golfer and stunt pilot flying high-performance vintage aircraft on shows in the UK and America. He even made a cameo appearance as a Spitfire pilot in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, piloting a real Spitfire in a dogfight before crashing down onto the beach at Dunkirk: a demonstration that earned him a Taurus Stunt award.

Meghan and David Ellison's net worth: $4.3 billion (rumored)

Movies financed (like Annapurna) include: True Grit, The Master, “Spring Break”, “Zero Dark Thirty”, “Her”, “American Hustle”, “Foxcatcher”, “The Viennese Dog”, “Everybody Wants It!”, “Sausage Party”, “20th Century”. Women, Detroit, Phantom Thread, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Bookstore, Landscape with the Invisible Hand, Nimona

Films financed (as Skydance) include:True Grit, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, Jack Reacher, World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond , Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Baywatch, Annihilation, Life, Top Gun: Maverick, Air, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One

< p>Megan Ellison, one of the first billionaire investors to come into the spotlight, has been the golden goose of independent Hollywood since 2010, using her family's wealth to launch Annapurna Pictures and now the video game division Annapurna Interactive. She's been fairly quiet since 2019's Booksmart, but will be at this year's Oscars alongside her Best Animated Feature contender Nimona.

Directed by David O Russell and Megan Ellison Photo: ROBIN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

But her brother David, founder of Skydance Media, was not at all like that. In 2010, Skydance partnered with Paramount Pictures, essentially rescuing the struggling studio from turmoil and helping finance their projects. Since then, they have starred in blockbusters such as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One and Air. They also supported the biggest movie of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick. It's safe to say that without Skydance, Tom Cruise's retirement would look less healthy.

Children of Larry Ellison, the fifth richest man in America (current net worth: $142.2 billion), the actual figures for their respective wealth are uncertain; there are rumors of a $200 million annual giveaway, as well as rumors that Meghan will receive a $2 billion gift on her 25th birthday.

While they're both notoriously press-shy, Meghan in particular is well-versed in filmmaking and has a reputation for allowing directors she respects to make the films they want.

Required eccentric trivia about a billionaire: In 2013, Meghan shelled out $30 million for a Los Angeles apartment that California real estate magazine Curbed called «supervillain-worthy.» An architectural nightmare based on a set of spaceship-like curves, it's perfect for a night out with Jessica Chastain and Paul Thomas Anderson or, alternatively, an encounter with Dr. Evil and his minions.

James PackerNet Price: 2.8 dollar. billion

Funded films include: Gravity, The Lego Movie, Edge of Tomorrow, Mad Max: Fury Road, Black Mass, The Revenant, Midnight Special, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, The Accountant, Rules Don't Apply, IT, The Lego Ninja Movie, The League justice

One of the few on this list who became a tabloid celebrity himself by wooing Miranda Kerr and Mariah Carey, Australian billionaire James Packer got into film financing in 2013.

Son of Rupert Murdoch A Kerry Packer-style media mogul, James lost «a ton of money in America» ​​due to the impact of the financial crisis on his casino business, before more than making up for it with investments in China.

In 2013, Packer partnered with Rush Hour director Brett Ratner to form the production company RatPac Entertainment. They then teamed up with producer Steven Mnuchin to create RatPac-Dune, which has since financed films for Warner Bros. Pictures. Their first collaboration was Alfonso Cuaron's space thriller Gravity. From a creative standpoint, they are considered somewhat aloof as they follow the ebb and flow of Warner Bros. executive interests.

James Packer Photo: TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images

Required eccentric trivia about billionaires:Where to begin? Perhaps the time Packer and fellow Australian billionaire David Gyngell got into an argument in the street over the latter's reportedly stalking Packer's then-girlfriend Miranda Kerr with the help of a film crew. Or when he hired Scorsese, DiCaprio and De Niro for a $70 million commercial promoting his Manila casino. Or the time Mariah Carey reportedly threw her laptop out the window and ran out of the room screaming when he played a Beyoncé song to cheer her up. He's a colorful character.

Jeffrey Skoll Net worth: $3.9 billion

Films financed include: Syriana, The Kite Runner, The Informant!, The Help, Infestation, Marigold's Best Exotic Hotel, Lincoln, The Fifth Estate, Spotlight, Bridge of Spies, A Monster Calls, Roma, American Factory , «All the Beauty and the Bloodshed»

Jeffrey Skoll was the first employee and also the first president of eBay, eventually earning $3.9 billion as a result. In 2005, Skoll founded the production company Participant Media.

He is considered one of the friendliest and most creative billionaires in Hollywood. He developed strong relationships with the group of George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon and financed many of their passion projects. He is also a documentary film financier and is somewhat responsible for such big hits as Citizen Four, He Named Me Malala and the 2019 Oscar winner American Factory. Through The Participant, he has supported over 100 films and received 78 Oscar nominations, winning 18. Next on his list, among other projects, is an adaptation of the hit West End play Prima Facie, which will star Cynthia Erivo as Jodie Comer. .

Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel By Ishika Mohan

Required eccentric trivia about a billionaire: Unlike many others on this list, Skoll is considered a truly humble billionaire. He cares about the environment, doesn't appear to have any marital skeletons in his closet, and lives in a modest, traditionally designed $20 million home in Silicon Valley. In 2020, it committed $120 million to fight Covid-19.

Ronald Burkle Net worth: $3 billion

Movies financed include: Movie 43, Safe Haven, August: Osage County, Jane Got a Gun, Rules Don't Apply

< p>Ronald Burkle, whose net worth is estimated at $3 billion, made money from his venture capital firm and involvement in mergers and acquisitions of supermarket chains throughout the United States.

Unlike many on this list, he may not have the best sense of quality control when it comes to film investments. Movies 43 and Rules Don't Apply were unforgettable bombs, while Natalie Portman's western Jane Got a Gun had a notoriously problematic production: British director Lynne Ramsay walked out of the film just days after filming began. His other business endeavors were also rocky; it acquired the troubled Soho House brand in 2014. But he's had better luck with television, investing in mega-striker Taylor Sheridan's universe, including Lawman: Bass Reeves 1883 and Special Forces: Lioness.

Ronald Burkle Credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Required eccentric billionaire trivia:Burkle was once very friendly with the Clinton family, raising millions for his political campaigns, until a mysterious falling out occurred in early 2016. Burkle later went on to help finance the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John Kasich. The media speculated that this may have been due to the fact that Burkle frequently lent one of his private jets to Bill Clinton, which led to several unwanted headlines in the American press. His name was also found in Jeffrey Epstein's Little Black Book and on the flight manifest of his private jet. However, it appears they weren't close—Burkle reportedly turned down a return flight with Epstein, calling it «creepy.»

Steven MnuchinNet Worth: $400 million

Financed films include: Borat, Marley & I, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Avatar, Black Swan, X-Men: First Class, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Prometheus, Life of Pi, Edge of Tomorrow, Wonder Woman, Mad Max: Fury Road

After making millions at Goldman Sachs, where his father was also a partner, Mnuchin entered film financing in 2006. With an annoyingly schizophrenic slate of films financed through his Dune Entertainment banner until it merged with RatPac to form RatPac-Dune, Mnuchin himself has a spotty track record.

He was accused of taking advantage of the 2008 financial crisis by buying failed mortgage lender IndyMac and then making billions of dollars by foreclosure on federally protected homes. He also produced Suicide Squad (terrible). His most notable recent move, however, has been political: serving as Donald Trump's Treasury secretary from 2017-2021. What another Trump presidency will mean for his political ambitions—or the quality of Hollywood filmmaking—remains to be seen.

Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton in 2017. Photo: Bloomberg

Required eccentric trivia about the billionaire: < /strong>Mnuchin's very glamorous 43-year-old wife Louise Linton is a former Scottish actress who you may have seen on CSI: NY or William & William. Kate: Movie. She was criticized for self-publishing a memoir of a white savior, How My Dream Year in Africa Turned into a Nightmare, which described with suspicious accuracy her charity work in the Gambia at age 18. She also wrote, produced and starred in the flop Me You Madness, which Metacritic named the worst movie of 2021.