These directors and producers earned the most money -- and the most buzz -- over the last year.
© David Livingston/Getty Images
#7 Steven Spielberg
The director had a tough time finding a home for his DreamWorks studio after bolting from parent company Viacom in October 2008. He finally landed at Disney four months later. The struggle didn't hurt his own earnings, though. Thanks in part to the latest Indiana Jones movie, of which he split a large portion of the back-end receipts with executive producer George Lucas and actor Harrison Ford, Spielberg brought home $150 million this year.
#24 George Lucas
WIth help from the fourth installment of Indiana Jones, of which he split a large portion of the back-end receipts with director Steven Spielberg and actor Harrison Ford, Lucas grossed $170 million this year. A healthy chunk of his earnings come from his ownership rights in all things Star Wars, including a new animated movie and TV show, The Clone Wars.
#30 Tyler Perry
Another monster year for the Tyler Perry brand. The Georgia-based studio owner added two more flicks, which collectively grossed $130 million at the box office, and another TBS sitcom, House of Payne, to his ever-expanding résumé. Perry's rags-to-riches tale continues to garner headlines as he rolls out shows, movies and plays at a dizzying clip. In addition to writing, directing and starring in much of his own fare, the 39-year-old talent appeared in J.J. Abram's blockbuster Star Trek this spring.
#33 Clint Eastwood
Eastwood's reported last movie as an actor, Gran Torino, was also his highest-grossing. The movie earned $253 million at the world box office; a good chunk of that went directly to Eastwood, who also directed and produced.
#51 Brian Grazer/Ron Howard
This year, the producer/director duo turned out award winners and money makers. Their films Frost/Nixon and Changeling were both nominated for Oscars, while Angels & Demons proved a successful follow-up to 2006's The Da Vinci Code.
#53 Jerry Bruckheimer
The three CSI shows mint money for Bruckheimer in syndication, but he also does well with his movies. Even without a Pirates of the Caribbean installment, he earned $100 million this year. Up next from the blockbuster master: G-Force, a family film about some really smart guinea pigs.
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