Lana Wachowski Net Worth

What Is Lana Wachowski's Net Worth?

Lana Wachowski, formerly known as Larry Wachowski, is an American film director and producer who has a net worth of $100 million. Lana Wachowski is probably most famous for being the co-creator, alongside her sister Lilly Wachowski, of the "Matrix" film/DVD/video game franchise. Lilly Wachowski is formerly known as Andy Wachowski. Both were born male and transitioned to female later in life.

Three years after making their directorial debut with "Bound" in 1996, the pair rose to fame for writing and directing the hit science-fiction action film "The Matrix." The Wachowskis also directed "Speed Racer," "Cloud Atlas," and "Jupiter Ascending" and created the Netflix series "Sense8."

Early Life

Lana Wachowski was born Laurence Wachowski on June 21, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother, Lynne (née Luckinbill), was a nurse, and her father, Ron Wachowski, was a businessman of Polish descent. Her sister Lilly was born Andy Wachowski two and a half years later, and she also has two other sisters named Laura and Julie. The siblings went to Kellogg Elementary School and subsequently attended Whitney Young High School. For her higher education, Lana enrolled at Bard College in New York; however, she dropped out and joined her sister to run a house-painting and construction business back in Chicago. In their free time, they also created comic books and wrote screenplays.

As a child, Lana was an avid player of Dungeons & Dragons.

Career Beginnings

In 1993, the Wachowskis began writing issues of the fantasy comic book series "Ectokid" for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint. Additionally, they wrote for Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" and "Nightbreed" on the Epic Comics imprint. Subsequently, in 1994, the Wachowskis wrote their first screenplay, which became the 1995 action thriller film "Assassins." However, director Richard Donner had their script completely rewritten by Brian Helgeland, with the Wachowskis trying in vain to get their names removed from the project.

The Wachowskis made their directorial debut in 1996 with the crime thriller "Bound," which they also wrote. Starring Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano, and Gina Gershon, the film was praised by critics and received positive notices for its realistically depicted lesbian romance.

The Matrix

In 1999, the Wachowskis were launched to international stardom with the release of their second film, the science-fiction action thriller "The Matrix." It was a smash hit, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year and going on to win four Academy Awards. The movie earned more than $465 million at the global box office. Upon its release on DVD, "The Matrix" quickly became the highest-grossing DVD in history up to that point. It was released around the time when most households were getting their first DVD players, and "The Matrix" was considered essential to own. As of this writing, the DVD version has generated nearly $400 million. Video game versions of the movie were also released. The 2003 video game "Enter the Matrix" sold over five million copies.

Moreover, it went on to significantly influence the trajectories of both science-fiction and action films through its number of technological innovations, including its "bullet time" visual effect. Due to the huge success of the film, the Wachowskis directed two back-to-back sequels entitled "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," both of which came out in 2003.

After many years away from the franchise, Lana returned to produce, co-write, and direct a fourth "Matrix" installment, this time without her sister. The film, entitled "The Matrix Resurrections," came out in 2021 to mixed reviews. Despite their mixed reviews, the sequels earned over $1 billion at the global box office.

The Matrix Earnings

According to court filings made in the early 2000s, Lana/Larry's then-wife, Thea Bloom, revealed that even before box office revenues, the Wachowskis were paid a total of $16 million for "Reloaded" and "Revolutions." That $16 million was allotted as:

• $5 million for two scripts,
• $4.4 million for preproduction services
• $6.6 million disbursed during production based on various delivery and budget milestones.

They both subsequently earned $550,000 when "Reloaded" was completed and another $550,000 when "Revolutions" was completed. Then they also each received $2.75 million advances for their work connected to the video game.

Total it all up, and they earned a combined $23.7 million for their work on the two Matrix sequels before box office participation. For the two sequels, both Wachowski earned a 4% cut of the GROSS receipts. The second film earned $749 million at the box office, implying an additional payday of $75 million per Wachowski. The third movie earned $427 million, implying an additional $42 million payday per Wachowski. That's $117 million total, per Wachowski. If these estimates are accurate, each Wachowski earned $128.85 million from the two Matrix sequels (and a video game advance) before DVD sales.

The first Matrix movie was the first DVD to sell more than 1 million copies. It eventually sold 15 million units globally, generating more than $300 million in revenue. The second film sold 7 million DVDs and the third sold 5 million, generating an additional combined $250 million in revenue. The Wachowskis earned a cut of these gross revenue sales as well.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Further Film Career

Following the success of the original "Matrix" trilogy, the Wachowskis wrote the 2005 dystopian action film "V for Vendetta," based on the eponymous David Lloyd graphic novel. Three years later, the sisters returned to the directing chairs with "Speed Racer," an adaptation of the Japanese manga series from the 1960s. Their next directorial effort was the 2012 science-fiction epic "Cloud Atlas," which they co-directed with German filmmaker Tom Tykwer. Adapted from the eponymous novel by David Mitchell, the film earned polarizing reviews, but is considered by the Wachowskis to be the film of theirs that makes them proudest.

In 2015, the Wachowskis directed the space opera "Jupiter Ascending," starring Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, and Eddie Redmayne. A major critical and commercial flop, the film reportedly destroyed the siblings' business relationship with Warner Bros. Studios.

Television Career

On the small screen, the Wachowskis earned acclaim for their Netflix series "Sense8," a science-fiction drama featuring a large ensemble cast of international actors. The show was noted for its scale and its diverse inclusion of myriad LGBTQ identities. "Sense8" ultimately ran for two seasons between 2015 and 2018.

Working without her sister, Lana is a co-writer and co-showrunner of the dramedy series "Work in Progress," which began airing on Showtime in December 2019. She continued her involvement in the second season in 2020.

Other Endeavors

Striving to have a hand in all aspects of production, the Wachowskis created their own production company, EON Entertainment. After its shuttering in 2004, the pair opened Anarchos Productions, which later became Venus Castina Productions. Additionally, the Wachowskis had a pre- and post-production and effects studio called Kinowerks located in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. The environmentally sustainable studio was listed in 2018 for $5 million.

Beyond film and television, the Wachowskis created the comic book publishing company Burlyman Entertainment. Through the company, they have released comics based on "The Matrix" as well as the original bimonthly series "Shaolin Cowboy" and "Doc Frankenstein."

Relationships and Transition

Wachowski was married to Thea Bloom from 1993 to 2002. They were college sweethearts. After the release of "The Matrix," she began a relationship with dominatrix Karin Winslow, whom she met at a Los Angeles BDSM club. Wachowski and Bloom divorced in 2002 when the latter found out about this relationship. In 2009, Wachowski married Winslow.

In the mid-2000s, reports circulated that Larry was transitioning to a woman. In 2008, Wachowski completed her transition and announced she would be known as Lana from then on. In 2012, she was honored with the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award, and a few years later, received the Freedom Award from Equality Illinois.

Interestingly, Lana's brother, Andy, would eventually follow in her footsteps with his own transition. In 2016, Larry confirmed that he had transitioned and would prefer to be known as Lilly Wachowski.

Real Estate

In 1996, Larry and Thea paid $660,000 for an oceanfront property in Venice, California. In 1999, they completed construction on a 5,000-square-foot home on the lot. In their divorce, Thea received this property and she is still listed as the sole owner. Today, the home is likely worth $5-6 million. In the early 2000s, Lana paid $2.7 million for a home in San Francisco.

In Chicago, the siblings co-own a 20,000+ square foot production facility called the Kinoworks. They bought the facility in 2007 and used it for preproduction, postproduction, and an effects studio for their various projects. They invested a combined $7 million into the building. They listed the property for sale in 2018 for $5 million but did not end up selling. They have since closed the offices but remain the owners.

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