Joel Schumacher Net Worth

What was Joel Schumacher's net worth?

Joel Schumacher was an American director, screenwriter, and producer who had a net worth of $80 million at the time of his death in June 2020. Joel is probably best remembered for his work on the "Batman" franchise. He took over after Tim Burton left the series. His 1995 "Batman Forever" earned more than $330 million worldwide and was one of the biggest hits of the year. The follow up "Batman & Robin" earned $240 million. Joel Schumacher died on June 22, 2020 at the age of 80.

Joel Schumacher was one of a handful of "It" directors in the late 80s. Originally focused on a career in fashion design, he fell in love with filmmaking and moved to Los Angeles to work as a costume designer. However, it was his directing work, while studying in the MFA program at UCLA, that began to gain attention. Throughout much of the 80s, he was a virtual solo hit machine, somehow managing to satisfy both audiences and critics with each movie.  The 1985 film, "St. Elmo's Fire", which he both wrote and directed, is considered, by many critics, to be the quintessential 80s film. The project starred a slew of young actors who went on to bigger careers, including Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Andie MacDowell, and Mare Winningham, among many others.  He followed that success with such films as, "The Lost Boys", "Flatliners", "Dying Young", "The Client", "Batman Forever", "A Time to Kill", "Tigerland", "Phone Booth", and "The Phantom of the Opera."

Joel Schumacher Box Office

Joel Schumacher's movies grossed over $2.2 billion worldwide in total. Here are his 10 biggest grossing movies worldwide:

• Batman Forever (1995) – $336.5 million
• Batman & Robin (1997) – $238.2 million
• The Phantom of the Opera (2004) – $154.6 million
• Phone Booth (2002) – $98.4 million
• Batman: The Movie (1966) – $82.1 million
• Batman Returns (1992) – $266.8 million
• A Time to Kill (1996) – $152 million
• Falling Down (1993) – $40.9 million
• St. Elmo's Fire (1985) – $37.8 million
• Veronica Guerin (2003) – $22.4 million

Early Life

Joel Schumacher was born in New York, New York on August 29, 1939, in New York City. He grew up in a middle-class family. His father was a salesman, and his mother was a Swedish immigrant.

After graduating from high school, Joel Schumacher attended Parsons – The New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. After working in the fashion industry for a few years, he decided to shift his focus to film-making and relocated to Los Angeles. He began working on an MFA at UCLA, while simultaneously making a name for himself as a costume designer on various films. He then expanded into screenwriting, penning the scripts for "Sparkle", "Car Wash", and the film adaptation of "The Wiz", among other projects.

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Success

In the early 1980s, Joel Schumacher made the transition to directing, and his first feature film, "The Incredible Shrinking Woman," was released in 1981. He went on to direct several other popular films, including "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985), "The Lost Boys" (1987), and "Flatliners" (1990).

Throughout his career, Joel Schumacher was known for his eclectic and diverse filmography, which included a wide range of genres, from romantic comedies to thrillers. He was also known for his collaborations with several major Hollywood stars, including Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, and Nicole Kidman.

One major milestone in Joel Schumacher's career was his work on the Batman franchise. He directed two of the most controversial entries in the series, "Batman Forever" (1995) and "Batman & Robin" (1997). While these films received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, they remain important entries in the Batman canon.

Another major milestone in Joel Schumacher's career was his work on the film "The Phantom of the Opera" (2004). This film adaptation of the popular stage musical was a critical and commercial success, and earned several Academy Award nominations.

Joel Schumacher's final film was "Trespass" (2011), a thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. Although the film received mixed reviews, it was a testament to Joel Schumacher's talent and dedication to his craft.

In addition to his work in film, Joel Schumacher was also an accomplished playwright and screenwriter. He wrote several plays in the 1970s, including "The Time of the Cuckoo" and "The Member of the Wedding." He also wrote the screenplays for several of his own films, including "St. Elmo's Fire" and "The Lost Boys."

Death

Joel Schumacher passed away on June 22, 2020, at the age of 80, following a battle with cancer.

Real Estate

Joel Schumacher owned a 7-acre home in Carpinteria, California. It was designed by famed architect Don Nulty, and much of the home was built using repurposed wood from 200-year old barns.  The main house features three bedrooms, a massive living room with an open beam ceiling and an office on the second story, a large eat-in kitchen with a fireplace, a dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a library.  The house also features a guest suite inside the main house, and a second separate guest house with two more bedrooms.  Outside of the custom-built mansion, there is a large swimming pool, a patio, and extensive grounds for exploring. In 2012 he listed the home for sale for $9 million. A year later he lowered the price to $7.25 million.  The home is gorgeous and has been featured in multiple publications, such as Architectural Digest.