Tim Burton Highest-Paid Director in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Washington
  • Last updated on

Tim Burton
Tim Burton led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid directors” released on Saturday.
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It's been a rough year for the director, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 67-year-old Tim Burton has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid directors for 2026 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 11/01/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Tim Burton tops annual list of highest-paid directors

In 2023 it looked like the director’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Saturday (January 10) that Burton is the highest-paid director in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between December 2024 and December 2025, a nearly $40 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The American director-screenwriter-producer has an estimated net worth of $215 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Burton Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Burbank Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderburton - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Tim) and a fashion line called “Tim Burton Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Tim fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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