And then there’s Barbie. Greta Gerwig’s pink-hued behemoth has already made history as the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman, scoring US$377 million globally in the first four days following its July 22 release.

So, who are the richest women directors in 2023? We asked the internet whizzes over at The Things, The Richest and Celebrity Net Worth to find out …

9. Greta Gerwig – US$12 million

She may have copped some flack for going mainstream, but it sure paid off – Gerwig’s net worth recently tripled from US$4 million to US$12 million on Celebrity Net Worth. Before Barbie, the indie daring directed three acclaimed pictures, including Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019) .

Despite the latter film’s mixed reviews, it’s still landed the jackpot with its astronomical opening weekend earnings, so we only expect Gerwig’s bank balance to shoot up from here. Come on Barbie, let’s go party?

8. Jennifer Lee – US$12 million

Lee became the first woman to direct a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film, namely Frozen – and boy, did she make bank out of it along with co-director Chris Buck – helming a movie that banked over US$1 million at the box office.

She’s since worked on Frozen’s sequel and is now the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios with an estimated fortune of US$12 million, per the same source.

7. Regina King – US$16 million

Better known as an actress, King, 52, has made numerous TV movies over the years, and her cinematic directorial debut One Night in Miami (2020) earned a Golden Globe nomination for best director. And there’s two more directional projects on the way. Celebrity Net Worth estimates her fortune at about US$16 million in 2023.

6. Patty Jenkins – US$25 million

Being in the industry for over two decades, Patty Jenkins, 52, has accumulated a hefty net worth of US$25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

She made her directorial debut with Monster in 2003 starring Charlize Theron, but is best known for DC Comics blockbuster Wonder Woman (2017) and its sequel Wonder Woman 1984.

5. Sofia Coppola – US$40 million

Born into a family of filmmakers (including her dad, The Godfather legend Francis Ford Coppola), Sofia Coppola has earned herself a flourishing career in the entertainment industry.

She officially made her directorial debut in 1993 with a Walt Mink music video, for “Shine”, before going mainstream with the run of Lost in Translation (2003), Marie Antoinette (2006) and The Bling Ring (2013). The 52-year-old has also worked on campaigns for Cartier, Dior, Chanel and the New York City Ballet. She’s also set to release Priscilla this October, a film about Elvis Presley’s first and only wife.

4. Kathryn Bigelow – US$50 million

The ex-wife of Avatar director James Cameron has enjoyed plenty of her own success, becoming the first woman to win the best director award in Oscars history for her war drama The Hurt Locker in 2010. The 71-year-old’s hard-earned work has scored her around US$50 million in the bank, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Other directorial credits include Point Break (1991), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and Detroit (2017).

3. Ava DuVernay – US$60 million

DuVernay has made several milestones of her own, including becoming the first Black woman to be nominated by the Golden Globes as director for a motion picture for civil rights drama Selma. She’s also the first woman of colour to direct a US$100 million-grossing film, thanks to the 2018 Disney film A Wrinkle in Time, according to Forbes. What’s more, her Netflix show When They See Us became the most-watched series on the platform when it debuted in 2019.

All of the 50-year-old’s successes, combined with a US$100 million deal with Warner Bros, totals up nicely to a US$60 million fortune, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

1 & 2. Lana and Lilly Wachowski – US$250 million

Coming in strong with a shared spot at No 1 is the world are the Wachowski sisters. The transgender siblings are the brains behind the lucrative The Matrix franchise, as well as Cloud Atlas (2012), Jupiter Ascending (2015) and Sense8, a TV series that ran from 2015-2018.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, their colossal fortune adds up to about US$250 million, placing them at No 14 on the richest directors on the globe list, alongside heavyweights like Peter Jackson and Christopher Nolan.