Peter Jackson

$1.9B

Reported range $1.8B – $2B

• Weta Digital sale to Unity Software (2021, reported $1.6B transaction)
• Film directing and producing (Lord of the Rings / Hobbit trilogies)
• Ongoing effects and technology ventures

Jackson's reported billionaire status stems overwhelmingly from a single transaction: the 2021 sale of a majority stake in Weta Digital, the visual-effects studio behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy's Gollum and decades of other film work, to Unity Software for a reported $1.6 billion in cash and stock. Investor Sean Parker held a reported 25% stake in Weta Digital at the time of the sale, meaning Jackson's own share of the proceeds was well below the headline transaction value. His filmmaking career, including the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, remains a secondary contributor to his reported wealth alongside the Weta proceeds.

• The headline $1.6B Weta Digital transaction value is not the same as Jackson's personal proceeds; Sean Parker held a reported 25% stake in the company at the time of sale, and Jackson's own ownership percentage and post-tax proceeds are not itemized.
• Unity Software's own stock, part of the deal consideration, has been volatile since 2021, which affects the present value of any portion of the deal Jackson may still hold in shares rather than cash.