What is Avi Lerner's net worth?
Avi Lerner is an Israeli-American film producer who has a net worth of $300 million. Avi Lerner co-founded the independent film production company Nu Image, which later became Millennium Media. His companies primarily produce straight-to-video projects featuring such late 80s/early 90s action stars as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris. He also produced more high-profile projects, such as "Rambo," "Righteous Kill," "The Black Dahlia," "The Wicker Man," and most recently, "The Expendables" franchise. In May 2017, Avi sold 50% of Millennium Films to China's Recon Group for $100 million, valuing the full company at $200 million.
Early Life and Military Career
Avinoam Lerner was born on October 13, 1947 in Haifa, Israel into a Jewish family. In 1966, he joined the Israel Defense Forces; he went on to serve in the Six-Day War the following year. Later, in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, Lerner was a reservist.
Career Beginnings in Film
Lerner began his film career working in movie theaters in Tel Aviv, Israel. He later moved to South Africa, where he owned a chain of movie theaters and produced a number of films. In the early 1990s, Lerner moved to Los Angeles, California and served as president of the independent film production and distribution company Global Pictures.
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Nu Image and Millennium Films / Media
In 1992, Avi Lerner co-founded the independent film production company Nu Image with his brother Danny Lerner and Trevor Short and Danny Dimbort. The company specialized in low-budget action films, many of which were direct-to-video releases, such as "Cyborg Cop" (1993), "Freefall" (1994), "Past Perfect" (1996), and the final three films in the "Shadowchaser" franchise (1994-1996). At the end of the decade, Nu Image launched the subsidiary label Millennium Films, which eventually superseded it in output. In 2005, the company purchased Nu Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria, where many of its films would subsequently be shot. Around this time, Lerner produced such films as "Highwaymen," "The Black Dahlia," "16 Blocks," and Neil LaBute's remake of "The Wicker Man," starring Nicolas Cage. In 2007, he obtained the rights to the "Rambo" franchise of action films and rebooted the series with the 2008 version of "Rambo." Sylvester Stallone reprised the titular role.
In 2010, Lerner produced "The Expendables," directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. Co-starring such other major action stars as Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Bruce Willis, the film gave Lerner and Millennium Films their biggest commercial hit yet, as it grossed around $275 million worldwide. Lerner went on to produce the sequels "The Expendables 2" (2012) and "The Expendables 3" (2014). Meanwhile, in 2012, he also produced the crime dramas "The Paperboy" and "The Iceman," and in 2014 he produced the action thriller "Good People." Later, in 2017, Millennium Films merged with Nu Image to create Millennium Media. The following year, Lerner produced the action crime film "211," starring Nicolas Cage. He subsequently returned to the "Rambo" franchise to produce 2019's "Rambo: Last Blood." Other films produced by Millennium have included "Olympus Has Fallen," "Intruders," "The Hitman's Bodyguard," "Tesla," "The Protégé," and "Dirty Angels."
(Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Sexual Harassment Accusations
In the spring of 2017, Lerner was sued by a former employee of his on account of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. He denied the verity of the accusations. The next year, actor Terry Crews testified before Congress that he had been blackmailed by Lerner to drop his sexual harassment case against the talent agency William Morris Endeavor and its employee Adam Venit.
Personal Life
With his wife Daphne, Lerner has three children named Yariv, Keren, and Marlena. Yariv serves as the CEO of Nu Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria.
