Joseph Merhi Net Worth: How Much the Independent Movie Director and Producer has Made?

Hollywood is indeed a crowded place, but some, despite lacking connections or support, make it big with their craft and talent. Joseph Merhi, hailing from Syria, didn’t just shoot for Hollywood fame but made his way by climbing the ladder of success slowly and one step at a time. After owning and running Pizzerias in Las Vegas, he listened to his true calling of making movies and telling stories, inspired by Humphrey Bogart.

Stepping into Hollywood with a budget of $50,000 for his first movie, he mainly gained attention not for the budget but for his creative vision. He soon started his own production company, City Lights, and after releasing a handful of movies, established his reputation as the book of visionary director and producer. Let’s break down his career’s evolution, investments, and net worth.

Early Life

Born on 23rd October, 1953 in Syria, and was named Joseph Toufik Merhi. Going into the details surrounding his parents, siblings, and which type of ambiance he was brought up in, then nothing is available on any public forum. The only details that are available are that he moved to the United States from Syria somewhere in the 1970s, when the majority of Syrians and Middle Eastern families were moving to the U.S. in search of better life and work opportunities.

Coming to his formal education, then again, no detail is available on the same, and it is assumed that he was largely self-taught because when he moved to the U.S., he had very little knowledge of English and gained the learning ability while living here.

Evolution of Career

Merhi started his career in the U.S. in the late 1970s by working as a dishwasher in a restaurant, as he didn’t have any other way to make money and sustain himself. He took this as an opportunity and developed work ethics and business knowledge. In early 1980, he became an entrepreneur and owned a chain of pizzerias in Las Vegas, mainly from 1980 to 1985, which helped him financially.

After 1985, he shifted towards filmmaking and, with the budget of $50,000, made his first film, “Hollywood in Trouble,” which gained a decent popularity, and he was motivated to establish his own production company. He co-founded “City Lights Entertainment” in 1986 and focused on making low-budget movies for the booming home video market.  

By 1989, he collaborated with fellow filmmaker Richard Pepin and established “PM Entertainment Group,” which turned out to be a powerhouse of direct-to-video action cinema during the 1990s. Merhi didn’t limit himself to the role of producer, but worked as a writer and director as well and created a signature style of shootouts, high-octane car crashes, and practical stunts, all in small budgets. He directed and produced movies like “Rage” in 1995, “Last Man Standing” in 1996, and “The Bad Pack” in 1997.

PM Entertainment reached peak popularity for catering to the action-packed content and distributed the same to international distributors. In 2000, the Harvey Entertainment Company acquired PM Entertainment, and this also marked the end of the successful career of Merhi, and he retired from filmmaking. Presently, Merhi is leaving a quiet life away from the limelight of filmmaking.

Shot to Fame

Although Merhi was active in filmmaking since the 1980s, his moment of popularity came when he co-founded “PM Entertainment” with Richard Pepin, a company that introduced high-octane action and real shootout scenes.

Relationships

As per the sources available, Merhi is married to Dahlia Merhi, and the couple has three children. Not much information is available about his personal life, and he likes to keep things away from the public eye.

Major Sources of Income and Net Worth

Joseph Merhi’s net worth is assumed to be $10 million to 15 million, which he earned through filmmaking, investment in real estates, and rental sales of his movies.