 In order to avoid sharing creative rights, George Lucas (qv)  decided to avoid using a major studio to finance this film. Instead,  he bankrolled the $33 million production himself, using a  combination of his profits from _Star Wars (1977)_ (qv) and a bank  loan. Although the move was risky, it paid off several times over.  Lucas then showed gratitude far beyond the Hollywood norm, by  sharing the profits with his employees (nearly $5 million in  bonuses).