How Nicolas Cage Blew $150 Million on Stolen Dinosaurs and Haunted Houses

There is eccentric Hollywood wealth, and then there is Nicolas Kim Coppola—known to the world simply as Nicolas Cage.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cage was the undisputed king of the global box office. Blockbuster hits like Con Air, The Rock, Face/Off, and the National Treasure franchise propelled his personal net worth beyond $150 million. He was making up to $20 million per film, earning money faster than he could conceivably count it.

Most mega-stars invest that kind of wealth into diversified index funds, prime commercial real estate, or tech startups.

Nicolas Cage took a slightly different route.

He decided to build a real-life comic book universe—complete with prehistoric fossils, haunted real estate, rare comic books, albino cobras, and an actual 9-foot pyramid tomb in New Orleans.

Here is the unbelievable true story of the most chaotic spending spree in celebrity history—and how a $276,000 stolen dinosaur skull triggered an international federal investigation.

The $276,000 War with Leonardo DiCaprio

In 2007, an exclusive high-end auction was hosted in Manhattan featuring rare historical artifacts. Tucked away among the lots was a prime prize: a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar (Tarbosaurus) fossilized skull discovered in Asia.

As bidding intensified, two Hollywood heavyweights went head-to-head in an intense phone-bidding war: Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage.

Determined not to be outdone by the Titanic star, Cage dropped a staggering $276,000 to secure the prehistoric trophy for his living room.

The Federal Plot Twist

Seven years after placing the dinosaur skull on display, Cage received an unexpected phone call from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Federal prosecutors revealed that the skull had actually been looted and smuggled out of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert by a notorious fossil trafficker. Mongolia considers all dinosaur fossils state property, making the sale illegal under international law.

Despite having bought the piece legitimately with a certificate of authenticity, the actor cooperated fully with the federal government and forfeited his quarter-million-dollar dinosaur skull back to the Mongolian government in 2015.

The Ultimate “Nic Cage” Shopping List

The dinosaur skull was just a drop in the ocean. At the peak of his purchasing mania, Cage owned 15 individual private homes across the globe, simultaneously attempting to create a collection of surreal, Gothic landmarks.

Item / Asset	Cost	The “Nic Cage” Reason
LaLaurie Mansion (New Orleans)	$3.4 Million	Purchased the “most haunted house in America” specifically to inspire him while writing a horror novel.
Action Comics #1 (1938)	$150,000	The holy grail of comics—featuring the first-ever appearance of Superman. (Later stolen and recovered in a locker).
9-Foot Burial Pyramid	Unknown	Built a massive white stone pyramid tomb in New Orleans’ St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 for his future burial site.
Two Albino King Cobras	$270,000	Kept toxic snakes for “protection.” He claimed watching them move helped inspire his acting choices.
Midford Castle (Bath, UK)	$10 Million	Bought a literal 18th-century English castle shaped like the ace of clubs.
Shrunken Pygmy Heads	Unknown	Kept a collection of authentic preserved human shrunken heads inside his home decor layout.
Two Private Bahamian Islands	$7 Million+	Bought 40 acres of private island paradise in the Exuma archipelago.

Hallucinogenic Mushrooms with a House Cat

Beyond luxury assets, Cage’s personal life during this era generated some of the most surreal pop culture folklore ever recorded.

During a 2010 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Cage publicly confirmed a long-rumored rumor regarding his pet cat, Lewis.

According to Cage, his cat once snuck into a refrigerator, opened a bag of hallucinogenic magic mushrooms, and began eating them like catnip.

“I remember lying in my bed for hours, and Lewis was on the desk across from the bed for hours, staring at each other… not moving. But he would stare at me,” Cage told Letterman. “I had no doubt that he was my brother.”

Rather than calling the vet, Cage decided the only honorable thing to do was take mushrooms alongside the feline so his pet wouldn’t have to trip alone in silence.

How He Lost It All (And Made a Legendary Comeback)

By 2009, the financial floor caved in.

Between dropping tens of millions on obscure assets, failing to pay millions in back taxes owed to the IRS, and getting caught in the 2008 global real estate crash, Cage was hit with massive financial demands.

His sprawling real estate empire collapsed into foreclosures and forced liquidations. The LaLaurie Mansion was lost, the English castle was sold, and his prized comic book collection was auctioned off to pay off tax debts.

The Grind That Saved His Legacy

While many stars would have filed for bankruptcy, Nicolas Cage chose a different path: he took every single acting role offered to him.

Between 2010 and 2022, Cage starred in over 40 direct-to-video and indie films. Critics mocked him for taking low-budget thrillers, but Cage kept working relentless 18-hour days until every single cent owed to the IRS and creditors was fully paid off.

That work ethic eventually triggered a massive critical resurgence:

• Hits like Mandy (2018), Pig (2021), and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) won over critics worldwide.
• Cage proved that despite his wild spending past, his dedication to the craft of acting remained unmatched in Hollywood.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Did Nicolas Cage really buy a haunted mansion?

Yes. In 2007, Cage purchased the infamous LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans. The property was once owned by Madame Delphine LaLaurie, a 19th-century socialite and notorious serial killer. Cage openly stated he bought the mansion because he thought staying inside would help him write a horror novel.

2. Why did Nicolas Cage have to return his dinosaur skull?

The 67-million-year-old Tarbosaurus skull Cage bought at a 2007 auction was looted illegally from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. When federal agents from Homeland Security informed him of the theft investigation in 2014, Cage voluntarily surrendered the artifact so it could be returned to its home country.

3. What is written on Nicolas Cage’s pyramid tomb?

Nicolas Cage constructed a blank 9-foot-tall stone pyramid in New Orleans’ historic St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. The front of the tomb features a single Latin inscription: “Omnia Ab Uno”, which translates to “All from One.”

4. Is Nicolas Cage related to Francis Ford Coppola?

Yes! Nicolas Cage’s real name is Nicolas Kim Coppola. He is the nephew of legendary Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. Early in his career, he changed his last name to “Cage” (inspired by Marvel superhero Luke Cage) to avoid accusations of nepotism in Hollywood.