Following his passing in June 2009, the legendary icon, Michael Jackson has come out on top on the Forbes Magazine’s Top Earning Dead Celebrities List. According to Forbes, Jackson’s estate brought in a total of $275 million over the past 12 months, which is more than the earnings of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Madonna. Jackson also out-earned the other 12 deceased stars on the list – combined. This is mostly in part to his documentary film, This Is It. Congrats to the King of Pop!
Click here to see which deceased celebrities MJ surpassed.
MAKING THRILLER: THE MOVIE?
Word on the street is that there may be talks of turning Jackson’s smash hit, “Thriller” into a movie. According to Deadline.com, the idea is currently being shopped around:
I’m told that GK Films is in active negotiations to acquire a package for a film that is being fashioned around his groundbreaking hit song Thriller. The film, which has been quietly shopped over the past several weeks by Real Effects Entertainment, has Kenny Ortega attached to direct, and The Hangover scribe Jeremy Garelick to write the screenplay. While GK is in the driver’s seat, I’m told that Fox 2000, Mandate/Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment are all in the mix on what will shape up as a pricey rights deal, but which will turn out to be a film budgeted at under $50 million…[READ MORE]
YES LONG LIVE THE KING!!! LOVE YOU MICHAEL, NEVER FORGOTTEN!!
One sad day. Love MJ.
Yasssss MJ is still on top!!!
Hmm, I don’t know how I feel about this.
I feel like some things that’s making him money now are things being done just so other people can get money.
But love ya Michael!
Was just listening to him today
MJ passed Elvis??? I hope this will put a end to the people who still say Elvis is better. Mj was not just a KING he was THE KING of music. Get all his cd’s from the early stuff with the Jackson Five to the later stuff like History and you will see. When it came to music only two people were in his lane : Prince and Stevie Wonder.
Side Note: I wish he got this much love when he was alive. RIP
He will be on the forbes list for many years to come. Long live the King of Pop!
people always miss you more when you’re dead. and by missing I mean they’ll pay lots of money for your stuff.
I already knew his estate made bank, that’s nothing new. As far as the movie goes, I don’t think it should happen. Some monuments aren’t meant to be redone, and this is one of them. They would have to add another part of story to it, get TOO many permission slips, and find the right gut to portray the King, and even CB would not be the right guy to do it, great for a tribute performance, but the Wall to Wall video says it all. Besides, I never heard of no GK production company. Let Thriller be something to cherish as it is.
What they can do is make a film based upon his life alone, starting with the Off the Wall era, his dynamite fame of Thriller, up until the new millennium. There was so much that wasn’t done in the Jackson film from 92,’ but I understand they weren’t trying to make it all about him then. Which is why now would be the perfect time to do so, even if it would be a Showtime movie.
Love Michael and I’m glad that his estate is gettin them checks. As far as that movie though? Nah son, leave that be. Especially if you’re gonna have Lionsgate in the mix. That company is responsible for movies like The Cookout, Soul Plane, and Where’s My Caddy. They’ll put out anything, haha.
I’m so tired of hearing about that mannequin and his plastic family. Let him rest PLEASE!!!
of he did.. its MJ!!!!
All I can say is, someone is cashing in. Rest is Peace Mr Jackson.
I hope & pray that they don’t do the thriller movie. It won’t be the same without michael!!!
That’s interesting, regarding MJ’s estate. So, if MJ has topped Forbes, why is Kathryn crying broke to Oprah?
@ Marlena. Elvis was copying everything he knew like dance moves from other black artist at that time. Remember white folks didn’t give black artist the shine that they deserved in that era. So it was easy for Elvis to display those talents without anyone questioning him. Sad, but most certainly true. MJ # 1!!!
A pity that money is going to Sony, the company he was desperate to escape from. I will not be putting any money into their pockets. I can’t wait for his children to take over the estate to inject some much needed common sense and stop the leeching Jacksons to sucked MJ dry when he was alive, and continue to do so now he’s dead.
RIP MJ
Yeah the estate and family need to stop using his name and status to make money. Now I see why he so stressed and addicted to painkillers dealing with these type of money hungry buisness people plus on top of that no support from your family. May he continue to rest in peace, because he needed it. I hope they dont get no money from this.
Why is it relevant how much money a dead man is generating lol & smh? The money is going back to the same entity that harassed Michael Jackson in the latter years of his life. Black people are so damn simple.
I wish Hollywood would stop tryna re-make classics.
I don’t care what Nobody says about this man, One thing for sure you can’t deny is what he has given us, and that’s MUSIC that will last a life time!
MJ will always be #1 in my book!
“IT AIN’T TOO MUCH FOR ME TO JAM”!
Number 10 shut up.
@Judah, which entity are you referring? I have long believed him to be possessed by something.
^^^ Yeah by GOD, that is all and that is it…
It should been a Thriller movie 27 years ago when he had just released the music video.You can’t remake or make a project of MJ especially if he’s not living.Because it will not be perfect because MJ know how to make things scary like he did Ghost.And plus he not here to participate for the movie so that wouldn’t be right at all.You can’t make a movie of somebody else work and not present to speak on it.This should NOT HAPPEN and I am a big MJ fan way before his death since I was 3 years old.
I was thinking a long time ago that Thriller should of been made into a movie instead of just having a 13 minute video.If it was made sometime in the 80s it would of made MJ big money because that when he really was big and still is,but the 80s was his he owned it.His videos that should of been made into movies in the 80s when he was living are Thriller,Smooth Criminal,Bad probably…..those would of been classic movies.MJ was around alot of sneaky people and its crazy all these are being released such as a video game, Dolls or action figures,Visons with all his music videos on dvd,unreleased music,This is it.Why is all of this shit being released now when he’s not around to enjoy and receive all of this and witness it.BULLSHIT!!!
Dat’s my baby.