Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Big Business Of Vampires

For those not bitten by the vampire bug, the whole thing may seem a little silly. Blood-sucking, night-crawling creatures are just a fad, right? Think again - franchises like "Twilight," "True Blood," and even parodies like "Vampires Suck" are raking in the millions at a time when discretionary spending is low. Here is a look at some of the top-grossing vampire entertainment investments, and reasons why they're so successful. (Success in Hollywood isn't just measured by ticket sales. Check out Movie Genres That Make The Most Money.)
IN PICTURES: Celebrities With Big Dreams That Paid Off
  1. Twilight Saga
    It's hard to imagine when you see how successful the Twilight Saga is today, but it all started with a simple idea. Author Stephenie Meyer was a stay-at-home mom who had a dream with such vivid characters, she just had to write the story we now know as "Twilight". "Twilight" was followed by "New Moon," "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn," and Meyer also wrote a book for adults called "The Host". The Twilight Saga, though intended for teens, has captured a wide audience of all ages. So what did this stay-at-home mom's idea gross? Book sales have been wildly successful, selling millions of copies of the series, with book sales estimated at 100 million copies. Movie sales of the first three Twilight Saga movies, including DVD sales, have grossed an estimated over two billion. With at more movies in the works covering the "Breaking Dawn" book, and large merchandising earnings estimated at $500 million, the Twilight Saga is the entertainment industry's answer to the end of the Harry Potter series. Stephenie Meyer's net worth is an estimated $125 million - not bad for a dream. (Learn more about the top films in Top 10 Successful Movie Franchises.)

    Buffy The Vampire Slayer
    Teen Twilight fans may think that the series invented vampires, but the genre has made money long before the first book in the Twilight series even made print. Twilight fans' parents probably remember "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". The 1992 movie made close to $17 million; in 1997, a TV series was launched starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which prompted spinoff "Angel" and gained a huge cult following even beyond its last episode in 2003.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/09/28/investopedia47417.DTL#ixzz10rrfuRe2

True Blood Music Video of the Day: My Never (Inside Your Heaven)


True Blood: My Never (Inside Your Heaven)