Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Let the Robbing of Michael Jackson’s Grave Begin

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Sony’s movie studio has bid $50 million to acquire the worldwide distribution rights to a film based on rehearsal footage for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” comeback concert series, according to a person familiar with the bid.

The person said Monday that the bid came after several studios, including Paramount, Universal and 20th Century Fox, were shown footage starting early last week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the bidding had not been completed. None of the studios would comment on the record.

The winning studio would produce the film with Jackson’s concert promoter, AEG Live, and his estate. It would go a long way to helping AEG Live recoup some of the $30 to $32M it spent producing the concert before Jackson died.

Sony’s bid is on par with the cost of making a mid-range budget movie, and is offset by the fact that the Sony group of companies would benefit from the music licensing rights attached to the film.

This bid strikes me as relatively low, honestly. A movie like this has the potential to be cult-style successful, and will easily do hundreds of millions of dollars in DVD and digital sales, not to mention the throngs of people who will check it out in the theaters. Plus the soundtrack — which Sony’s music arm will have rights to as well.The film itself will cost next to nothing to make, because the footage already exists. If Sony scores this deal for $50M — even considering they’ll have to split some of the revenue with AEG and the estate — they’re making out like bandits.

4 CommentsLeave a comment

  • This is going to go on, and on, and on, and on. My grandchildren will be reading stories on the internet about this shit. This money grab is going to last an eternity. You brought us so much joy Michael but now it appears it is all going to be offset by every negative, abhorrent, morally despicable, and base human conduct that has ever existed. So much for resting in peace.

  • Since there is a NO CONTEST clause in his will, I hope that the Jackson family greed, makes it possible for the court to give Katherines share of MJs estate to his children!

  • I find it deliciously wonderful that while everyone is fighting over the money, nobody has bothered to bury MJ, the old child molester is in cold storage, what’s it been a month now? I love the disrespect and that they are taking care of what’s important first. I wish that Sony only was paying 5 million, 4.9 million too much but still…