Hollywood Loves Vampires

Vampires are box office kings. Since the Twilight series debuted in 2009, vampire-themed entertainment has made about $7 billion. That’s not only from movies, though. TV shows, books, and merchandises -- anything vampire-related -- delivers in terms of money.

The Hollywood Reporter put the numbers together and this is what they came up with. The Twilight series alone had made about $2 billion, counting three films and DVD sales. In the past three years, movies like New Moon, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant totaled $356.7 million domestically in 2009.

In TV, vampires are dominating too. Vampire Diaries and HBO’s True Blood are among the most money-generating TV shows. It’s estimated that if the shows last five years on their respective outlets, domestic and foreign licensing arrangements could generate $100 million-$125 million from Vampire Diaries and $50 million-$75 million from True Blood.

What is it that makes vampires so successful? Julie Plec, writer and executive producer of The Vampire Dairies, offers an explanation. "By starting with one simple mythological creature that's been part of our literary universe for centuries, you can create a story that has it all," she said."

"Romance, horror, action, special effects, sex, epic love, wish fulfillment, romantic leading men, delicious bad-boy villains, female badasses, damsels in distress, death, monsters, and ultimately, the perfectly flawed hero who would give it all up if it meant they wouldn't have to spend eternity alone. It doesn't get more universal than that."

The Hollywood reporter offers a breakdown of the earnings:

Film: $3 billion
Publishing: $1.6 billion
Merchandising: $600 million
TV, DVDs: $1.2 billion
Other: $600 million.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter