In just under a year since his death, Michael Jackson’s estate has earned over $783 million off of his music, films and publishing rights. A majority of the profits come from the multi-platform Sony deal across the music and film divisions. This Is It grossed over $260 million worldwide in theaters, but this does not account for lucrative TV and cable distribution deals. On top of that, home entertainment sales for the film were particularly strong even during a down economy.

Add in the fact that Jackson’s music has sold 8.9 million units since his death, and the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog deal which will generate an additional $80 million, and Jackson’s estate is sitting on a goldmine. The sad thing is that Jackson is not here to enjoy the successes and was instead mired in controversy, allegations and lawsuits until his death. Hopefully when all this money reaches his kids that they will be in a position to do something good with it.  But overall, this just proves one thing, although the King of Pop might be gone physically, the brand power of his persona will live on for a life time. Via: BV