10 Ways Zombies Became A $5 Billion Industry: 24/7 Wall St.

From 24/7 Wall St.: Zombies may be the walking undead, but their contribution to Main Street's economy is very much alive. In modern times, the zombie genre has evolved from a cult following to a highly popular theme. 24/7 Wall St. estimates that today's zombie genre economy is worth billions of dollars.

Read Zombies Worth Over $5 Billion To Economy

Think way beyond zombie movie ticket sales. Think about DVD sales, video games, comic books, novels, Halloween costumes, zombie walks, merchandise, conventions and even zombie art. Add to that all of the websites, homemade movies, Facebook sites, YouTube sites and other forms of "digital" zombies, not to mention music. And if you think the financial tab has been high so far, by the end of 2012 the tab is going to be far larger.

Of course, figuring out the exact dollar figure around the "value of zombies" is difficult. Many companies and top industry leaders do not want to divulge how much they make off this craze. On a global scale, the market is even larger. Could this trend be tied to the hard economic times?

Bestselling zombie genre author Max Brooks noted on his website, "I think they (zombies) reflect our very real anxieties of these crazy scary times. A zombie story gives people a fictional lens to see the real problems of the world. You can deal with societal breakdown, famine, disease, chaos in the streets, but as long as the catalyst for all of them is zombies, you can still sleep."

Regardless of the reason, zombies are worth billions of dollars. The figure that we were able to piece together: $5.74 billion. In all honesty, this tab is grossly undercalculated in each category. By the time you add the money spent in total around the zombie genre, the figure is much higher.

These are 24/7 Wall St.'s estimates of the zombie economy.

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Comments

[amanandamouse]

12:49 PM on 10/27/2011

Zombie (song) by Nellie McKay

[too young but old enough]

05:26 PM on 10/26/2011

You can take $600million off the top of that total if they were counting I am Legend. Not sure what a 'vampire apocalypse' film has to do with zombies. You could probably take out 28 Days Later and The Crazies too since those weren't actually 'zombie' films.

I guess the way you pretend that the 'zombie industry' is worth over $5billion is if you include a bunch of other similar horror properties.

[frank day]

10:46 AM on 10/26/2011

Zombies definitely speak to the current Zeitgeist.

My teen son is a Zombie expert.

[mrm3]

09:43 AM on 10/26/2011

Our local contribution - "zombie burger" - here in Des Moines, Iowa.

BTW this place is absolutely packed every hour it is open. I know a waiter there who is on track to make $60k this year - all selling burgers and milkshakes

http://www.zombieburgerdm.com/

[frank day]

10:48 AM on 10/26/2011

Are they franchising yet???

Cool idea and the menu looked appealing.

[mrm3]

11:59 AM on 10/26/2011

if you're interested I bet Orchestrate Management would be open to offers

[Dave Price]

09:12 AM on 10/26/2011

Zombies are very popular on tv and in movies because " We the People" see the Tea Party as zombies for the 1%. They roam around with no brain activity and try to eat thier own! On TV and in the Movies we get to see Zombies destroyed and the Real Humans, against the odds, WIN! Play a browser game killing Zombies! nothing to download! http://teapartyzombiesmustdie.com/

[frank day]

10:48 AM on 10/26/2011

I love that game !!!

[Hillrick]

08:32 AM on 10/26/2011

I'm waiting for some fool to prank someone and getting shot because they mistake them for real zombies. you know, the same way there are people who believe in angels on earth and vampires because they watch them on tv all the time....

[carolinacpnter]

05:35 AM on 10/26/2011

i allways wonder why zombies did not get clean clothes first before trying to find lunch they may get better service if they had cleaner clothes

[George Bertha]

05:31 AM on 10/26/2011

Where do you think the "zombie craze" originated? Pittsburgh of course, remember back in 1968 a then little known movie was lens ed in the area called "Night of the Living Dead"! I believe George A. Romero is from the area also!

[straight skinny]

05:07 AM on 10/26/2011

They copy catted Al Gore and John "Lurch" Kerry!

"10 Ways Zombies Became A $5 Billion Industry: 24/7 Wall St."

[UndeadPoet]

05:01 AM on 10/26/2011

It's not Necrophilia if both are consenting zombies..

[jmartinlegal]

01:14 AM on 10/26/2011

Zombies are actually quite mannered -- one recently gave me his seat on the subway. The only problem is that Zombies are terrible dancers.

[UndeadPoet]

05:14 AM on 10/26/2011

you forgot about table manners.

[Hillrick]

08:31 AM on 10/26/2011

Michael Jackson did a good job with them. They just need better choreographers.

[lgtaper]

12:33 AM on 10/26/2011

Im a Zombie,she's a Zombie, we're a zombie, wouldn't you like to be a Zombie to

[kdcfd4]

11:31 PM on 10/25/2011

I GOT PISSED OFF AT VAMPIRES WITH THAT TWILIGHT CRAP,IT TURNED INTO SOME SOFT ROMANCE YOUNG TEENYBOOPER THING. I ALLWAYS THOUGHT ZOMBIES WERE FAR MORE FRIGHTING.

[lgtaper]

11:29 PM on 10/25/2011

Wow, I just had a out of body Zombie experience. lol

[lgtaper]

11:22 PM on 10/25/2011

what about the Zombie Politians, they are every where. Damn blood suckers. watch your backs.