Whitney Houston's Family Plans To Sell Funeral Footage
If you missed out on Whitney Houston’s “home going” in Newark, N.J. this past Saturday, you’ll have another chance to view the near four-hour-long ceremony—but only on certain networks or websites.
Three days after the elaborate services, featuring performances by Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder and a 17-minute speech by “The Bodyguard” co-star, Kevin Costner, the Houston family announced they will be selling funeral footage.
According to the Hollywood Scoop, all media outlets were told to pull their footage within 24 hours, as proceeds from sales will “help maximize the estate for the benefit of Bobbi Kristina.”
The rep confirmed the family has “agreed to license footage to several media outlets” charging “customary fees.” No word on the identity of those select lucky outlets. But we know for sure that TMZ is not among the few.
However, even if Houston was near bankruptcy during her last days, it’s doubtful Bobbi Kristina, the main beneficiary of her mother’s estate, would be heading to the poor house anytime soon.
Houston’s estate is actually expected to see a boost, much like after other artists’ passings, such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon.
Although, Houston’s estate isn’t expected to make as much as Michael Jackson’s, which has earned over $170 million since the pop star’s death. Forbes writer, Zack O’Malley Greenburg, reported that even if Houston’s music sells half as well as Jackson’s, royalties should add, at the least, an estimated $10 million to her estate.
Since Houston’s death, MTV has reported one million album sales and nearly another million (887,000) in digital downloads.
The singer’s “Whitney: The Greatest Hits” album has already sold 64,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, in the U.S. as of February 12 alone. That’s not a number that is going to go down very quickly.
“Sparkle,” Houston’s last film due out this summer, in which she starred and produced, is already projected to do well at the box office, despite the film’s quality.
Plus, there’s always money to be made from future book deals or film projects on the singer’s life.
