Sandra's Baby Cover: Most Profitable PEOPLE Ever?

By Rob Shuter Posted May 4th 2010 03:25PM

It's no surprise that PEOPLE magazine's shocking Sandra Bullock baby cover was a huge seller, but it hasn't yet replaced the magazine's biggest-selling baby exclusive ever -- the August 2008 issue featuring exclusive photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's newborn twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne. However, Sandra's big bombshell may have been the most profitable cover in the magazine's history. Find out why after the jump!

"Sandra's cover has been on newsstands for a week and it has already sold over 2.7 million copies," a magazine insider told me, citing early sales estimates for the issue. "That's only 100,000 less than the 2.8 million copies the magazine sold when Angelina's twins graced the cover -- and a half-million more copies than the June 2006 issue with exclusive baby pictures of Brad and Angelina's first daughter, Shiloh, which moved 2.2 million newsstand copies."

It may be surprising that Jolie and Pitt's twins outsold their first child, but you know the saying: Two is better than one ... especially when it's pictures of babies. However, Sandra didn't just reveal a baby in her big splash -- she also announced she was divorcing Jesse James after his sex scandal. The double-punch made folks run to the newsstand.

What's perhaps more interesting is that Sandra did not sell these pictures to the magazine (Brad and Angelina did, but gave all of the money to charity), which could make it one of the most profitable issues of all time -- even if it's not the best-selling.

Baby news on magazine covers are a big business. While I was at OK! magazine, we had the biggest-selling issue in the publication's history: Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy. The combination of the baby and how surprising it was made it a must-buy.

Celebrity baby reveals are huge sellers because it's one of the most intimate moments of anyone's life. We feel closer to the stars we love when we're seeing their babies.

Sadly, the only thing that sells better than birth for magazines is death. The top three PEOPLE issues of all time are death related, with their 9/11 edition tragically being the best-selling issue of all time, netting 4.1 million copies sold. The second-biggest issue was coverage of Princess Diana's death, selling 3 million copies, and third is the death of John F. Kennedy Jr., where 2.8 million copies flew off the shelves. Numbers 4-6 are all babies (Jolie twins, Sandra, baby Shiloh) and the seventh biggest issue returns to the morbid -- Michael Jackson's death.

Tags: angelina jolie, sandra bullock

Comments

(105)

Thursday 06 May

By lcceb

Vote down Vote up Report this

Don't you know you cannot be truthful on this blog? The radical liberals will tear you to pieces.

Tuesday 04 May

By buddy7768

lousiana is part of the us?

Wednesday 05 May

By Natalia

LOL

By Jana

Personally, I agree with others that the Jolie-Pitt twins look like they have Downs Syndrome, not that there is anything wrong with that. I just don't know why they don't admit it!

By henry fraud

better get a chia pet,they aren't violent

By alana

tha baby is so cute what tha baby black

why are there black babies without parents?the same reason the aspca is over crowded.they don't take care of thier families.i have been trying to get my dog to adopt but he isn't interested

By mkoolkitti

@ Henry
Your dog says he wont adopt because he doesnt bring a child into a house where he is being molested by his owner!

By kimby

If we have adoption why dont we have "get out of my country" expotation you a-hole

By BOSSLADY

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

HOW SHALLOW ARE YOU !!! YOU ARE CAUGHT UP IN BLACK AND WHITE , THE BABY IS A HUMAN BEING BOTTOM LINE. WHITE IS NOT BETTER THEN ANY OTHER RACE. I HOPE YOUR CHILD FALLS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE OF ANOTHER RACE AND SEE HOW THAT MAKES YOU FEEL !!!!!!!!!!!!!

By shoenzin

Couldnt have said it better myself. These people are F*#ked in the head.

By alleycat

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

thats disgusting for any white to hav a colored baby. no wonder jesse left. good man. no more respect for her

U are a racist moron

By CAV44

Is this the latest Hollyweird trend, adopt a child who obviously, couldn't possibly be related to them in any fashion? Look at me, how freaking Hip am I.....Blah, Blah, Blah !!

By Sparrow

Does the number of issues discussed here include only newsstand sales and not subscriptions? Or both? I would think that the true power of a cover would be the number of issues sold from the magazine stand--over and above those that are pre-sold by subscriptions.

By Heather

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Who cares what color the baby is? They both deserve happiness and a good life. Thrilled for them both.

By Lex

ohkay.. first of all goood for Sandra she just saved another little babies life by adoptting. second of all for you people who have a problem with it... get reall! everyone is equal skin color doesnt matter! That baby needed a home where there is love! she will be an AMAZING mom. Even though she is doing it on her own! and lastly Adam Lambert is a huge digrace to America hes not even worth loooking at! He might as well worship the devil! His so Called fans are Stupid to think hes amazing and to think he deserves any attention!

Wow....And James jumped ship? Go figure!

Are you sure Louisiana isn't a foreign country? I've been to Louisiana, and I'm pretty sure it's a foreign country. Of course, in the current political climate, that's a good thing.

By nate

at least she adopted a baby from the u.s., new orleans i believe. too often people adopt abroad, especially celebrities. there a millions of orphans in the u.s. that need good homes too.
skin color is irrelevant.

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