Zombies: A $5 Billion Industry

Photo by Amanda Rynda.

There's a new twist to the zombie economy climate, and it's actually quite sunny. As you tune in to the latest episode of "The Walking Dead," press play and watch (again) "Shaun of the Dead" and/or add the finishing touches to your zombie costume for Halloween this year, think about the masses of other consumers just like you. The walking undead have taken over pop culture, and while they're not (yet) eating our brains, they're certainly affecting them.

24/7 Wall St. says that zombies are worth over $5 billion to the economy. How? Check out their thorough zombie economy breakdown below.

*Movies: $2.5 billion

*Video Games: $2.5 billion

*Comic Books, Magazines and TV: $50 million

*Halloween Costumes: $500 million (over 4-year period)

*Books and Novels: $100 million

*Conventions, Events and Walks: $10 million

*Merchandise: $50 million

*The Digital World: $10 million

*Music: $10 million

*Art: $10 million

Determining the exact dollar figure around the "value of zombies" deemed difficult for 24/7 Wall St., and after hours of research and interviews with "zombie insiders," they still feel the numbers could be grossly understated. They predict that the financial tab for 2012 will be even bigger.