Viacom, Inc. (VIAB), Sony Corporation (ADR) (SNE): “World War Z” and the Billion-Dollar Business of Zombies

But the films above have one very important thing in common, apart from being very successful zombie titles. They were all produced in the past four years.

Add in the award-winning success of AMC Networks Inc (NASDAQ:AMCX)‘s  The Walking Dead cable TV show, and you have a full-blown cultural trend on your hands. It’s been around for at least four years and is still producing bigger and bigger winners. That’s a good sign for its lasting power.

I think it’s fair to use The Walking Dead as a bellwether for the overall zombie zeitgeist. Right now, the series is as hot as ever. The Season 3 finale broke all-time cable show records with a fantastic 15.2 million viewers. And it wasn’t a single episode of fleeting glory: That third season was the first cable show in television history to beat the average viewership of every other show, including the cable-free networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.

So if the zombie fad is dead, it sure doesn’t act like it yet. And who’s to say that it will fall down after a short run? Look at The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)‘s Marvel milking the superhero genre ever since the 2002 Spider-Man tentpole (coincidentally directed by horror legend Sam Raimi), which started a decade-long trend of superhuman heroes making billion-dollar movies. A positive template to follow, for sure.

And keep in mind that showrunners and studios are treating zombies as if they have legs (and teeth). World War Z might start a franchise. Rumor has it that the Evil Dead reboot could spawn a trilogy of its own, giving Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) access to an intentionally low-budget franchise with big-ticket revenue magnetism. Indie producers are shopping around a plethora of zombie ideas, sometimes with dramatic twists on the basic “living dead” premise.

In short, I think it’s safe to say that zombies are here to stay for a while. Certainly long enough to let Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAB) spawn a series of blockbuster World War Z sequels while Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) delves even deeper into the dark realms. Again, keep a close eye on The Walking Dead to keep your finger on this trend’s pulse.

But be careful. I don’t trust the shifty-eyed corpse in the corner. He looks hungry.

The article “World War Z” and the Billion-Dollar Business of Zombies originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund holds no position in any company mentioned. Check out Anders’ bio and holdings, or follow him on Twitter and Google+.The Motley Fool recommends AMC Networks and Walt Disney and owns shares of Walt Disney.

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