Thriller (Michael Jackson album) and John Landis. Funded by MTV, the film sold over 350,000 copies in its first few months. In a market then driven by singles, "Thriller" raised the significance of albums, yet its multiple hit singles changed perceived notions as to the number of successful singles that could be taken from an individual album. The era saw the arrival of novelties like the Michael Jackson doll, that appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12 (US$ in dollars). "Thriller" retains a position in American culture; biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli explains, "At some point, "Thriller" stopped selling like a
1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson compilations of greatest hits packaged with previously unreleased material were released, including "Number Ones" in 2003, the 4-CD/1-DVD box set "" in 2004 and double-album "The Essential Michael Jackson" in 2005. New agreements between Sony and Michael Jackson saw the release of the singles collection "" in 2006, a 25th anniversary edition of "Thriller" in 2008 and Jackson's final release before his death – the "King of Pop" album celebrating Michael's 50th birthday with tracks voted for by fans. On December 18, 2003, Jackson was formally charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse and two counts of administering an