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
Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video) film with a budget much larger than previous music videos. Jackson's record company refused to finance it, believing "Thriller" had peaked, so a making-of documentary, "Making Michael Jackson's Thriller," was produced to receive financing from television networks. "Michael Jackson's Thriller" was launched to great anticipation and played regularly on MTV. It doubled sales of "Thriller", helping it become history's bestselling album, and sold over a million copies on VHS, becoming the bestselling videotape at the time. It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, and popularizing the making-of documentary