Documents obtained exclusively by TMZ suggest the Kim Kardashian and Ray J s+x movie made an extraordinary amount of money in a comparatively short period of time after it was released in 2007.
Kim Kardashian's famous s+x tape with her ex-boyfriend Ray J earned more than $1 million in revenue in its first six weeks of release, according to newly released financial records.
Ray J has sparked a dispute with the businesswoman, whom he dated more than 15 years ago, and her mother and business manager, Kris Jenner, by claiming the matriarch oversaw his launch with ad+lt film production company Vivid Entertainment.
Documents obtained exclusively by TMZ suggest the film made an extraordinary amount of money in a comparatively short period of time after it was released in 2007.
An email sent to Kim, purportedly from Vivid Entertainment CEO Steve Hirsch, states that the explicit tape generated $1,424,636.63 in revenue, including $1,255,578.50 from DVD sales.
Dated April 31, 2007, the email appears to have been sent just two months after the reality star filed a lawsuit opposing its publication on February 21.
Kim and Ray J previously signed a deal with Vivid regarding their s+x tape and following the SKIMS founder's lawsuit, she and the singer reluctantly agreed to release it.
Vivid's Steve Hirsch has also been outspoken about the deal in the past, calling it "difficult to close" because Kim didn't want the film to come out.
The video, allegedly shot in Cabo San Lucas, was later released by Vivid Entertainment on March 14 and Kim's lawsuit was dismissed on April 27, just four days before she was told her sales figures.
Ray J has also previously said that the deal he and Kim struck was that they would each receive $400,000 for the tape plus 12.5% of the profits, figures reflected in Hirsch's email. The businessman also maintains that Kris had no role in the sale of the tape.
The musical artist said the mother and manager saw the three s+x tapes and decided to release one that was recorded at a resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, although Kris's signature is not believed to have appeared on the contract.
Ray J, whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr., has said that two of the ad+lt movies were shot in Cabo San Lucas and one in Santa Barbara, California.
In an interview with DailyMail.com in May, Ray claimed that the s+x tape was "released as an album" by Kim, who reportedly kept the only copy of it hidden in a Nike shoe box under her bed. along with other tapes he made with it.
In a 44-minute Instagram Live clip, Ray J said that Jenner worked on preparing the film for release with Vivid Video, and that Kim was aware of all stages of the business transaction. He added that Kanye West's ex's handwriting was in the contract with the ad+lt film company that described the s+x tapes.
Jenner ultimately chose one of the tapes shot in Cabo San Lucas "based on the one that made Kim look the best," said Ray J.
Kris has denied any involvement in the release of the tape, which propelled the family's high profile to unprecedented success and paved the way for their marketing empire.
