NEW YORK - Exclusive pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's newborn twins fetched US$14 million, a person involved in the negotiations said, giving People magazine and a British tabloid joint rights to publish the celebrity pictures.
The person asked not to be named because he was not authorized to release the figure. People will feature Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon in an issue to hit newsstands Monday, spokeswoman Nancy Valentino said Friday.
The money -- more than double the US$6 million People paid for Jennifer Lopez's twins on a March cover, will go to a foundation created by Pitt and Jolie that largely focuses on helping children around the world.
The celebrity weekly scored the photos in a joint deal with the London-based Hello! magazine and the two will split the bill. Particulars of the division were not disclosed.
It's the second time People won the North American rights to the couple's first-look baby pictures and the third time the couple has worked with the two magazines in exchange for a hefty donation to charity.
"We're thrilled to be able to feature these pictures in People," managing editor Larry Hackett said in a statement.
People plans to unveil the first photo on its website Sunday evening.
Even before the babies were born July 12 in Nice, France, the speculation began over which celeb mag would come out on top of an inevitable bidding war. The couple ultimately chose a familiar route in its joint deal between People and London-based Hello! magazine.
Jolie and Pitt sold the U.S. rights to the first shots of their daughter Shiloh, now two years old, in exchange for a reported US$4 million donation. Hello! magazine obtained the British rights.
And last year, the couple sold intimate shots of their son Pax, then three years old, to Hello! and People.
Getty Images, which was involved in the deal for pictures of Shiloh and took those photos, was also involved this time around. In a statement, Getty co-founder and CEO Jonathan Klein said his company was "delighted that all proceeds from these stunning images will once again be donated entirely to charity."
When People the published six photos of Pitt, Jolie and baby Shiloh in June 2006, the issue moved 2.2 million copies, its biggest seller at the time going back to its four-million-selling 9/11 special, Media Week reported.
Jolie, 33, and Pitt, 44, established their foundation that year. They donated US$1 million in June to The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict to help children affected by the war in Iraq. Last year, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation gave more than $300,000 to support the International Rescue Committee's relief program for Darfur refugees.
