Halloween haunted-houses and rides that pop up in big theme parks take additional urgency after a soft summer season, resulting in more park adaptations of horror and suspense films for seasonal attractions. Universal Studios parks in Orlando and Los Angeles are particularly prolific with their autumn Universal Halloween Horror Nights franchise, and announced creation of a … [Read more...] about Struggling Parks’ Hopes Ride With Horror
merchandise
Barbie Frenzy: Movie Dolls, Pink Pinch
Pre-release mania for the “Barbie” live-action movie continues as it heads for theatrical premiere July 21. Mattel toys just unveiled a raft of products tied to the movie based on its iconic doll of a blonde beach-loving girl. And the production has allegedly consumed so much pink paint for its movie sets that there’s word of a supply pinch for the Barbie character’s … [Read more...] about Barbie Frenzy: Movie Dolls, Pink Pinch
Data-Hungry Theaters Eye Branded Credit Cards
In bankruptcies of airlines and other consumer-facing companies, sometimes their most valuable asset are their sideline credit card businesses. After some false starts in past years, exhibition is coming to recognize the value of leveraging such consumer financial relationships to build durable collateral businesses. AMC Entertainment announced its own Visa credit card this … [Read more...] about Data-Hungry Theaters Eye Branded Credit Cards
Agent 007 Anchors Pinball Machine
The James Bond spy-thriller property and its most famous Agent 007, Sean Connery, anchor a mechanical pinball machine in limited quantities. Chicago-based Stern Pinball launches its James Bond 007 series of hardware priced at three tiers for $6,999 to $12,999. “Stern’s James Bond 007 cornerstone pinball machine,” says a press release, “highlights film footage and iconic … [Read more...] about Agent 007 Anchors Pinball Machine
‘Barbie’ Film Toys With Long-Lead Publicity
The Barbie doll from the Mattel toy company needs little introduction, though surprisingly basked in a tsunami of publicity for a theatrical film that just wrapped production for Warner Bros. Pictures. That the "Barbie "movie generated a spate of publicity in recent weeks is perplexing because it’s not scheduled for theatrical premiere until July 21, 2023. An article in the … [Read more...] about ‘Barbie’ Film Toys With Long-Lead Publicity
‘Lord of Rings’ Merchandise Bonanza
A Swedish video game company has bought film/TV and merchandising rights to the “Lord of the Rings” franchise for a large though undisclosed sum, as movie-related intellectual property has exploded in value since “Star Wars” in 1977. The rights package covers all the works of the late R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy-world literary works including the “The Hobbit.” The purchase price … [Read more...] about ‘Lord of Rings’ Merchandise Bonanza
‘Wonder Woman’ Gets Thrill Ride
The Wonder Woman comic book/movie property is set for its own roller coaster thrill ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain outdoor amusement park in suburban Los Angeles. The licensed merchandise ride is scheduled to open summer of 2022, after being delayed by the pandemic. The theme park’s investment in a new ride indicates confidence in the outdoor, out-of-home entertainment … [Read more...] about ‘Wonder Woman’ Gets Thrill Ride
Film Merchandise Becomes NFTs
Warner Bros. offers digital comic book covers to those sign up for its DC FanDome event in what is a free giveaway of NFTs — the acronym for non-fungible digital tokens. These new type of digital content collectibles are quickly becoming a staple of movie marketing. The Warner digital goodies aim to spur attendance to its in-house fan events, which is in the mold of a … [Read more...] about Film Merchandise Becomes NFTs
Video Game Builds ‘Avatar 2’ Ecosystem
The groundwork for a multimedia “Avatar” universe is coming into focus from Walt Disney Studios. Merchandise licensee Ubisoft Entertainment just unveiled “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," a first-person video game that fleshes-out the sci-fi epic’s far-away world. The source sci-fi movie “Avatar” is the all-time box-office champ grossing $760.5 domestically (and $2.85 billion … [Read more...] about Video Game Builds ‘Avatar 2’ Ecosystem
‘Harry Potter’ Mobile Game Casting ‘Spells’
Warner Bros. Interactive licensed a Harry Potter casual game to Zynga, giving the literary and movie property digital merchandise to keep consumers engaged in the wizards and magic world. The basic game is titled “Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells.” Says a press release, “Featuring the soundtrack and voice-over recordings from the original ‘Harry Potter’ films, fans follow … [Read more...] about ‘Harry Potter’ Mobile Game Casting ‘Spells’