Author Topic: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?  (Read 11687 times)

Offline efranks

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #30 on: June 6, 2011, 03:12 PM »
One thing is for sure, Hasbro, if they don't **** it up, should make a mint this year at retail.  If the the three new films are good, they should send a lot of people to the toy aisles.

So, I don't think that Hasbro ****** anything up, but I don't see anyone buying into their movie lines.  That goes for the JAKKS Pacific Pirates line and the Mattel Green Lantern line as well.

Nothing really seems to be moving locally.  The Thor figures had some hits early on, but there was no run on the toys after the movie launched and I think if you don't order wave 2 on-line, you're probably out of luck.  And for those that want Sif?  Yeah...good luck with that.  I see EE is still estimating waves 3 and 4 for July but does anyone actually think they'll ship?

Captain America and Green Lantern haven't had their film releases yet so it may be early to guess on those, but other than some early movement on the CA figures, both lines seem to be relatively untouched here.

The Pirates toys were DOA.  The fanboys didn't even buy out the Angelica figures from the first wave.  Even Target's exclusive box set of the first wave of toys isn't moving, and that's a helluva deal.  It doesn't seem that they got any bump from the film, which is kind of sad, because I really liked the movie and the figures are actually pretty well done.

Transformers: DOTM toys were picked over a little at Walmart, but I think mostly people were buying the NASCAR licensed cars more than anything else (both rednecks and speculators, probably).  But there's so much stuff for that movie, so many scales and sub lines, that I can't really keep track.

Cars 2 is the only movie line that seems to be getting heat.  Target's display for Cars 2 is almost disgusting it's so huge, but they have sold quite a few of the basic cars already.  Walmart has moved some toys as well, but they're a harder store to keep track of.  I'll tell you one thing, I think they have some really cool toys out, including the Lego sets (specifically the car hauler).  It would be interesting to look up a complete checklist of all the Cars characters, from both movies, and see how deep it is, because they've done a lot of merchandise over the last 5 years.

Are you guys seeing similar things, or have the movie lines been moving elsewhere?

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Offline Morgbug

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #31 on: June 6, 2011, 03:58 PM »
Well, Canada isn't probably much of an indicator, at least not where I'm at, but the movie lines are dead as doornails.  In my travels I can hit 7-8 Walmarts (not with any regularity) and everything except Transformers has been entirely sporadic. 

Cap and GL aren't in every Walmart.  Some have them, some don't  TRU has them both, but different assortments from the ones at Wally. 

Thor sold some stuff initially, but now it's overcrowded and stagnant.  Pirates either won't or haven't yet hit the shelves and as of last week neither had the new Cars 2 stuff.  I'm sure it will come in and it will move though, the Cars related stuff has been a very solid seller for quite some time.  It has a good deal more retail shelf space than Hot Wheels (I mean all the HW stuff too, not just single cars) so I expect it will do very well. 
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #32 on: June 6, 2011, 04:04 PM »
I see Captain America stuff seeminglys elling except that guy with the long hair...  Otherwise though?  Not much.

I think the cost of toys has finally hit a point where people are not buying a lot.  POTC figures are dead in the water (nyuck nyuck) except the female character I do not see.  Everything has pretty much hit a snag though at this point, and when you scan the peg prices, I can only imagine that's partly to blame.  Usually movie stuff does pretty well, at least for a brief time during a film's launch, and then hits the wall afterwards.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #33 on: June 6, 2011, 04:14 PM »
Pirates stuff has actually moved pretty well here it seems... not gangbusters, but I've seen pegs empty or close to empty or more than one occassion at most stores, then restocked a week or so later.

Captain America line seems to be doing okay at this point, way too early to tell... but with Wave 2 already hitting a bit, it doesn't seem like they overdid it with Wave 1 production (I hope).  With 3 Hydra soldiers per case in Wave 3, and a bit better variety than the Iron Man 2 line, I think this line could last a little while and at least see the planned waves hit stores.

Thor... what a pathetic assortment.  Decent figures, but overkill of the main character.  The only figure that really seems to move is the Ice Giant.  Loki is also getting harder to find.  And the deluxe line is an overpriced joke.

Not a movie line, but anytime a store gets in a new case of GI JOE, anything past wave 2 is sold out within 24 hrs.

Offline efranks

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #34 on: June 6, 2011, 06:02 PM »
New cases of GI Joe sell fast here, also, but only Walmart is getting new stock and then only 1 case at a time.  Target is so stocked up with Arctic Destro and ****-kicking Snake Eyes that they can't get anything new.

Locally we were completely skipped over for the Low-Light wave (W4), but we've gotten the 3 and 6 now.

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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #35 on: June 6, 2011, 09:04 PM »
GI Joe is the same here (not a movie line though, right now).  We missed Low Light completely, and I'm dejected since he was the only one I desperately wanted.  It figures.

Pretty much all POC figures are moving except Ice Destro here.
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #36 on: June 6, 2011, 09:04 PM »

I think the cost of toys has finally hit a point where people are not buying a lot. 

Just a quick note.  The prices in Canada haven't changed at all in the last 5 years at least.  The price increases you are seeing in the U.S. are strictly attributable to the U.S. economy and how businesses have had to adapt to that.  Oil has not factored in otherwise we'd have seen the same price increase.  Our economy hasn't changed for the most part, except relative to the U.S.'s, so no change in our pricing.   :-\
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #37 on: June 7, 2011, 09:41 AM »
I don't see any of this stuff moving anywhere. Yeah, maybe early on Cap and GL, but they have badly botched the THOR line. How do you not have Wave 2 in the stores yet? The movie will be out of theatres before those things hit! That's absurd.

I don't see any movement with the IM or POTC stuff either. Just dead.

Toys in general have just become a depressing mess the past few months. I feel no joy on my hunts anymore. 
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Offline Brian

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #38 on: June 7, 2011, 10:31 AM »
The movie stuff seems to be struggling here as well.  Thor never did sell all that much, and now that the movie is likely getting more towards the end of its run, I don't see that changing.  Green Lantern has been out for a month or so now, and it doesn't exactly seem to be flying off the shelves either.  It is possible that may change once the movie is released, depending how much the kiddos get into it.  I can't say I've even seen a shortage of the collector-oriented "Movie Masters" either.  As a few others have mentioned, the Cap stuff seems to be selling a bit already.  I don't know if that is due to them being more comic based (at least at this point), but although they aren't sold out, they do seem to be selling somewhat steadily.  Same thing with the new Transformers stuff.  Not sold out, but some has sold the way it looks.  I expect it to do decent once the movie is released as well.  I'm sure the Cars stuff will be steady too.

Offline Morgbug

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #39 on: June 8, 2011, 04:47 PM »

I don't see any movement with the IM or POTC stuff either. Just dead.


Why have the Iron Man 2 toys continued to ship?  I understand that in part it is simply that they are selling, but IM has more peg space than Thor, GL and Cap combined at most of the stores I visit. 
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Offline efranks

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Re: Retailers Scaling Back on Movie Lines?
« Reply #40 on: June 8, 2011, 05:02 PM »
Most of the stores here, well, Walmart and Target anyway, have reduced their IM2 footprint to make room for the other movie lines.  I don't think anything new is shipping into stores locally, but that could be due to the fact that my stores have full pegs of product that's been there for a year.

The kicker was when both stores bumped the price back up to original retail after not selling out of product at $5, which they had for a few months late last year and maybe early into this year.  Nobody, locally, is buying IM2 toys anymore and they're also passing on the IM figures in the Marvel Universe line.  There isn't a standalone Iron Man movie in the near future and it's my opinion that stores should blow out this stock, clear the pegs and get ready for the onslaught that the Avengers film will bring.

And Hasbro really needs to abandon all things Iron Man until that Avengers push.  But I'll say this now, I dread what THAT movie line will look like.  Thor is selling poorly by most observations, IM2 is done as a viable line and while it remains to be seen what Captain America does, I can't begin to imagine what an Avengers line will look like when it's basically pegs worth of what's not selling now plus some Hawkeye figures.

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