Author Topic: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?  (Read 235859 times)

Offline Rob

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #300 on: March 6, 2013, 05:52 PM »
Look at the movie track record:  Battleship was a major bomb.  It cost some $200 million to make the movie, and it only grossed $65 million in the US.  The international numbers were not impressive.  Not a rave success for Hasbro Studios, by any stretch of the imagination.  Seeing how this movie was a partnership with Universal, I don't think Hasbro Studios was left completely holding the bag, but they probably dealt with a significant loss in the tens of millions of dollars.

Internationally it made $237 million.  The total gross was $303 million - budget was $209.

So they made $90 million, plus DVD / Blu-ray sales. 

It's difficult these days (for a major studio) to actually put out a movie that loses money when all is said and done.

You're right that it wasn't a "rave success" - but that movie, for all its warts, still brought home well over $100 million in net profit.  Unless I'm missing something, there wasn't a bag to be left holding - everyone should have come out ahead, just not as far as they'd have liked.
« Last Edit: March 6, 2013, 05:53 PM by Rob »

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #301 on: March 6, 2013, 08:51 PM »
Well, there's also the promotional budget to consider for Battleship as well.  A general rule of thumb in the movie business is that the promotional budget for a movie is another 50 % on top of that production budget.  A budget of $209 million is going to garner a marketing budget of at least $100 million.  With that in mind, it looks like the movie barely even broke even by your estimations.  And it still leaves me wondering why Hasbro thinks they belong in the movie business.
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Offline Rob

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #302 on: March 6, 2013, 10:22 PM »
Well, there's also the promotional budget to consider for Battleship as well.  A general rule of thumb in the movie business is that the promotional budget for a movie is another 50 % on top of that production budget.  A budget of $209 million is going to garner a marketing budget of at least $100 million.  With that in mind, it looks like the movie barely even broke even by your estimations.  And it still leaves me wondering why Hasbro thinks they belong in the movie business.

Didn't realize promotion budgets would be that large.  So yeah, dollar for dollar they probably about broke even on the gross vs. spending - but they probably made something on the dvd sales which I probably drastically under-estimated when I rounded up from $90 million to $100 million.

Hasbro probably feels they belong in the movie business because Transformers makes them a ton of money.  They'll probably be more careful next time.

Offline Scockery

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #303 on: March 10, 2013, 04:53 PM »
Obscure ANH Rebel character in 2014?
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11462

Who's wishlist was Hasbro looking at?

Offline Brian

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #304 on: March 11, 2013, 09:04 PM »
I definitely understand the desire for the line to maintain its standard as far as articulation. I also do understand Pawlus' sentiment about the Kenneresque figures and I share it. I'd be more interested in these than a lot of the Black Series (four inch) stuff we're getting. Articulation isn't the end all be all for me. A lot of my favorite figures are from the POTJ era, with minimal articulation compared to today. A lot of my favorite figures are tricked out. It just depends on what the individual figure requires. If the 5 POA line has great sculpts, they can hold their weapons and can sit in a vehicle, then awesome.

I'm kind of in the same ballpark.  Articulation isn't the end all for me either, although I'm not sure if I'd like to see a return to 5 POA stuff necessarily either.  I guess it would all depend.  The fact that we've already gotten SA versions of pretty much everyone that matters at this point (aside from the upcoming new movies of course), it is easier for me to not get as worked up about it - at least for now.  If Ep7 rolls around and 5 POA is the only option, I'd have to see.  The sculpts would have to be pretty amazing.  One thing I do like is toys for kids, and that aren't $10 each.  I can understand the points that are made about figures holding weapons, fitting in vehicles, and being durable/able to stand.  Of course, there are examples of SA stuff that does all of those things just fine too.

With all of this shift away from prequel era stuff, and rumblings that Disney really wants a return to the OT "magic" times, part of me wonders if we won't see a line approach similar to the vintage days by the time the new trilogy comes around.  Simpler (and cheaper) figures, vehicles (not necessarily to scale), and maybe re-releases throughout the year(s) of the "big guns".  Who knows, maybe those days are gone, but with all the changes we've seen with the franchise lately, you never know.

Offline Ryan

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #305 on: March 18, 2013, 02:58 PM »
Obscure ANH Rebel character in 2014?
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11462

Who's wishlist was Hasbro looking at?

I'll take him... :-X

I like these obscure Rebel and Imperial military characters, but I now I'm probably in a minority here. I wouldn't mind a few to round out any medal scene dioramas.
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Offline JediJman

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #306 on: March 18, 2013, 05:45 PM »
The rebel medal-bearer?  Is this guy really higher on the list than the top 100 Cantina aliens?  I'm all for troop builders and various rebels or imperials.  But the guy who carries the medals is getting an "action" figure?  That's just about as lame as it gets.  Next thing you know they'll go and make the guy who runs the diner or a librarian. 

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Offline Scockery

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #307 on: March 18, 2013, 05:47 PM »
He'd make a good multi pack release, and maybe that's what is going to happen. Not that a medal ceremony is that exciting.

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #308 on: March 18, 2013, 06:33 PM »
Obscure ANH Rebel character in 2014?
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11462

Who's wishlist was Hasbro looking at?

LOL!

This is beyond bizarre as far as character selections go.  It comes across as REALLY fringe, and much more like wishlist fodder than something that might have a chance of actually selling well.
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Offline P-Siddy

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #309 on: March 19, 2013, 08:51 AM »
Yeah, sounds like a Con exclusive figure.

Offline Diddly

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #310 on: March 19, 2013, 11:25 PM »
The rebel medal-bearer?  Is this guy really higher on the list than the top 100 Cantina aliens?

This was my first thought as well. Why not spend the money giving us an actual Medal Ceremony Han?
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #311 on: March 20, 2013, 10:06 AM »
The rebel medal-bearer?  Is this guy really higher on the list than the top 100 Cantina aliens?

This was my first thought as well. Why not spend the money giving us an actual Medal Ceremony Han?

You assume too much. They probably think they already gave us that one recently even if it was completely wrong.
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #312 on: March 20, 2013, 11:22 AM »
Yeah, sounds like a Con exclusive figure.

Only if the likeness of the figure is that of Bob Iger, and not some extra who was in the actual scene.  ;)

The new paradigm shift we're experiencing in Hasbro's Star Wars line makes a figure like this seem almost like an impossibility.  Sure, Rebel figures seem to be experiencing some sort of a resurgence with collectors.  But THIS GUY?  It seems like so much of a stretch that it's incredibly unlikely.
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Offline Greedo The Green Menace

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #313 on: March 20, 2013, 03:04 PM »
Taking a closer look at the costume, it kind of looks like it might be the same more or less as the Rebel Honor Guard, so maybe this'll be similar to the Rebel Fleet Trooper and just be an Honor Guard with an extra hat and a few medals?

Offline Scockery

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #314 on: March 20, 2013, 06:39 PM »
I just wonder how they are going to justify putting a goatee on the figure this time.