Barbie Success Emboldens Mattel to Make Movies Out of Not 1 or 2 But 14 Different Properties: Here’s the Full List
With the recent success that Great Gerwig’s Barbie has achieved, it undoubtedly opened a door for more films including sequels and related projects to come in the future. The toy company Mattel has reportedly been targeting this outcome for a long while and not just for their Barbie Doll collection but their whole range of various toys, including UNO cards.
Mattel is looking forward to make their company an IP-driven brand as far as things are concerned. This means tons of never-ending projects are about to begin the journey soon. And there are already 14 projects in development at the moment.
Mattel Has Already Started 14 Different Film Projects After Barbie
There is no question that Mattel, which produces Barbie Dolls, is now at the center of the spotlight once again with the current hype about Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie (2023). According to reports, this had been the idea from the start. After the toy company started facing a decline in its sales of Barbie dolls, a new executive had the plan to make their products a part of IP-driven movies.
Also Read: “A film is a capitalist venture”: Barbie Star Defends Movie Amidst Greta Gerwig Sellout Backlash
For those that might not know, IP stands for ‘Intellectual Property ‘ and in screenwriting, it means films based on pre-existing and popular names and figures such as movies adapted from comic books or novels etc.
And this is exactly what Mattel and its executives want for their toy brand. Reportedly Gerwig’s Barbie was for testing the waters and with the success it has achieved at the box office, Mattel has received a green light to move forward.
With that, it has come to light that there are 14 projects in development already which include,
- Polly Pocket – MGM
- Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots – Universal
- UNO
- Wishbone- Universal
- Matchbox- Skydance
- View Master
- Christmas Balloon
- Thomas & Friends
- Major Matt Mason
- Masters of the Universe
- Magic 8 Ball
- American Girl
- Hot Wheels- Warner Bros
- Barney
All these projects had been waiting in line for Barbie (2023) to first achieve success big enough for the others to have stable ground to start on.
A Brief Look at Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and its Sucess
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has had the biggest record-breaking opening this year so far. I’m the first 5 days it has exceeded to collect double the movie’s budget which was around 140-150 million dollars. The box-office collection worldwide has touched 380 million dollars so far.
This has unquestionably brought Gerwig into the spotlight. Along with this success, it has opened the door for more sequels to come which is exactly what the toy brand Mattel had been hoping for. Speaking to Variety, the company’s CEO Ynon Kreiz shared,
“Once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen.”
The recent film, stars Margot Robbie as the lead Barbie who chances upon the world of real humans and ends up learning both the good and bad parts of it. The film was released on the 21st of July, and is currently running in theatres worldwide.
Source: Variety
