It’s no secret that Barbie has been an enormous success, incomes over $1 billion on the field workplace. However the place does Mattel go from right here?
In response to The Hollywood Reporter, producers are already lamenting the success of the movie as Hollywood learns the mistaken classes from Barbie’s large success. “Maybe Hollywood is smart enough, which is the funniest start to a sentence, ever,” says one producer with expertise within the ‘toy-to-screen’ pipeline. “But if anyone is watching Barbie and saying, ‘You know why this movie worked? It’s because of a toy’ you are taking away the wrong lesson.”
When you really feel a bit gross on the point out of the ‘toy-to-screen’ pipeline, you’re not alone. Sadly, it seems as if Hollywood, or in any case Mattel, will likely be leaning into this within the coming years, beginning with Sizzling Wheels.
A Sizzling Wheels film has been on the playing cards for a very long time, with J.J. Abrams at the moment hooked up to provide the “emotional and grounded and gritty” undertaking about… err… yeah, these flashy toy automobiles for youths.
It nonetheless doesn’t have a script but, however Sizzling Wheels is predicted to be Mattel’s subsequent large push into Hollywood. Nevertheless, that’s solely the subsequent step. In response to THR, each Uno and View Grasp motion pictures are additionally within the works. There’s additionally a Polly Pocket film on its method from Lena Dunham, to not point out the upcoming Rock Em Sock Em Robots with Vin Diesel. There’s even a Wishbone film within the works, in addition to a movie primarily based on Matchbox automobiles.
If executives have their method, we’ll all be having fun with the Mattel Cinematic Universe in not time. Nevertheless, Hollywood insiders assume Mattel shouldn’t count on the identical degree of success.
“Multiple insiders note that not all toys are created equal,” stated THR. “What is the edge to Hot Wheels? What is the juice?” questions an unnamed producer. That’s the massive query: how can Mattel observe up the success of Barbie with one other toy-to-screen film?
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav name-dropped the film in the course of the firm’s second-quarter earnings report, noting it’s anticipated to be an enormous boon to third-quarter earnings. Nevertheless, the continued WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes imply {that a} Barbie sequel, if there may be one, is definitely a great distance off, leaving Mattel to show to its different toys for inspiration. Whether or not or not they’ll make the identical affect stays to be seen, however both method, it seems as if they’re going to attempt.
IGN’s Barbie overview gave it 9/10 and stated: “Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a masterful exploration of femininity and the pressures of perfection. This hyper-femme roller-coaster ride boasts meticulous production design, immaculate casting, and a deep-seated reverence for Barbie herself. Absolutely wear your pinkest outfit to see this movie, but make sure you bring tissues along too.”
Wish to learn extra about Barbie? Try how Barbie and Ken child names have skyrocketed because the movie’s launch in addition to Margot Robbie on the long-lasting doll’s cultural significance.
Ryan Leston is an leisure journalist and movie critic for IGN. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter.
