DHS CARS LAND

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

So what you're saying is this guy will like it?

What is... why... how could...


I don't even...

 

[ToTBellHop]

So what you're saying is this guy will like it?

Must be single. I imagine than make a Na'vi RealDoll???

 

[tissandtully]

Must be single. I imagine than make a Na'vi RealDoll???

*shrugs* He likes what he likes I guess. Wasn't meaning to judge, but the hard-core fanbase for Avatar does seem to be fairly small.

 

[twebber55]

*shrugs* He likes what he likes I guess. Wasn't meaning to judge, but the hard-core fanbase for Avatar does seem to be fairly small.

I would say the best judge of that will be the next movie

 

[MattM]

When did one of, if not the highest grossing movie in the history of the world become a loser?

 

[lazyboy97o]

When did one of, if not the highest grossing movie in the history of the world become a loser?

Ever heard the term "One hit wonder?" Box office success of one film does not make for a franchise.

 

[MattM]

Ever heard the term "One hit wonder?" Box office success of one film does not make for a franchise.

Never heard of it, but sounds like it could catch on...

How do you know it's a one hit wonder at this point?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Never heard of it, but sounds like it could catch on...

How do you know it's a one hit wonder at this point?

We may not know how the future films will perform, but we certainly know how the other aspects of a franchise have performed, and its virtually nonexistent. That's why people talk about merchandise and Halloween costumes. Or why people ask about character names. It's time as part of pop culture has widely passed. It may get a shot in the arm by the sequels, but that is all unknown.

 

[flynnibus]

When did one of, if not the highest grossing movie in the history of the world become a loser?

Because we are talking about merchandising... not box office.

How many Titantic action figures, t-shirts, playsets, lego sets, barbie versions, etc did you see people buying?

 

[MattM]

Because we are talking about merchandising... not box office.

How many Titantic action figures, t-shirts, playsets, lego sets, barbie versions, etc did you see people buying?

Titanic (#2)? Not so many (but then again that'd be kind of morbid since it actually happened and real people died). Marvel's Avengers (#3), Harry Potter 2 (#4),Pirates of the Caribbean (#10)? Tons.

Do you have merchandising sales without the box office?

 

[twebber55]

But what you are glossing over in your comparison is.. that this is not an untested property.

Sure we can talk about Everest selling t-shirts and plushes... but they didn't build everest after watching previous efforts to sell the same merchandise fail.

Avatar has been in the market, it has been tested, and it's weak at best. Your betting that you can reverse that trend.

So lets summarize...

Cars - we know we have a running start.. it's a no-brainer (start at 10)
Everest - we have a blank sheet of paper, we think we can win people over (start at 0)
Avatar - we have a previous loser, but we think we can turn it around (start at -5)

The previous sales are an indicator of the public's interest in the property beyond sitting in a chair while watching the movie. Is it something the kid wants to play with? Is it something I want to wear on my back while out in public? Is it something I want to decorate my home with? Certainly a new interactive experience alters that existing decision... they are not the same before there was an interactive experience... but it represents a starting point and how far you must go to win that customer.

What you are trying to say is 'avatarland is not defined by the previous merch sales' - correct, its a new injection into the IP that will make its own new and ADDITIONAL impressions on people about the property. However, avatarland is not untied from the previous impressions of the IP, nor is it completely isolated from them. That's why previous merch sales IS relevant to the projected success of the attraction. And even after the thing is built.. the impression of the IP outside of those that visit avatarland will still impact merchandise sales.

You can goto the Playboy mansion.. and have the time of your life. But will you wear a playboy mansion t-shirt day to day in public? The public's impression of the property still influences your choices.. even when you as an individual liked the property.

maybe im reading it wrong but did you call avatar a previous loser? if so on what grounds....its the all time box office record holder as well as number one all time dvd blue ray

 

[MattM]

We may not know how the future films will perform, but we certainly know how the other aspects of a franchise have performed, and its virtually nonexistent. That's why people talk about merchandise and Halloween costumes. Or why people ask about character names. It's time as part of pop culture has widely passed. It may get a shot in the arm by the sequels, but that is all unknown.

True. I wonder how the performance of franchises like Star Wars performed after the first movie was released? Was it an automatic hit? Did it get better with age?

You are right, time will tell.

 

[twebber55]

When did one of, if not the highest grossing movie in the history of the world become a loser?

shaking my head on that as well...only on a disney theme park board would you read that lol

 

[twebber55]

Ever heard the term "One hit wonder?" Box office success of one film does not make for a franchise.

LOL 2.7 billion with a B and you re talking one hit wonder....i predict the next one does an easy billion just based off of the first ones massive success

 

[flynnibus]

Titanic (#2)? Not so many. Marvel's Avengers (#3), Harry Potter 2 (#4),Pirates of the Caribbean (#10)? Tons.

Do you have merchandising sales without the box office?

And now you can see.. box office success does not necessarily mean merchandising or licensing success. We can also see how a film not in the top revenue earners can turn around and be a dominating force in merchandising (Cars).

Box office take alone isn't a great measure anymore of a film's staying power. With the insanely front-loaded film revenues, and the rush to get a film on home video now... their presence in front of the public is shorter than ever. Hence the push for sequels quickly to capitalize on the momentum.

I don't have numbers on avatar - but all it takes is anecdotal observation of what products are out there for sale to see avatar is not that common and hasn't been applied to any other medium to refresh it's staying power in the minds of youth.

 

[flynnibus]

maybe im reading it wrong but did you call avatar a previous loser? if so on what grounds....its the all time box office record holder as well as number one all time dvd blue ray

Because you are reading wrong... This entire discussion has been about MERCHANDISING... ponder that and re-read the post.

 

[flynnibus]

True. I wonder how the performance of franchises like Star Wars performed after the first movie was released? Was it an automatic hit? Did it get better with age?

Huh? You need to question that? Star Wars was a phenom.. it blew out all expectations. It was so popular Kenner was sending out IOUs to customers to promise to ship them toys they couldn't produce fast enough because the initial demand was under estimated.

 

[MattM]

Huh? You need to question that? Star Wars was a phenom.. it blew out all expectations. It was so popular Kenner was sending out IOUs to customers to promise to ship them toys they couldn't produce fast enough because the initial demand was under estimated.

Yes, I questioned it. I could have made an intelligent assumption that it did well, but I did not know that for a fact.

 

[MattM]

And now you can see.. box office success does not necessarily mean merchandising or licensing success. We can also see how a film not in the top revenue earners can turn around and be a dominating force in merchandising (Cars).

Box office take alone isn't a great measure anymore of a film's staying power. With the insanely front-loaded film revenues, and the rush to get a film on home video now... their presence in front of the public is shorter than ever. Hence the push for sequels quickly to capitalize on the momentum.

I don't have numbers on avatar - but all it takes is anecdotal observation of what products are out there for sale to see avatar is not that common and hasn't been applied to any other medium to refresh it's staying power in the minds of youth.

Does merchandising success necessarily mean attraction success/failure?

(Aside: Cars 2 was #89 on the list of top 100)

 

[lazyboy97o]

True. I wonder how the performance of franchises like Star Wars performed after the first movie was released? Was it an automatic hit? Did it get better with age?

You are right, time will tell.

Star Wars was one of the first films to have a big merchandising angle. The Expanded Universe began just about a year later with the publication of Splinter of the Mind's Eye (which would have been the first [cheaper] sequel had the film not done so well). It died down a bit by the 1990s, but that is part of why the Special addition was released, to reignite interest before the new films. You also had things like Shadows of the Empire, where Lucasfilm created a story and sold the associated tie-in merchandise without actually making a film. Star Wars has definitely gotten bigger with age, but it still had a start. There is no such momentum with Avatar.

This is why I don't see any long term good coming out of Avatarland. If its a huge success it'll be the newly formed franchise that will be credited, not the land and it's amazing attractions and experiences. If its only moderately successful it'll be a failure (this is Disney were overinflated expectations rule) and we'll likely see Disney again shy away from projects of significant scale.

LOL 2.7 billion with a B and you re talking one hit wonder....i predict the next one does an easy billion just based off of the first ones massive success

Box office alone still doesn't make a franchise. It doesn't matter if the sequels top the first film if people still aren't interested in anything else associated with the films.