By Marcy Magiera For evidence of Americans' preoccupation with their pets, look no further than Super Bowl Sunday, when Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl XII (in VR, no less) and Hallmark Channel's Kitten Bowl III will fill the hours leading up to the main gridiron event. Or the fact that a Petco survey during the fourth quarter showed that 82% of respondents intended to … [Read more...] about As Pet Pampering Grows, Licensing Goes to the Dogs
Entertainment/Character
NPD: Star Wars Toy Sales One-Third Higher than Frozen
By Marcy Magiera Star Wars, the space epic whose newest chapter has knocked down box-office records around the world, also drove sales of movie licensed toys up by almost 10% in 2015, according to The NPD Group's year-end accounting of U.S. toy sales. Connection to entertainment content was the key driver behind the growth of the toy industry in 2015, NPD found, with overall … [Read more...] about NPD: Star Wars Toy Sales One-Third Higher than Frozen
Turtles, Trolls and Other Movie Licenses That Will Challenge Star Wars This Year
By Marcy Magiera With Star Wars: The Force Awakens closing in on $2 billion in global ticket sales and continuing to topple box-office records on an almost daily basis a month after its opening, it's clear the latest installment in the sci-fi epic will continue to drive licensed merchandise sales throughout 2016—and beyond. Once The Force Awakens leaves theaters, there … [Read more...] about Turtles, Trolls and Other Movie Licenses That Will Challenge Star Wars This Year
What’s Next for the 15 Biggest Movie Franchises of 2015
As the clock ticked down on 2015, entertainment pundits focused on the galactic box office pace of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which by Dec. 30 had charged past $600 million at the domestic box-office in a record 12 days on its way to surpassing Jurassic World’s $652 million domestic tally to become the No. 1 film of the year with $686 million. On a licensing basis it was … [Read more...] about What’s Next for the 15 Biggest Movie Franchises of 2015
42 Entertainment Character Properties Reach $100 Million in Sales of Licensed Merchandise; “Frozen” Debuts at No. 6
Marcy Magiera, additional reporting by Glenn Demby and Karina Masolova The “Frozen effect” is clearly evident on The Licensing Letter’s annual list of entertainment/character properties with more than $100 million in sales in the U.S. and Canada for 2014 (see the full list here). The property debuted on the $100 million-plus in the Top 10, amid robust growth for other platinum … [Read more...] about 42 Entertainment Character Properties Reach $100 Million in Sales of Licensed Merchandise; “Frozen” Debuts at No. 6
Angry Birds, Ice Age Among Entertainment/Character Properties Added to Macy’s Parade
By Marcy Magiera The balloon lineup for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade reads like a who's who of $100 million-plus entertainment/character licensing properties. Among the returning character properties that will fly high above Manhattan come Thursday are Hello Kitty (an estimated $1 billion in U.S./Canada retail sales of licensed merchandise in 2014), Pikachu from the Pokemon … [Read more...] about Angry Birds, Ice Age Among Entertainment/Character Properties Added to Macy’s Parade
The Retail Force Awakens: How Much Money Will Star Wars Make?
By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Most movie-based entertainment properties have a limited shelf life lasting roughly as long as the film's run. Occasionally, exemplary properties like Cars, Monsters Inc. or Toy Story will drive sales for a few years after the film closes. But Star Wars is in a universe of its own. There hasn't been a new Star Wars film since 2005. Yet the franchise … [Read more...] about The Retail Force Awakens: How Much Money Will Star Wars Make?
Entertainment, Sports Licensed Goods Lead Black Friday Deals
Hot holiday properties Frozen and Star Wars, and collegiate and NFL licensed merchandise, will be decking the halls of many retailers on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Some of the nation's largest retailers over the past week moved to control the flow of information about their Black Friday promotions by "leaking" their own Thanksgiving weekend ad circulars … [Read more...] about Entertainment, Sports Licensed Goods Lead Black Friday Deals
Licensing for Mobile Games Opens Up to New Players
The mobile game licensing paradigm is changing. Although powerful gaming apps like Angry Birds still rule the roost, new players are getting into the game—not just licensees who turn digital properties into non-digital products but also licensors who license their own property for apps and mobile games. While retail sales of licensed video games/software fell -26.4% to $2.93 … [Read more...] about Licensing for Mobile Games Opens Up to New Players
Place-based Strategy Getting DreamWorks Where it Wants to Go
By Marcy Magiera DreamWorks Animation (DWA) must be as happy as, well, an ogre in a swamp with its strategy to exploit Shrek, Hiccup, Oh, Alex and other characters in location-based licensing. As its DreamWorks DreamPlace holiday attractions roll out in malls across the U.S. and London, the movie studio reported that its consumer product revenues more than doubled in the third … [Read more...] about Place-based Strategy Getting DreamWorks Where it Wants to Go