It will be interesting to see which one really gets made and which one is good enough to be released in the cinema, and how the critics and the world will react to each movie.

@lostincinema said:

Here are all 14 movies Mattel has publicly announced to be in development so far.

• "American Girl Doll"
• "Barney"
• "Christmas Balloon"
• "Hot Wheels"
• "Magic 8 Ball"
• "Major Matt Mason"
• "Masters of the Universe"
• "Matchbox"
• "Polly Pocket"
• "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots"
• "Thomas & Friends"
• "Uno"
• "View Master"
• "Wishbone"

---

Audience: The most obvious takeaway from Barbenheimer: Audiences want originality and invention, not endless sequels and variations on what came before. OK, let’s assume most studio bosses grasp this fundamental point.

Hollywood Studios: Nope.

From the article you cited: "Considering other toy companies like Lego ("The Lego Movie") and Hasbro (Transformers) have found success with making huge blockbusters, it was only a matter of time before Mattel tried to do the same."

In that respect, Mattel is not first to swing at it. And, as silly as Transformers movies are, why shouldn't Mattel throw their hat into this ring? Interestingly, Michael Bay doing Transformers aimed at teenage boys is no less an agenda than Barbie being done for an audience of NOT teenage boys. Speaking of which...

"Only two weeks into its theatrical run, "Barbie" has already outdone the latest Fast & Furious, Mission: Impossible, and Transformers installments at the box office."

It is abundantly clear that there is a market for movies not full of guns, cars, and explosions. If you own stock in Mattel, you're happy; if you don't, buy some, it's a free market.

"Barbie is clearly an important brand. It's one of our three power brands, and it will be in many ways a showcase for the quality of the movies that we're looking to make, the type of partnerships we're formulating with lead talent in Hollywood, working with major studios."

It's clear this guy has a handle on his business. Barbie is a critical and historically commercial success. If it can form the foundation for a solid business, have at it. MCU did it. DC hasn't done as well. Others can take a swing.

"However, it appears Mattel isn't in a rush to launch into any "Barbie" sequels just yet. "At the outset, we're not saying, 'Okay, let's think already about movie two and three.' Let's get the first one right and make that a success. And if you do that, opportunities open up very quickly, once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen," Kreiz explained."

Sounds smart to me.

I'm not sure why Police Academy spawned so many gawd-awful sequels. I loved the first one, and that was it for me. But they kept pumping them out. Many studios attempt to launch franchises hoping to build a cash cow that'll keep making them money, even as film quality goes down the toilet. For all the ones who've done a bad job of this, it's refreshing to see leadership with a vision that includes quality output.

Can they pull it off? Can they execute? We will see.

But, they are off to a splendid start.

Of that list, I'm actually looking forward to the new Masters of the Universe film. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots has got my interest too.

@Damienracer said:

@lostincinema said:

Here are all 14 movies Mattel has publicly announced to be in development so far.

• "American Girl Doll"
• "Barney"
• "Christmas Balloon"
• "Hot Wheels"
• "Magic 8 Ball"
• "Major Matt Mason"
• "Masters of the Universe"
• "Matchbox"
• "Polly Pocket"
• "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots"
• "Thomas & Friends"
• "Uno"
• "View Master"
• "Wishbone"

---

Audience: The most obvious takeaway from Barbenheimer: Audiences want originality and invention, not endless sequels and variations on what came before. OK, let’s assume most studio bosses grasp this fundamental point.

Hollywood Studios: Nope.

People naturally like to make money deal with it... And that is coming from someone who thinks people watching Barbie are bandwagon jumpers without an ounce of originality either. One day when you own your own film studio with investors you'll understand but until then.

I can understand it pretty well even without my own film studio. Just pointing out the irony when some people say "barbenheimer" means original and non-IP stuff can also work.

@Innovator said:

Of that list, I'm actually looking forward to the new Masters of the Universe film.

This movie has been in development since 2007 and already $30-60 million were spent. That is at least 20-40% of what was spent on "Barbie (2023)"'s budget, with little to show for it. After Sony and Warner Bros, now Netflix has decided to pull the plug and Mattel is looking for another company to produce it. When it is finally made, the movie will cost much more than initially thought and if it doesn't live up to expectations, it could damage the audience's interest for other Mattel movies.

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots has got my interest too.

Universal Pictures is producing it with Vin Diesel as the protagonist.

@NeoLosman said:

Barney could potentially work, if the studios are willing to take the sort of gamble they took on Barbie. Give Bobcat Godwaithe directorial duties, the same way they took a chance on Greta Gerwig

There is a CG-animated preschool series, which will debut on Cartoonito on Cartoon Network and stream on Max in 2024.

The movie will be produced by Daniel Kaluuya and is more for adults and teenagers, but as with "Barbie (2023)", children under 13 might also want to see it, although most of the dialogue will go over their little heads. Kaluuya said that it won't be like "Ted", it is more 'A24-type', but not R-rated. As long as Barney stays purple and green, it could have a chance.

@NeoLosman said:

Figures. Kaluuya is too much of a self-serious Hollywood type to produce anything as fun and clever as Ted

He is not Seth MacFarlane, who did a great job with "Ted". The bear looked like Rupert with Peter's character inside.

@Damienracer said:

@lostincinema said:

@Damienracer said:

@lostincinema said:

Here are all 14 movies Mattel has publicly announced to be in development so far.

• "American Girl Doll"
• "Barney"
• "Christmas Balloon"
• "Hot Wheels"
• "Magic 8 Ball"
• "Major Matt Mason"
• "Masters of the Universe"
• "Matchbox"
• "Polly Pocket"
• "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots"
• "Thomas & Friends"
• "Uno"
• "View Master"
• "Wishbone"

---

Audience: The most obvious takeaway from Barbenheimer: Audiences want originality and invention, not endless sequels and variations on what came before. OK, let’s assume most studio bosses grasp this fundamental point.

Hollywood Studios: Nope.

People naturally like to make money deal with it... And that is coming from someone who thinks people watching Barbie are bandwagon jumpers without an ounce of originality either. One day when you own your own film studio with investors you'll understand but until then.

I can understand it pretty well even without my own film studio. Just pointing out the irony when some people say "barbenheimer" means original and non-IP stuff can also work.

Barbie is literally one of the oldest toys in existence, grandmothers have played with Barbies when they were born that was never an original IP, Oppenheimer has an all star cast and a Marvel face they weren't non IP. Nobody is watching an Oppenheimer starring nonentities.

That was smart of Nolan to have actors from Marvel, DC, Star Wars, No Time to Die, The Hunger Games, Vikings, Westworld, etc. in "Oppenheimer (2023)". Even Scott Grimes is in it.

@wonder2wonder said:

@Innovator said: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots has got my interest too.

Universal Pictures is producing it with Vin Diesel as the protagonist.

We'll have to see if Vin Diesel will do it better than Hugh Jackman then.

I might be up for an "A24"-style PG-13 Barney; say, Barney goes ballistic?;)

Barbie was a much more intelligent movie than I thought it would be, more "grown-up"-- so, why not?

Hey, north!

@northcoast said:

I might be up for an "A24"-style PG-13 Barney; say, Barney goes ballistic?;)

Barbie was a much more intelligent movie than I thought it would be, more "grown-up"-- so, why not?

Quiz: Will the sequel be just as grown up?

lostincinema--

Barbie? Well, Greta Gerwig is uninterested in a sequel, from what I've read, and the studio has no plans for another installment as of yet; however, Hollywood is like an addict when a movie hits blockbuster status, so it seems to me they won't be able to resist a Barbie II at some point.

And no, I don't think a sequel would be as smart, as grown-up as the original; with few exceptions, as we all know, sequels seldom are. I really hope they leave Barbie be and allow it to remain a standalone film; but, alas, that probably won't happen.

I think so, Racer. But to each his own.

@northcoast said:

lostincinema--

Barbie? Well, Greta Gerwig is uninterested in a sequel, from what I've read, and the studio has no plans for another installment as of yet; however, Hollywood is like an addict when a movie hits blockbuster status, so it seems to me they won't be able to resist a Barbie II at some point.

And no, I don't think a sequel would be as smart, as grown-up as the original; with few exceptions, as we all know, sequels seldom are. I really hope they leave Barbie be and allow it to remain a standalone film; but, alas, that probably won't happen.

I get what you are saying. If Barbie is this good why not other such movies. But you are averse to a sequel to the barbie movie itself.

I agree with you that, yes, good movies from Mattel should be encouraged. Barbie is such a welcome movie, esp given my initial reservations.

As to the sequels I don't care: I either like them or forget about them. It's the trend of Hollywood to invest in sequels to the detriment of "original stuff" that I don't approve.