1/6 Hot Toys - The X-Men License - Interview with Chan

[Invictus Sol]

This comment makes me think.

It doesn't have to be a case of one or the other. They could easily do one like GOTG that gives them 100% revenue and another (DOFP) that gives them 50%+ revenue. In the end they'd get 150%+ revenue instead of just 100%

The funny thing is. Without merchandising X-Men Days of Future Past managed to outgross all the other marvel movies that had that extra promotion with the merchandise.

How does that make sense? HT's slate is FULL. It's not like they can just order off a menu and produce X-Men figures without taking away from a property they could make with less hassle and keep more of the revenue. I'd wait for Age of Apocalypse, Uncanny!

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

I was referring to Disney Marvel licensing X-Men to manufacturers as opposed to sitting on it. They could make additional revenue by licensing it out

 

[FSLAR]

Hmm so it's not really Fox at this point? Ok then. This is great though. I wonder if we'll get old Magneto and Xavier then, great.

 

[Motuxmen]

I was referring to Disney Marvel licensing X-Men to manufacturers as opposed to sitting on it. They could make additional revenue by licensing it out

They do. There's plenty of xmen things out there. It's just not movie tie in/related because they don't have the rights to do so, or it's not as fiscally responsible(as the x movies each actor has to consent to allow likeness used and gets a cut on top of the studio, and marvel). And as stated, just because they license it out doesn't mean they are not involved. They are involved in every licensed product. Because it carries their name. They don't want some cheap acme company to slap some crap quality product out that makes them look bad or hurts the overall brand or company image. So it takes time, which costs money, to approve all those products. On top of writing, checking, and maintaing the license agreement itself.

Your comment makes it seem like marvel is sitting on all xmen stuff and there is zero merch out there. That's just not the case. There are 35 t shirts and hats and wallets and belts and cups and other stuff just at hot topic. Walmart has dozens of xmen items. Diamond select has a dozen. Bowen is releasing a new xmen statue every month it seems. As is other statue company's. Sideshow has PF figures and the upcoming 1/6 comic line. There's probably 1000 or more xmen themed items available right now thru just the above named companies and a few others . Even if it only takes 1 hrs time to do the approval (which is never the case, as they products go thru multiple stages before done) and license paperwork that's still 1000hrs. Or roughly 4 months of work if I only do work on that for 8 hrs a day every single day. No weekend. No holiday. That's for licensed products NOT produced by marvel. So, again, we may not currently have the sweet dofp or first class figures some of us would like, but it's not because marvel is not doing any work on xmen.(and remember there are like 4.6 billion x titles in comics too on too of all that above stuff)

 

[Taibhse]

The funny thing is. Without merchandising X-Men Days of Future Past managed to outgross all the other marvel movies that had that extra promotion with the merchandise.

Fair point.. it also seems to be the case, that some franchises are more attractive to figure collectors than others, for some indefinable reason.. I am not suggesting this would necessarily be the case with X-Men, if there were not all the politics between Fox and Marvel going on.. but some figure lines do effectively die in the dirt, despite the toys coming from an extremely successful license and without there being anything notably wrong with the figures.. there appears to be some strange pixie dust, that makes certain characters truly iconic, to a broad range of collectors.

 

[krec9]

With sideshow now doing comic figures, what's the point really ?

I agree it's not like this will ever happen anyway.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

I agree it's not like this will ever happen anyway.

Marvel has a choke hold on anything X-Men right now

 

[krec9]

Marvel has a choke hold on anything X-Men right now

Yea recently read a mystique figure was recently canceled .Not sure if marvel had something to do with it.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Yea recently read a mystique figure was recently canceled .Not sure if marvel had something to do with it.

It is Marvel

 

[Motuxmen]

It is Marvel

No it is not. The actress declined to allow her likeness to be used. As both the manufacture and marvel have stated.

And as I stated there are hundreds, maybe a thousands, of xmen products currently for sale. The part lacking is the movie merch. And that is because the complexity of the rights involved.

 

[YoNoSe]

Sounds like Fox didn't lock up actors' likenesses for X-Men movie toys. HT have to go to the actors directly and according to Diamond Select “Mystique has been canceled. Unfortunately, Jennifer Lawrence declined to participate.“

That would explain why you're only seeing Minimates. When First Class came out, the only related toy I remember was a 3 & 3/4 two pack based on the First Class comic.

So Marvel allows the current comic-based Marvel Legends and Marvel Universe figures while Fox tells toy companies interested in movie figures "do it yourself." But it's Marvel that's preventing movie toys? I don't get it.

 

[Khev]

So it was never Marvel and was just Fox's own incompetence when it came to securing likeness rights of their actors? They're even stupider than I thought.

 

[Motuxmen]

So it was never Marvel and was just Fox's own incompetence when it came to securing likeness rights of their actors? They're even stupider than I thought.

They didn't secure the rights, correct. But it was not because of incompetence. It was a financial move. If they secure up front they then have to do so with every actor, otherwise what's the point. And to do that with such a large and successful cast would have probably cost six figures or more. Chances are they would never make that amount back in royalties. Especially given the frigid relationship with marvel. So it's easier and more sound fiscally to retain the theme rights and licenses those and force the manufactures to pay for the likeness, this letting them get nearly the same in merchandise royalties but not have to negotiate or pay for likeness that may never get used or yield profit.

Not a dumb move, but actually a pretty smart financial move.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Why would Fox secure the actors likeness when they don't own the the majority of merchandising rights anyway

 

[Brainiac]

This is quite interesting, makes me hate Fox even more, and I didnt think that was possible

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

This is quite interesting, makes me hate Fox even more, and I didnt think that was possible

How are they at all at fault? They can't make merchandise since they don't control the merchandising rights so why pay for actors likeness. It'd be a useless expenditure.

 

[Taibhse]

How are they at all at fault? They can't make merchandise since they don't control the merchandising rights so why pay for actors likeness. It'd be a useless expenditure.

I'm not convinced it is that simple.. 20th Century Fox was the studio that released Star Wars, back in the day.. I'm kinda suspicious about this simply being a case of an 'oversight' in every single actors contract from X-Men and The Fantastic Four.. rather than something that has backfired on Fox, from the original negotiations with Marvel.. but I could be wrong.

 

[Brainiac]

Yes we need to know the Truth.... but with Fox thats never a requirement

 

[Motuxmen]

I'm not convinced it is that simple.. 20th Century Fox was the studio that released Star Wars, back in the day.. I'm kinda suspicious about this simply being a case of an 'oversight' in every single actors contract from X-Men and The Fantastic Four.. rather than something that has backfired on Fox, from the original negotiations with Marvel.. but I could be wrong.

Your right, it probably wasn't an oversight, as I stated above. It was a financial move. I explained why in my previous post.

And just because they where involved with another franchise 30years ago doesn't really mean much. They didn't have the rights to the figures then either. Nor was it the same situation, as Lucas film never lost control of the rights to Star Wars. Being involved in a production of a movie does not mean you own the rights. They where essentially an investor. And they way movies where distributed back then has changed dramatically. Back then the only way to get a wide release (lots of theaters) was to partner with a major studio, as they had exclusivity rights with many theaters. That also played a part. But Lucas never licensed the film rights to fox. Fox did not have the likeness rights to Star Wars. So I guess in regards to likeness rights it's the same, but outside of that the situation is completely different

 

[murdomac]

Your right, it probably wasn't an oversight, as I stated above. It was a financial move. I explained why in my previous post.

And just because they where involved with another franchise 30years ago doesn't really mean much. They didn't have the rights to the figures then either. Nor was it the same situation, as Lucas film never lost control of the rights to Star Wars. Being involved in a production of a movie does not mean you own the rights. They where essentially an investor. And they way movies where distributed back then has changed dramatically. Back then the only way to get a wide release (lots of theaters) was to partner with a major studio, as they had exclusivity rights with many theaters. That also played a part. But Lucas never licensed the film rights to fox. Fox did not have the likeness rights to Star Wars. So I guess in regards to likeness rights it's the same, but outside of that the situation is completely different

Mmm..don't think that's true, I seem to recall watching a documentary about Star Wars in which Lucas said the studio (Fox) thought the film would flop and didn't want the merchantising rights so Lucas bought them from Fox.

I'm no expert but I have been told that actors usually sign over thier likeneses for merchandising as part of a 'standard" studio/film contract it's al part and parcel of premoting the film.