NECA: 1/4 Batman 1989 Michael Keaton figure

[DiFabio]

Who knows with Nicholson, who knows.

NECA could just as easily put up a Nicholson Joker with a great likeness and at first we'd be like "woah, didn't expect that", but afterwards take it for granted after taking it all in. This Keaton Batman sort of surprises me for some reason. I didn't think it'd be available, certainly not at Toy Fair.


Nicholson is in on this merchandise stuff too. Didn't Hot Toys say they showed him their headsculpt and figure (for approval no doubt) and he started laughing with joy? Unless they made that up, he probably gets off on it, companies coming up to him, "can we make a figure of you as the Joker". All we can do as consumers is speculate and wait and see.





Also, didn't Nicholson get some cut on Batman Returns? I remember reading he gets a small portion on ALL things Batman movie related, not just '89. Danny Devito said something like he'd come to the sets with his kids, check everything out, then pick up his check.

 

[Psycho]

Sounds awesome. I guess we will have to wait and see... I see 89' Joker more than Nolan Joker. Simply because EnterBay has already released an 1/4 scale Joker. But who Really knows. They did say in one of their tweets, that they wasn't sure which one they were doing first...

 

[Gipetto0812]

NECA won't include multiple heads if they feel they can sell two figures. They made the P1 Predator as 3 separate figures for each head variation.

Plus, if they do a damaged Batman 89, they won't half *** it like HT, they'll damage the cowl, the suit, not just a bloody face plate.

they also released Gollum and Smeagol separately even though the only difference was the sculpt. I'm kind of surprised (but not) that they didn't throw in a maskless sculpt for Cap or even made it a varient

 

[TragicCracker]

Also, didn't Nicholson get some cut on Batman Returns? I remember reading he gets a small portion on ALL things Batman movie related, not just '89. Danny Devito said something like he'd come to the sets with his kids, check everything out, then pick up his check.

Nicholson made a brilliant demand with the B89 production team and studio. He knew the studio needed him to provide big name credibility to the project. So, he worked out a big contract (small by today's standards) but he negotiated in a cut of the film / franchises on screen profits. Which would undoubtedly bring him in WAY more cash over the long haul.

He gets residuals. Whenever B89 is played on HBO, Showtime, local stations ... or if it's re-released on Blu-Ray or whatever new form of home video comes out and a new edition is released ... Nicholson gets his residuals and a piece of the larger "Batman on Screen" pie. So when Batman Begins comes out on video, he gets percentages.

My girlfriend's father was an extra in that Vince Vaughn Christmas movie "Fred Clause" he was supposed to be just a random extra, but ended up getting a small speaking part and signed a one day union pass for filming. Every year he gets a check from that film. And take this into consideration, every year it's usually $40 - $50. And that's with a small un-known movie, that sucked, that no one cares about. Residuals. For the rest of his life. And the scene he was in didn't even make it into the final cut. Now, imagine the residuals Nicholson gets for a major property like Batman, the Batman '89 movie, and for the Batman Franchise as a whole when it does well cinematically? Absurd.

 

[DiFabio]

Yeah, I thought it was for the franchise, not just '89. Crazy.

 

[Psycho]

Wow I had no idea about that... That is very Interesting....

 

[TragicCracker]

Yeah, I thought it was for the franchise, not just '89. Crazy.

Dude is a shrewd business man. Takes his likeness seriously, too it seems. I know Toy Biz didn't get it for their 89 toys.

I don't know how much Kenner had to pay, but Hot Toys and Kenner are the only ones to have featured his likeness.

And we know Hot Toys had to pay through the nose, but they also knew the were producing high end collectibles with an absurd price tag that would get their money back.

 

[HeubertMichael]

Yes, Jack gets a percentage of money made off Batman merchandise, but who can say if WB bumps up the licensing costs to counter that and get more for themselves or if they simply take their cut and move on, they have other properties to be more lucrative for them, Nolan Batman alone has probably more than made up for Nicholson's take on Batman '89. The fees Jack would charage for his likeness are probably more significant because he knows he has companies by the *****, he can call all the shots. Beyond just the financials, Jack's likeness will mean his approval of the portrait, where anything falling under the film rights like Keaton's face will just have WB marketing to run it by. NECA may not want to give the time and effort to go through such a process. For Hot Toys, it's not ncessarily anything new, but I'd imagine with NECA, it's always been between them and the license holder, and fairly straight forward, I can't think of anything they've done where they may have had to go above and beyond for a portrait ona figure.



NECA won't include multiple heads if they feel they can sell two figures. They made the P1 Predator as 3 separate figures for each head variation.

Plus, if they do a damaged Batman 89, they won't half *** it like HT, they'll damage the cowl, the suit, not just a bloody face plate.

Good call. NECA loves smartly re-using molds and calling them "variants", like close mouth, open mouth, masked P1 and the clear and frosted dome of the 22" Alien (though the latter was more done in response to critiques of the first Alien batch's inaccuracy). Not much of a problem, given the good pricepoint. One 1/4 clean 89 Batman and one battle-damaged, post-Batwing crash 1/4 Batman for under $200? HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA!

THe only headache I can only think of getting if NECA churns out this much Batman goodness in 1/4 is space issues.

 

[DarkMagic]

Also, didn't Nicholson get some cut on Batman Returns? I remember reading he gets a small portion on ALL things Batman movie related, not just '89. Danny Devito said something like he'd come to the sets with his kids, check everything out, then pick up his check.

I don't know about that. I remember reading that instead of a salary he negotiated to get a percentage of everything Batman 89 specifically made and continues to from ticket/video sales, toys and all other spin off merch directly related to that one film.

That deal the WB gave him was already pretty generous and borderline stupid on their part as negotiators already...giving him a cut of ALL Batman movie sequels is tantamount to giving him part ownership of the character of Batman...which would be straight up INSANELY bad negotiating.

As it is, I think producer Michael Uslan is the only man that gets paid every time a Batman movie is made. He owns the exclusive movie rights to Batman. His name is in the credits and on every single Batman movie poster (that lists credits) from Batman 89 to TDKR, including all of the animated versions.

 

[DarkMagic]

He gets residuals. Whenever B89 is played on HBO, Showtime, local stations ... or if it's re-released on Blu-Ray or whatever new form of home video comes out and a new edition is released ... Nicholson gets his residuals and a piece of the larger "Batman on Screen" pie. So when Batman Begins comes out on video, he gets percentages.

For Batman '89, yes. But I think the "Legend" of Nicholson's contract is starting to exceed the reality, because it was a pretty epic contract, even if it was just for the ONE movie....then "I heard he also gets a piece of...." gets added to it, and before you know it, we've got the Nicholson owning the DC Universe.

I'll have to look up the terms, but I remember reading in an entertainment law class (not a lawyer, the class was actually more about Media in general) that his deal was just for that one movie. Not saying you're wrong and I'm right....yet. Because I have nothing to back it up with except "I remember reading..." The problem with a quick google search is that a lot of hearsay and contradictory information comes up, making it that much harder to separate the truth of his deal from the "legend" of it.

If anyone can find out what the real terms were, I'd welcome that, even if it proves the "legend" that he has a piece of ALL Batman movies is true.

 

[DiFabio]

All I know is that comment made by Devito during Returns, which Devito did say.

But then, that could have been a joke on Devito's part since, A. the contract deal is so well known (especially in '91 or '92 or whatever) and B. Devito and Nicholson are pals.


Could have very well have been, "yeah, Jack came by the set today, ya know, to pick up his check", you know, in jest. Not seriousness.

 

[ragacin]

Hey sorry to hijack this thread but there isn't a 1/4 Neca Man of Steel thread that I have found. Has/ or can someone tweet Neca and ask them when they will show a photo of their figure? I really want to order it from BBTS but not blind

 

[Hydeous]

I have a feeling it's going to be the Nicholson Joker. Yeah his specific likeness rights are expensive, but since he gets a piece of all Batman 89 swag anyway, NECA's probably going to go for it. Besides, have we seen any indication that they're working on Nolanverse stuff at all in this scale? Hot Toys has the 1/6 Nolan Joker market cornered, and EB has the 1/4 Nolan Joker. There isn't (yet) a 1/4 Burton Joker available, but there is a 1/4 Burton Batman coming....from NECA....so it makes a lot of sense that Nicholson would be the Joker they are talking about as the companion piece. Probably a lot more demand for that version than Romero anyway.

If they do their research and noticed HT's Nicholson joker sales, i doubt that they are going to release him. Ledger joker would be a better figure in term of sales it seems.

 

[Gipetto0812]

^^True but look at the price difference as well...$264.99 compared to what will probably be around $89.99

 

[Psycho]

Yeah, that will be a major factor right there...

 

[Hydeous]

Ok, but just compare HT DX11 and DX08 then. Its Nicholson's first, while its ledger's 4th figure, so technically theres already more Ledger Jokers out there in the market.

 

[geetard]

Hey sorry to hijack this thread but there isn't a 1/4 Neca Man of Steel thread that I have found. Has/ or can someone tweet Neca and ask them when they will show a photo of their figure? I really want to order it from BBTS but not blind

WB have asked them not to show the figure for now.

 

[DiFabio]

If they do their research and noticed HT's Nicholson joker sales, i doubt that they are going to release him. Ledger joker would be a better figure in term of sales it seems.

It still hasn't even been a year since the DX Nicholson Joker was been released though. He hit the markets some time in late March or early April I believe. I dunno, what constitutes as a poor seller? I don't think his sales have been horrible, have they? Seemed like everyone and their grandmothers had this guy in their collection, showing off pics when it was first released. As far as the U.S. markets go, he's sold out everywhere except Sideshow and BBTS, every other place it's gone and who knows how many SS and BBTS actually have left. I'd reckon it isn't many.

For a $260+ figure, I'd say it's sold pretty well. Just because it wasn't a sell out, doesn't mean it failed in terms of sales does it? It's not to often that a figure sells out anyway, unless it's a Batman (Keaton, Bale) or Iron Man figure. Look how long the Reeve Superman lasted online, or Jack Sparrow, I wouldn't say they sold poorly.

Unless we're looking at the secondary markets where it's dipped down to $200+ instead of the original MSRP. But, that's the secondary market. Let's not forget that the Bank Robber Joker could be had for as low as $100 and the DX 01 for $130 after they had settled and the market before they blew up in price a few years later. They probably had lower production runs too.

 

[sallah]

It still hasn't even been a year since the DX Nicholson Joker was been released though. He hit the markets some time in late March or early April I believe. I dunno, what constitutes as a poor seller? I don't think his sales have been horrible, have they? Seemed like everyone and their grandmothers had this guy in their collection, showing off pics when it was first released. As far as the U.S. markets go, he's sold out everywhere except Sideshow and BBTS, every other place it's gone and who knows how many SS and BBTS actually have left. I'd reckon it isn't many.

For a $260+ figure, I'd say it's sold pretty well. Just because it wasn't a sell out, doesn't mean it failed in terms of sales does it? It's not to often that a figure sells out anyway, unless it's a Batman (Keaton, Bale) or Iron Man figure. Look how long the Reeve Superman lasted online, or Jack Sparrow, I wouldn't say they sold poorly.

Unless we're looking at the secondary markets where it's dipped down to $200+ instead of the original MSRP. But, that's the secondary market. Let's not forget that the Bank Robber Joker could be had for as low as $100 and the DX 01 for $130 after they had settled and the market before they blew up in price a few years later. They probably had lower production runs too.

Plus none of us actually know the production runs on these figures. I would wager that HT produced more of the Nicholson Joker due to the expected demand (never done in 1/6th scale... and it is freaking Nisholson Joker) than they did the latest Ledger (which has had multiple figures in 1/6th scale). Aftermarket prices would then reflect this larger supply. If everyone and there mom bought 89 Joker when he first hit (which it seemed like they did), and there was still enough supply to go around at most major outlets for awhile (due to having a larger production run), then the re-sellers that picked these up (or people that changed their mind and decided to sell it) aren't going to have as many customers and therefore won't get as high a price.

I for one would prefer a Nicholson Joker from Neca first. Sure, I am VERY partial to the Burton films... but it really boils down to there being A LOT of high-end Ledger Joker merch versus basically just the HT Joker of Nicholson's version. Time to spread that Joker love around a little more.

Sallah

 

[MaulFan]

I wouldn't use HT sales to gauge success of one Joker over another. I know people got lucky, but some didn't with Jack Joker, from what I could see and experience, HT Jack Joker was a QC mess, mostly the tailoring but to an unacceptable level for his price. I really think HT out less quality in that figure along with the higher price to balance the cost of Jack's license. The figure I got had horrible tailoring, it looked like a $20 figure and when I went to Sideshow about replacement parts I was told oh well, keep it or return it for a full refund, so I sent it back and never bothered getting another one because I was so soured by HT's handling if the figure.