Speculation: Hot Toys "Solo" Movie Figures

[evenflow]

That’s a completely asinine comparison and you know it. Not liking the film is one thing and you guys that didn’t like it are entitled to your opinions but this is still Star Wars. It’s not some crappy made for tv franchise that’s always been nothing but a joke. I don’t think the hatred is as clear cut as some like to make it out. The film was divisive yes, but it’s not like everybody hated it.


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I hated it. In truth, although I see people online defending the movie I have yet to meet anyone in person who enjoyed the Last Jedi. I have met people who hate the movie less than I but not one person who really liked it. I think making this the Sharknado of the Star Wars universe is a pretty good comparison.

 

[RandomHero]

TLJ was a dumpster fire. It's a hilarious mess. Hasbro's CEO claims that TLJ merch "unexpectedly declined" after the film was released:

[URL="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-28/hasbro-ceo-admits-making-strategic-mistake-with-last-jedi-toys"[/URL]

According to Forbes, sales decreased by 47% from the year prior:

From the Forbes article: "Star Wars toys were the top brand of 2016 with nearly $760 million in sales, and they were also the #1 property in 2015, with similar numbers. This year? Bested by Nerf and Pokemon."

And it's a quiet May the 4th.

I absolutely respect Jack Bauer, his contributions to our community and whatever his connections are to Disney....that said, I have to vehemently disagree with him that overall the movie was well liked except for YouTube trolls. I know very few people who liked the movie, and I know even fewer who liked it without having anything to nitpick on. I know a TON of people who didn't like the movie, and I know a handful who have sworn off Star Wars and have been selling their collectables. Disney can sit there and spin it as much as they want to their heart's content (and believe me, with the amount of money they've invested in movies and theme parks, I'd be singing the Star Wars praises every chance I got too), but at the end of the day, there is more negativity from the core fans of Star Wars than ever before, and that's problematic.

At some point, I have no doubt all of those people will be back. Maybe the Solo movie will start the healing. Maybe it will make things worse. We'll find out later this month. But to say Star Wars as a franchise wasn't effected by the last movie at all is just silly.

 

[Mara]

Imagine having the cognitive dissonance to say marketing data is wrong because you know a few friends.

 

[Jack Bauer]

TLJ was a dumpster fire. It's a hilarious mess. Hasbro's CEO claims that TLJ merch "unexpectedly declined" after the film was released:

[URL="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-28/hasbro-ceo-admits-making-strategic-mistake-with-last-jedi-toys"[/URL]

According to Forbes, sales decreased by 47% from the year prior:

From the Forbes article: "Star Wars toys were the top brand of 2016 with nearly $760 million in sales, and they were also the #1 property in 2015, with similar numbers. This year? Bested by Nerf and Pokemon."

And it's a quiet May the 4th.

It's market over saturation pure and simple like I said. Nowhere in this article does it say the merch unexpectedly declined AFTER the films release. The decline in sales was there from the get go in Sept for Force Friday, months before the films release in mid December The article is good, it very clearly points to over saturation or franchise fatigue. Disney knows this, they are course correcting by trying not to flood the market.

 

[Jaycepticon]

Disney knows this, they are course correcting by trying not to flood the market.

Does your friend in the business who told you this happen to work for Anovos?

 

[Jack Bauer]

I absolutely respect Jack Bauer, his contributions to our community and whatever his connections are to Disney....that said, I have to vehemently disagree with him that overall the movie was well liked except for YouTube trolls. I know very few people who liked the movie, and I know even fewer who liked it without having anything to nitpick on. I know a TON of people who didn't like the movie, and I know a handful who have sworn off Star Wars and have been selling their collectables. Disney can sit there and spin it as much as they want to their heart's content (and believe me, with the amount of money they've invested in movies and theme parks, I'd be singing the Star Wars praises every chance I got too), but at the end of the day, there is more negativity from the core fans of Star Wars than ever before, and that's problematic.

At some point, I have no doubt all of those people will be back. Maybe the Solo movie will start the healing. Maybe it will make things worse. We'll find out later this month. But to say Star Wars as a franchise wasn't effected by the last movie at all is just silly.

Thank you my friend. We must be talking to different types of fans, because while their are some strong opinions of those who don't like it, most people I know thought it was good. Different than the others but good. I never said it was perfect, it is far from it, but so is TFA.

For those who would swear off SW? Come on really? That's a bit extreme and honestly quite laughable. Were they not around for the prequels? Especially AOTC?

It's a debated film for sure. I even have things I wish were different. Time will tell and opinions will change(look at the prequels). But its hard to argue with $1.321 billion box office. Show me another film in a franchise with a "split fanbase" that did that well. You can say well its SW so everyone will see it, but that much $$$$ requires repeat viewings.

My whole point here is not getting into a heated debate on the merits of TLJ whether its great or not, I cant change anyone's opinion nor do I intend to. But I am a hardcore OT fan who grew up the the originals, saw them all in the theaters when they were released. Luke was my guy, my way in to SW I related to him, pretended to be him. SW shaped me, it is part of my life. The OT experience will never happen again...ever. Nostalgia only goes so far, look at TFA. These new movies aren't for me. I desperately wanted to see Luke pick up his green Jedi saber and put on a clinic. But this Luke was different, jaded less optimistic and a bit hard to accept. But times change I am not the same man I was at 20 or 25 I wrestle to this day with things I did and mistakes I made when I was young. So does Luke it turns out, to me it humanizes him. It has to go a different direction and people dislike change, it makes them uncomfortable and they turn away sometimes. But when I look at my daughter and see her pick up one of the many lightsabers around my house and pretend to be Rey or want a Rey costume, we have a moment where my lifelong love of SW can pass on to her, so to me Disney is doing something right.

 

[morphosis]

Thank you my friend. We must be talking to different types of fans, because while their are some strong opinions of those who don't like it, most people I know thought it was good. Different than the others but good. I never said it was perfect, it is far from it, but so is TFA.

For those who would swear off SW? Come on really? That's a bit extreme and honestly quite laughable. Were they not around for the prequels? Especially AOTC?

It's a debated film for sure. I even have things I wish were different. Time will tell and opinions will change(look at the prequels). But its hard to argue with $1.321 billion box office. Show me another film in a franchise with a "split fanbase" that did that well. You can say well its SW so everyone will see it, but that much $$$$ requires repeat viewings.

My whole point here is not getting into a heated debate on the merits of TLJ whether its great or not, I cant change anyone's opinion nor do I intend to. But I am a hardcore OT fan who grew up the the originals, saw them all in the theaters when they were released. Luke was my guy, my way in to SW I related to him, pretended to be him. SW shaped me, it is part of my life. The OT experience will never happen again...ever. Nostalgia only goes so far, look at TFA. These new movies aren't for me. I desperately wanted to see Luke pick up his green Jedi saber and put on a clinic. But this Luke was different, jaded less optimistic and a bit hard to accept. But times change I am not the same man I was at 20 or 25 I wrestle to this day with things I did and mistakes I made when I was young. So does Luke it turns out, to me it humanizes him. It has to go a different direction and people dislike change, it makes them uncomfortable and they turn away sometimes. But when I look at my daughter and see her pick up one of the many lightsabers around my house and pretend to be Rey or want a Rey costume, we have a moment where my lifelong love of SW can pass on to her, so to me Disney is doing something right.

In my circle of friends, family, and co-workers, I only know 1 person who didn't like TLJ, and there was no one I know personally that didn't like TFA. The one who didn't like TLJ i also don't share a lot of the same movie tastes with him to begin with. So I wasn't shocked he didn't like it. I was pretty much expecting him not to like it. But he didn't like blow up on me like one of the raving YouTubers why he didn't like it and he never brought up social issues with it. He still a big fan of the franchise, he's got a massive amount of SW collectibles. It didn't ruin his view of SW in any way.

I love the part about your daughter picking up lightsabers and wanting to be Rey. That is how I was when i first saw SW. I wanted to be Luke too. She now sees herself as Rey, can relate, and wants to be like her. Thats the power and magic of SW.

I wear Star Wars T-shirts a lot, and i can't count how many times kids and adults will say "cool shirt" when i walk down the street. I remember after TFA a little kid saw my shirt and was so excited and pointed out to me she was wearing a SW shirt too with Rey and BB8. It was pretty adorable. I will never forget it. Thats the power of Star Wars. Bringing people together like that.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I cant change anyone's opinion nor do I intend to. But I am a hardcore OT fan who grew up the the originals, saw them all in the theaters when they were released. Luke was my guy, my way in to SW I related to him, pretended to be him. SW shaped me, it is part of my life. The OT experience will never happen again...ever. Nostalgia only goes so far, look at TFA. These new movies aren't for me. I desperately wanted to see Luke pick up his green Jedi saber and put on a clinic. But this Luke was different, jaded less optimistic and a bit hard to accept. But times change I am not the same man I was at 20 or 25 I wrestle to this day with things I did and mistakes I made when I was young. So does Luke it turns out, to me it humanizes him. It has to go a different direction and people dislike change, it makes them uncomfortable and they turn away sometimes. But when I look at my daughter and see her pick up one of the many lightsabers around my house and pretend to be Rey or want a Rey costume, we have a moment where my lifelong love of SW can pass on to her, so to me Disney is doing something right.

This is nice and very well stated.

The times, they are a changin'

...yet, as Holden Caulfield once said: the more things change, the more things stay the same.

 

[Jack Bauer]

This is nice and very well stated.

The times, they are a changin'

...yet, as Holden Caulfield once said: the more things change, the more things stay the same.

To paraphrase the current box office champion our favorite Mad Titan:

I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening, turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same...

 

[RandomHero]

Thank you my friend. We must be talking to different types of fans, because while their are some strong opinions of those who don't like it, most people I know thought it was good. Different than the others but good. I never said it was perfect, it is far from it, but so is TFA.

For those who would swear off SW? Come on really? That's a bit extreme and honestly quite laughable. Were they not around for the prequels? Especially AOTC?

It's a debated film for sure. I even have things I wish were different. Time will tell and opinions will change(look at the prequels). But its hard to argue with $1.321 billion box office. Show me another film in a franchise with a "split fanbase" that did that well. You can say well its SW so everyone will see it, but that much $$$$ requires repeat viewings.

My whole point here is not getting into a heated debate on the merits of TLJ whether its great or not, I cant change anyone's opinion nor do I intend to. But I am a hardcore OT fan who grew up the the originals, saw them all in the theaters when they were released. Luke was my guy, my way in to SW I related to him, pretended to be him. SW shaped me, it is part of my life. The OT experience will never happen again...ever. Nostalgia only goes so far, look at TFA. These new movies aren't for me. I desperately wanted to see Luke pick up his green Jedi saber and put on a clinic. But this Luke was different, jaded less optimistic and a bit hard to accept. But times change I am not the same man I was at 20 or 25 I wrestle to this day with things I did and mistakes I made when I was young. So does Luke it turns out, to me it humanizes him. It has to go a different direction and people dislike change, it makes them uncomfortable and they turn away sometimes. But when I look at my daughter and see her pick up one of the many lightsabers around my house and pretend to be Rey or want a Rey costume, we have a moment where my lifelong love of SW can pass on to her, so to me Disney is doing something right.

Believe me, I'm not looking to end up in a debate, especially not with someone I like on these boards. At the end of the day, this movie has been debated to death on these forums and all around the internet, so spending more time on it than the occasional point here and there is just not something I care to do anymore. Especially with a new movie coming out to hopefully move past all of this TLJ stuff.

As crazy as it is to say, I do actually know two people who have sworn off Star Wars entirely due to The Last Jedi. One is a friend of mine that's a pretty Star Wars fan, the other is one of my best friends that puts most Star Wars fans to shame. This guy spent tens of thousands of dollars on Star Wars memorabilia and collectables, went to as many Star Wars conventions as he could, paid to have stuff signed by Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, and was in the process of creating a Sandtrooper cosplay to join the 501st Legion with. He was no joke as a fan, but he's been selling his Star Wars stuff - pretty much everything except his really vintage collectables - and he abandoned the plan to join the Legion. And this is one of the more level headed guys I know.

And of course, you can't go on any Star Wars post on social media without the people wearing they'll never spend another dime on Star Wars. It's unavoidable.

Like you, I grew up with the OT. I was born in the late 80s and was 12 when The Phantom Menace came out, but by that point my dad had me fully invested in Star Wars and I was a huge fan. Other than Attack of the Clones and The Last Jedi, I've enjoyed just about everything Star Wars that's been on screen (I can even enjoy TPM, if I watch it on DVD and skip the entire podrace sequence). I could never imagine ever swearing off something I love so much. The story, the characters, it's all meant so much to me. I have no choice but to accept the movies I don't like as canon, but I can just avoid watching them and spend time with the films I do like. It's as simple as that.

I didn't mind TFA, it has its fair share of issues but overall it got me excited for more Star Wars movies. TLJ, I absolutely hated. And it was so much more than just the Luke thing. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. Like you said, we all change with age, and Luke was no exception. And I've said that same thing about Luke running away having humanized him as a character, whether or not that was necessary is an entirely different debate. My issues with TLJ are different - Admiral Ackbar having an off screen death, the entire Canto Bight sequence (waste of time), Rose as a character, making Poe (originally a cool character) seem incompetent, and ESPECIALLY the Princess Leia/Mary Poppins scene in space. I just hated too much about the movie to like it, but that doesn't mean I'll swear off of it. Unlike most people, I enjoy Rey, so I'll keep up with it to see more of her story.

But anyway, I'll agree with you, with the money this film made, in no way was it a failure. It was definitely a financial success. But I'll 100% stand behind my remarks that the franchise was definitely hurt by the movie, because with so much negativity surrounding it and so many people losing their love for Star Wars because every major original character is gone, and not in a way they would have liked, the hardcore fans and collectors are going to be taking steps back, and that will hurt the financials, as evidenced by that Forbes article. I don't think Star Wars is forever damaged, but it's definitely damaged as a result of TLJ.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Have you heard anything about figures from the film or OT Han and Lando Jack?

 

[Franken Berry]

Believe me, I'm not looking to end up in a debate, especially not with someone I like on these boards. At the end of the day, this movie has been debated to death on these forums and all around the internet, so spending more time on it than the occasional point here and there is just not something I care to do anymore. Especially with a new movie coming out to hopefully move past all of this TLJ stuff.

As crazy as it is to say, I do actually know two people who have sworn off Star Wars entirely due to The Last Jedi. One is a friend of mine that's a pretty Star Wars fan, the other is one of my best friends that puts most Star Wars fans to shame. This guy spent tens of thousands of dollars on Star Wars memorabilia and collectables, went to as many Star Wars conventions as he could, paid to have stuff signed by Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, and was in the process of creating a Sandtrooper cosplay to join the 501st Legion with. He was no joke as a fan, but he's been selling his Star Wars stuff - pretty much everything except his really vintage collectables - and he abandoned the plan to join the Legion. And this is one of the more level headed guys I know.

And of course, you can't go on any Star Wars post on social media without the people wearing they'll never spend another dime on Star Wars. It's unavoidable.

Like you, I grew up with the OT. I was born in the late 80s and was 12 when The Phantom Menace came out, but by that point my dad had me fully invested in Star Wars and I was a huge fan. Other than Attack of the Clones and The Last Jedi, I've enjoyed just about everything Star Wars that's been on screen (I can even enjoy TPM, if I watch it on DVD and skip the entire podrace sequence). I could never imagine ever swearing off something I love so much. The story, the characters, it's all meant so much to me. I have no choice but to accept the movies I don't like as canon, but I can just avoid watching them and spend time with the films I do like. It's as simple as that.

I didn't mind TFA, it has its fair share of issues but overall it got me excited for more Star Wars movies. TLJ, I absolutely hated. And it was so much more than just the Luke thing. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. Like you said, we all change with age, and Luke was no exception. And I've said that same thing about Luke running away having humanized him as a character, whether or not that was necessary is an entirely different debate. My issues with TLJ are different - Admiral Ackbar having an off screen death, the entire Canto Bight sequence (waste of time), Rose as a character, making Poe (originally a cool character) seem incompetent, and ESPECIALLY the Princess Leia/Mary Poppins scene in space. I just hated too much about the movie to like it, but that doesn't mean I'll swear off of it. Unlike most people, I enjoy Rey, so I'll keep up with it to see more of her story.

But anyway, I'll agree with you, with the money this film made, in no way was it a failure. It was definitely a financial success. But I'll 100% stand behind my remarks that the franchise was definitely hurt by the movie, because with so much negativity surrounding it and so many people losing their love for Star Wars because every major original character is gone, and not in a way they would have liked, the hardcore fans and collectors are going to be taking steps back, and that will hurt the financials, as evidenced by that Forbes article. I don't think Star Wars is forever damaged, but it's definitely damaged as a result of TLJ.

Sorry for the long post.

I agree. Star Wars is supposed to be about bringing people together, but they've politicized it in a way that I find patronizing. The Canto Bight sequence was nauseating. I'm pretty sure my kids aren't interested in a lecture on egalitarianism. The film was tone deaf, given the current political climate. All the Star Wars forums are political now, and frankly I'm sick of hearing about politics. I don't need it in my space opera. I'll probably give Solo a chance, but if it sucks I think I'll be done with the franchise for a while.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Have you heard anything about figures from the film or OT Han and Lando Jack?

Yes sir I have . Han and Lando fans should be pretty happy over they next few years

 

[Jack Bauer]

I agree. Star Wars is supposed to be about bringing people together, but they've politicized it in a way that I find patronizing. The Canto Bight sequence was nauseating. I'm pretty sure my kids aren't interested in a lecture on egalitarianism. The film was tone deaf, given the current political climate. All the Star Wars forums are political now, and frankly I'm sick of hearing about politics. I don't need it in my space opera. I'll probably give Solo a chance, but if it sucks I think I'll be done with the franchise for a while.

Fair enough man... I think the key words you said are the final 3 of your post.... No one’s ever really gone...lol

 

[Wor-Gar]

Han and Lando fans should be pretty happy over they next few years

I think the key words you said are the final 3 of your post

And the final three of your post too.

 

[RandomHero]

Except I don't want to wait a few years for ESB Lando lol.

 

[Jayrod88]

The New Star Wars has too much of a Marvel studios vibe. Too much zingy comedy, not enough character building to feel attatched. I think the best thing Disney could do is distance themselves from the Empire vs Rebels story and take it into deep space and let the war play a role in the background. Rogue One was a great movie, but again, there was too much new tech/armors added. Disney has access to a slew of aliens, instead they make new creatures, new planets, and nothing from the past is mentioned. Everything has felt like a soft rebrand.

 

[zeiss]

It's market over saturation pure and simple like I said. Nowhere in this article does it say the merch unexpectedly declined AFTER the films release. The decline in sales was there from the get go in Sept for Force Friday, months before the films release in mid December The article is good, it very clearly points to over saturation or franchise fatigue. Disney knows this, they are course correcting by trying not to flood the market.

This oversaturation should have been easy to predict after the same thing happened with phantom menace merchandise so long ago. I remember them pulling back quite a bit for AOTC.

I do wonder if it's something else as well. Compared to a few years ago, the hardcore fans have more and more options for Star Wars merchandise that is higher quality than what hasbro produces. Black series figures look like dollar store toys compared to mafex and figuarts figures. At least the humans ones do. I think that is changing with the new face painting technology that hasbro is using, but that wasn't really the case with the TLJ figures. Plus, there are hot toys Star Wars figures that are likely more interesting for hardcore collectors and buying a few of those probably takes up most of the collecting budget for most people. There are just so many options out there, many of them higher quality, that I can't see why many fans would be really into the Hasbro stuff. I for one really wanted to be excited about the new figures but they just don't look great, with a few exceptions.

 

[hen88]

I hated it. In truth, although I see people online defending the movie I have yet to meet anyone in person who enjoyed the Last Jedi. I have met people who hate the movie less than I but not one person who really liked it. I think making this the Sharknado of the Star Wars universe is a pretty good comparison.

I only know one person who hated it. Everyone else I know loved it or liked it with some reservations.

 

[Franken Berry]

I only know one person who hated it. Everyone else I know loved it or liked it with some reservations.

I'm in my early 40's. I don't know anyone my age who liked the film. GenX reactions I've heard range from mild frustration to seething hatred. My wife hated it, and her friends at work who care about pop culture also made fun of the film. Family members I've spoken to didn't like it, either.

The only younger people I interact with are in my office. I have noticed that people in their 20's seemed to enjoy it. Thankfully, no one talks about politics in my office, so I haven't heard any heated debates about the film.