Jurassic World A roaring success
Ahead of the launch of Jurassic World Dominion this summer, Toy World examines the world-leading global franchise that has driven massive sales, and captivated consumers, for nearly three decades.
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ovie licensed merchandise has always been a key fixture in toy retail aisles. The excitement generated by the launch of a blockbuster movie, coupled with heavyweight promotional activity, is a longstanding recipe for sales success. Or, at least, it was a recipe for success – until the pandemic struck in 2020. Almost overnight, cinemas were forced to close for prolonged periods of time, and movie audiences needed to look elsewhere for entertainment. Even before the pandemic, streaming services had begun to impact traditional media channels, especially linear TV. The advent of lockdowns saw platforms like Netflix, Amazon and the newlylaunched Disney+ grow exponentially, driving immediate success for many of the shows and movies that debuted on these channels. Coupled with the rise of YouTube and new social media platforms such as TikTok, kids were being exposed to properties and brands across a wider range of places than ever before. However, while YouTube and streaming platforms are undoubtedly here to stay, the return of cinemas has been eagerly anticipated – and 2022 promises to be a golden year for fans of blockbuster
movies. Many movie studios delayed major releases that were originally due to hit cinemas in 2021, so the pipeline of content for this year is exceptional.
members Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill, marking the first time all three actors have been onscreen together since Jurassic Park in 1993.
And while cinema-goers are planning which movies to watch over the coming months, toy retailers are also preparing for a surge in interest in merchandise associated with this year’s bumper crop of releases. Arguably, the summer’s major movie event as far as the toy retail channel is concerned is Jurassic World Dominion.
Excitement has been ramped up by the release of two pieces of content so far: an impressive fiveminute prologue and the most recent three-minute adrenaline-fuelled trailer, which suggests a movie filled with high octane thrills and excitement, a huge dollop of tension and high drama…and even bigger - and more - dinosaurs than before. “Bigger…why do they always have to go bigger?” Jeff Goldblum asks at the end of the trailer. I think we all know the answer to that question. We’re also asked to contemplate whether humans and dinosaurs can co-exist, while being teased that the movie will allow us to “experience the epic conclusion of the Jurassic era.”
From Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Jurassic World immerses audiences of all ages in a world of wonder and thrills, where dinosaurs and humankind must learn to coexist. Jurassic World is more than a film franchise. At every turn, this $5 billion+ film series delivers a larger-than-life destination for exploration, discovery and epic adventure. Jurassic World Dominion is scheduled for release on June 10th – almost twelve months to the day after its original release date was postponed. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the latest movie in a franchise which spans nearly three decades sees the return of not only Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard – the main protagonists of the recent Jurassic World movies, but also original cast
The trailer has certainly whetted movie-goers appetites for the film release – and with product hitting shelves in the middle of April, licensees and retailers are getting geared up for product to start flying off shelves well ahead of the movie. Geoff Sheffield, chief commercial & marketing officer at The Entertainer, told Toy World: “Here at The Entertainer, we love blockbuster
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