It’s no secret that Barbie has been a huge success, earning over $1 billion at the box office. But where does Mattel go from here?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers are already lamenting the success of the film as Hollywood learns the wrong lessons from Barbie’s massive success. “Maybe Hollywood is smart enough, which is the funniest start to a sentence, ever,” says one producer with experience in the ‘toy-to-screen’ pipeline. “But if anyone is watching Barbie and saying, ‘You know why this movie worked? It’s because of a toy’ you are taking away the wrong lesson.”
If you feel a bit gross at the mention of the ‘toy-to-screen’ pipeline, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, it looks as though Hollywood, or at the least Mattel, will be leaning into this in the coming years, starting with Hot Wheels.
A Hot Wheels movie has been on the cards for a long time, with J.J. Abrams currently attached to produce the “emotional and grounded and gritty” project about… err… yeah, those flashy toy cars for kids.
It still doesn’t have a script yet, but Hot Wheels is expected to be Mattel’s next big push into Hollywood. However, that’s only the next step. According to THR, both Uno and View Master movies are also in the works. There’s also a Polly Pocket movie on its way from Lena Dunham, not to mention the upcoming Rock Em Sock Em Robots with Vin Diesel. There's even a Wishbone movie in the works, as well as a film based on Matchbox cars.
If executives have their way, we'll all be enjoying the Mattel Cinematic Universe in not time. However, Hollywood insiders think Mattel shouldn’t expect the same level of success.
“Multiple insiders note that not all toys are created equal,” said THR. “What is the edge to Hot Wheels? What is the juice?” questions an unnamed producer. That’s the big question: how can Mattel follow up the success of Barbie with another toy-to-screen movie?
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav name-dropped the movie during the company’s second-quarter earnings report, noting it’s expected to be a huge boon to third-quarter earnings. However, the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes mean that a Barbie sequel, if there can be one, is certainly a long way off, leaving Mattel to turn to its other toys for inspiration. Whether or not they’ll make the same impact remains to be seen, but either way, it looks as though they’re going to try.
IGN’s Barbie review gave it 9/10 and said: “Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a masterful exploration of femininity and the pressures of perfection. This hyper-femme roller-coaster ride boasts meticulous production design, immaculate casting, and a deep-seated reverence for Barbie herself. Absolutely wear your pinkest outfit to see this movie, but make sure you bring tissues along too.”
Want to read more about Barbie? Check out how Barbie and Ken baby names have skyrocketed since the film’s release as well as Margot Robbie on the iconic doll’s cultural significance.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
