Actor Randall Park has said what we’re all thinking, as he points out that Mattel has taken the wrong lessons from Barbie's success.
When Mattel began teasing the beginning of a toy cinematic universe – including a Polly Pocket movie starring Lily Collins – film fans on social media let out a collective sigh. Barbie has surpassed the $1 billion mark, so that must mean we all want more toy films, right?
Well, wrong. Greta Gerwig’s incredible success with the film stems not from the use of the Barbie IP, but from creating a film that speaks to the experiences of so many women in the audience. Perhaps more impressively, it feels like a genuinely unique creative vision remained somewhat intact despite the involvement of studio executives.
Actor Randall Park has said exactly that, as he commented in an interview with Rolling Stone about studios taking all the wrong lessons from their successes. “Barbie is this massive blockbuster, and the idea is: Make more movies about toys! No — make more movies by and about women!” Park said. “It’s Greta Gerwig!”
Despite the film becoming the highest-grossing ever for a female director, Mattel seems to have learned the wrong lessons from its box office success. The company’s CEO Ynon Kreiz has already hinted at its filmmaking future – and it sounds far too much like the Marvel model.
“We haven’t announced anything, and it’s probably a bit early to talk about sequels, but obviously, with the success of the film…that would invite more opportunities,” he said in a conference call. “We operate in an industry where everyone is looking for these moments, for these brands, for these cultural events. And they happen, but they don’t happen that often. [So] we expect the brand to continue to grow, we expect to have more opportunities in content — and this in not just film, this is television and other areas.”
With projects based around Polly Pocket, the American Girl doll and even Hot Wheels on the way, it seems we’ll be getting more toy films whether we like it or not.
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