Toymakers Feel The Pinch Of Hollywood’s Light 2024 Movie Lineup

The line of Barbie dolls based on the movie release at Mattel headquarters in El Segundo, California.

(Bloomberg) -- Toymaker Jakks Pacific Inc. lost a quarter of its market value on Friday after saying a shortage of potential Hollywood blockbusters will hold back sales this year.

The company, which sells action figures, Halloween costumes and other merchandise tied to films, isn't expecting a big lift from movie-related products until the fourth quarter, when new pictures from Walt Disney Co.'s and Paramount Global's franchises come out, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Berman said on a conference call Thursday.

“A business like our costume business is often led by the latest blockbuster films, and the relatively light volume this year tends to lead to a softer overall business,” he said.

Jakks isn't alone. Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Inc. have both cited a weaker lineup of Hollywood films as a challenge for sales in 2024. Spin Master Corp., which had a film released last year tied to its Paw Patrol line, said it expects sales this year to be flat, due in part to weaker entertainment-related revenue. Movie studios were forced to push back many releases due to the twin strikes by writers and actors last year. Theater ticket sales were down 18% in the US and Canada through Feb. 25.

“The first half will be difficult as it will be for its peers,” Jefferies analyst Andrew Uerkwitz wrote in a note to clients after Jakks reported results.

The toy industry continues to suffer from weak consumer demand after a boom in the first two years of the pandemic. After a disappointing 2022, when retailers stocked up on too much product, toy sales fell 8% domestically to $28 billion in 2023, as merchants worked through their existing inventory.

Toys related to films are particularly crucial early in the year, when shoppers aren't naturally drawn to toy aisles by holidays like Halloween and Christmas, said Jim Silver, chief executive officer at TTPM, a toy industry website. When they do come to the toy section to pick up something related to a hot film property, they sometimes purchase other toys, compounding the importance of Hollywood hits.

“You start the basket, and then you fill the basket,” Silver said in an interview.

Hasbro, maker of Transformers, G.I. Joe and other toy brands, expects its consumer products sales to be down as much as 12% this year, following a 19% decline in 2023. The company cut 1,100 jobs in December, roughly 20% of staff, after letting go 800 employees earlier in the year.

Mattel, which saw a Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. film tied to its Barbie doll line become the biggest motion picture of 2023, said it expects the toy industry to decline in 2024, although at a lesser rate than 2023. It has 14 other films in the works tied to its toy brands, but none are scheduled for release this year.

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