Wednesday, August 19, 2009

TOYS GO BOX OFFICE BOFFO!



With the recent mega-success of Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, could THE OUTER SPACE MEN be next? Transformers 2, the sequel to the 2007 box office smash hit Transformers, has ticket sales that make Hollywood execs feel good inside. While still in some theaters, the flick based on a popular toy property, has grossed $825 mil worldwide. Not too shabby when you consider the production budget was a mere $200 Mil. So, it shouldn't be surprising that Hollywood is snatching up toy properties and adapting them to the Big Screen. Especially when you consider the success of Paramount's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. After only a week and a half, this film, based on the iconic action-figures, has box office revenue that has already surpassed it's production budget by $20 mil!

Last February, Universal Pictures signed a six-year, four-picture partnership with Hasbro toys. Among the properties reported to be associated with this deal is flexible action-figure Stretch Armstrong. And Universal hasn't stopped with Stretch. Earlier this year, they announced plans to produce a film based on Major Matt Mason - Mattel's Man in Space. But don't make the mistake of thinking that Hollywood is "playing around" with these toy properties. Oscar Award winner Brian Grazer has been charged with the task of producing Stretch Armstrong. Universal also has assembled a talented team to bring Major Matt to the silver screen. Multi-Oscar award winning actor Tom Hanks is to star in the film that Emmy Award winner Graham Yost has written.

So why not THE OUTER SPACE MEN? Hasn't the time come to bring this incredible toy to movie theaters worldwide? Imagine an OSM film directed by Zack Snyder, or Robert Rodriguez. With the CGI technology available to today's creators, the possibilities are limitless. Isn't a movie featuring the greatest heroes our solar system has to offer more intriguing than a flick about Legos?

No comments: