Post by legomer on Jan 7, 2009 11:21:11 GMT -5
I hate to be the one to open this particular can of worms again, but I have to ask the question that must be on at least one more person's mind besides mine: What is Lego thinking?
I hope that they are pulling back from Batman for the purpose of redesigning and rereleasing the line later on. But if they aren't...
Whoever is in charge of deciding what sets to release and how to market them should be given at least a strong reprimand. At least. Why? Three words: The. Dark. Knight.
To quote the Joker, "let's wind the clocks back a year." The buzz and hype for this movie was INSANE. Maybe it was because of Heath Ledger's tragic death. Maybe it was because TDK was the most anticipated sequel of 2008. Either way you go, this movie was always going to be HUGE, and everybody knew it. Everybody except Lego, apparently.
Of course, months before the movie even came out, the toys hit the shelves. And admittedly, while some toys were hotter than others, people were rushing to buy their own piece of what would be movie history. I mean, the Movie Masters line alone caused me to drive to every Wal-Mart and Target within a 50 mile radius. And I know I'm not alone.
All this brings me back to the Lego line of Batman sets. They decided to design sets that were based more on the cartoony version of the Batman universe. In fairness, I do get that they are trying to market these sets to a wide demographic, from children all the way up to adult collectors, like me. Also to be fair, I am so glad that they released multiple versions of the Batman minifig, illustrating different film and comic incarnations of the character.
Here's my question: Where was the foresight when it came to The Dark Knight? Again, everybody knew this movie was going to be huge. Even Lego must've had some idea, because they did slap a Dark Knight logo on their boxes. They just decided that they didn't need to release sets that directly related to the film. This is where, IMO, Lego missed out on a HUGE opportunity. Of course, something must've clicked along the way, because they did eventually release a Tumbler, along with a Batman minifig from TDK. Again, for this, I am sincerely grateful. But let's face it, we all know a Ledger version of the Joker minifig would have sold like HOT CAKES. Sets that captured the best action sequences from the film would have sold big too. Everything from a "Semi-Truck Pursuit" and "Roof of MCU" to "Bank Heist" and "The Narrows" sets would have been incredible.
Years ago, when Spider-Man 2 was big, Lego released sets that were directly related to the film. Harry Potter? Same thing. Star Wars? Same thing. Then the most successful movie of the year (almost the most successful film of ALL TIME) comes out, and Lego doesn't do it?
And now Lego seems to be saying that they are dropping the line completely. Again, I hope this means that Lego has come to their senses, and are going to redesign and rerelease the line at a later date. If not, then I am speechless over this decision.
Bottom line, Batman is still a HOT property right now. A third Nolan Batfilm is a certainty. Lego should not completely drop the line just because they initially (although not completely) mismanaged the property. Okay, I'm off my soap box now...
Legomer
I hope that they are pulling back from Batman for the purpose of redesigning and rereleasing the line later on. But if they aren't...
Whoever is in charge of deciding what sets to release and how to market them should be given at least a strong reprimand. At least. Why? Three words: The. Dark. Knight.
To quote the Joker, "let's wind the clocks back a year." The buzz and hype for this movie was INSANE. Maybe it was because of Heath Ledger's tragic death. Maybe it was because TDK was the most anticipated sequel of 2008. Either way you go, this movie was always going to be HUGE, and everybody knew it. Everybody except Lego, apparently.
Of course, months before the movie even came out, the toys hit the shelves. And admittedly, while some toys were hotter than others, people were rushing to buy their own piece of what would be movie history. I mean, the Movie Masters line alone caused me to drive to every Wal-Mart and Target within a 50 mile radius. And I know I'm not alone.
All this brings me back to the Lego line of Batman sets. They decided to design sets that were based more on the cartoony version of the Batman universe. In fairness, I do get that they are trying to market these sets to a wide demographic, from children all the way up to adult collectors, like me. Also to be fair, I am so glad that they released multiple versions of the Batman minifig, illustrating different film and comic incarnations of the character.
Here's my question: Where was the foresight when it came to The Dark Knight? Again, everybody knew this movie was going to be huge. Even Lego must've had some idea, because they did slap a Dark Knight logo on their boxes. They just decided that they didn't need to release sets that directly related to the film. This is where, IMO, Lego missed out on a HUGE opportunity. Of course, something must've clicked along the way, because they did eventually release a Tumbler, along with a Batman minifig from TDK. Again, for this, I am sincerely grateful. But let's face it, we all know a Ledger version of the Joker minifig would have sold like HOT CAKES. Sets that captured the best action sequences from the film would have sold big too. Everything from a "Semi-Truck Pursuit" and "Roof of MCU" to "Bank Heist" and "The Narrows" sets would have been incredible.
Years ago, when Spider-Man 2 was big, Lego released sets that were directly related to the film. Harry Potter? Same thing. Star Wars? Same thing. Then the most successful movie of the year (almost the most successful film of ALL TIME) comes out, and Lego doesn't do it?
And now Lego seems to be saying that they are dropping the line completely. Again, I hope this means that Lego has come to their senses, and are going to redesign and rerelease the line at a later date. If not, then I am speechless over this decision.
Bottom line, Batman is still a HOT property right now. A third Nolan Batfilm is a certainty. Lego should not completely drop the line just because they initially (although not completely) mismanaged the property. Okay, I'm off my soap box now...
Legomer