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The Associated Press have released the following article covering the sucess of the Transformers Movie and it's effect on Hasbro's profit and loss figures.
Like one of its Transformers, Hasbro Inc. has spent the last few years trying to change from a toy company to a business that creates the ideas behind movies, shows and games.
Investors hope to see a payoff from that strategy.
Last month, investors got an early taste of success when the company reported a 62 percent increase in net income. Analysts say those results bode well for the holiday shopping season, which accounted for nearly half of Hasbro's profits in 2006.
Part of what's driving expectations is the two-decade-old Transformers toy line. "Transformers" the movie was released in the United States on July 3, just after the quarter began, and has helped make Transformers products among the most sought-after toys for the coming holiday season.
The movie was the first step in what Hasbro hopes to be a long and fruitful relationship with Hollywood: Hasbro supplies the characters and story lines from its toys - household names such as G.I. Joe and Monopoly. Hollywood turns the ideas into big-budget movies or successful TV shows. Then Hasbro reaps the benefits. A Transformers animated TV show is coming in the spring, and Hasbro is also planning a "Transformers" sequel, a G.I. Joe movie and at least one TV game show.
Hasbro, the world's second-largest toy maker behind Mattel Inc., has made movie-related toys for years, but it did not own some of the most popular brands, such as Spider-Man, and had to pay royalties. A few years ago it struggled with an overreliance on fads, including Furby, and movie-related toys and was forced to cut hundreds of jobs as it lost $144 million.
These days, the company's strategy is to look at the time-tested brands it already owns - Trivial Pursuit, Battleship, Littlest Pet Shop and Mr. Potato Head, for example - and turn those into new products such as movies, TV shows, games or online experiences, said Brian Goldner, Hasbro's chief operating officer.
"Our goal is to create that immersive experience that allows consumers to enjoy our brand anywhere - in any format they want - when they want," Goldner said.
Hasbro has had several good quarters, and investors responded by driving Hasbro's share price up 56 percent in the last two years. Still, in a note to investors last month, Gerrick L. Johnson of BMO Capital Markets Corp. cautioned that the entire toy industry could see fallout from a slowing economy and concerns about toy safety. Although Hasbro has not been involved in the most high-profile toy recalls this year for lead paint, Johnson wrote that sluggish sales could cause retailers to put off buying any more toys in the quarter.
In a separate note, he said he expected Transformers sales could drop off next year because of the lack of a new movie in 2008.
The "Transformers" movie has made about $700 million worldwide since it was released in summer and about $316 million domestically. Hasbro does not share significantly in the box office - something Goldner said it agreed to forgo because it did not invest in the movie's production cost. But it shares in the success in other ways.
It made money by licensing about 230 Transformers products, including cell phone games, video games, even a jacket that transforms to a backpack and a pillow and sells for about $500.
Goldner would not comment specifically on sales of Transformers toys ahead of the earnings report. Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of the trade magazine Toy Wishes, said retailers tell him Transformers sell out as soon as they're put on the shelf.
"These toys, the way they transform and the things that they do, they're really fun," Silver said. "It's the hottest thing in the boys' category."
A new Transformers animated series is scheduled for TV this spring, the movie DVD hit stores last month, and Hasbro is again working with DreamWorks-Paramount on a sequel, tentatively scheduled to be released in June 2009, Goldner said.
Also in development for a tentative 2009 release is a G.I. Joe movie, based on the 1980s comic books and animated series and pitting the G.I. Joe team against the evil forces of Cobra, Goldner said. Stephen Sommers of "The Mummy" movies signed up to direct, along with Stuart Beattie, who wrote the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie.
As with the "Transformers" movies, Hasbro would not share significantly in the box office, Goldner said. The company said it would make new toys based on the G.I. Joe movie, but it would not give details.
Silver said he was excited to see how Hasbro updates the toy line.
"I'm sure G.I. Joe's going to have a lot of cool accessories," he said.
Category: Toy Industry News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Monday, 5th November 2007 at 15:06:36 GMT
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An image of a recoloured Transformers Movie Dreadwind called Overcast, which looks like it has been taken from a mobile phone (cell phone) as appeared on a taobao auction. The toy is black and yellow in colour and can be seen
here.
Category: Transformers Movie News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Monday, 5th November 2007 at 08:44:53 GMT
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Website ComicsInfinity.com have updated their pre-order page with the first two issues of the Transformers Animated Trade Paperbacks. This First Volume contains the entire first episode (70-minute special), while the Second Volume contains 2 later episodes. Both Volumes are of the "Cinemanga" style.
Category: Transformers Animated
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Monday, 5th November 2007 at 08:42:31 GMT
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Category: Transformers Toy News
| Submitted by: quartz -
on: Monday, 5th November 2007 at 02:21:46 GMT
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Category: Transformers Toy News
| Submitted by: quartz -
on: Sunday, 4th November 2007 at 20:21:00 GMT
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Thanks to Maz, of TF-1.com, for posting in our Transformers Forum regarding his latest article over at TF-1 which features the previous unseen yellow and turquoise Generation Two Sideswipe.
Here's a little snippet from the article.
"At the time of the discovery of the G2 Desert-Camo Ramjet mock-up, yet
another spectacular unreleased Generation 2 mock-up surfaced. This
yellow-to-turquoise G2 Sideswipe never saw release in any country and
like the Ramjet, is completely hand-painted over an existing production
toy. This specimen came with no accessories but is unbroken, undamaged
and completely transformable. As I just mentioned, it is painted over a
production toy, and that production toy appears to be a black G2
Sideswipe."
You can read the article in full, at tf-1.com
Category: Transformers Toy News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Sunday, 4th November 2007 at 18:49:47 GMT
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TFW2005 have put up a short interview with Hasbro Inc designer Eric Siebenaler. Eric is one of the main people in charge of the upcoming Transformers Animated line.
You can read the interview here.
Category: Transformers Interviews and Articles
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Sunday, 4th November 2007 at 18:45:46 GMT
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We have updated our Transformers Conventions Photograph area with two new galleries of recent Japanese conventions. The conventions are the 2007 Transfanket and the 17th Tokyo Toy Festival 2007, both of which took place towards the end of October. The Tokyo Toy Festival gallery includes a high resolution photograph of the Japanese exclusive Transformers Movie DVD Spychanger Optimus Prime (see below).
Don't forget to look at the full galleries for more images including the limited Transformers Movie zippo lighters, Transformers Silver Collection Optimus Prime head and much more
Category: Transformers Convention News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Saturday, 3rd November 2007 at 10:53:21 GMT
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The Reuters news agency have published the following Press Release regarding the increase in quarterly profits over at Viacom, attributing much of the success to sales of Transformers.
Viacom profit up on cable,"Transformers"
Viacom Inc said on Friday its
quarterly profit rose 80 percent, boosted by the sale of its
music publishing unit, strong cable advertising and blockbuster
turnout for the alien robots movie "Transformers."
The results beat Wall Street forecasts, and Viacom's Class
B shares ended three percent higher at $41.58 in a generally
flat market.
The company, home to the MTV Networks cable television
channels and the Paramount film studios, also said it expects
U.S. advertising sales to increase further in the current
quarter and its digital entertainment outlets to post continued
growth.
"'Transformers' gave the movie studio the lift, and the
cable networks continued to improve in revenue growth," said
Gabelli & Co analyst Christopher Marangi.
Viacom's third-quarter profit rose to $641.6 million, or 96
cents per share, from $356.8 million, or 50 cents per share, a
year ago. The company recorded a $192 million gain for selling
its Famous Music publishing unit in July.
Excluding the sale and other items, earnings per share for
the 2007 quarter was 65 cents, above the average analysts' view
of 60 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Revenue rose 24 percent to $3.27 billion. Analysts had
forecast revenue of $3 billion.
The company also said it was on track to post low
double-digit annual growth in diluted earnings per share from
continuing operations.
Viacom founder and Chairman Sumner Redstone said he was
"more than pleased" with the results and gave a strong
endorsement to Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, who took the
helm after company veteran Tom Freston was ousted.
The 84-year-old media mogul is embroiled in a public battle
with his daughter Shari, once seen as his likely successor.
"One of the smartest moves that I and the board have ever
made was to ask Philippe Dauman to assume the role of CEO,"
Redstone said. "The rewards of that decision are becoming more
and more apparent."
A STRIKE FOR STEWART?
The company has prepared for a possible strike by Hollywood
screenwriters after their labor contract with production
studios expired, but expects little or no impact on Viacom's
business, Dauman said.
But two of Viacom's most popular comedy shows -- "The Daily
Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" -- could be
hurt by a walkout as they rely on fresh writing about current
events, he said.
Viacom's media networks business posted a 9 percent rise in
revenue to $2 billion in the third quarter. Filmed
entertainment revenue 57 percent to $1.3 billion.
Worldwide advertising rose 7 percent to $1.18 billion.
Domestic ad sales grew 5 percent and the company expects
comparable growth in the fourth quarter.
Viacom, which is also home to the Nickelodeon and Comedy
Central cable channels, has sought to extend its entertainment
brands more broadly across the Internet.
Viacom did not give details on results for its digital
media businesses, but it has said in the past it would likely
exceed a goal of $500 million in digital revenue for 2007.
Dauman said it would be increasingly difficult to break out
digital results as the company sells more of that advertising
in combined deals with its television programming.
"As far as digital advertising goes, we are experiencing
nice growth in our efforts, particularly as we add sites, add
functionality," Dauman told a conference call with analysts.
Analysts said the company should continue to post growth
despite concerns over the impact of a deteriorating housing
market on the U.S. economy.
"One of the variables is the overall ad environment, but
they should fare relatively well given the dual revenue stream
and the international (business)," said Marangi.
Reuters
Category: Transformers Movie News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Saturday, 3rd November 2007 at 09:43:50 GMT
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In a report over at Variety, Transformers 2 is one of the films mentioned as under threat from the possible writers union strikes which are expected to take place in Hollywood next year. When talking about Dreamworks, Variety report that "Not on the pre-strike list is "Transformers 2," a sequel that is still
being written. Labor talks will determine whether the visual
effects-heavy film makes its projected June 26, 2009, release date."
The article also includes a mention of the summer 2009 release of the live action G.I-Joe movie. "Paramount, pleased with revisions done by scribe Stuart Beattie, has officially set a Feb. 13 start date for G.I Joe an event-sized film that went from a pre-strike question mark to an
anchor of the studio's summer 2009 release schedule. Paramount is in
talks with up-and-comer Sam Worthington to star, and the studio was down to working out any scheduling overlap with Fox, which has Worthington starring in the James Cameron-directed Avatar".
Category: Transformers Movie News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Saturday, 3rd November 2007 at 09:34:11 GMT
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Category: Transformers Animated
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Friday, 2nd November 2007 at 08:12:18 GMT
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Several DVD sites are reporting the news that CDRInfo broke on the 29th October that
Slysoft Inc's AnyDVD has broken the
copy protection on HD-DVD. The articles make specific reference to the Transformers HD-DVD movie, which they report has been ripped and distributed as torrents by several parties.
Category: Transformers Movie News
| Submitted by: quartz -
on: Thursday, 1st November 2007 at 08:50:58 GMT
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Reuters and the Hollywood Reporter are running the following press release regarding the sales of the Transformers Movie DVD in the US.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
Robots rule -- again.
Showing remarkable staying power, the "Transformers" DVD
led the national sales and rental charts for a second
consecutive week Wednesday.
"Transformers" beat back a strong challenge on the Nielsen
VideoScan First Alert sales chart from "Meet the Robinsons,"
which debuted at No. 2 during the week ended October 28.
Two other new releases finished third and fourth,
respectively: "Mr. Brooks" and "Hostel: Part II." "The Jungle
Book" remained at No. 5.
HBO's "The Sopranos: Season 6: Part 2," the final
installment in the mob drama's hugely successful initial DVD
run, bowed at No. 8 on the sales chart.
On Home Media Magazine's rental chart, "Transformers"
posted a revenue drop of just 14% from the previous week to
remain at No. 1 with $8.6 million. "Mr. Brooks" bowed at No. 2
with rental earnings of $7.4 million, while "Meet the
Robinsons" came in at No. 3 with $6.5 million.
A trio of new releases topped the Blu-ray Disc sales chart
for the week, led by "Robinsons" at No. 1, followed by "Brooks"
and "Hostel." On the HD DVD sales chart, "Transformers"
remained at No. 1 for the second consecutive week, while NBC's
"Heroes: Season 1" was No. 2 after two months in the market.
Category: Transformers Movie News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Thursday, 1st November 2007 at 08:31:51 GMT
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During a press conference to highlight the release of their new RD-A301
HD-DVD player in Japan, Toshiba revealed an exclusive Voyager-class
Starscream recolured toy, called Starscream Vardia Red Model. The figure sports red and gold paint
decos and can be obtained with purchase of the player (retailing at 100,000 Yen).
Expect to see the figure for sale on Auction sites, Yahoo Japan, Ebay, Taobao, a short time after (and possibly before) the release of the HD-DVD machine.
Category: Transformers Movie News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Wednesday, 31st October 2007 at 18:40:36 GMT
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Simon Furman has updated his blog with the following information.
As we teeter on the precipice between October and November, IDW
squeezes out yet another Transformers comic release in a month already
bursting at the seams.
Issue #2 of the Beast Wars Sourcebook (character
profiles series) hits stores this week (31st Oct in the US, 1st Nov in
the UK), taking you through from Elephorca to Noctorro.
Now here’s a
tester for those of you who figure you can detect a Furmanism at thirty
paces: can you identify (or guess) which of the character profiles were
written by me (rather than Ben Yee)? If memory serves, there are nine
of them in total in issue #2. Now, if we (myself and Ben Yee) have done
our jobs well, it shouldn’t be easy to spot who did who, as they were
done in a style, to a format, and I kind of did an editorial pass to
make sure the whole thing was as seamless as possible (text-wise). But
maybe you can work it out.
Feel free to post your thoughts/conclusions
on this thread and in a few days I’ll reveal who was on the money and
who missed the mark. I’ll give you one for free, though, as it’s a bit
of a no-brainer: eight letters, begins with ‘G’ ends with ‘K’.
Click on
the thumbnail below for a better butchers at the cover for Beast Wars
Sourcebook #2 and don’t forget to check out the IDW site for more preview pages and news of upcoming Transformers releases.
Category: Transformers Comic News
| Submitted by: Moonbug -
on: Wednesday, 31st October 2007 at 08:51:45 GMT
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