Last Updated on January 3, 2020 by Danielle
Demand for the Black Panther toys has exceeded all expectations – selling out practically everywhere. Expect more on the way along with a new wave of toys and merchandise this summer and fall.
Marvel’s Black Panther movie has been a force to be reckoned with at the box office, sinking Titanic to become the third highest grossing US theatrical release of all-time. That puts it at roughly around $666 million to date domestically on this incredible run and as of March it surpassed $1 billion globally. The movie will make its leap to digital as soon as May 8th with the Black Panther Blu-ray movie expected to release on May 15th.
Demand for the Black Panther toys has exceeded all toy industry expectations. It has been a gold mine for Hasbro, but now it is scrambling to keep up with demand. It is ramping up production to meet higher than expected demand for the Black Panther toys.
In just three short weeks after the Black Panther launched in theaters, the action figures sold out at thousands of stores across the nation. Surprisingly, even Amazon is close to selling out of some of the Black Panther action figures.
According to reports, Disney plans to eventually roll out a new wave of Black Panther merchandise this summer. These new Black Panther toys will be available when Black Panther launches on Blu-ray around May 15th. Additionally, there will be toys for the highly-anticipated mega-blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War theatrical release, back-to-school merchandise in July as well as a new assortment of toys and Halloween costumes this September.
A Disney spokesperson stated: “The product line celebrating Black Panther is the largest ever for a Marvel origin film, including expanded categories, such as performance wear and high-fashion collaborations. We are thrilled that fans around the world are celebrating this incredible story through merchandise. We anticipated demand would be strong, but it is exceeding even our highest expectations.”
At several store locations, if you take a look at the Black Panther section you see a gaping hole with empty racks galore. While some fans may be disappointed, it also indicates how immensely popular the franchise is as well as the shortages. However, the Black Panther toys are still available at major online stores, according to the studio.
According to Richard Gottlieb, a toy analyst, the toy industry underestimated Black Panther’s status in the African-American community as well as how media representation demand would ultimately drive demand for the Black Panther toys.
“The African-American community was very excited about this movie, but the toy industry was unsure whether it would generate broad public demand.”
On the other hand, Gerrick Johnson, a BMO Capital toy analyst, had a different perspective. He suggested toy racks are thin due to the uncertainty associated with retailers’ toy sales. He also mentioned with regard to Black Panther toys, it’s in Hasbro’s best interest to “keep it tight now, as scarcity is good to keep interest and demand going into the back half.”
Source: TheWrap
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