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The Barbie film is on tempo to be the top-grossing movie this yr. This implies we’re about to get a variety of motion pictures making an attempt to duplicate that success in a toy-filled cinematic future.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The “Barbie” film has made greater than $1.2 billion worldwide. It is on tempo to surpass “The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film” because the top-grossing movie this yr.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “BARBIE”)
HARI NEF: (As Barbie) That is the most effective day ever.
MARGOT ROBBIE: (As Barbie) It’s the finest day ever. So is yesterday and so is tomorrow. And day-after-day from now till without end.
(SOUNDBITE OF DUA LIPA SONG, “DANCE THE NIGHT”)
ROBBIE: (As Barbie) You guys ever take into consideration dying?
(SOUNDBITE OF RECORD SCRATCH)
KELLY: Properly, this implies we’re about to get a variety of motion pictures that attempt to duplicate “Barbie’s” success. Mattel and Hasbro each have movies within the works primarily based on toys, toys together with Nerf, Sizzling Wheels, the Magic 8 Ball and lots of extra. Right here to speak us by our toy-filled cinematic future is Stephen Thompson, co-host of NPR’s Pop Tradition Comfortable Hour. Stephen, hello there.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.
KELLY: OK. Inform me what precisely we’re coping with right here as a result of there have been motion pictures for ages primarily based on toys, all about toys. How precisely is “Barbie” altering issues?
THOMPSON: Properly, it is price remembering upfront that there have been dozens, actually dozens, of Barbie motion pictures. This is not the primary Barbie film. It is simply the one which made greater than a billion {dollars}. And it is actually helped make Mattel a giant participant within the film enterprise. There have already been Mattel motion pictures primarily based on American Woman dolls, however there are a bunch extra within the pipeline. There is a Barney film within the works with Daniel Kaluuya. J.J. Abrams is hooked up to a Sizzling Wheels film. Jimmy Warden, who wrote “Cocaine Bear,” is engaged on a horror-comedy primarily based on the Magic 8 Ball. And there are…
KELLY: OK.
THOMPSON: I do know. There are a bunch of different Mattel motion pictures they’re speaking about – Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, an Uno film one way or the other. And that is not even moving into different toy firms like Hasbro. They’re planning motion pictures primarily based on stuff like Play-Doh and Monopoly. It is price remembering that a variety of these items have been in improvement for ages, properly earlier than the “Barbie” film took off. There is not any assure that each one of those motion pictures are going to occur.
KELLY: OK. You simply blew my thoughts with the Play-Doh element. I am making an attempt to think about the plot twists of a Play-Doh film.
THOMPSON: There are some very sensible folks in line to work on that Play-Doh film.
KELLY: OK. And simply get extra particular about how “Barbie” is opening these floodgates.
THOMPSON: Properly, “Barbie” appears like proof of idea that individuals are occupied with extra motion pictures primarily based on toys, that their nostalgia goes to drive their need to see motion pictures. However “Barbie” isn’t just a toy film. It is a Greta Gerwig film. It is a Margot Robbie film. It is a Ryan Gosling film. It is a film about feminism and patriarchy. It is a transfer that had not solely an enormous grassroots groundswell behind it but in addition tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}’ price of promoting. Now, pleasure constructed up behind “Barbie” for years. I am undecided if the identical factor goes to be true of a Sizzling Wheels film. It is going to rely upon whether or not the film seems to be like it will be any good.
KELLY: Yeah. Keep there. How excessive ought to our expectations be that these motion pictures are going to be any good?
THOMPSON: Properly, it actually begins with the script. You realize, who’s in line to write down them? I am not likely occupied with Dungeons & Dragons. I by no means actually performed the sport, however I liked the “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves” film from earlier this yr as a result of it is actually affectionately written and full of jokes and Easter eggs. I liked “The Lego Film,” which makes use of Legos as a jumping-off level for one thing that is actually heat and humorous and intelligent. And so they used the look of the toys to sort of gasoline jokes within the film. And so these motion pictures have to come back from a spot of actual enthusiasm, and so they’ve obtained to include huge concepts. And actually, they have to have extraordinarily proficient folks hooked up to them. I performed with Sizzling Wheels obsessively as a child, however I am not essentially going to care a few Sizzling Wheels film. But when, , if like, a Sizzling Wheels film had been directed by Greta Gerwig, I might be in line for hours to see it.
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: Properly, and if Ryan Gosling will play one of many drivers, I am in, too.
THOMPSON: Precisely. Or one of many automobiles. He is very versatile.
KELLY: Or one of many automobiles. Stephen Thompson, thanks very a lot.
THOMPSON: Thanks, Mary Louise.
KELLY: He is co-host of NPR’s Pop Tradition Comfortable Hour.
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