Fast & Furious Cruises into Live Events
Universal has joined forces with Brand Events to present Fast & Furious Live, a global live-arena tour. Debuting in January 2018, the show will transport fans straight into some of the most memorable scenes and stunts from the $3.9 billion blockbuster film franchise.
Fast & Furious Live brings to life the stunts that have defined the eight-film franchise. Recreating the underground streets of Los Angeles to locations that crisscross the globe, Fast & Furious Live allows fans to relive the most extreme action as precision performance drivers—surrounded by blockbuster set design, authentic digital projections and state-of-the-art physical obstacles—execute stunts.
Executive producers Chris Hughes and James Cooke-Priest, along with writer/director Rowland French, from Brand Events previously created and toured Top Gear Live.
The eighth installment of the film, The Fate of the Furious, will hit theaters April 17.
Hasbro Reports Increased Sales for 2016
Hasbro’s global net sales for 2016 were up 22 percent over 2015, with fourth quarter revenues up 11 percent to $1.63 billion compared to $1.47 billion in 2015.
The growth was driven by the games and girls categories, with girls posting a record setting 50-percent increase thanks in part to the shipment of Disney Princess and Frozen, the launch of DreamWorks Trolls, and significant growth of Baby Alive.
Games category revenues rose nine percent with Magic: The Gathering revenues driving growth with a sales increase for its eight consecutive year. Face-to-face games such as Pie Face and the classic Monopoly also contributed to growth.
Growth in the girls, games and boys categories also helped to offset a decline in the preschool category in the U.S. and Canada. Full-year 2016 U.S. and Canada segment net revenues increased 15 percent to $2.56 billion compared to $2.23 billion in 2015. The U.S. and Canada segment reported operating profit growth of 21 percent to $522.3 million, or 20.4 percent of net revenues, compared to $430.7 million, or 19.4 percent of net revenues in 2015.
Playmobil Global Sales Rise 10 Percent
Playmobil saw a 10-percent increase in global sales for 2016, totaling 611 million euros (~$652 million). Seventy percent of sales came from subsidiaries in France, Spain, and Italy. Germany also posted a 15 percent increase for the year.
The announcement follows Playmobil’s recent moves into licensing with new 2017 sets based on blockbuster films Ghostbusters and How to Train Your Dragon.
Fanatics CCO to Keynote Licensing Expo 2017
Cole Gahagan, Chief Commercial Officer of Fanatics Inc., a global leader for sports licensed merchandise, will deliver the opening keynote address at Licensing Expo 2017, sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) and owned and organized by UBM Americas. The keynote session takes place on Tuesday, May 23, 8–9 a.m., and marks the start of Licensing Expo at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
A market leader for authentic, officially licensed sports merchandise, Fanatics works with the major professional sports leagues as well as collegiate powerhouses. Fanatics has an extensive e-commerce business and operates brick-and-mortar locations for the NBA, trackside stores for NASCAR, and in-stadium shops, such as Churchill Downs, at sports venues nationwide.
Gahagan is a career sports management executive with deep and varied experience leading large-scale businesses, and strategic growth for a host of organizations. He joined Fanatics in October 2016 to oversee the company’s strategy for new omni-channel growth opportunities and optimize service and support for its hundreds of professional and collegiate teams. Gahagan brings together a wide range of company capabilities, including e-commerce, apparel manufacturing, and Fanatics’ expanding in-venue and stadium business. His oversight helps ensure that the company’s partners can maximize the full range of growth opportunities available to them from Fanatics.
Prior to Fanatics, Gahagan was chief revenue officer at Ticketmaster, where he was responsible for the company’s business throughout North America, and spearheaded its league-wide enterprise deals with the NBA, NFL, and NHL. He joined Ticketmaster in 2010 following the company’s merger with Live Nation. Prior, he served as senior vice-president, business development and strategy for Live Nation e-commerce.
The Keynote address is part of the wide-ranging lineup of Licensing University educational programs organized by LIMA that begins Monday, May 22 and runs through Thursday, May 25. All of the sessions are designed to help attendees acquire new strategies, ideas, and practical solutions to help grow their businesses.
Licensing University sessions are accessible via the All-Access Pass, which is $150 for LIMA members and $170 for non-LIMA members and can be purchased on the Licensing Expo website.