The succcess of the Simpsons movie is a BIG feather in the cap of Fox, Variety reports:
Before the weekend, “The Simpsons” was already one of the most profitable franchises in News Corp.’s arsenal, having generating an estimated $2 billion for the conglom since Homer and company first bowed their own weekly series in January 1990.
After this week’s stellar $74 million domestic opening of the long-awaited “The Simpsons Movie,” Fox is poised to add ginormously to that tally in the coming months as the movie’s socko perf gives new glow to the cartoon franchise. The success of the movie and the marketing blitz that accompanied it is poised to juice sales of “Simpsons” DVDs, licensing and merchandising programs as well as mobile content offerings. It will also likely give a boost to the ratings of the weekly TV series, which is going strong into its 19th season in the fall.
I saw it last night for $6 at a Drive In theater in (I think) Lehighton, PA! It was a trip on every level. Actually, it was only for $3, because it was a double feature including “License to Wed.” Umm…. but I left before that came on.
Think about how little that movie must have cost them to make. Sure, there was a lot of improved animation in parts, but it still looked like the TV show. I’m sure the voice talent got a bump in pay, but nothing that wasn’t covered in that opening weekend. I hear the new video game is going to be very popular, too. I saw a preview, and it looks just like the show.