Streaming Services: First 2023 POWER RANKINGS (And what's up with Prime?)

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Tell me how the Wizarding world IP is getting weaker?

The only weakness in the line itself which i acknowledged was the Fantastic Best movies.

Three progressively worse movies that started with a very mediocre one, following a widely panned play that's largely hated by the diehard fans?

I don't know how you view that in a way other than the IP getting weaker.

Yes, they also had a very successful AAA videogame launch, which isn't nothing, and the theme parks have been a success.

But Harry Potter is not a videogame franchise and it's not a theme park franchise. They're tie-in products to the main canon products, four out of four of which have been mediocre at best.

The last successful book was in 2007 and the last successful movie was in 2011.

Independent of JKR's behavior since then, the franchise peaked in 2011 and has been downhill since there.

You are allowed to like stuff in decline -- ask me about my Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fandom some time -- but liking it doesn't change its downward trajectory.

 

[trappedslider]

Three progressively worse movies that started with a very mediocre one, following a widely panned play that's largely hated by the diehard fans?

I don't know how you view that in a way other than the IP getting weaker.

Yes, they also had a very successful AAA videogame launch, which isn't nothing, and the theme parks have been a success.

But Harry Potter is not a videogame franchise and it's not a theme park franchise. They're tie-in products to the main canon products, four out of four of which have been mediocre at best.

The last successful book was in 2007 and the last successful movie was in 2011.

Independent of JKR's behavior since then, the franchise peaked in 2011 and has been downhill since there.

You are allowed to like stuff in decline -- ask me about my Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fandom some time -- but liking it doesn't change its downward trajectory.

It's a multi-media franchise at this point like star wars is. The books themselves are still selling strongly (the illustrated editions and the MinaLima Editions being the most recent offerings, not counting the spin-off books), and the announcement of a Quidditch game was met with excitement and cautious optimism. Then there's the next Lego game, which the word surrounding it, is supposed to be like The Skywalker Saga but done with the Harry Potter movies.

So, while the movie aspect is in decline, the rest is not. Kind of like Star Wars currently...It has hits on the small screen but its big screen presence is in decline.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

It's a multi-media franchise at this point like star wars is. The books themselves are still selling strongly (the illustrated editions and the MinaLima Editions being the most recent offerings, not counting the spin-off books), and the announcement of a Quidditch game was met with excitement and cautious optimism. Then there's the next Lego game, which the word surrounding it, is supposed to be like The Skywalker Saga but done with the Harry Potter movies.

So, while the movie aspect is in decline, the rest is not. Kind of like Star Wars currently...It has hits on the small screen but its big screen presence is in decline.

I mean, no.

Look, I 100% agree with @Whizbang Dustyboots on the basics- Fantastic Beasts has shown us, fairly conclusively, that there are pretty severe limits on this IP. Even the new WB show isn't a new show- it's just the book/movies, again, as a TV series! That's not confidence in expanding a rich IP, that's throwing in the towel. Imagine if this was, as you posit, Star Wars, and Disney said, "Eh, given the fan reaction to what we've been doing, we're just going to re-do the original trilogy." It's still a large and powerful brand, but it's fairly limited to the original source material.

But more importantly, this would be the same, IF George Lucas was still 100% in control of all things Star Wars, and IF George Lucas decided to become the figurehead of a incredibly controversial stance that was roiling the major markets for Star Wars, including taunting fans by reminding them that their money was going to support his cause.

Despite the fact that people that are terminally online are quite aware of the JK Rowling controversies, it still hasn't really stuck for a lot of people. And it's not getting smaller. That's going to be the issue- because she retains so much control, and because she is so inextricably linked, and because this issue is just getting bigger and more heated ... I wouldn't have any cautious optimism.

It's been easy for a lot of people to say, "Whatever, man. I don't care. Just let me play my games and read my books." But the more this impacts real life, as we are seeing, the less tenable that position is when you know that money that is being spent is going to hurt real people.

 

[trappedslider]

It's been easy for a lot of people to say, "Whatever, man. I don't care. Just let me play my games and read my books." But the more this impacts real life, as we are seeing, the less tenable that position is when you know that money that is being spent is going to hurt real people.

The fact of the matter is that Universal and Max and by extension, the people who pay, don't care what JK says and will just keep paying for the wizarding world-related stuff that gets put out.

And as long as the money rolls in "Oh no...anyway" is the mantra every time she opens her mouth and says anything, otherwise every network would stop showing the HP movies every weekend/every chance they get, along with the publisher's cutting their losses and tossing it out on the street.

Now at some future point, there may be a critical mass that causes the scales to tip to where the IP isn't profitable (like all IPs) but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

The fact of the matter is that Universal and Max and by extension, the people who pay, don't care what JK says and will just keep paying for the wizarding world-related stuff that gets put out.

And as long as the money rolls in "Oh no...anyway" is the mantra every time she opens her mouth and says anything, otherwise every network would stop showing the HP movies every weekend/every chance they get, along with the publisher's cutting their losses and tossing it out on the street.

Now at some future point, there may be a critical mass that causes the scales to tip to where the IP isn't profitable (like all IPs) but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

That's exactly what Adidas said about Kanye, too.

It's hardly a novel view to say that corporations are goin' to corporate, yo. Of course as long as the money keeps rollin' in, they're going to be happy counting it while making me mealy mouthed press releases.

The point is- when a brand is so tied to a single person, it's usually not great when that person is an emblem of hatred. Jus' sayin'.

 

[trappedslider]

That's exactly what Adidas said about Kanye, too.

It's hardly a novel view to say that corporations are goin' to corporate, yo. Of course as long as the money keeps rollin' in, they're going to be happy counting it while making me mealy mouthed press releases.

The point is- when a brand is so tied to a single person, it's usually not great when that person is an emblem of hatred. Jus' sayin'.

we'll see how strong the IP really is when the broadcast rights are for sale in 2025. I'm guessing it will still be strong enough to be around the $250 million that was tossed around when NBCuniversal got it.

 

[ART!]

Through my kids I know a lot of big HP fans, and by all reports all of them are averse to a new adaptation of the books. Now, if a new, several-seasons-long adaptation gets good word-of-mouth, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them glom on to it. That said, they also are all aware of JK's toxicity, so it's hard for me to imagine many of those HP fans getting invested in this new series.

 

[TheSword]

That's exactly what Adidas said about Kanye, too.

It's hardly a novel view to say that corporations are goin' to corporate, yo. Of course as long as the money keeps rollin' in, they're going to be happy counting it while making me mealy mouthed press releases.

The point is- when a brand is so tied to a single person, it's usually not great when that person is an emblem of hatred. Jus' sayin'.

JK Rowling is not Kanye and it’s a bit of a low blow to compare her to someone who has said so many things that the vast majority of people would think are frankly divorced from reality. Too much to go into here.

On the flip side while Rowling may have been forged into an emblem of hate for some people, this is the exact reason why the identity politics is so divisive at the moment. A lot of people (dare I say the majority) including some trans people - don’t look at her and think she’s monstrous. She just has some specific concerns about some specific things born from her own experiences of abuse and misogyny. A lot of the stuff that keeps this in the media are the responses to people trying to boycott, abuse or threaten her. When someone thinks it’s acceptable to say ‘have a nice pipe bomb’ on twitter. She isn’t the kind of person to ignore that.

Agree or disagree with her. She isn’t the same as Kanye.

That’s why I don’t think this will have a dent in her or the brands fortunes… or HBO’s if they make a TV remake.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

JK Rowling is not Kanye and it’s a bit of a low blow to compare her to someone who has said so many things that the vast majority of people would think are frankly divorced from reality. Too much to go into here.

Huh. I was going to say that it was unfair to Kanye. As far as I know, he's mentally ill and hasn't been funneling his money to hate causes.

I guess people are willing to excuse a lot when it comes to nerd books they like. YMMV.

 

[TheSword]

Huh. I was going to say that it was unfair to Kanye. As far as I know, he's mentally ill and hasn't been funneling his money to hate causes.

I guess people are willing to excuse a lot when it comes to nerd books they like. YMMV.

Not convinced that’s what she’s done. Again that kind of polorizing language prevents reasonable discussion. It all sounds a bit Orwellian.

As for liking the nerd books. I think the core books were solid. I have a soft spot for the films… the rest of the franchise passes me by. It’s entertainment … though I do have a replica of Snape’s wand bought as a leaving present… and I did sort my management team by Hogwarts House… they were almost all Slytherin!