The US toy industry has a problem, and it’s called “action-figure fatigue.”
Toy sales tied to a trio of summer blockbusters — “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” — are off to a sluggish start, one analyst said.
This is despite that two of the films — “Captain America” and “Spider-Man” — are producing smashing box office results and already rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, this year. “Transformers” opens June 27.
But merchandise associated with the flicks is languishing at big-box retailers like Walmart, Target and Toys ‘R’ Us and is the subject of markdowns that are unusually steep considering it’s so close to their initial release, says BMO Capital Markets analyst Gerrick Johnson.
That’s because young boys’ toy boxes are already brimming with gear from a host of previous movies filled with the same superheroes, he says.
“You’ve got all these action figures chasing mind-share, and they’ve all got the same backstory and the same characters,” Johnson told The Post. “Every kid already has Spider-Man and Captain America.”
The toys licensed around the next “Transformers” film is nearly 50 percent below levels seen before the release of the previous franchise film in 2011, Johnson notes.
Shares of toy-making giant Hasbro, which holds the Marvel licenses, tumbled nearly 3 percent Monday, to close at $52.18, after the release of the BMO report.
On the positive side, Johnson said merchandise tied to less heavily milked franchises is doing relatively well.
Sales of girls’ toys from Disney’s blockbuster “Frozen” have been brisk for Mattel. Jakks Pacific has seen hot demand for its 24-inch Godzilla action figure, he said.