Is the steam running out of the 66 Batman train already?

[enyawd72]

Looks like sales have slowed way down on the Mattel stuff, and much of the new stuff (Hot Toys, FTC, Moebius Models) is still months away.

They really need to get the show out on DVD to re-engergize interest.

[EMCE Hammer]

I think the DVD would sell like crazy around the holidays, I totally agree. I spent countless days where I'd watch an episode and then re-enact it with my Megos. I think it would go over just as well today, but they better get going.

[palitoy]

I haven't read anything about a DVD, is that still a problem?

[Earth 2 Chris]

As far as I know, the DVD rights are still in limbo. When DC worked out the product licensing rights, folks assumed the DVDs came with them, but it doesn't look to be that way.

Even if WB aired the show on Boomerang, it would help move this stuff along. They espouse corporate synergy, but never seem to promote their home-grown franchises like they should.

Chris

[kerowack]

The train is dead at the station. Without the DVD, the attack of the 66 batman stuff really came up short. The mattel figures are decent, but with no accessories and the fanbase appears to be smaller than we all thought. The NECA West has been the high point so far (as well as the print I bought....)

It's a shame because this was one of my two dream lines (the other being a dick tracy line) and it never stood a chance.

[MIB41]

I think it's a safe assumption that until the principle parties from the show are deceased, we will never see the show on DVD. The fact that Yvonne Craig tried to hold out for better money on the merchandise deal alone was laughable. Clearly attending conventions has warped the cast' sense of street value. But I'm not all that surprised the '66 line only got a modest reaction. It's hard to fathom a 47 year old property becoming a huge merchandising hit when most kids today are into the gaming versions of Batman and don't really loiter in the ME-TV circles. Of course we, the older fans, have great interest. But like Mego figures, the question has always been, "How many of us are there?" I think the best hit in the line has been the Batmobile, but that speaks to car ethusiasts as well as fans of the show. So it has a little more pull than a Batman figure. I'm confident Mattel will probably put out a few more figures. But in classic Mattel fashion, they will likely gouge the collector by making them 'limited editions' only available at the Matty Collector site. Be prepared to pucker up.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I think the tie-up has more to do with Fox, Greenway Productions/Dozier's daughter, and WB....with possibly George Barris in the mix. The merchandise NOT flying off the shelf probably only justifies the thought that legally unwrangling the tied up rights isn't worth the time of WB, Fox and the others, as they have long suspected.

Too bad DC didn't retain rights to this like they did The Adventures of Superman. If so, we'd have had a box set 10 years ago.

Chris

[MIB41]

I
Too bad DC didn't retain rights to this like they did The Adventures of Superman. If so, we'd have had a box set 10 years ago.
Chris

This be a true fact. You would think with the merchandising venture not blazing any new sales records, all sides involved would soften their position and get this DVD boxset out.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

It's possible things are dying down. Without the disks the only folks interested would be the oldster fans. The execs might be nervous about the whole thing 'cos the BANG! POW! Batman goes against the Dark Knight/Smallville/Arrow aesthetic Superheroes are currently functioning under.

Don C.

[palitoy]

I do think the dew is off the lily a little. The perfect time for this license would have been the mid nineties.

[hedrap]

It's not an issue between Fox/WB/ABC. If it was it wouldn't be on the air, ever, but the syndie rights have moved around for decades. Also, you have to account for the movie. It's been released on disc and streaming. If it was a rights issue, that would be buried also.

I think the problems is disc sales are nowhere near as lucrative as they were pre-2007, so to first split it three ways between the principles, then include Greenway/Dozer, might not be worth it.

Then maybe you have the estate clearances and music royalties issues. I don't think the estates have an argument to make as long as they guests are not used in promotions and advertising. Music royalties can be a headache, but nothing major.

My gut says the toys and merch was a test run to gauge interest for a box set. If it was weak, then they'll settle for the synidcation dollars and eventually dump it onto streaming. The only might be which library carries the license.

[The Toyroom]

It's not an issue between Fox/WB/ABC. If it was it wouldn't be on the air, ever, but the syndie rights have moved around for decades. Also, you have to account for the movie. It's been released on disc and streaming. If it was a rights issue, that would be buried also.

I was always told the '66 movie came under a different set of rights because it was a theatrical release, whereas when the TV show was originally produced they never conceived that there would be a DVD after-market

[Earth 2 Chris]

^What Anthony said. The syndication rights were thought of back in 66, but the home video rights were not. DC/National was purchased by Kinney International shortly thereafter, which in turned purchased Warners, which eventually snowballed into today's Time/Warner. Meanwhile you have 20th Century Fox and Dozier/Greenway's heirs. Had DC remained part of a relatively small publishing and distribution company, it may have made it out years ago. It's all a matter of no one knowing how to divide the pie.

Chris

[jds1911a1]

I for one have shoed away form the Mattel line becuse I want to buy the megolike line from Figures and with limited funds I chose the toys I already preferred

[MIB41]

My gut says the toys and merch was a test run to gauge interest for a box set. If it was weak, then they'll settle for the synidcation dollars and eventually dump it onto streaming. The only might be which library carries the license.

That's an interesting hypothetical, but I'm not sure everyone who would venture out to buy a DVD box set would also be a toy collector. I think having the show run nationally every Saturday night on ME-TV would factor more into gauging interest than the merchandise which is primarily aimed at the smaller collector market. I'm sure they're interested to know how Batman is stacking up in the ratings during a night when Lost in Space and Star Trek follow (both of which are already available on DVD). But what I DO think is abundantly clear is that target audience is shrinking every year they wait. While a crystal clean image of the '66 classic would be preferred, diehard fans have lived with fairly descent copies of the complete series for decades now. And every so often you see even better transfers out there. So Batman '66 does not have the advantage of feeding an appetite that was much more abundant back in the 90's versus today. The DVD market is smaller and the black market availability of the show from quality transfers has lessoned that interest as well.