The LEGO Movie took the world by storm in 2014 and delivered something special that doesn’t come around very often. Here’s why it was something pretty awesome…
Every now and then, LEGO fans get a hit they weren’t expecting and can’t get enough of. The introduction of LEGO Modular Buildings comes to mind, as does LEGO BIONICLE – a smash hit for the company that helped save them from impending bankruptcy. 2014 saw the launch of one such phenomenon – this time, a theatrical craze that grabbed casual fans, critics, and LEGO fans all at once.
The LEGO Movie was a hit in every sense. Thanks to its memorable characters, fantastic voicework, and a plot that went beyond what anyone could have dreamed a film about toys could be, the film was critically acclaimed. AFOLs were especially drawn to the film’s message, despite being the target of the light satire in Will Ferrell’s character ‘The Man Upstairs’. In terms of sheer influence, the only other toy line-to-film release that comes to mind is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (Toy Story is enormously popular and acclaimed, but it isn’t focused on a single toy brand like the former two films).
Even the film’s pop music hit Everything is Awesome served a plot purpose, but also became certified Platinum in July 2017. It’s true this massive film sung its own unique tune, to the sound of $468 million in the box office. But what influence did The LEGO Movie have on fans, and the LEGO Group itself? Blocks, the monthly magazine for LEGO fans, looks at just how the LEGO Movie stole Christmas and how it found grand success past the big screen.
LEGO profits jumped a sizeable amount
The LEGO Group’s financial report showed sales of 28.6 billion kroner worldwide. That’s an increase of 13%. Their profit grew by 15% in 2014 to seven billion kroner. According to the LEGO Group, demand was especially strong in the giant North American market, with The LEGO Movie sets associated with the film ‘a significant contributor to growth’. Overall sales also saw double digit increases in Britain, France, Russia and China.
By contrast, 2019’s The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, underwhelmed at the box office. In this LEGO fan’s experience, the movie tie-in sets warmed shelves long-term – especially the creative yet intriguing 70825 Queen Watevra’s Build Whatever Box!. Of course, there’s a relationship between the commercial success of film and its merchandise, as fans saw 10 years ago with Disney’s The Lone Ranger.
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Anecdotally – more AFOLs
At this point in the LEGO Group’s history, of course, the company was still seeing immense success. Adult fans are now recognised, as identified by the not-too-subtle ‘Adults Welcome’ marketing message, though children are and always have been the primary focus of the company. It’s clear the LEGO Group saw dramatic increases in sales thanks to The LEGO Movie, but what else happened?
The effect the film had on adult builders was immediately apparent was events in 2014 and 2015. That’s true for adult visitors and exhibitors. Fans built things from the feature, including The Dog, Unikitty’s base of operations in Cloud Cuckoo Land. One fan in Canada built a fleet of tongue-in-cheek Batman vehicles, including a tank, with a sign next to it. The name of their exhibit may as well have been ‘Very, very dark bley’. LEGO events saw a significant uptick in attendance.
A crisis in Canada – independent stores suffered
As a result of the success grown by the LEGO Movie, Canadian independent retailers struggled to keep the country’s favourite plastic bricks in stock. There was a major LEGO product shortage over the holidays in Canada until 2015. This issue needlessly affected these smaller stores, though it’s easy to understand how the LEGO Group underestimated demand.
That issue is thankfully long gone. The LEGO Group has largely bucked the trend of keeping their LEGO exclusive behemoth sets as ‘direct to consumer’ from their online store. Fans have more access to LEGO sets than ever before from independent stores, from used models to the latest hits for all age groups.