morphobots wrote:True, I hadn't considered that factor, and I do realize that a corporation the size of GM can turn around and write off a loss on its taxes. It all just seems like such an expensive gamble to myself, though, especially when I read about a million dollars being shoveled into one vehicle alone. Is that what would normally be devoted to development if said vehicle wasn't going to be attached to a movie?
Yes. Concept cars average $700,000 to $1,000,000 to develop depending on if its just a stationary display to an actual running model. Whether there movie bound, or just making the car show circuit. Custom sheet metal, dash boards, one off wheels, all cost big bucks to develop and create. But that's not nearly the cost to put a vehicle in to full fledged production. Manufactures use the concept vehicle to test the public's reaction to design and even test new features. Some might be years away from being able to be put in production, but it shows the direction the automakers are taking with design and technology. That feed back is then carried over into various vehicles across said auto makers line up. So that million dollor investment can result in millions of profit if used properly.
Rodimus Prime wrote:5150 Cruiser wrote:One must remember that its not just car sales, but royalties from toy sales and other merchandise. Manufactures get a cut of each toy. Not just the figures, but also anything that spawns the related alt mode. Even a table cloth or coffee mug with Bumble Bee on it can bring in royalties for GM. Same with Saleen, Oshkosh, peterbuilt, etc. I doubt that Rosenbauer will get any additional Fire Truck sales from Sentinel Prime dawning their rig as an alt mode, but i also bet that many here are more familar with that name than you were before the movie.
Didn't Peterbilt refuse to allow their symbol to be used on Prime? It's clear that he is a Peterbilt 379, but the company itself refused to allow the movie and Paramount to identify him as such, I believe. Wouldn't this disqualify them from any potential royalties? (If this is true, I wonder how badly they're kicking themselves, considering how well the movies have done, as well as how popular the leader class Optimus, from RoTF especially, became, with all its variations and even continuing onto DoTM.)
I believe your partially correct. Originally Peterbuilt did not provide any 379's for production, but did allow them to use the name. So Bay and the Production team bought a couple used ones, pieced them together and came up with the bad ass rig you see in the first 3 movies. I'll have to check, but I believe on the package for all of Prime's movie toys through DOTM it says his alt mode is the 379. with the copyright insignia. If that's the case, then regardless of them providing vehicles or not, there entitled to a percentage of merchandise royalties. Also remember that providing vehicles does not automatically mean your getting the same royalty treatment as others. Both Ferrari and Audi gave permission to use there vehicles in the films, but there actual vehicle names never appeared on the toys. Heck, we never even got a "Dino" toy and Sideways toy alt mode just says "sports car". (even through its clearly an Audi R8, just doesn't sport any Audi emblems).
) over a yellow Camaro that speaks in 'radio' any day.
