[TFW2005]

Originally posted by: StayingInTheBox @ TFW2005.com

Quote:

Staff edit:

A more detailed article on the slow pace of AOE toys has been linked to us helping us better understand this 50% statistic we're reading about. According to an article posted on The Globe and Mail the slow start for AOE toys and 50% decrease has to do with the amount of retailer shelf space given to these toys and not necessarily sales. From the article:

"The fourth Transformers film, which is set to be released in late June, got half the shelf space at Toys R’ Us, Target and Wal-Mart as the movie’s third installment, Mr. Johnson said – this may have disappointed investors who were expecting the big-name movie to drive demand. He attributes the reduced space to increased caution on the part of retailers, and a certain amount of customer weariness."

Our original report based on the New York Post article suggested toy sales were down 50%, however the more detailed article linked above suggests the decrease we're seeing is based on the retailer shelf space given to the AOE toy line.

Original post:

According to an article by the New York Post published earlier this week, the US toy industry is suffering from slow sales on figures based around blockbuster films, which the article calls “action-figure fatigue.”

The article references three big blockbuster films supported by toy lines this summer which include the recently released The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but also includes a snippet of our main focus here on TFW: Age of Extinction. The article goes on to give some statistical comparison between the DOTM toy line launch and AOE's launch:

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 [Dark of the Moon].

Is this bad news for the Transformers franchise? Are kids and collectors being "milked" by the same characters on the toy shelves? Is this nothing to worry about and just a sign of changing interests? Or perhaps, will sales pick up as the movie plays out?

Let's hear what you have to say about this trend. Sound off after the jump.

Original Source: Age of Extinction Toys Off to a Slow Start? Less Retail Shelf Space? @ Transformers - TFW2005.com.