In the last few years and since the loss of Inkworks.trading cards for movies have slumped to next to nothing.seems to me Tv shows and Comics sets are the future of our Hobby?which is a shame.

Spider-man,Thor,Capt America,Star Trek and Avengers seem to be last ones that i can remember?all comic and tv related anyway!its all a little depressing!!

I'm glad someone started a thread, I know I brought it up in the Hobbit thread and I was thinking of starting the same.

I agree, it seems like the only movies companies will take a chance on are Marvel or DC related, usually not anything that I'm really interested in.

What I don't understand is the LoTRs sets did really well didn't they? Why isn't the same company doing something for the Hobbit? It just seems crazy to me.

And yes I understand that that is what helped Inkworks go under, because they took too many gambles on movies that flopped.
But there has to be a middle ground, as I agree with Simpsonscardman, these days it just tv show and comic related, which is getting a little depressing.

It's understandable though...movies come and go quickly while TV shows generally stick around for a while.

I would also think that licenses for movies are more expensive than TV shows, and that unlike movies stars the stars of TV shows are more open to agreeing to do autographs. I mean you look at the Thor, Captain America, and to a lesser extent Avengers assemble and you'll notice the lack of the big stars signing...no Portman in Thor, no anyone of consequence from Captain America, no Downing, Johansson, Evans, or Jackson from Avengers.

The only movie franchise that seems to keep putting out is Star Wars.

Sadly, it looks like there may not be a Hobbit set. Very disappointed here

NECA just released a Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 set - but I have not been able to find them at retail yet.

NECA doesn't count, it isn't a real card manufacturer, its just a sideline for them.

Paranormal was not mentioned, but it had cards for the first one. And the Green Hornet had the expansion style release, as did Conan and the Spiderman reboot.

Are movie trading cards a thing of the past? Unless its part of a franchise like Bond or Star Trek or the Marvel or DC universes, yeah I think so.

I remember discussing this at length with Uncle Allan...

First, you have to sign on VERY early on in production. Unless it's a franchise, there's no telling if it will do well.

Second, the studios don't help much with getting actors to sign. Allan said they asked him to do cards for Pirates of the Caribbean. He asked for guarantees that 2 of the 3 main actors would sign. They wouldn't/couldn't even guarantee 1. So he passed.

Third, there's usually no time to make costume cards. Costumes are held in case there are re-shoots, and by the time they release them there isn't enough time to get costume cards into the product.

You'll notice that most of the movie sets Inkworks did contained all or nearly all redemptions. Something most manufacturers won't do.

So I don't think it's from a lack of want, I think the challenges outweigh the benefits.

Ed

...and with Inkworks for every "Hit" movie there was a flop. The Phantom, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Excellent auto list-no one was really interested cause the film flopped), Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Spirit, X-files 2.

Plus CGI shots are are hard to get as they are usualy the last things to be done and aren't available for them in time.

Some of my favorite sets are from movies. Bond and some Marvel titles are still around. I'd like to see more Batman, Superman & LOTR.

Agreed it has to be part of a series, or at minimum a trilogy. Harry Potter did well didn't it? What about a Godfather set?

The best thing would be to concentrate on film franchises of the past.

Star Wars continues to do well with getting autos and sketch cards into the set.

They could do the same thing for Terminator (Topps were going to produce a Terminator Chrome set that never materialised) or The Matrix.

Twilight would probably have continued to do well if someone other than Neca had bought the rights after Inkworks.

There's the upcoming Mortal Instruments that could be the next big thing in movie franchises.

It is a shame that movie sets aren't very common now, but with everyone wanting costumes and the big name autos I can see how it would become pretty difficult to aquire all of them.

I can understand them focussing on the comic book movie sets, however even then there wasn't a Dark Knight or Dark Knight Rises set. Will there be one for Man of Steel?

If people would buy a set that did not have to include autographs, costumes, props etc, just good old fashioned base and chase i think you would get more movie sets but even then the cost of the license would probably be too much.

I agree with everyone, especially with Sidewinder.

It's just a sad thought that they're a thing of the past.

It looks like there being a big problem making sets based on a movie or getting some inserts like signatures.

For example I noted that X-Men Origins Wolverine and Captain America base sets look that they were made with promo/trailer photos. In many cases erasing/forgetting nice scenes that can made you feel like living the movie just looking the cards.

For example the Wolverine set ends with the 2nd fight with Sabretooth and not with Deadpool. The good thing is the signature cards that you can get even the main character. So Rittenhouse thanks for that.

For Captain America the base set doesn't have Tommy Lee Jones anywhere. The signatures are a shame. There aren't a signatures for the main characters.

quote:

Originally posted by kane1:
It looks like there being a big problem making sets based on a movie or getting some inserts like signatures.

For example I noted that X-Men Origins Wolverine and Captain America base sets look that they were made with promo/trailer photos. In many cases erasing/forgetting nice scenes that can made you feel like living the movie just looking the cards.

For example the Wolverine set ends with the 2nd fight with Sabretooth and not with Deadpool. The good thing is the signature cards that you can get even the main character. So Rittenhouse thanks for that.

For Captain America the base set doesn't have Tommy Lee Jones anywhere. The signatures are a shame. There aren't a signatures for the main characters.

Card manufacturers have to jump through hoops to get permission to use images, even though they pay for the license. Not only does the studio have to approve what pictures appear, in many cases the actors have to approve. So if you have a scene with 3 or 4 characters, and one of the actors didn't clear it, that scene can't be used.

Also, you are quite right. Most of the base cards produced for movies don't tell the whole story, often leaving out the ending, but sometimes they don't even have enough text to give an impression of the storyline. Partly its because how much story can you really fit on only 72 cards. Partly its because the release date of the movie may be way before or way after the cards come out.

I thought the Wolverine auto line up was great also, but the movie bombed. The Dark Rising was a great auto line up, but the movie bombed. AVP was a great auto line up, but the movie bombed. And even The Spirit was a great auto line up, but the movie bombed. By a great auto line up I mean all of the main cast signed, but if the movie is bad, it's hard to sell the cards, even if they are good.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
NECA doesn't count, it isn't a real card manufacturer, its just a sideline for them.

Paranormal was not mentioned, but it had cards for the first one. And the Green Hornet had the expansion style release, as did Conan and the Spiderman reboot.

Are movie trading cards a thing of the past? Unless its part of a franchise like Bond or Star Trek or the Marvel or DC universes, yeah I think so.

I don't keep up with movie cards, because they usually don't interest me, so I may be way off base here. But......if NECA doesn't count, then I suppose CZE doesn't either (yet to do a movie set to my knowledge anyways); or Upper Deck when talking non-sport cards.

Anyway, I don't think it's so much an issue with Hollywood, it's with the card manufacturers, because IMO, movie cards don't typically do well to justify the expense of that kind of license.

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
...and with Inkworks for every "Hit" movie there was a flop. The Phantom, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Excellent auto list-no one was really interested cause the film flopped), Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Spirit, X-files 2.

As an X-Files fan, I must object. True, the movie sucked. It was a big screen TV special, but....1) Inkworks sold out. 2) It was also made up of episode cards, so this wasn't truly a "movie" set.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by kane1:
It looks like there being a big problem making sets based on a movie or getting some inserts like signatures.

For example I noted that X-Men Origins Wolverine and Captain America base sets look that they were made with promo/trailer photos. In many cases erasing/forgetting nice scenes that can made you feel like living the movie just looking the cards.

For example the Wolverine set ends with the 2nd fight with Sabretooth and not with Deadpool. The good thing is the signature cards that you can get even the main character. So Rittenhouse thanks for that.

For Captain America the base set doesn't have Tommy Lee Jones anywhere. The signatures are a shame. There aren't a signatures for the main characters.

Card manufacturers have to jump through hoops to get permission to use images, even though they pay for the license. Not only does the studio have to approve what pictures appear, in many cases the actors have to approve. So if you have a scene with 3 or 4 characters, and one of the actors didn't clear it, that scene can't be used.

Also, you are quite right. Most of the base cards produced for movies don't tell the whole story, often leaving out the ending, but sometimes they don't even have enough text to give an impression of the storyline. Partly its because how much story can you really fit on only 72 cards. Partly its because the release date of the movie may be way before or way after the cards come out.

I thought the Wolverine auto line up was great also, but the movie bombed. The Dark Rising was a great auto line up, but the movie bombed. AVP was a great auto line up, but the movie bombed. And even The Spirit was a great auto line up, but the movie bombed. By a great auto line up I mean all of the main cast signed, but if the movie is bad, it's hard to sell the cards, even if they are good.

"Bombed" and "bad" because they didn't do well at the box office? Or because you didn't like them? I don't know the numbers, but they are continuing with Wolverine movies.

Can't always get movie goers to get into cards. Not all card collectors are movie fans. So it's probably a big gamble for the card manufactures to take all a move set. Alot easier to go with what works, that have very few hoops to jump through, and have a lower manufacturing/licensing expense.

quote:

Originally posted by Tattoox:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Raven:
NECA doesn't count, it isn't a real card manufacturer, its just a sideline for them.
/QUOTE]

I don't keep up with movie cards, because they usually don't interest me, so I may be way off base here. But......if NECA doesn't count, then I suppose CZE doesn't either (yet to do a movie set to my knowledge anyways); or Upper Deck when talking non-sport cards.

Not quite sure what you mean? I think NECA, CZE and UD are all different. I wouldn't compare NECA with either of the other two.

I said NECA doesn't count because its mainly involved in retail toys and related movie merchandise, among a lot of other things. It produced the Twilight reprint and sequel sets without any attempt to make a hobby type product. Cards are a small sideline that the general public may find in retail outlets, but they have none of the bells and whistles needed to attract non-sport collectors. NECA is all about toys and models and booble-heads, etc, not the non-sport card industry.

CZE is most certainly a card manufacturer that is marketing to card collectors. Its licenses have been TV shows, not movies so far. Upper Deck, having lost its sports licenses, is making movie and comic related non-sport cards, marketed to both retail and hobby. Whether they make movie cards or not, their business is cards and they are manufacturing them with generally adult card collectors in mind.

And to answer your second post, when I said bombed I mean at the box office. My personal opinion of the movie has nothing to do it.