You can’t escape the movie toys this year

are fans of the series are more likely to buy their children a toy from that movie, Lennett explained. At a preview of the toy line, Universal displayed a slew of Vin Diesel movie- themed products, from small toy cars for children to collectible vehicles for adults and an apparel line.

“Our toy offering is expanding,” Julian Montoya, vice-president of global toys for Warner Bros. Consumer Products, said. “Films drive a lot of demand from consumers and retailers, which in turn generates more demand across our television and classic franchises.”

Lego also experiences a bigger boost when a movie becomes a hit. Branded LEGO content “fares very well across franchises” and has a “halo” effect for the company, Michael McNally, senior director of brand relations at Lego, said. He cited The LEGO Movie, which premiered in 2014: “We saw a rise in sales across our overall brand, not just the one theme.”

He added that the company hopes the just released LEGO Batman movie will have a similar knock-on effect.

There’s also the reverse license, of sorts. When a toy is really successful, the manufacturer puts out entertainment to match it, such as Shopkins, makers of small collectibles, which introduced a Web series.

In recent years, Hasbro, Inc. has produced nine live-action feature films based on toys, including Battleship, Ouija, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. Other toymakers have released dozens of directtovideo releases or television films for such dolls as Mattel’s Barbie, Monster High, and MGA Entertainment’s Bratz. This year, the Lego Ninjago Movie, My Little Pony: The Movie, and the latest Transformers movie are all born of toys.

“The price to go to market for content has changed quite a bit because of the YouTube and Netflix type of avenues,” Lennett said. “We do know that content is helping to drive toy sales.” Appell echoed the sentiment: “We’re seeing toy companies really act as entertainment companies in a lot of ways.” — Bloomberg