IP management news roundup
The latest in franchise management & commercialising IP
No deep dive this edition - I’m working on a couple of topics that require deeper research. Here instead is a quick news roundup, which regular readers know I like to structure around previous topics covered in this newsletter. Let’s get straight to it!
Latest news in franchise management and commercialising IP
Franchise Management
(See my posts Building a Forever Franchise, Universal’s Franchise equation, How to blow up a franchise and Reboot Fatigue: Lessons from Tron: Ares.)
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t just topped the global Box Office with $75 million. I wrote last week about Tron: Ares’ challenges launching a reboot/legacy sequel, but Now You See Me 3 appears to have overcome these, despite almost a decade since the last instalment. Performance was particularly strong in international markets. Read More
Roblox rolled out the next phase of its IP licensing platform. Having launched earlier this year with a select few IP holders, including Sega, Netflix, Lionsgate, and Kodansha, the platform has now opened it to all IP holders. Read More
Derek Tsai (friend of this newsletter) wrote for SEG3 on how Sports, Entertainment and Games Share the Same DNA, unlocking ecosystems that expand narrative reach, deepen fandom and multiply revenue streams. Read More
Kids & Family
(See my posts Whole Lotta Bluey and Inside the Miraculous Ladybug Machine.)
Miraculous has announced Jazwares as its new global master toy partner. Jazwares will develop an expanded toy ecosystem encompassing action figures, fashion dolls, role-play, plush, vehicles, collectables, playsets, and seasonal items. Read More
StudioCanal Kids & Family has secured a new collaboration between Paddington and Japanese fashion brand, Celford. Read More
Bluey has entered the world of capsule toys in Japan. T-Arts Company will roll out rubber key chains featuring Bluey, Bingo, Muffin, Socks, Snickers, Mackenzie, and Indy across hundreds of capsule toy vending machines installed in variety stores and mass retailers nationwide this November. Read More
Sony Pictures is developing a Labubu movie. The studio picked up the rights to the doll brand in hopes of launching a full franchise. Read More
Theme Parks & Immersive
(See my posts Are you experienced? and Immersive deep dive.)
Netflix finally opened their first Netflix House, in Philadelphia. The Hollywood Reporter had extended coverage. Read More
The Guardian highlighted the executional challenges in the immersive space: Experiential entertainment is having a gold rush, but commercial success is far from certain. Read More
Faith-and-values-based content
(See my Post How faith-based content is driving innovation in funding, distribution and fan engagement.)
The Wonder Project’s subscription offering on Amazon Prime Video has secured over 500,000 signups in the first three weeks since launch. There can be a significant difference between a signup and a subscriber, particularly when the signup is for a 7-day free trial, but that is still impressive proof of initial demand/interest. CEO Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten appeared on Variety’s Strictly Business podcast to discuss the launch. Read More
Angel Studios’ animated musical ‘David’ has achieved $3 million in theatrical pre-sales, the highest in the company’s history. Angel President Jordan Harmon said, “The Angel Guild has embraced David with the highest scores ever recorded. This is a powerful, values-driven animated musical that unites families and uplifts hearts – the perfect story to celebrate the holidays.” The film opens on December 19th. Read More
Meanwhile, Angel has acquired IP rights to the three highest-performing franchises on its Angel streaming platform. The titles, Tuttle Twins, Homestead, and The Wingfeather Saga, were acquired through a combination of cash and stock for a total price of $89 million. Read More
Magnolia is launching The Carpenter’s Son, a story of Jesus’ teenage years based on the apocryphal gospel The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (nope, never heard of it, and I have a Theology degree 😂) and starring Nicolas Cage as Joseph and FKA Twigs as Mary (!). Read More
Action franchises
(See my posts Into The Neesonverse and Anatomy of an action franchise: John Wick.)
Lionsgate has struck a deal for The Expendables and Rambo franchises. The company has signed with Millennium Media for the rights to develop and produce all derivative works of The Expendables, as well as worldwide distribution rights to John Rambo, the sixth instalment of the Rambo film series. Read More
Superfan apps
(See my Post When Superserving becomes Supersqueezing.)
Spotify has launched its new ‘Premium Platinum’ tier in India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. The new tier, priced at more than double Spotify’s standard offering in these markets, includes lossless audio, AI-powered features, and exclusive perks. Read More
Tencent Music Entertainment highlighted its Super VIP (SVIP) tier as a key driver of growth during its most recent earnings call. ARPU in Q3 2025 grew 10.2% YoY, primarily due to increased adoption of the SVIP tier, which offers improved sound quality and early access to concert tickets and merch. Read More
HYBE’s Weverse superfan platform is expanding internationally, reaching 11.6 million global MAU in Q3 2025. Weverse just announced a new collaboration with Tencent Music Entertainment’s QQ Music. Read More
Meanwhile, Weverse rival bemyfriends has acquired a majority stake in Dreamus, the business behind streaming service FLO and consumer electronics brand iRiver, for $38.5 million. Read More
Breaking down the Angel Studios purchases based on a dive into the corporate documents (1) Homestead cost "up to $28.2M" purchased solely through stock consideration (2) A planned purchase agreement for a project was announced by Angel in 2024, though the company was not named at the time, with a cost of $30.0M. I believe this is Wingfeather Saga (with Angel having advanced them $2.2M in "Capital advance payments" in 2024). (3) 30.8M would thus be the deduced Tuttle Twin acquisition cost. In 2024 Tuttle Twins' production costs were partially covered by convertible notes from Angel worth $5.3M.