Mattel is making a Magic 8-Ball movie with horror movie titan Blumhouse
Published Thu, Jul 25 20196:01 PM EDT Updated Fri, Jul 26 20195:09 AM EDT
Sarah Whitten@sarahwhit10
Mattel's Magic 8-Ball toy will be turned into a movie.
Blumhouse, a noted horror studio, will produce the film.
The Magic 8-Ball movie is the sixth live-action film project that Mattel has announced in recent years.
Magic 8 Ball by Mattel
Mattel's Magic 8-Ball is getting the Blumhouse treatment.
On an earnings call Thursday, CEO Ynon Kreiz revealed that the iconic fortune-telling toy would be coming to theaters in partnership with the horror film studio.
Blumhouse has set a new standard for horror production in the 21st century, which is lifting the entire category. The studio is best known for films like "Paranormal Activity" and the Academy Award-winning "Get Out." Also, a big part of the company's strategy is taking small budget films and turning them into huge box office successes.
For instance, Blumhouse partnered with Hasbro to create a movie based on the Ouija board. The film, released in 2014, cost just $5 million to make and went on to earn more than $103 million at the global box office. The sequel "Ouija: Origin of Evil," which came out in 2016, cost $9 million for production and went on to earn $81.7 million.
As Mattel seeks to keep its margins in check, producing films cheaply that can go on to multimillion dollar success will be key.
The Magic 8-Ball movie is the sixth live-action film project that Mattel has announced in recent years. The company has tapped Margot Robbie ( "Suicide Squad," "I, Tonya") to play Barbie and will produce a live-action Hot Wheels film, an American Girl movie, a Masters of the Universe film and a flick based on View-Master.
"Master of the Universe" will be released in March 2021, Kreiz said.
Mattel Inc