After Mattel's Barbie, Lego CEO hints at new movie

Lego A/S had great success with its 2014 Lego Movie and now that rival Mattel Inc. has reached blockbuster status with its summer hit Barbie, the Danish toymaker may soon return to the silver screen, its chief executive officer suggested.

"I must admit that I also want us to tell our stories in the film format again at some point," Niels B. Christiansen said in a phone interview. "And we're also looking at that."

"It's good to see this strong interest in films targeting families, and we're taking note of that as we move along with our own projects," he added. Lego hasn't released a theatrical movie since 2019.

Traditional toymakers are turning to films and digital platforms to stay relevant for an audience accustomed to screens. The development goes both ways as Lego bases some of its best-selling building block sets on film universes, like Star Wars and Harry Potter.

Lego has already made three less successful follow-up films to its 2014 hit, which had grossed about $470 million at the global box office, or roughly four times its budget. On its catalog are also hundreds of television series episodes, including Lego Jurassic World. In comparison, Barbie has already brought in $1.34 billion worldwide.

The Danish company is rushing to hire more digital experts to couple physical toys with the electronic world, the CEO said. He plans to reach 1,800 of such staff by the end of the year, an increase of almost 40 per cent from the end of 2022.